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u.s. news Diaranson 13 aPriL 2022

South Dakota attorney general impeached over fatal crash

(AP) — The South Da- everyone,” said Republican mittee, which argued that
kota House on Tuesday Rep. Will Mortenson, who anything wrong he did was
impeached state Attorney introduced the articles of im- not part of his official duties
General Jason Ravnsborg peachment. “in office.” But even Repub-
over a 2020 car crash in lican lawmakers who argued
which he killed a pedes- A spokesman for Ravnsborg his actions did not meet con-
trian but initially said he did not reply to a request for stitutional grounds for im-
might have struck a deer comment after the vote. Tim peachment said Ravnsborg
or another large animal. Bormann, the attorney gen- should resign.
eral’s chief of staff, said his
Ravnsborg, a Republican, staff would “professionally “He should have stepped
is the first official to be im- dedicate ourselves” to their down, should have done the
peached in South Dakota his- work while Ranvsborg is honorable thing,” said House
tory. He will at least tempo- forced to take a leave. Speaker Spencer Gosch, a
rarily be removed from office Republican who oversaw the
pending the historic Senate Ravnsborg, who took office House investigation and vot-
trial, where it takes a two- in 2019, was returning home ed against impeachment. for the people of South Da-
thirds majority to convict on from a Republican dinner He also accused Republican kota and for Joe Boever’s
impeachment charges. in September 2020 when All eight House Democrats Gov. Kristi Noem of inter- family.”
he struck and killed Boever, voted for impeachment, fering in the investigation
Ravnsborg pleaded no con- who was walking along a ru- while Republicans were split, and of supporting impeach- For Boever’s family, who held
test last year to a pair of traffic ral highway. A sheriff who with 28 voting for it and 31 ment because of the attorney his wedding photo as they
misdemeanors in the crash, responded after Ravnsborg against. One Republican law- general’s investigations into watched from the House gal-
including making an illegal called 911 initially reported it maker, Rep. Scott Odenbach, her behavior. A second letter lery during the vote, the de-
lane change. He has cast Jo- as a collision with an animal. recused himself because he from Ravnsborg’s spokes- cision brought some relief.
seph Boever’s death as a trag- Ravnsborg has said he did had given legal advice to the man delved into “evidence, They have decried the crimi-
ic accident. not realize he hit a man until attorney general after the allegations and misconcep- nal prosecution as a “slap on
he returned the next day and crash. tions” about the case. the wrist” for Ravnsborg.
In voting 36-31 to impeach found the body.
Ranvsborg, the Republican- Ravnsborg, who had been After Ravnsborg fell out with “We’re a step closer to justice.
controlled House charged The Highway Patrol con- largely silent about the crash the governor after the crash, We’re not done,” said Boev-
him with committing crimes cluded that Ravnsborg’s car and was not present for the he pushed a pair of ethics er’s cousin, Nick Nemec.
that caused someone’s death, crossed completely onto the vote, sent lawmakers a pair of complaints against Noem to
making “numerous misrep- highway shoulder before defiant letters Monday night the state’s Government Ac- “Now we just need the
resentations” to law enforce- hitting Boever, and criminal urging them not to impeach countability Board. His office Senate’s help on this be-
ment officers after the crash investigators said later that him. is also investigating whether cause these laws need to be
and using his office to navi- they didn’t believe some of an organization aligned with changed badly,” said Jennifer
gate the criminal investiga- Ravnsborg’s statements. “In a few hours, your vote the governor broke campaign Boever, who was married to
tion. will set a precedent for years finance disclosure laws. Boever. “People are getting
The House rejected the rec- to come,” Ravnsborg wrote. hurt and killed, and the pe-
“When we’re dealing with the ommendation of a GOP- “No state has ever impeached Noem lauded the vote on destrian has no self-defense
life of one of your citizens, I backed majority report from an elected official for a traffic Twitter, writing that the against a 4,000 pound (1,814
think that weighed heavily on a special investigative com- accident.” House “did the right thing kilogram) vehicle.”

New Mexico hails expanded free college, but some remain wary

(AP) — Even after failing like gas and groceries. She’s sonal expenses. There’s no revenue. State officials say
a test that set her back a reapplying to the nursing Many states — including requirement to finish in a set that program, the Lottery
semester, Maribel Rodri- program and hopes to finish New Mexico — have for number of years. Scholarship, is now solvent
guez will be heading back her degree without racking years offered free tuition pro- at 100% for at least the next
to nursing school this fall up debt that could hurt her grams for four-year degrees “It opens the door for a lot of four years.
with a generous new state husband and three children. to residents, but the pro- people, especially people who
scholarship that abandons grams had restrictions, lim- started a degree and had to New Mexico’s governor and
eligibility criteria to help “I didn’t think a whole lot of iting participation to recent leave for some reason,” said Legislature hope the expand-
more working adults get a opportunities were really out high school graduates and Kathy Levine, financial aid ed Opportunity Scholarship
college degree. there for me at my age,” said requiring that they attend director at Northern New will be enough to reverse the
Rodriguez, 37, of Lovington, school full-time. Mexico College in Española. state’s dismal education out-
New Mexico is expanding its New Mexico, who left col- comes. Only Mississippi has
“Opportunity Scholarship,” lege at 19 in part because she Supporters of those restric- Still, Levine and other college a lower percentage of four-
which has already paid for couldn’t afford rent. “Even tions say they incentivize counselors hesitate to prom- year-degree holders, at 23%,
Rodriguez’s tuition and al- though if we missed it when- students to finish their de- ise students future funding. according to Census esti-
lowed her to apply federal ever we were younger there’s gree and narrow the number mates.
grants toward living expenses still hope for us.” of students who participate, Most of the $75 million ex-
reducing costs. But critics pansion of the program relied Since 2020, the program has
argue they create too many on one-time federal pandem- been used by 10,000 state
hurdles for students to suc- ic relief and is authorized for residents pursuing associate’s
ceed, especially those who only one year. If funding is degree programs, including
are low-income and strug- reduced, students could find nursing.
gling to work, pay rent and themselves without support
raise a family. midway into their degree or “It checks all those boxes,
certificate program. very robust, certainly stands
New Mexico’s revamped out as a national model,” Jes-
program provides students As recently as 2017, New sica Thompson, vice presi-
with more flexibility, includ- Mexico cut its other college dent of the left-leaning think
ing attending college part- scholarship program to just tank The Institute for Col-
time and allowing them to 60% of tuition because of lege Access and Success, said
use federal grants for per- an unexpected drop in state of the revised program.