Hill City Prevailer

It’s too hot for the Hills

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:44am
I am officially getting old. Chronologically I am only 56, and I still act like a teenager or even a bratty child at times. Yet my body is screaming that I am old because…it’s too hot for me to go outside. 
Me.
The gal who used to say “I’d way rather be hot than cold.”
The gal that used to go rock climbing in full sun in 100 plus weather. 
Now I am officially melting at a whopping 80 degrees in my home, fighting my dog Zeuss for the tiny area of the living room where the mini split blows out cool air. 

Opinion on opinions

Published by admin on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 9:33am
You’ve heard the saying, “Opinions are like _____, everybody’s got one.”
These days, especially on social media, it seems everybody feels the need to share theirs—whether asked for or not. 

A great evening at Mount Rushmore

Published by admin on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 9:32am
Greetings. What a historic week! Happy 250th birthday America! I had the pleasure of attending the 250th celebration at Mount Rushmore on the evening of July 3. The reason we had it on the third and not the fourth was because that’s the only day President Trump would attend. He had the actual 250th celebration at our nation’s capitol on the actual Independence Day, July 4.

The little city that could

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 9:52am
I’ve been covering Hill City for nearly eight years now. I have seen some major changes in that short time. I have seen furor over unpaved streets become polite discussions over variances and setbacks. I have heard contention about vacation rentals become civil discourse over merchandise display ordinances. And I have seen a winning Rangers football team (which I had not seen before).

A wrap-up of the state Republican convention

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 9:49am
Greetings. Marcia and I just got out of the Republican Grand Old Party (GOP) annual state convention held in Rapid City June 25-27. In addition to standard GOP business, we elected the following constitutional officers for the ballot in the general election in November.
Secretary of State: Rapid City’s Heather Baxter beat out our incumbent Monae Johnson. Baxter 50.34 percent to Johnson 40.09 percent. Heather was a legislator in the House for the past two years representing District 34.

National security for the next generation

Published by admin on Wed, 06/24/2026 - 9:36am
Engaging with the next generation keeps me focused on what’s important: South Dakota’s future. Recently, Sandy and I hosted all of the state government interns for a picnic. This is an annual summer tradition at the governor’s residence, and it’s a pretty special one. I love hearing all of their dreams for their future careers, and I’m glad that internships in state government can help turn those dreams into reality.

Runoff rules, June Republican convention

Published by admin on Wed, 06/24/2026 - 9:34am
Greetings, 
We’re in the first ever, since Nov. 2, 1889, gubernatorial republican primary election runoff. State law says in the governor’s race, one must have to exceed 35 percent to win the primary, and then be placed on the ballot in the general election in November. 

My dip into the shallow end of the pool

Published by admin on Wed, 06/17/2026 - 8:20am
It’s all the rage right now, and everyone seems to be using it. From kids in classrooms, to people at work, the world seems dependent on and fascinated by AI. 
The other day at a board meeting with a person struggling to complete her task, a fellow, younger board member told the older woman (who is my age), “just plug what you want into ChatGPT, and it’ll do the writing for you.” What the older board member got was extremely well polished, well written, concise and intelligent. She remarked, “It was so easy.”

Boredom—the missing ingredient in childhood

Published by admin on Wed, 06/10/2026 - 9:24am
It’s time to bring boredom back.
That seems a little counter-intuitive in an age where digital technology is designed to keep us constantly entertained. Smartphones and tablets put endless entertainment and distraction at our fingertips. Unfortunately, that entertainment has become an all-too-convenient pacifier for children whenever boredom strikes.
Perhaps the goal shouldn’t be to keep children entertained every second of the day. A little boredom may be just what young minds need—even if it comes with a little whining at first.

Don’t like negative governor ads

Published by admin on Wed, 06/10/2026 - 9:23am
Whew! What a week! I think I’m still recovering from the primary election. In district 30, Sen. Hulse, Rep. Ladner and I all won our primaries. Rep. Ladner and I have opposition in the general election. I enjoy campaigning and try my best to just talk about what I’ve accomplished in the legislature and state what needs to be done next. I never run negative campaigns; my opposition can speak for themselves. Rep. Ladner and Sen. Hulse feel the same I believe.