2 States' Attorneys in Roberts County??

We are hearing that our "supposedly" outgoing States Attorney doesn't want to leave her county-paid offices to make room for the new duly-elected States Attorney.
We also hear that our county (which is rumored to be broke ) is actually dallying on evicting the old and bringing in the new.
What is more, the out-voted lady wants to continue working on those county cases she couldn't seem to finish while she was on the county payroll, thus continuing to draw
county funds while she mis-manages even longer.

Apparently your vote does not count in Roberts County. The voters thought they had elected a new States Attorney, one who would be fair, work for the people and do the job he was elected to do.
Instead it sounds like Roberts County (or the few commissioners who think they ARE the only authority in RC) intends to keep the old States Attorney on the county payroll while she continues to waste time and tax monies to occupy county financed offices that properly belong to the incoming States Attorney.

Are we so rich in RC that we can afford 2 States Attorneys and 2 county funded offices? Doesn't SD law specifically state term dates? Maybe it is time to accept that THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.

Happy Birthday Francis Crawford!

We would like to take a few minutes on this Christmas Eve Day to wish Francis Crawford a very happy 100th birthday. Francis was born on December 17, 1908 in Buffalo Lake SD. We recently celebrated with him at Tekakwitha Nursing Home where he now resides.

The picture shows Francis at his birthday party and the man in the photo with him is Harlan Hammer. They both served on the FSA boards together. Francis was a pillar of our community for a long time, serving on various boards. He helped many people along the way and we want to wish him all the best and a long happy future.

The Courier had a small notice, on the back page of course, identifying Francis as a woman. Just wanted to clarify that Francis Crawford is a man, a very tall man, and we are very proud to know him.

Horton Goes Fishing

The Sota has an editorial this week about CC Horton's latest fishing expedition that you will want to check out.
Just click the SOTA link to read all about Bobby's latest exploits .

Thanks to Chuck for keeping us informed and current on those underhanded CC's.

Blizzard Bits

We have our first (and hopefully last) blizzard of the 08/09 winter season blasting here in Roberts County SD today. With most roads closed or blocked across the entire state almost, it might be a good time to sit down with a hot cup of your favorite beverage and let us know where you hang your hat. Maybe carry our sense of community just a little further.....
Here in RC I found a little over 6 inches of new snow has fallen (or blown into the gauge as the winds are howling!) A nasty day to be out and about.
A good site to check the snow amounts is CoCoRaHS This is a network of volunteers who report precipitation around the state so you can find local reports there that best reflect your area. Check it out!

Drainage & Ditching Issues

We have a rather backward system for drainage permits etc here in Roberts County and this has led to some
bitter disputes as well as some hard feelings and confusion, to say nothing about lawsuits.

FSA would tell you they must give permission for any and all drainage and our own County Commissioners say
they are the authority on that issue and must be approached before any drainage work is done. There is also
SCS wanting to be asked and don't forget the state water board, Fish & Wildlife and on and on it seems.

It all boils down to the CC handing out permits left and right to almost anybody who will buy them a meal, with
absolutely no foresight in their decisions and certainly no intelligence involved in any of it.

A few months ago there was a CC meeting that garnered newspaper coverage plus many residents to
protest a drainage plan. The Browns Valley mayor pleaded with the CC not to approve more drainage until
MN got some sort of flood diversion in place. Since that time I have lost count on the number of drainage
applications that have been approved by the CC, with absolutely no regard to our neighbors to the east, or any other direction for that matter.

We are posting this subject to see if we can sort out some of the issues and pin down the major problem areas.
Please add your input on this subject. Remember, if all the facts are out in the open, it leaves little room for
shady, hidden projects.

Hull on the Run?

We heard about a hunting party north of Sisseton made up of the Hull family (as in our CC) wherein threats were made by the Hulls on Thanksgiving eve.

Seems the landowner came upon a dozen or so hunters on his posted land and stopped to check them out as nobody had asked his permission to hunt there. One of the Hulls told the landowner that if the owner didn't leave that he (Hull) would shoot him. The landowner called the game warden to report the incident. We haven't heard what happened or if charges will be made.

Seems to me that is below the minimum what the South Dakota Hunting Handbook dictates is good relations with landowners. It might even lean more towards a criminal complaint. This is pretty serious stuff!

But then we knew our Commissioner already figured he owned the whole county, didn't we? There ought to be an IQ test before a hunting license is issued. I can only say "Don't take your guns to town Son; leave your guns at home."

Town Hall Invitation

We would like to extend an open invitation to ALL Roberts County elected officials to step up and introduce yourselves please.
This is open to those who recently got elected to position, those who were named to one and those who have had the position awhile.

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about you, your title or position, your intended changes or completed changes....what makes you "tick"?

We hope to hear from Tribal officials as well as County officials so we can get to know you a little better and maybe we can truly make this a united community , where we can all work together, with harmony at the forefront.

Dipsticks?

Chuck has done it again! A great article is on the SOTA website. Read it and weep for Roberts County.

The 3 Amigos are upholding their reputations to be sure. Does anyone have any ideas on how we can rid
our county of these 3 commissioner impersonators and their shenannigans and possibly reclaim our dignity?

This is beyond absurd and borders on insane......

Thanks to Chuck for telling us like it is.

Another Shooting?

We heard there was another shooting "incident" in the fair city of Sisseton. Sounds like a person or persons went into the End Zone bar and laid a pistol on the counter and the police were called out. The person(s) took off in a pick-up and went out to the new IHS clinic where they waved the gun around and shot up into the air. The authorities came and conquered and that was it.

Has anyone heard more on this? Is it just rumor or did it happen? Let us know please.

Integrity. Has Roberts County Got It?

Overheard at a recent Commissioner meeting: "Chuck isn't playing with a full deck" This came out of the mouth of Horton by the way. He was referring to a recent article printed in the Sota by Chuck Floro.

Horton Hears A Who.....Who hasn't got a full deck Bobby? You of all people should leave that sentence alone.

Speaking of integrity. City, County or State. SD ranks 50th in Integrity in government. That's like at the bottom isn't it?
This is a very derogative statement about a business man or anyone by a commissioner in a public meeting and a prime example of no integrity in SD government.

Yet most South Dakotans possess high levels of integrity themselves, it just seems to disappear when it comes to government.
Leaving government out of the equation, South Dakota has a good reputation for integrity so what happens to those who become government officials? Do they park their integrity the same place they leave their honesty, their manners, their conscience?

All I've got to say is watch for an article in next week's Sota!

2008 Election Stats

I have the final election totals etc so will post them for those who haven't seen them already:

Tribal Elections:

Chairman: Michael Selvage was re-elected
Vice-Chairman: Garryl Rousseau
Secretary: Delbert Hopkins

Now for the Roberts County Elections:

States Attorney: Kerry Cameron
Cameron got 67.22% or 2,976 votes and Kay Nickolas got 32.78% or 1,451 votes
County Commission District 2: Tim Zempel
Chairman/Incumbent Louis Voeltz got 44.43% or 459 votes and Tim Zempel got 55.57% or 574 votes
County Commission District 4: Roger George
Roger George got 73.63% or 712 votes and Larry Wanous got 26.37% or 255 votes

Hopefully this is a step in the right direction. We still need to focus on the remaining incumbent commissioners and
vote them out next election if they insist on "business as usual"

Have you noticed that our polls reflected the actual outcome of this election fairly accurately? I will leave them up for another week before removing them to make it easier to navigate all we have to offer here for you.

Remember! This is YOUR voice for Roberts County. Let us know if you want something discussed or posted and we will do our best to make it happen. Just click on the envelope if you want to get in touch with me privately.

Election Results

Below is a preliminary local listing of the election results for Roberts County:

States Attorney: Kerry Cameron over Kay Nickolas

County Commissioner: Tim Zempel over Louis Voeltz...........Roger George over Larry Wanous

I pulled these from the SD Secretary of States homepage so I don't have the stats yet but hopefully this is what happened.

Sounds like we managed to CLEAN HOUSE! Yeah!!

I will put up totals when I get them as to how many votes each candidate actually received, but for now this is it.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote yesterday.

Please remember to VOTE tomorrow!! Each and every one of you together will make the difference we must make if we are to move forward without tyranny and racial decisions made by those who are in office now.

We need to remove, replace and renew!!

Together we CAN make a difference......but only if all of us make sure to VOTE!!

Croymans did what??

We have heard the following from a very reliable source and don't doubt it is true:

Seems our Sisseton Chief Of Police aka Jim Croymans was called to Taco Johns on Saturday night to apprehend an armed suspect and got so flustered that he got out of his car, ran back into his car and proceeded to back his car into another city police vehicle!!

The damaged city vehicles were taken to Brooks for repairs. Anybody want to bet that little "incident" gets reported differently in the Courier if it even makes it there?

Remember this is the guy that our CC wanted to put in for Sheriff. He is the same one who shot holes in the front door of our hospital while on "skunk patrol" earlier this year as well.

Need we say more??

"Sota" Editorial

The Sota has a very good editorial dealing with the crooked commissioners and our Sheriff. Be sure to check it out!

http://www.earthskyweb.com/sota.html

Chuck brings up some very good points and asks some direct questions that we'd all like to know answers for.
Keep up the good work Chuck!!

Race Relations - Can We Live Together?

It appears like we need to address issues concerning the Natives and the Whites again. Just when it seems we might have gotten past all the ugliness and are beginning to come together as Americans, race rears its' ugly head again.

Why can't we forget our differences and work together for the good of our community, our children, our futures? Why can't we all think of this as "our county", "our Sisseton" rather than the same old "us" vs "them"?

Try to think of us each as simply "Americans" with no adjective in front of that word, it might just work. We all pretty much drive on the same roads, drink the same water don't we? Let what is past go. We cannot change the past, but we can let go of it.

If all of us turn to face the future and work to improve our way of life here, we may just happen to forget our differences and focus on our common goals.

Together we CAN do this. Each and every one of us can make this happen if we let it. How about giving this a try? To begin with, I believe our present government (aka CC/SA) is the one biggest hurdle we need to overcome in order to begin a future free of racism and hate.

We must get the current commissioners and states attorney etc voted out-of-office on November 4th!! Every single vote counts so please make your voices heard and make the effort to go to the polls and get them OUT!! Once we achieve unseating the present government officials who would keep hatred, lies and racism stirred up, only then will we have a chance to reclaim our dignity.

Presidential Ballot plus measures added

I've heard from quite a number of you wanting MORE polls so have added one for President and the various amendments etc.

Please take a little time to vote on each and we will see just how close we come when elections are over and done!

More Election Polls Added. Please VOTE!

We have added more polls so you can make your voice heard.  Only major parties are listed and only the candidates in our area at this time.  If you let me know that you want more "politics" we will add the National elections and also the Constitutional Amendments & Initiated Measures as well.

Thanks for taking the time to MAKE YOUR CHOICE.  Please remember to vote on November 4th.  

Also please know that you may also vote "Absentee" any time you wish, just go into the Roberts County Courthouse and to the Auditor's office and request an absentee ballot.  You may also mail your request to the Auditor and vote in the privacy of your own home as long as it gets returned before Nov 6th.

New Polls Added For County Commissioner Race-Please Vote!!

2 new polls have been added for you to "cast your ballot" on both the District 2 and District 4 County Commissioner races.  Please take the time to vote!

There are only 20 days left until Election Day.  Remember to vote as we need a change!!

Overheard Inside The Commissioner Meeting:

At the last commissioners meeting Horton asked Kay Nickolas why the Judge was putting people in jail and costing county money instead of fining them.  Kay said sometimes they have to sit their fines out.  Horton had a fit, said it cost county money to have them in jail.  Hull jumped in and said he learned over the years you don't tell the Judge anything.  Well, duh!

Now may I ask, what is a jail for if not to house prisoners?  Seems like our CC would rather make a profit from fining criminals and letting them loose so they can fine them again....after they commit another crime of course.

And you thought Roberts County was already dangerous after dark??

RC Jail IS Making Money!

It has been brought to our attention that in the first 4 months of operation the RC Sheriff's office has contributed more than $59,000, after expenses and salaries were paid.  At that rate the Jail will contribute more than $177, 654.00 a year.  However, since  Sheriff Vince Owen is working on more contracts and more incoming funds, the amount sent to Roberts County should be much more than $177 K per year.  

This was accomplished by  housing prisoners here rather than paying for them to stay in another county and also selling phone cards.  When RC jail begins housing non-county prisoners these figures will shoot up dramatically.

Our CC would have you believe their lies and will try to tell you that the jail, under present authority aka Owen & Ward, is not making any money but rather taking from the county.  

These are the figures folks.  They are from a good source and I have no reason to doubt they are true.  I will leave it for you to decide who is not telling the truth here and who is.

What? Another County Jail!!?

Saw this in the current Sota newspaper today:

The United States Department Of Justice has announced a grant of $500,000 for an upgrade/expansion of the Tribal court/detention center at Old Agency.

Isn't this ridiculous?  Why spend for duplicate jails in the same county?  Why did the RC Commissioners give the "go-ahead" on the new jail instead of working with the Oyate and pooling funds for a community facility that would not only have saved Mega Bucks, but quite probably have brought unification and better understanding as well as uniting the citizens of this county?

What were they thinking?  Or perhaps we should instead ask:  "were they thinking at all"?

What do they have to say about this?  How on earth can they possibly justify this huge expenditure other than to cry about how broke the county is at this time?  And just how did Roberts County become broke, please tell us??  Shame on you CC!!

They're At It Again....

Did you catch today's Watertown Public Opinion Headlines:

"ROBERTS COUNTY WILL GET A NEW COMMISSIONER"

"In a recent interview with the Public Opinion, County Commissioner Roger Navratil said the commission's current relationship with Sheriff Owen is pretty good, and that the county commission and sheriff largely steer clear of each other."

What's that???  Does that sound as idiotic to you as it does to me?  

Community Growth

Some "upbeat" community news this time!

We've heard there are plans for new growth in our community.  The Super Valu store is planning an addition to the Deli section....perhaps complete with tables and eating area.  There are rumors that Sisseton is also going to have a new gift shop opening soon on Highway 10 on the east side as well.  

Does anyone know what is happening with the trailor court on east 10?  We had heard another grocery store might locate there, but not much action is going on except trailers were moved out?

If you know of any plans for new business, additions or changes, in Sisseton or other surrounding communities, please tell us!

Sheriff Shake-Up? continued.....

We were quoted in the Sota so we must be getting noticed.  I'd like to add to the article to clarify some things both said and unsaid.

"Roberts County Commissioner Chairman Louie Voeltz, who tells us that no action has been discussed at Commissioner meetings"

Do you notice how that is worded?  Of course nothing has been "discussed" at CC meetings!  It is all done elsewhere!!  Like most underhanded dealings, discussions on how to unseat the current Sheriff are best "discussed" in the dark, away from public view.

Commissioner Horton may not be well polished yet, since he is new to this; but give him enough time and I am sure he will become as adept at spinning as the CC Chairman obviously is.

We have heard that Sheriff Owen's "lack of cooperation" is reason enough for this newest dismissal attempt.  Could it be possible that our esteemed commissioners want to "eavesdrop" so much that they would insist on retaining an employee let go by Vince to keep their channel of communication open?

I would also point out that the very anonymity of this blog is what makes it unique and gets the 'grassroots movement' going.  When all is said and done, the comments read and digested, most of us can see what is true and what is not.  After all, our commissioners might sign their names to the monthly meeting minutes, but we all know that what is published is a far cry from what was said or done at those meetings don't we.

I want to add that I admire the Sota for reporting news and not making news.  Thanks for checking into this heinous attempt to unseat the best Sheriff that Roberts County has had in a long, long time.

Sheriff Shake-Up?

We've heard that the Commissioners are planning some action against both Owen & Ward in an attempt to get them out.  It's all supposed to "hit the fan" within a week or so.

Maybe the CC figure that after elections are over and they are truly elected rather than appointed that it will be impossible to remove them from office?

Does anyone have more on this subject?  Please share with us?

Hang in there Vince & Chad!  

Sisseton Shooting

It makes great headlines to say there was a shooting in Sisseton, but the facts are that someone (not naming who) got upset by a fight near the skating pond on the west side and shot up in the air.

The police did their thing and arrested him and at this time there are no bodies......

Drainage Issues in County

We hear the Commissioners are considering more drainage, even after they promised MN officials they would not allow additional drainage into the Red River Basin.  At least 3 or 4 more major drainage projects are on next week's agenda, with most of the water going into the RRV basin (via the residents over in Brown's Valley of course).

Are any of these people engineers?  Have they got any idea what they are doing and how it will affect flooding issues all the way to Winnipeg and beyond?  

PLEASE Show Support for Claudia

Just a reminder that Claudia Boelman's court date is September 2 (this coming Tuesday).

Please go and show our support for her.  The more of us that go and be counted, the better Claudia's chances are.

We are here for you

It has been almost 2 weeks since anything new has come on our main blog site.  The only activity there has been that some of the posts have had all comments disappear so not sure what is going on with that.  

I am posting this note to remind you all that this site is open and working in case you want dialogue to continue.

Original Sisseton Blog Site is OPEN again!!

I'd like to announce that our old Sisseton blog site is back up and running again.  Our long-lost administrator there has fixed the problem and able to run that site now.

As such, this site will not be needed from now on.  I intend to leave it up and running just in case something happens again.  But from now on, you can post on the other site.  You can post on both sites if you like, but the other site will be the "official" blog site from now on until further notice.

Hopefully I have filled a purpose while our main site was broken and hopefully I won't be needed anymore.  My only purpose was to keep the dialogue going and I think it did.

No matter what happens they will NOT shut us down!!

Administrator

Recall Commissioner Hull?

There has been mention of Hull being the "ringleader" or "troublemaker" among our 

county commissioners.

Rather than wait until he comes up for re-election down the road and suffer the wrongs done by him and the others in that circle.....does anyone want to take the lead here and begin a recall petition to remove his voice from the local discord and perhaps gain a new unbiased commissioner?

Please let us know what your thoughts are, what you would like to see happen and when??

I have set up a new poll so we can see how many believe Hull is detrimental to our county.

Please check it out and vote.  Comments are welcome!

Area Storm Damage

We'd like to wish all the wind storm victims a speedy recovery from last weeks high winds.

Winds were clocked at over 115 mph lasting more than 2 hours which did a lot of damage.

Several area towns were without electrical power until last night.  Some are still without power.

This damage leaves scars that will be visible for a long time to come as many of the trees torn out were large mature ones.  Along with loss of trees, many structures were destroyed or badly damaged.  The worst of the damage seems to be along highway 12 from Aberdeen to Summit and east with a swath of 40-50 miles wide.  We heard this storm went all the way to Chicago.  That's akin to having an F-2 tornado on the ground from central South Dakota all the way to Chicago....think about that.

There is still a lot of clean-up left to do. If anyone wants to volunteer their time or energy I am sure it would be most welcome.

Loose Animals Let Loose?

Does anyone know what exactly the city of Sisseton has for a loose animal policy?  I have seen city employees letting captured dogs out of a city pick-up to fend for themselves.  I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself.  The city worker kept opening cages and letting the dogs out, one after another and another....

I'm sure the people who lived near where these dogs were released had some problems with strays that day.

RC Auditor "alias" the 6th commissioner?

Any scoop regarding Dawn Sattler, Duane or the bunch goes here.  She has been a little quiet lately?  Must be up to no good....

The "Boys" aka "Gang"

This thread is for naming names....someone mentioned the Courier.  Post it here!  Whoever is part of the "Good Ole Boys" gang...those names go here.

Suggestions

Any suggestions or comments to Administrator go here.

States Attorney aka Kay Nikolas

Comments regarding the county's States Attorney or lack of one go here...

Roberts County Commissioners

This is where we post about the latest antics going on behind the commish doors....or at the sales barn...

All Things Other

Any comments or input, questions or answers about anything else goes here.

Roberts County Sheriff Department

Let's show our support of Sheriff Owen and others in that department here.