Socialized Platte-Winner bridge gets federal cash

In South Dakota infrastructure suffers partly because of the state's underperforming retirement system so the Platte-Winner bridge just received a $65 million federal handout for its upcoming renovation project. 

South Dakota consistently ranks among states with the highest percentages of structurally deficient bridges, with approximately 16%–17% of its roughly 5,900 bridges in poor condition or nearly 1,000 bridges. A 1954 bridge on US 12 over Moccasin Creek in Brown County is rated among the most deficient as is the Grant Street bridge over Spearditch Creek. 

And, the new John C. Waldron Memorial Bridge over the Missouri River between Fort Pierre and the cesspool on the east side, which was scheduled to open in 2023 but was completed significantly later than originally planned experienced over-budget issues for the Iowa-based contractor. 

A collapse of the agriculture sector, $650 million plus cost overruns for a prison, $240 million plus cost overruns for the Platte-Winner Bridge rebuild, $150M plus cost overruns for a Capitol remodel, $70 million plus cost overruns for a computer update and at least $2 billion for a boondoggle West River water pipeline but just a $65 million surplus, the end of property taxes and TIFs galore? 

Yes, socialized agriculture, socialized dairies, socialized cheese, socialized livestock production, a socialized timber industry, socialized air service, socialized freight rail, a socialized nursing home industry, socialized water systems, a socialized internet and socialized infrastructure are all fine with Republicans in South Dakota but then they insist single-payer medical insurance is socialized medicine.

Learn more at South Dakota Searchlight.

AI on Brady Folkens wrongful death; mother finally gets press

Just before Christmas in 2013 Brady Folkens of Brookings died in state custody after a medical attendant likely administered a lethal dose of the antibiotic minocycline to the teen at the former State Treatment and Rehabilitation (STAR) Academy in a South Dakota county named for a war criminal. 

But in a 2014 phone interview, Brady's mom, Dawn Van Ballegooyen told this blog he never had a previous acne condition that required an antibiotic and in 2016 Jonathan Ellis formerly of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader called out the State of South Dakota for covering up the truth in Brady's death. 

After a public whimper petered out the death camp was shuttered and the sprawling property carved from the heart of Indian Country put up for auction. The stigmatized site was sold four times at sequentially reduced prices after the first buyer bounced a check to the state, the financing was unworkable or the scope of work proved too great.

Avera McKennan Hospital pathologist, Raed A. Sulaiman ruled Brady’s ultimately fatal lymphocytic myocarditis was caused by Parvovirus B19 despite clinical evidence that anaphylaxis often induces an infarct and Parvovirus can produce a rash that looks like acne.

Before he died, guardianship was also transferred back to her. And then the medical bills totaling up to $200,000 started coming in. She fought the debt collectors off, telling them to go directly to South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley’s office. The state ended up paying her son’s medical fees, but she was left with questions that she didn’t know how to find answers to. [Brady Folkens died a ward of the state. His mother seeks answers a decade later.]

To provide the most current context as of April 2026, here are the key points regarding the status of this case:

• Ongoing Advocacy: Dawn Van Ballegooyen remains a central figure in South Dakota’s juvenile justice reform discussions. Her push for "Brady’s Law"—which would require parental notification for all medications prescribed to minors in state custody—continues to be a focal point for legislative advocacy in Pierre [1, 2].
• Medical Debate: The core dispute remains unchanged: the state maintains the parvovirus B19 (lymphocytic myocarditis) finding, while independent experts cited by the family point to Drug-Induced Hypersensitivity Syndrome (DIHS) or DRESS syndrome caused by minocycline [2, 3].
• Media Coverage: Recent retrospectives by local outlets like the Mitchell Republic and Sioux Falls Live have used Brady’s case to evaluate the effectiveness of the 2016 juvenile justice reforms and the subsequent closure of the STAR Academy [4, 5].
• Legal Standing: Following the withdrawal of her 2018 lawsuit, the legal path has remained difficult due to the complexities of suing state-contracted medical providers and the statutes of limitation, though the family continues to explore civil rights avenues [2, 6].

Black Hills coalition sues for peace

Preservation is a weak spot in the Republican agenda and if enough people believe forest and rangeland resilience is a bankable position the South Dakota Democratic Party needs to exploit it by fielding candidates who can convince voters to reject politicians like John Thune, Marty Jackley, Mike Rounds and Dusty Johnson who work for the grazing, mining and logging profiteers at the expense of public lands.