Noem tells tribes to open roads

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is telling tribes to take down road checkpoints they had set up to keep out unnecessary visitors because of concerns over the coronavirus.

The Republican governor on Friday said would take legal action if the tribes didn’t remove the checkpoints in 48 hours.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe set up the checkpoints in an attempt to lock down their reservations amid fears infections could decimate members. Thus far, the tribes are refusing to remove the checkpoints.

The move sets up a potential legal showdown between the governor and tribes that assert their sovereign rights allow them to control who comes on reservations.