New Mexico seeing growth; South Dakota not so much

While South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa saw significant decline in the first quarter New Mexico's output increased 3.1%

Read it all here.

Passenger rail a priority for some Montana legislators

Imagine a time when portions or all passenger rail in the United States are elevated for wildlife egress and a corridor between Mexico City and the Amtrak station in Shelby, Montana is a route to the Yukon River in Alaska intersecting with a bridge over or a tunnel under the Bering Strait connecting South and North America to Russia and the rest of Eurasia.

Cheyenne, Wyoming is on board with Colorado for expanded Front Range passenger rail that would connect El Paso to Shelby. I-25, especially from Pueblo, Colorado to Fort Collins through Colorado Springs and the Denver metro, sucks at biblical proportions as does flying into Denver International Airport so growth on the Front Range is driving planners to pick up the pace on passenger rail. Littleton, Louisville and Pueblo are among several Colorado cities pushing for increased passenger rail service.

And, although Amtrak rejected Delaware-based AmeriStarRail plans to utilize existing infrastructure from Amtrak and Norfolk Southern to complete the Transcontinental Chief the company is currently petitioning Congress, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Department of Transportation to pressure Amtrak back to the negotiating table. They are now targeting a revised 2028 launch timeline to coincide with the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

Calling the potential for passenger rail service "a huge asset" Broadwater, Butte-Silver Bow, Dawson, Gallatin, Granite, Jefferson, Missoula, Park, Powell, Prairie, Sanders and Wibaux counties became founding Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority member counties. Now with twenty counties and several tribal nations on board BSPRA hopes to restore passenger rail across southern Montana from North Dakota to Idaho and include some 47 stops in seven states.

Some legislators, including Billings Democratic Rep. Denise Baum and Missoula Democratic Sen. Andrea Olsen, have pushed for increased access to passenger rail alongside some of their Republican counterparts, including Glasgow Sen. Gregg Hunter. Many transit agencies around the state are interested in this conversation too, as adding train lines could be an opportunity for bus services to expand offerings. One question in the survey asked what type of public transportation would be used if it was offered. Trains were the most popular answer, followed by buses. [Survey shows Montanans interested in more public transit]

Olson on Bruner

Editor's note: Matt Bruner supported Ted Cruz when he was a South Dakota delegate to the 2016 Republican convention. Bruner farms near Carthage where he has taken some $3500 in federal subsidies, supports candidates in the far white wing and even Republican former legislator, Steve Hickey called him a racist. When pressed by an interested party on Faceberg recently Bruner said he doesn't care whether a farm bill is passed after he posted a picture of rotten corn saying, "but it's not actually black. Thus, it's Kamala corn." 

South Dakota's favorite former teevee anchor, Shad Olson notices Bruner's misogyny, too.

I've said for years that in national conservative political circles, South Dakota has long been a laughingstock of RINO incompetence, dominated by the most corrupt, talentless, self-aggrandized band of mediocre people anywhere in politics.

It's nice when they're generous enough to prove it in viral fashion.

Pretty rough night for the Thune, Rhoden, AFP wing of the club.

These are NOT Republicans... and never have been. And they've been holding this gullible state hostage for decades under false pretense that everyone in America now sees through.

John Thune could be doing anything, anywhere come January 2029. But I promise you, after blocking the SAVE Act, punctuated by Matt Bruner's clown show denial of Scott Presler's attendance at the state GOP convention, Thune will NOT be the U.S. Senator from South Dakota.  

Matt Bruner, the "bouncer" who's now ticked the national radar for kicking MAGA superstar Scott Presler out of the SDGOP state convention has no idea the mercy that's already been extended him over the past year. It'd be a shame if Matt's DM's [sic] and his pathetic, equally awkward attempts to woo a certain blonde South Dakota lawmaker were added to the public bonfire of his idiotic, Democrat-operative shitshow that's now made the national scene.

He sent her pictures of porn stars and other scantily clad women, comparing her anatomy to theirs, complimenting her admittedly luxurious feminine figure... and expressing his ardent desires to take her out to dinner. I guess this sort of thing constitutes high romance for a guy who drinks Bud Light out of cans inscribed with John Thune's name.

I never considered him a contender. She found him repulsive. His political stupidity and clear devotion to the neocons were my only concern.

She mostly ignored him, she and I shared a few laughs over his antics, but she was too nice to say the things that I will, and I never felt need to respond to a guy who looks like Yosemite Sam after ingesting a basketball... life clearly dealt him a tough set of genetics out of the box. But Karma arrives in interesting ways.

Couldn't happen to a nicer illiterate.

Typical Hansen/Rhoden supporter.

Former Spearditch chef opens another Minneapolis restaurant

Three-time James Beard Award-winning Oglala Lakota chef, author, and activist Sean Sherman began his culinary career after moving to Spearditch from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation at age 13. He started by washing dishes, bussing tables, and prepping food at The Sluice when this interested party was still in foodservice distribution. 

While his mother attended Black Hills State University Sherman spent extensive time researching and reading at the local library which helped fuel his interest in gastronomy. Then during high school and college he worked as a field surveyor for the Black Hills National Forest and taught himself how to identify botanical species and understand native plants which later became central to his cooking philosophy. Sherman moved to Minneapolis eventually making a name for himself by strictly avoiding "colonial ingredients" like beef, pork, chicken, dairy, wheat flour, and cane sugar. He focuses entirely on pre-contact ingredients native to North America, such as bison, fowl, wild rice, cedar, and sumac. 

In 2014 he founded The Sioux Chef and in 2021, he opened the critically acclaimed restaurant Owamni in Minneapolis, which won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. He co-founded the non-profit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS). Through this, he operates the Indigenous Food Lab to expand regional food security and education, with active plans to open a satellite location back in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Chef Sean Sherman's new downtown Minneapolis restaurant Indígena by Owamni opens Tuesday at the Guthrie Theater. The much-anticipated new restaurant is just a few blocks away from its predecessor, Owamni, the restaurant that earned Sherman and his team numerous accolades, including a James Beard award. Sherman describes his work and his team’s work as storytelling. “That’s a big core of what we’re doing. We're using food as our language. We're using food as our story and our platform. So, this for us is a stage also.” Indígena by Owamni opens for regular service Tuesday, June 23. Reservations are open through OpenTable, with walk-ins welcome after 9 p.m. A grand opening is set for July 4. [Minnesota Public Radio]

AI on Trump Thune rift

Describe the growing tension between Herr Trump and the Senate majority leader.

The widening political rift between Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune has caused major gridlock on Capitol Hill. 

Trump has threatened to stop signing all new legislation unless the Senate passes this strict proof-of-citizenship voting bill. Trump has pressured Thune to eliminate the legislative filibuster to force it through, which Thune has refused to do because it lacks the necessary votes. In a late-night post on Truth Social, Trump derailed Thune's fast-track plans to reauthorize a key expired surveillance law. Trump instructed his Director of National Intelligence nominee, Jay Clayton, to skip his scheduled confirmation hearing, blindsiding the Senate leadership. 

Senate Republicans, usually hesitant to challenge Trump directly, have begun openly criticizing his administration's framework agreement with Iran. Leaders like Republican Conference Chair Tom Cotton have publicly condemned the deal's heavy financial concessions. Senators recently left Washington without passing a Homeland Security funding bill because the White House demanded the inclusion of a $1.776 billion settlement fund to compensate Trump's allies, which Senate leadership has tried to block or heavily restrict. 

With the 2026 midterms approaching, Republican senators are feeling immense pressure. Defending a narrow 53–45 majority, many fear that public intraparty warfare and Trump's primary challenges against traditional loyalists will jeopardize their seats. During a private party meeting, lawmakers reportedly expressed heavy frustration with Trump's public "shots" at Thune. While the two men maintain a bare-minimum functional working relationship, lawmakers admit the environment has become "awkward for everybody."