As I write this, we are in the third week of the 98th legislative session. We are seeing more bills that are being brought forward and assigned to committees.
I was going through mail the other day when I came across a letter from a high school student in Martin. The letter started out, “Dear Senator Rounds – I am going to be honest with you here, I don’t understand government very well nor do I have a burning passion to do so.” I think that’s relatable to lots of people, not just those in high school.
Hey you, the Custer High School basketball fan who is reading this editorial: We have another CHS team that is well worth your attention. That team is the Custer Wildcat wrestling team.
A little over a month ago, I knew I was going to be graduating from the University of Wyoming, but anything else the future had in store was anyone’s guess. In my usual fashion, I decided to plan on not planning, and that plan brought me back here to Custer when I got a job at the Chronicle. Within the first couple of weeks of my being back, I realized my lack of plans had worked out well.
The following information was from week one of the legislative session.
The first week of the 98th session of the South Dakota Legislature in Pierre is over. I want to give you, my constituents, an update of what transpired.
Last week during a conversation with a few Hill City community members, I was asked what brought me to the Hills. I gave my standard answer: My family has always loved the Black Hills, and in 2021 God opened all the doors necessary for us to move. We moved in October of that year and really enjoy living here.
But then they asked a question I wasn’t expecting: Why were the Black Hills so special to you?
South Dakota farmers and ranchers work hard every day to feed America and the world. When severe weather is added to the mix, they work even harder. In the last few weeks alone, snowstorms and severe cold weather have affected communities across the state. While schools have closed and many South Dakotans have worked from home during winter storms, there are no snow days for producers who must feed and care for their livestock day in and day out regardless of the weather.
“Hey, hit me up on the Book Face Messenger. No wait, it’s the Googles thing. No, what? You sent me a text? I didn’t see it. Was it SMS or I-messages?”
Holy moley, I thought as the squeezy-glassed, skinny-jeans and unearned-beard-wearing male shambled by my table in the little local cafe, fumbling with his Pop-Tart-sized electronic phone gadget, banging into random chairs and tables along the way.
Let’s get this out of the way up front: We love Custer State Park.
It isn’t called the crown jewel of the Black Hills for nothing. It’s a 70,000 acre playland of beauty that brings people from far and wide to the area, and is wonderful for us to have right here in our back yard. It’s a boon for the bottom line of many in terms of sales and sales tax dollars.
