Opinion

We support getting rid of disruptive students

Published by admin on Wed, 01/28/2026 - 3:39pm

We’ve all heard the stories about students in public schools who are nothing but trouble. They are aggressive, they don’t stay on task, and in some cases, they are violent. Most every teacher has a story about such a student, how big of a pain they are, and how they are disruptive to every other student in class. They may not say it publicly, but you can be sure they do privately—they wish the kid was gone.

No one warned me

Published by admin on Wed, 01/28/2026 - 3:37pm

No one ever warned me about this part. It is a part of marriage I never really pictured, didn’t think much about, and for sure no one warned me about.

Extra extra, read all about it

Published by admin on Wed, 01/28/2026 - 9:37am
The news moves fast these days. Faster than so many can keep up. When I was a child, my parents got their news from three sources. They listened to WOR radio. They watched Walter Cronkite every night. And they got a daily  local newspaper delivered to their house and on Sunday got a “special” paper either the Newark Star Ledger or the New York Times. 

South Dakota is the new Wyoming

Published by admin on Wed, 01/21/2026 - 1:35pm

Is it windy enough out there for you?
What in the name of flying trash cans, falling trees and the worst bad hair days you’ve ever seen is going on in South Dakota? We have been experiencing winds the likes of which we have not seen in this area for as long as many of us can remember. It’s constant, it’s relentless, and it’s getting really, really old.

When life comes with a yellow light

Published by admin on Wed, 01/21/2026 - 1:33pm

What do you typically do when the stoplight in front of you turns yellow? Do you rush through quickly? Do you slow down and prepare to stop? Do you edge forward into the intersection to guarantee your opportunity to turn, even though the light will be red before you get through? 
That’s the thing with yellow lights though. You can’t really plan what to do ahead of time because it all comes down to timing in the moment.

Our next big industry

Published by admin on Wed, 01/21/2026 - 9:47am
In my first year as governor, we’ve taken some important steps to keep South Dakota safe. And while we do that, South Dakota is keeping the entire nation safe and secure.
In my State of the State Address, I declared that national security would be South Dakota’s next big industry. This builds on the proclamation of my predecessor, former governor Kristi Noem, who declared that cybersecurity would be South Dakota’s “next big industry,” and we’ve put real action behind those words. My declaration takes that success a step further.

The country has to address massive debt

Published by admin on Wed, 01/21/2026 - 9:45am
Greetings. Week one of the 101st legislative session is in the books. The first week starts off slowly with the Governor’s address on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday is the judiciary address followed by the state of the tribes address. In the state of South Dakota we have nine reservations and one of the tribal presidents addresses the joint legislature regarding the state of their reservations.

There is much to tackle this session

Published by admin on Wed, 01/21/2026 - 9:44am
Once again, South Dakota weather is following the Farmer’s Almanac! 
It predicted that we could expect a drier, yet much colder winter this year. Unfortunately, they failed to mention the wind factor. Chilling temperatures coupled with the arctic blast has taken its toll on our district. Electric was out for days and we lost countless trees. Trees that were compromised by the last storm fell like dominoes during this past week’s second round, downing more electric lines and damaging properties.

So, what do we think about it?

Published by admin on Wed, 01/14/2026 - 12:46pm

The above isn’t just a headline, it’s a question. It’s a question we have been asked a lot lately, and it’s a question we still get asked when it comes to how things shook out in terms of the county and city failing to find agreement on a new contract for the Custer County Sheriff’s Office to continue to provide the saw law enforcement coverage for the City of Custer that it has provided for the last number of years.

Behold, my three state solution

Published by admin on Wed, 01/14/2026 - 12:45pm

The rate at which dramatic national news is barraging us is stupifying. One day after another, we are hammered with controversial or semi-controversial news. News like the capture of Nicolas Maduro, which inspired our Question of the Week below.
As an aside, if you are one of the people who complain about us posting controversial Questions of the Week on our Facebook page, but never answer our softball questions, I don’t want to hear it.