Blog Year in Review: What Got You Talking in 2022? 112 Most Commented Posts!

Happy New Year! As we ring in 2023, here’s a list of the Dakota Free Press posts that sparked the most published conversation among readers. Out of 1,230 blog posts published here in 2022, these 112 Dakota Free Press articles drew 30 comments or more:

Abortion figured centrally in the top 20. So did rape and incest, religion, and Jason Ravnsborg. So did Kristi Noem’s Trumpism, travels, and tramping over the local press.

Making a surprise leap into the #7 spot was Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Tracey Quint, who sparked more conversation on this blog than she did anywhere else in the sphere of South Dakota political discourse with her proposal to throw public money at private schools. District 26 politicians made the top ten twice, first with District 26 Senator Troy Heinert and Representative Shawn Bordeaux working again to remove racist names from South Dakota’s maps and schools (Republican committees immediately killed all three proposals), then with Republican Senate candidate Joel Koskan being exposed as a rapist and incestophile (Republicans quietly asked for their campaign contributions back, then offered him a plea deal, now delayed until March, to keep Koskan out of prison and off the sex offender registry).

One quirky intersection of DFP interests, initiatives and meat, took the #15 spot, as Sioux Falls voters’ slight preference for rich pork producers over rich mansion owners (ah, so the initiative vote did smell like populism?) provoked a discussion of whether this whole meat business is obsolete.

Blog Post	Published	Comments
HB 1172: Jensen Revives Perennial “Teach the Controversy” Fake-Science Bill	Feb 1	101
Ravnsborg Nearly Crashed into Cops with Inattentive Driving in Pierre, Huron in Weeks Before He Killed Boever	Apr 6	101
Koskan Accused of Raping Daughter for Years	Nov 3	96
Democrats Hosting Abortion Rights Rally Downtown Sioux Falls Sunday 2 p.m.	Sep 20	91
Democratic Legislative Candidates Give Straighter Answers to KELO-TV Abortion Survey Than Republicans	Sep 14	87
Alito Court Overturns Roe; Abortion Illegal in South Dakota	Jun 24	72
Quint Would Throw Public Money at Private Schools	Oct 27	72
Noem Cries “Fake News” at Ten-Year-Old Rape Victim; Ohio Police Arrest Confessing Rapist, Confirm in Court Child Had Abortion in Indiana	Jul 13	72
Heinert, Bordeaux Back Three Bills to Rename Custer State Park, Scalpy Places, and Derogatory School Mascots	Feb 4	70
Smith: Abortion Ban Dangerous, Noem Fighting Other Pro-Family Policies	May 4	69
FBI Searches Mar-a-Lago; Noem Cries Politics	Aug 9	65
Angry Election Liars Rebuff Rounds, Threaten Armed Violence	Aug 21	64
Noem Travels to Houston Friday for No-Guns-Allowed NRA Forum	May 23	63
Incurious Sheriff Volek Saw Boever’s Flashlight at Ravnsborg Crash Scene, Dismissed It as Reflection	Jan 19	59
Sioux Falls Voters Clear Way for Second Slaughterhouse… To Be Made Obsolete by Test-Tube Meat?	Nov 15	59
SD Abortion Laws on Mother-Child Relationship Imperil “Safe Haven” Adoption Law	Jun 29	58
Majority of Christians Think Jesus Was Just a Good Teacher, Not Divine	Dec 14	58
Ravnsborg Announces Crony Natvig’s Bid for Attorney General: Ploy to Block Jackley, Keep Ravnsborg in Pierre?	May 10	55
Senate Praises Vaccine-Mandating Retirement Community in Sioux Falls	Jan 25	55
Noem Still Shutting out Local Press, Breaking Gubernatorial Tradition of Openness	Aug 18	54
Blogger, Lifelong Resident Leaves, Says South Dakota “No Longer the State I’ve Known for More Than Half a Century”	Jul 11	54
State Not Requiring Koskan to Register as Sex Offender; Schoenbeck Says Vote for Bordeaux	Nov 8	52
How Hard Will SD Democrats Fight for Women When SCOTUS Overturns Roe?	May 3	52
GF&P Plans to Have National Guard Help Build Rapid City Shooting Range	Jan 15	51
Noem Working to Purge Soye, Randolph, Mulally from House	May 22	50
Mother-Child Relationship Depends on Choice, Not Biology; SD Abortion Restrictions Misread Constitution	Jul 2	50
Noem’s Best Picks for Interim Attorney General: Tracy? Vargo? Jackley? Seiler?	Jun 22	48
Secretary of State Candidate Monae Johnson Ran SD Chapter of Aglow International, Fighting Devilish Feminism, Working for Theocracy	Aug 29	48
Lawrence Livermore Lab to Announce Progress on Fusion Power	Dec 12	47
EMT: State Exploits Volunteers, Neglects Funding for Ambulance Services	Jan 13	46
White Landowners Not Happy About Losing Land to Proposed Gregory County Power Reservoir	Nov 8	45
Noem Hires Florida/DC Grad Student to Spin and Burn SD Press	Dec 24	45
Ravnsborg Chief of Staff Thought Sheriff Didn’t Do His Job Night of Crash; Sheriff Ignored Boever’s Flashlight, Paid Great Attention to Boever’s Truck	Apr 10	45
Compared to Coronavirus, Monkeypox Easy to Beat	Aug 2	44
Pischke Pushes House to Block Child Support Updates	Feb 18	44
Don’t Shoot Fez, the 1.6-Million-Dollar Robot Pheasant—He’s from the Government, and He’s Here to Help	Feb 20	44
Republicans Use Grief as Excuse for Inaction; Biden Prefers We Solve Gun Violence Now	Jun 3	44
Guns Killing More American Kids Than Cars	Apr 17	44
Four Years of Misconduct Win Noem 44,000 More Votes	Nov 10	43
Is Silence Complicity? (A Meditation for a Reader with a Fussy Email Server)	Dec 7	43
Boring Is the Least of Our Gubernatorial Problems: Noem Still Downplays Vaccines in Favor of “Natural Immunity”	Jan 12	43
Meade County Rejects More Dispensaries for Risky Drug Pushed by Big Corporations	Sep 13	42
HB 1073: Let USD Law Grads Practice Law in South Dakota Without Bar Exam	Jan 17	41
Robocalls Mobilize Citizens to Call Impeachment Committee and Urge Sensible Action Against Ravnsborg	Jan 28	40
Without Evidence of Medical Necessity, Johns Flips, Allows Ban on Home Use of Abortion Pill	Jan 7	40
Noem Clouds Location of Family “Ranch”, Exaggerates Risk Posed by 1994 Estate Tax	Aug 5	40
Ravnsborg Submits No Witness List or Documents to Senate for Impeachment Trial; Prosecution Plans Eight Witnesses, Numerous Photos, Examples of Officials Punished for Misconduct	Jun 3	40
Spearfish Non-Profit Offers Anti-Racist Inclusivity Workshop for Teachers; Governor Says No Way!	Apr 28	40
KSFY: Jamie Smith to Challenge Noem for Governor	Jan 30	39
SB 81: Recognize Buttocks and Inner Thighs as Zones of Criminal Sexual Contact	Jan 19	39
Ivermectin for Everybody, Say Seven Republicans with No Medical Degrees	Feb 11	39
January 6 Committee Sees Evidence of Coordinated Attack on Congress; Cheney Says GOP Must Choose: Constitution or Trump	Jan 3	39
Sadly, Noem Refuses to Debate Smith on SDPB	Jul 15	39
Business First, Workers Last: South Dakota Ignores Advantages of Paid Sick Leave	Sep 21	38
South Dakota Needs More Shots; Noem Goes to Vegas Again	Jan 20	38
Noem’s New State “Life” Website Not Entirely Helpful for Pregnant Women	Jun 26	38
House Education Kills Noem School Prayer Bill	Jan 22	38
Grant Destroyed Brown County Auditor’s Election Computer to Demand Hand Counts of Paper Ballots	Mar 23	38
Bills Banning CRT and “Divisive Concepts” Hit House Education Wednesday; Noem Also Seeks Ban on Private Donations to Support Social Studies	Feb 8	38
K-12 Enrollment Up 0.44%, Thanks to Sioux Falls; Oelrichs is Open Enrollment Champ	Dec 28	38
Replace Diesel with Electric School Buses, Boost Learning	Aug 29	38
Feds Tougher on Elderly Child Porn Viewer Than State Is on GOP Child Rapist Koskan	Nov 25	37
SDEA’s First Impression: Proposed Social Standards Focus Too Much on Rote Memorization, Short-Change Critical Thinking	Aug 16	37
Congress Blocks Rail Strike, Imposes Biden’s Contract, Leave Paid Sick Leave for Future Fight	Dec 2	37
Christian Right Hopes South Dakota Becomes More Like Meloni’s Right-Wing Italy	Oct 10	37
Flight Log 2019: Noem Flew Son, Nephews, Son’s Pal on State Plane the Weekend of Daughter’s Custer State Park Wedding	Sep 8	37
Noem’s Border Guards Bored, Broke Tedium Playing Flashlight Tag with Migrants	Nov 6	36
Mobridge Board Lets Seniors Invite Divisive Speaker to Graduation	Feb 19	36
Zelenskyy Fights for Second Victory Day over Nazism	May 11	36
Individualism Negates “Pro-Life” Values; Beating Pandemic Requires Community Thinking	Jan 14	36
Noem Says Sponsors of Unconstitutional Laws Should Pay Legal Fees	Jan 16	36
HB 1111: Allow Anti-Science Yahoos to Refer School Mask Rules and Other Health and Safety Measures	Jan 27	35
South Dakota Taliban Oppress and Kill Women	Dec 3	35
Hansen Vows to Shout Down Women and Voters Seeking Vote on Roe V Wade Amendment	Sep 14	35
Senate Convicts, Removes, and Disqualifies Ravnsborg from Office	Jun 21	34
Teachers’ Feedback on Hillsdale Standards: 10 Yea, 4 Meh, 230+ Nay.	Sep 17	34
2021 Blog Year in Review: Wordiest DFP Commenters!	Jan 1	34
That’s *Attorney General* Vargo—Noem Picks Impeachment Prosecutor to Serve Remainder of Ravnsborg’s Term	Jun 28	34
House Republicans Reject Hansen Wackadoodles, Pick Schoenbeck Moderates for Leadership	Nov 20	34
HB 1005: See a Transgender Kid in the School Bathroom? Sue!	Jan 3	34
HB 1216: Ban Collective Bargaining in K-12 Public Schools	Jan 31	33
Hughes County States Attorney: Noem Free to Fly Kids to Family Weddings on State Plane, Complainers Face Punishment	Oct 26	33
Noem Flies to Florida Again This Week, Doesn’t Even Get Picture on CPAC Featured Speakers Roster	Feb 22	33
Boycott Threat Fades, Business Allies Back Away from Transgender Cause	Apr 4	33
Thune, Rounds, Senate GOP Block Health Care for Poisoned Veterans…Out of Pure Political Pique?	Jul 28	33
Hillsdale Social Studies Standards Get First Public Hearing Monday, Sept 19, Aberdeen—Admins Ready to Oppose	Sep 11	33
Augie Bringing New Hockey Coach to Sioux Falls on Private Jet	Apr 19	33
The Sound of Freedom: Rapid City Shooting Range Heads to House Approps This Week	Feb 27	33
Write Roe v. Wade into SD Constitution—Dakotans for Health Preparing Initiative for 2024 Vote	Jun 30	33
Judge Blocks Noem’s Restriction on Abortion Pills	Jan 27	33
Women Need Abortion Rights to Participate Equally in Workforce	Jul 31	33
Before Incest Charge, Koskan Slacked Off on Campaign Fundraising; GOP Senators Sent $10K Week Before Charges Made Headlines	Nov 5	32
Leaked Caucus Transcript Shows Investigation of Drunk Senators Was “Sham Committee” with Outcome Prearranged by Jackley, Bolin, and Rusch	May 16	32
Watertown Teacher Declines to Use Students’ Preferred Names, Gives Students Candy and DVDs to Push His “Spiritual Truths” at Public School	Apr 26	32
Dusty Still Dreaming of Dead Pipeline; Renewable Energy Will Yield Real Independence	Mar 5	32
Jackley, Rhoden Nearly Lose Nominations; SDGOP Tosses Barnett, Picks Less Qualified Monae Johnson for Secretary of State	Jun 26	32
Real Nurse Says Noem Could Be Prosecuted for Lying About Working as a Nurse	Sep 26	32
Prevalent? CRT Non-Existent in SD K-12 Schools	Aug 27	32
Talk About the Right to Abortion and Sign a Petition to Restore It!	Dec 27	32
Does the Governor Need Us to Define “State Business”?	Nov 2	32
Noem Rides Billionaire Jet to Alabama After Pizza and Party with Lewandowski’s Candidate in Massachusetts	Aug 13	32
Noem Abuses Public Resources to Boost Truckers’ Highway-Obstructing Protest	Mar 12	31
Biden Defends American Democracy at Independence Hall	Sep 2	30
DSU History and Ethics Forum Hosts Wilson Speech on Recruiting Tech Workers	Oct 21	30
Ravnsborg Using Noem’s Image on Campaign Website	Apr 4	30
HB 1045: Give Counties Small Toke on GOP Marijuana Tax	Jan 9	30
Hillsdale Standards—Pro: Noem/GOP/Hillsdale Hacks; Con: Teachers	Sep 24	30
Minoritarian Manhart Says Only Small-Towners Like Himself Are “True” Americans	May 21	30
Vaccine Mandates Are Not Hurting Rural Healthcare Staff; Anti-Vax, Anti-Mask Nutjobs Are	Feb 24	30
Kline: SDPB Canned Me for Failure to Be Objective (Translation: Silent) About Attacks on Transgender Identity	Apr 19	30
Complaint: Racist Rapid City Hoteliers Actually Denied Service to and Ejected Indian Customers	Mar 25	30
Biden Stands with Ukraine and People Power in Poland	Mar 27	30

Stay tuned for more blog stats as we review Blog Year 2022 and look forward to a big 2023!