If thoughts are worth a penny a piece, you’d need a coin machine to keep up with me. I’m always thinking about something, if not multiple things at once. It doesn’t matter how much or little I say. My head is always buzzing with thoughts.
I honestly envy people who have an “empty box” that they can go to in their mind to think about absolutely nothing. The closest I can get to thinking about nothing is to escape into a mundane task like folding laundry and zone out for a little while.
Tom Nelson was born March 14, 1946 in Valley City, N.D., to Kenneth & Elizabeth (Watson) Nelson. He was the oldest of 13 children.
Tom was raised on a farm three miles west of Valley City and attended St. Catherine’s School, where he participated in football, yearbook and was the student manager for basketball & track. He graduated in 1964 & was awarded the Holy Name Service Award.
Greetings. It is with a sad heart that I write this article. Last week we buried Sen. Mike Diedrich, same age as me, age 70. Mike finally went home after a courageous battle with cancer.
Most senators are born on third base and they think they hit a triple. Not Sen. Diedrich, as we served in the House together for four years before he went over to the Senate. Here are a couple of take-aways from my friend Mike.
• Leave the woodpile higher than you found it.
• Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story (LOL)
Like many of you, I’ve felt the sting of rising property taxes—especially as a homeowner. The burden keeps growing, and for many families, it’s becoming unmanageable. I hear your frustration, and I share it.
South Dakota relies heavily on property taxes to fund our K-12 schools and local government services. In fact, our state constitution requires it. But that doesn’t mean we can’t demand a better, fairer system—one that doesn’t crush single-family homeowners in the process.
Boy, last week was a rough week for icons. Within the span of a couple of days we lost both Hulk Hogan and Ozzy Osbourne, two titans and pioneers in their industry. This is not to diminish the death of Malcolm Jamaal-Warner, who had his own following due to “The Cosby Show,” but Osbourne and Hogan were in another stratosphere in terms of pop culture.
If you’ve been following the news regarding the ongoing work the South Dakota Legislature, and more specifically, a select group of legislators and others assigned to a task force on the issue, has been doing on the issue, you know that the site for the new men’s state prison has been pretty much narrowed down to two sites. Both are in Sioux Falls, where the current men’s state prison is located.
As you may recall from my previous article, I recently attended the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) conference in Indianapolis, Ind. The conference was incredible—packed with valuable insights and ideas that I’m excited to bring back to our state and district. But as impactful as the conference was, nothing compared to what happened on my flight home.
Whew!
Take a breath, Custer Area Chamber of Commerce staff. Have a stiff cocktail. In fact, have two. Well, last weekend was Gold Discovery Days, so you might have already had a couple. Our point remains, you deserve a breather and a pat on the back for how busy you have been these past few weeks.
Just as impressive as the Black Hills’ towering granite peaks, stands of majestic ponderosa pines, and rolling prairie hills are its crop of interesting people. Growing up in the Black Hills, you’re surrounded by tales of larger-than-life characters—people like Wild Bill Hickok, Fly Speck Billy, Calamity Jane, and Crazy Horse. Although all real people with real stories, sometimes fictitious tales contributing to their legend further mystified them into an almost godlike status.
Gov. Larry Rhoden issued an executive proclamation calling for a special session of the South Dakota legislature Sept. 23 starting at 9 a.m. Legislators of both the House (70 members) and the Senate (35 members) will consider authorizing funds for a new men’s prison; not that its necessary as the present men’s prison was built in 1881! That’s even before South Dakota became a state Nov. 2, 1889. My point is we all know it’s way, way past time to build a new men’s prison. It’s just the best, most efficient way to “git ‘er done.”
