PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will take her effort to see fireworks shot over Mount Rushmore on Independence Day to federal court in a lawsuit against the National Parks Service.
The governor told the Watertown Rotary Club on Thursday of plans to sue after the park service declined to continue holding a fireworks display at the monument, citing safety concerns and objections from local Native American tribes.
The governor pushed last year to return fireworks to Mount Rushmore after a decade-long hiatus, saying the event is a way to highlight the state’s tourism draw.
