Opinion

Greetings. “Promises made, promises kept.” The 101st legislative session is officially over. We need to go back to Pierre March 30 for what is called Veto Day. This is designed to override any vetoes the governor gave, and we have one bill, funding Richmond Lake Dam, to vote on. Session starts at 1 p.m.
I left last week with SB245 still hanging. Well, SB245 passed the House with 42 yea votes. We needed 36. Then, in the Senate, they had to concur and we got 20 yea votes out of 34 and needed 17 or 18.

I never notice when the street lamps turn off. By then, the sun has already crested the horizon, sending beams of pink, orange, purple and yellow light across the sky. There’s enough light at that time of the day that you don’t notice when a few lights go out. 
It’s a different story in the evening when darkness is creeping down the alleyways and filtering through store windows. The other day, I watched as all the street lights clicked on at once, lighting up my drive home from work. I marveled at the difference it made. 

Former South Dakota governor Kristi Noem’s tumultuous run as the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) came to an abrupt—albeit predictable—ending last Thursday when she was removed by President Donald Trump. Removed. Fired. Ousted. Replaced. We’ve seen all those words used. Argue semantics all you want. Whatever makes you feel best.