GFP wants Purple Heart vets to use state parks for free
The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission on Thursday approved granting lifetime entrance permits to Purple Heart recipients. The commission also decided that Purple Heart recipients can stay at state campsites for half-price.
The commission took the actions Thursday during a meeting in Aberdeen. The changes came at the request of Connie Stone, who filed a petition asking for them. She is coordinator for veteran services at South Dakota State University in Brookings.
The South Dakota Legislature's Rules Review Committee will have final say on whether the rules take effect. The six lawmakers are scheduled to next meet on Tuesday, June 10 in Pierre.
The commission's pending entrance rule states: 'A resident of this state who is a recipient of the Purple Heart is also entitled to a free lifetime park entrance license. The resident shall fill out a form provided by the Division of Parks and Recreation and mail it to the Pierre office with a photocopy of the Purple Heart citation or award certificate.'
A companion pending rule would reduce the fee for camping. It states: 'A resident of this state who is a recipient of the Purple Heart is also entitled to purchase a camping permit, campsite electrical service, and camping cabin permit for one-half price upon completion of a form provided by the Division of Parks and Recreation accompanied by a photocopy of the Purple Heart citation or award certificate. These discounts are for the use of the recipient only, and are not transferable.'
Al Nedved, deputy director for the state Division of Parks and Recreation, spoke in support of the proposed rules on Thursday. He said approximately 150 to 200 Purple Heart recipients currently live in South Dakota.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Pohlad family announces it won't sell Minnesota Twins
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The Minnesota Twins are no longer for sale, according to a letter from the Pohlad family posted on the team's social media accounts Wednesday morning. Yankton Mall: 5 Below now open, more coming soon In October 2024, the Pohlad family announced it would explore selling the team but announced Wednesday 'our family will remain the principal owner of the Minnesota Twins.' 'Over the past several months, we explored a wide range of potential investment and ownership opportunities. Our focus throughout has been on what's best for the long-term future of the Twins. 'We have been fully open to all possibilities,' the family said in a statement. 'This ownership group is committed to building a winning team and culture for this region, one that Twins fans are proud to cheer for,' the family statement said. The Pohlad family said in its statement that it was in the process of adding two significant limited partnership groups as investors. The Twins are 56-63 and traded away 11 players before the trade deadline. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
Rep. Baird hasn't ruled out a reelection bid. Still, another Republican is jumping in the race
Two years ago, Mooresville Republican Craig Haggard, a first-term state representative, raised his hand to say he was interested in the 4th Congressional District seat if incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Baird decided not to run. Baird, also a Republican, did run, and he has implied he will run for a fifth term in 2026, saying his mission is to earn the 4th District's support in 2026. But things are different now. Haggard is officially running for the May Republican primary, too, having formally kicked off his campaign with a friendly gathering of supporters in Plainfield Aug. 12. It's off to the races for what could be the most competitive, and already contentious, congressional contests in Indiana this cycle. Because of the makeup of the district, whomever wins the primary is likely to win the general election. "I'm sick and tired of people going to D.C. and worrying more about a vote based on them being reelected than doing the right thing," Haggard said, situated before an American flag and the restored nose of the jet he flew as a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps. "I want to go and fight. I want to go and represent you." The 4th Congressional District stretches from Morgan County in the south to Jasper and Newton counties in the north. Though he only just filed his formal candidacy on Aug. 8, Haggard has already reported about $50,000 of contributions from the first half of 2025 and has $84,000 in the bank as of June 30. Baird raised $68,000 the same period, and has about $140,000 cash on hand. The race is already tense. Haggard has noted that Baird's congressional mailers have included images of his son, Beau, and have increasingly left off his first name ― a move Haggard has interpreted publicly as Baird subtly introducing his son as a successor to his seat. The younger Baird has been rumored to be a potential future candidate for the seat after his father leaves. The elder Baird, in a fiery press release the afternoon of Aug. 12, set the record straight: It is he who will court voters in 2026 and he will "not be distracted by political games." He condemned Haggard's comments as "baseless" and "disgusting," mentioning four times in the press release that he is a two-time Purple Heart recipient and Vietnam veteran. "I have never wavered in my commitment to my community and my country. I will continue that fight on the House floor to ensure the people of the 4th District have a strong voice in Washington," Baird said. "My mission remains serving the people of the 4th District and earning their support in 2026." He also stressed that President Donald Trump has endorsed him in each of his races since 2018. Trump has yet to make an endorsement for the 2026 race. Haggard told reporters at the event that whether his opponent is the congressman or his son, he will run the same campaign. "If the congressman runs, great. And if his son runs, great," Haggard said. "Either way, doesn't change what I'm doing. I'm always going to run like I'm behind. I'm going to work my tail off; I'll be working every day from here until May 5." Haggard, a Marine and Indiana Air National Guard veteran, was elected to his Statehouse seat in 2022, serving parts of Morgan, Hendricks and Johnson counties. He is also a small business owner and commercial broker. He was also Indiana's field representative for the National Rifle Association for six years. There was a sizeable labor union presence at his rally, particularly from the Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters. Political director Jerome Stanford said Haggard came to their training facility in Greenwood years ago and instantly hit it off. He said Haggard proved he is an honest broker when he voted against a bill in the Statehouse seeking to restrict project labor agreements, a bill the unions saw as anti-union. Stanford also appreciates that Haggard has friendships across the political aisle ― something unions themselves have been making in recent years, too ― and is accessible and available. It helps that a lot of his union members are into guns, too. "He's a roughneck just like the rest of us," Stanford laughed. Though the soaring national debt is one of Haggard's top concerns, his main promise to supporters was that he would be reachable and respond to every constituent while in office. "And if we don't," he told the crowd, "throw it on Facebook." Those constituents could change if lawmakers heed Trump's call to redraw Indiana's congressional maps before the midterm elections. Nomatter what new lines may be drawn, Haggard said he plans to still run for the 4th ― or whatever new number is assigned to it. "I've worked on this for two years. I met with thousands of people, I'm going to continue to." More: Gov. Mike Braun on Trump's redistricting pitch: 'I'm listening to the legislators'
Fox News
6 days ago
- Fox News
DeSantis picks ‘the Chuck Norris of Florida politics' as new top deputy
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chose a prominent state lawmaker and amputee combat veteran dubbed the "Chuck Norris of Florida Politics" on Tuesday to be his second-in-command in Tallahassee. The choice of state Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, makes the DeSantis-Collins team the only all-veteran executive state leadership pair in the country. DeSantis praised Collins' bravery in battle, where he earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart as a Green Beret during the War on Terror while also being deployed to South America – while Collins said DeSantis does not speak enough about his own Navy service. The governor was a JAG (Judge Advocate General) officer for the U.S. Navy and a rules-of-engagement legal adviser to Seal Team One during President George W. Bush's Iraqi "surge." Collins lost a leg in Afghanistan – or, as he said Tuesday, "I didn't lose a leg; I know where it is" – and also helped command Florida's evacuation of Jewish Americans from Israel after the Gazan terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023. DeSantis said Tuesday that while he commanded the operation from Tallahassee, it was Collins who chose to go to Israel and Jordan himself to help the U.S. citizens back to the safety of Tampa Bay. "As our state senator from Tampa, he's been a man of action," DeSantis said of Collins. "He has delivered conservative wins and I think has been one of the most productive senators we have had in modern Florida history and on all the big issues. He not only was an ally of mine, he was standing up for you." In addition to his volunteerism in Israel, when hurricanes struck the lower Gulf Coast, Collins was on-the-ground feeding people and helping displaced residents through his charity, DeSantis said. "Senator Jay Collins. Is the Chuck Norris of Florida politics. And I am proud to announce today that I am appointing him to be the next lieutenant governor of the 'Free State of Florida'." "I really want to thank the governor and the first lady for their trust and their faith in myself and our family," Collins said after taking the dais. "I didn t grow up with privilege or wealth. I was adopted. Raised on my grandparents. I watched my father pass away before I was really a man. And later chose to serve our nation to fight for a nation that afforded me every opportunity to climb out of those circumstances and rose up to be something new, something dynamic, something unique to my family," said Collins, who was born in a tiny Montana community near the Saskatchewan border. "You see, I grew up in a trailer, but in our nation, you're not defined by that. There are opportunities ahead of everybody," he said. Former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez departed Tallahassee earlier this year to take the job of president of Florida International University in Westchester, Fla. – just south of President Donald Trump's Doral resort.
