Opinion
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Hunting traditions remain strong in South Dakota
The noise of wingbeats flying above the cattails creates instant excitement for my two yellow labs. Ducks start landing in the decoys, and my two oldest sons (who are 4 and 6) look up at me with huge smiles on their faces duck calls in hand and Grandpa by their…
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Exciting turning point arrives for defense of people who cant afford lawyers
An effective and efficient system of indigent defense is important for all South Dakotans. South Dakota has devoted a couple years of study, discussion and legislative action to the issue. Judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys, county commissioners, legislators and others have all worked together in this effort. This broad cooperation…
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Food insecurity a real issue in the US
It is an astonishingly large number: 5.3 billion. Thats how many meals were distributed by the nations largest domestic hunger relief organization, Feeding America, in 2023 alone. In a country of more than 330 million people, it is evidence of how widespread and persistent food insecurity remains in the United…
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Gov. Kristi Noem threatens government transparency with cuts to public broadcasting
During my newspaper career I was tasked with writing five editorials a week. Consequently, I wasnt choosy about revisiting some subjects. If it was in the news, it was fair game for an editorial. Fortunately for me, the Public Broadcasting Service was in the news a few times a year,…
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Senate faces a shrinking window to protect press freedom
In 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland established new, but long-needed, press protections barring federal prosecutors from purasuing journalists communication records with confidential sources except in extreme circumstances. But these protections are only as good as the administration controlling the Justice Department. President-elect Donald Trump, who has espoused hostility toward journalists…
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Trump demands are a test of courage for Thune and other senators
The U.S. Senate is arguably the least democratic (small d) institution in any democracy in the world, with the possible exception of the British House of Lords. The Senate exists without proportional representation. Every state has two senators without regard to population. Wyomings two senators represent 586,000 citizens, while Californias…
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Supporting farmers and ranchers
Theres hardly a corner of South Dakota where you wont find a farm, ranch, or some other trace of our rich agricultural heritage its the lifeblood of our state. Representing the hardworking South Dakotans who grow food and fuel and raise livestock is a responsibility I take seriously. So I…
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Donald Trumps proposed tariffs war won’t be pretty
Its telling that virtually the only positive spin economists of every political persuasion are putting on Donald Trumps latest vow to ignite a global tariff war is the possibility that he doesnt actually mean it. This is one instance in which Trumps well-established tendency to say things he knows arent…
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Noem rides back to Washington, D.C., possibly eyeing a bigger prize
Some obvious questions come to mind in considering Gov. Kristi Noems selection to lead the Department of Homeland Security in Donald Trumps next administration. Will the ghost of Cricket the 14-month old German wirehaired pointer Noem shot and killed in an apparent fit of anger over the dogs behavior haunt…
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With age verification, South Dakota lawmakers seek solutions for problems best handled by parents
I spent an inordinate amount of time during my journalism career writing headlines. Sometimes I miss it. Especially when a story comes along about the last meeting of the legislative Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Regulation of Internet Access by Minors. If I was writing the headline for that…
