The latest episode of Dakota Town Hall brought the conversation West River, with District 31 Sen. Randy Deibert and District 32 Rep. Nicole Uhre-Balk joining hosts Jake Shoenbeck and Murdoc to discuss South Dakota politics, privacy concerns and issues affecting the Black Hills.

Much of the discussion centered on the aftermath of the Republican gubernatorial primary and Toby Doeden’s “Save South Dakota” campaign message. Deibert questioned what, specifically, the state needed to be saved from.

“I just couldn’t figure out what we were trying to save,” Deibert said. “You gotta try to make policy changes that are effective, not just throw everything out.”

Uhre-Balk said candidates also need to give voters a clear picture of what they intend to accomplish.

“You gotta be what are you for? Like, what are you gonna build?” she said.

The group also turned to growing concerns surrounding Flock cameras and other license plate-reading technology. Uhre-Balk said Attorney General Marty Jackley has discussed legislation establishing guardrails for how the technology can be used, but she believes questions remain about access, data retention and whether information can be sold to private companies.

The discussion included Rapid City, where Uhre-Balk referenced Mayor Jason Salamun’s recent comments on Meeting with the Mayor that the city is not using Flock cameras. She said cameras identified locally appear to be on private property.

“We could put those guardrails in place to ensure that if there is a mayor somewhere else that is OK with having them, that we try to protect our South Dakota citizens,” Uhre-Balk said.

The episode also covered the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the state’s investment in the America 250 fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore and the death of longtime Rapid City businessman and former legislator Stan Adelstein.

Murdoc remembered Adelstein for his extensive contributions to Rapid City, including support for the Club for Boys, The Journey Museum and other community institutions.

“Stan did a ton for this town,” Murdoc said. “I just wanted to take a minute. 95. That’s a good run.”