Hill City Prevailer

First signs of fall

Published by admin on Thu, 09/29/2022 - 9:16am
I have never loved fall as much as I do this year. With every sign of the season, I get a little more excited. However, I find it interesting that we each have our own signs. 
 
A friend told me it was fall because she started school and sports. According to my weather app, it was still in the 80s and would remain there for some time. Nevertheless, it was her sign. 
 

Making a big stink about the poop

Published by admin on Thu, 09/22/2022 - 9:52am
The other day I was riding down the Mickelson Trail when I saw a pile of horse poop. And then another and then another. I was outraged. 
 
Who’s in charge of cleaning up the horse poop on the Mickelson trail?
 
How come I have to pick up Sadie’s dog poop but horse riders don’t have to pick up their own poop? 
 
Where is the fairness in this system?
 
That was my initial response. 
 

Letter to the Editor

Published by admin on Thu, 09/22/2022 - 9:48am
Dear Editor,
Governmental overreach. It’s a term that has become commonplace in many areas of life as we have allowed the federal government to creep into every facet of our existence without demanding accountability from those who seek to govern us.  This concept of action based on ideology disguised as protection isn’t new, but I will admit I was surprised when this found its way into the National Park Service. 
 

My adventures on a farm

Published by admin on Thu, 09/15/2022 - 9:50am
Growing up south of the Twin Cities, I didn’t have many opportunities to interact with farm animals. My grandparents have a farm, but the animals were long gone by the time I was born. 
 
Two of my friends had hobby farms but as a result they lived an hour or more away. Thus, one of the only times I got to interact with animals was at the county fair petting zoos. 
 

Keystone, how can you miss us?

Published by admin on Thu, 09/08/2022 - 9:20am
“Keystone, how can you miss us?”
 
I heard that question asked the other day at a Keystone budget hearing. 
 
The person wasn’t saying that Keystone is so amazing and how could you not stop.
 
What they were saying is that geographically speaking, being at the base of Mount Rushmore, how could somebody not know where Keystone is? And not stop?
 

You are smart

Published by admin on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 9:59am
You are smart. Don’t dismiss it. I know what I’m talking about. 
 
You really, truly are smart. It may feel like your talents can’t measure up when compared to someone else’s, but that isn’t a determining factor. Regardless of comparisons, you are innately smart, just in different ways. Let me back up though. 
 
In the spirit of school starting again, I was inspired to pick up the book “8 Great Smarts” by Kathy Koch, PhD. 
 
This book discusses Dr. Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. 

What is happening to downtowns?

Published by admin on Thu, 08/25/2022 - 9:18am
For the second  year  in a row I visited the small town of Alliance, Neb., for a one day road trip.
 
There is so much to do there.
 
Initially I came for Carhenge. But then I learned of a free military  museum  a free art museum,  the gorgeous  greenway, gardens and fountain. There is even a cute dog park cleverly called Wiggly Field! 
 
I absolutely love all of these free attractions. 
 

Giving us plenty of reasons to be upset

Published by admin on Thu, 08/25/2022 - 9:11am
Greetings! Isn’t anyone just a little upset about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) just passed by Congress? There are things to be upset about like the one-year anniversary of the disastrous pull-out from Afghanistan when we left $8 billion worth of high-tech military equipment behind.  Actually, the figure is much higher than that when you figure in all the research and development costs to make all of that military equipment now in the hands of the Taliban, Iranians, Russians and Chinese!
 

Catching up on what’s been happening

Published by admin on Thu, 08/25/2022 - 9:07am
What a summer! So much has been happening behind the scenes. So, let’s catch up!
 
We are progressing nicely with the Interim Property Tax Study. As I am writing this I am on my way to Pierre (don’t worry, Bobby is driving) to attend the Interim Property Tax Committee meeting on Monday. At this week’s meeting we will be finishing up hearing testimony from department heads and begin looking at property tax models that other states similar to South Dakota are using. On Tuesday, I have an executive board meeting and then we head home to District 30. 

How do your words affect people?

Published by admin on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 9:15am

How do your words affect people? I keep coming back to this question, especially after reading a column by Charity Wessel in the Custer County Chronicle.
Words are tossed so hastily these days from quick text messages to rushed interactions in the checkout lanes. This is even more prevalent in the summer season. Everywhere you go, you pass by different people with different stories and different words to say. Many of these interactions will never be remembered, but they are important nonetheless.