33 COVID-19 Positive Cases Reported Tuesday
South Dakota health officials report 33 new cases of COVID-19 in the state. Eight additional people have been hospitalized, bringing current hospitalization number to 89. 1,015 South Dakotans are reportedly infected with COVID-19.
State Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rhysdon says more than eleven-thousand nursing home residents and staff have been tested for the coronavirus.
Malsam-Rhysdon says fewer than one half of one percent of the tests came back positive.
Second Youth Organized Protest In Rapid City Stays Peaceful
Black Lives Matter marches are still being held all over the U.S., following the death of George Floyd. Chynna Lockett has more here.
Jensen Selected New Chief Justice
South Dakota’s Supreme Court has a new Chief Justice. The justices selected Steven Jensen to lead the five-member court. Jensen takes the helm from Justice David Gilbertson, who led the court for the last 19 years. Jensen says he will continue with some of the priorities Gilbertson pushed for.
That includes a specialty court system, which focuses on drug and alcohol cases, or those that deal with veterans.
“Just in the last few years we’ve developed two mental health courts,” Jensen says. “Each of those have very specific work and are instrumental in keeping people in the community that—used to be the only option for them would be the penitentiary.”
Justice Jensen is a resident of Union County and was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2017. He will take over as Chief Justice when Justice Gilbertson retires in January of 2021.
Pork Board CEO Discusses Food Supply Sustainability
Food shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic raise consumer concerns about the sustainability of the nation’s food supply chain. Bill Even is the CEO of the National Pork Board. He says farmers and ranchers have been discussing sustainability for more than a decade. Even says there are several important considerations to help improve the supply chain.
“The food has to be safe. We know that animal welfare needs to be taken care of. Public health needs to be protected and the environment needs to be protected in this process, and I think what we’ve found is that, all of them have to work together, and if you emphasize one to the detriment of any of the others, you’re going to have bad outcomes.”
Even says that some of the problems in food supply are the result of focusing on one point instead of the whole system. Listen to Even's entire In the Moment interview here.
Dusty Johnson: Comments On SF Rally & Meat Supply Chain
South Dakota's U.S. Congressman Dusty Johnson joined us to discuss ways to alleviate the challenges COVID-19 has brought to the meat supply chain. Read or listen to his entire In the Moment interview here.
Improving Police Accountability
As protests sweep the nation, many people want to increase police accountability and decrease the incidents of police brutality. South Dakota is not immune to these problems. Tom Mrozla is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of South Dakota. He says there are many policies that can decrease the likelihood of excessive force.
“Policy should tell officers when they can arrest or when they can use force. Officers should be documenting these uses of force or putting limits on uses of force. That way the supervisor can read that officers narrative and then they could have a talk about what could go differently.”
Mrozla says implementation of body cameras and de-escalation training, are just some tools that can help improve behavior. But he says police departments now focus more on law enforcement than community welfare. Mrozla says that, coupled with a gradual police militarization, has increased incidents of use of force.
Pandemic Widens Gulf Between Packers and Producers
During the pandemic, the gap between the fortunes of producers and meatpacking companies is growing. More from Seth Tupper here.
Senior Showcase Marked A Success
High school senior golfers flocked to Pierre on Monday for an opportunity to represent their schools one more time. The 'Senior Showcase' event went off without a hitch. Nate Wek has more here.