Opinion

It’s gonna be a good summer

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 11:30am

I went on a trip last weekend to Colorado. That’s right: for the first time since 2019 I left the state of South Dakota. In the words of Jeb Bush: “Please clap.”

It’s funny, when most people go to Colorado it’s to escape the city and go out into nature. For us, it’s the opposite. We go to Colorado so we can feel like we’re back in a city. While I was there, I was able to do some pretty cool things. While I did go for a nice little hike, by far my favorite thing that I got to do was eat 11 tacos.

Where is the outrage on this?

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 9:25am

Greetings! How are things going with everyone? I’m scared. Here are some of the reasons why.
Hunting and target shooting ammo shortages leave shelves still bare at all the sporting goods stores.  Are we going to be able to have a pheasant hunting season? The season is scheduled now. Where do we purchase our shotgun shells? Where’s the outrage?

Bill is critical for journalism

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 9:21am

Fairness is not a partisan issue.
Fairness is the goal of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act currently being considered in the United States Congress. The bill has bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
H.R. 1735 / S.673 is critically important to protecting the future of high-quality, local journalism in South Dakota and across our nation. Support is growing for the legislation, yet much more needs to be done before it can become law.

Where have all the workers gone?

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 9:17am

Last Wednesday morning I stopped by Safeway before coming to work to grab a box of doughnuts for a co-worker’s birthday party. Taped to the front door, and pretty much all over the store, for that matter, was a long list of all the positions for which Safeway was hiring. And I mean a long list. Pretty much every position in the store was needed.

William Harris

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 9:12am

William (Bill) Harris was born in Des Lacs, N.D.,  Aug. 16, 1932.  He was a pilot for 72 years (received his pilot's license at age 16), a writer and publisher, a salesman, a carpenter, a railroad worker, a talker, a warehouse of knowledge, and a seeker, collector and restorer of historical treasures that might otherwise have been lost. 
He was the first son of Max and Sophie (Strand) Harris.  Bill attended school in Des Lacs until he moved with his grandparents to Baudette, Minn., in the fall of 1941 after the crops were harvested.

An ode to mothers

Published by admin on Thu, 05/06/2021 - 11:39am

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there.

I can’t imagine how hard being a mother is. The only “child” I have ever had has been of the four-legged variety. And while it’s kind of sort of similar, it is by no means in any way the same.

Moms get a very different rap than dads do. Just think of how many songs reference mothers and how many reference fathers. Or how mothers are portrayed in movies and literary works. They seem to take all the “blame” when things go wrong in the family.

Work force housing and unemployment

Published by admin on Thu, 05/06/2021 - 9:31am

Since announcing last week that I am on the summer task force summer studies for both marijuana and work force housing, much has happened. Work force and housing for the workers is a monumental challenge for our state.  That, coupled with increases in unemployment pay through COVID-19 funds, has crippled business in getting enough workers to run their operation.

What happened to patriotism?

Published by admin on Thu, 05/06/2021 - 9:25am

One of the first actions of the new Biden administration was to cancel the scheduled patriotic July 3 fireworks display at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. National Park Service (NPS) officials cited health risks, including those associated with the coronavirus pandemic and opposition from Native American tribes.

What makes mothers so important?

Published by admin on Thu, 05/06/2021 - 9:23am

What’s the big deal about mothers? Why is Mother’s Day observed with so much more fanfare than Father’s Day? Why do college and professional sports figures often say, “Hi, Mom!” when the camera pans to them?
I personally think fathers are just as important as mothers, but it’s undeniable that Mother’s Day is a bigger deal than Father’s Day for whatever reasons.
It’s been said that fathers are the head of the home and mothers are the heart of the home. Perhaps it’s because mothers are usually the caregivers during the early years of a child’s life.

Summer study will include marijuana

Published by admin on Thu, 04/29/2021 - 12:10pm

Greetings! So, what’s going on? This last week I was at Chamberlain airport with Rep. Reimers and the crop sprayers. This group has concerns about frivolous lawsuits and legislation brought against them from residents who have a small acreage, usually organic, farm/garden and don’t like them spraying crops on land adjacent to their property. I got to see what these crop dusters go through in getting authenticated in the spraying practice and was more than a little impressed.