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March 5, 2021

Even with everyone in attendance sporting a face mask, it was easy to tell that most people were wearing as smile Friday as they entered the building to get their shot at the latest COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Mitchell.

The clinic, operated by Avera Health at its Patient Financial Services building on 15th Avenue, was expected to administer around 600 doses of the Moderna vaccine Friday, and the line of people was a steady stream of the latest group to qualify for the life-saving doses.


February 24, 2021

Currently, under the Federal Crop Insurance Program, producers unable to plant a crop due to adverse weather conditions are eligible to receive a small indemnity but prohibited from growing a cash commodity due to a missed window in the growing season. A new bipartisan, bicameral bill - the Feed Emergency Enhancement During Disasters with Cover Crops Act (FEEDD Act) -- would create a clear emergency waiver authority for USDA to allow producers to graze, hay or chop a cover crop before November 1st in the event of a feed shortage due to excessive moisture, flood, or drought.

Issues:Agriculture

February 18, 2021

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson was in the Black Hills Thursday, to meet with local Republicans.

Johnson was the speaker for the Pennington County Republican Women's monthly meeting.

He fielded questions from the group and expressed his concerns with President Joe Biden's executive order that effectively shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Issues:Congress

February 11, 2021

Residents and business owners affected by President Biden's executive order canceling the Keystone XL pipeline gathered Monday in southwestern South Dakota and appealed to three Republican congressmen in an effort to help restart the project.

During his first days as president, Biden revoked Keystone XL's permit and shut down construction of the long-disputed pipeline that was to carry oil from Canada to Texas. While the move was celebrated by the mainstream media and environmental activists, the decision dealt a costly blow to small-town business in the center of the country.


February 10, 2021

The cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline not only affected the laid-off workers, but also the surrounding community, South Dakota resident and small business owner Tricia Burns said on Wednesday.

"We lost 45 memberships. That's over $3,000 in monthly revenue that was gone literally within 48 hours. We had negotiated contracts with two security companies that were coming in to secure the pipeline. That would have brought us another 120 memberships. That [more than] doubles what we have just in our local town," the owner of Ignite Wellness Studio told "Fox & Friends."


February 8, 2021

PHILLIP, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota Congressman, Dusty Johnson, and two of North Dakota's State Representatives gathered Monday with local businesses affected by the cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline.

TransCanada Energy first proposed the $8 billion Keystone XL Pipeline in 2008. Phillip is one of many communities along the 1,200-mile project's proposed path. Last month, President Joe Biden signed an executive order halting the construction of the pipeline which would have delivered crude oil from Western Canada to Midwest refineries.

Issues:Energy

January 29, 2021

Small South Dakota meat processors could soon sell their products in all 50 states if legislation introduced Wednesday by Rep. Dusty Johnson can receive a majority vote in the U.S. House and Senate.

Co-sponsored by Henry Cueller, D-Texas, the bipartisan Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions (DIRECT) Act would allow small amounts of state-inspected meat to be sold across state lines through e-commerce, effectively opening a greater market for South Dakota beef, pork, lamb and poultry through the use of online platforms.

Issues:Agriculture

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Dusty Johnson Honoring Vietnam War Veterans
August 14, 2020

Duane Conzemius thought back recently on his time of service during the Vietnam War. "It went fast, but it has been awhile," Conzemius said after a short pause.

Conzemius, along with fellow Vietnam veteran Earl Vanberkum, was presented with the Vietnam Veteran lapel pin Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., in a brief ceremony at the Mitchell Veterans Park in downtown Mitchell.

Issues:Veterans

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Dusty Johnson Feeding South Dakota
August 12, 2020

Rep. Dusty Johnson stood in the Slumberland parking lot late Wednesday afternoon, preparing for a shift of helping out with the latest food box giveaway at the Mitchell Food Pantry.

"This is where the rubber really hits the road," Johnson told the Mitchell Republic. "This is where all the lofty ideas in Washington, D.C. actually get deployed in helping families in need."


August 5, 2020

Billions of dollars have been wiped off the balance sheets of the nation's ethanol producers as demand for gasoline during the pandemic "cratered," the head of the American Coalition for Ethanol said Wednesday.

Brian Jennings, the group's CEO, predicted that pre-pandemic demand for gasoline won't return until 2022. Until then, the industry is looking to expand into other markets and hoping to offset domestic production barriers with international trade.