Lieutenant Governor Venhuizen, Mr. Speaker, members of the House and Senate, Chief Justice Jensen, Supreme Court justices, constitutional officers, and my fellow South Dakotans: We are gathered here at the convening of another session of the South Dakota Legislature. I’ve thought a lot this past year about that word, convene. Convene means, “To meet formally as a group… for a serious purpose.” We are gathered here for such a purpose: to do the work of the people of South Dakota.

As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, we’ll feature a periodic column to recount key events and people that led to our country’s independence. Christopher Columbus wasn’t looking to colonize new lands when he first contemplated a journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is not meeting the needs of South Dakotans. I hear almost every day about a lost package, delayed mail resulting in late fees, medication delays, and the questionable routing of mail. USPS delivery times continue to get worse, and it’s having a real impact on individuals and businesses. The data shows USPS service performance data has trended downward in every measurable category for every type of postage for the last four years.

Bart Pfankuch SD News Watch Whether caused by the pervasiveness of social media, an increase in “soft” parenting without consequences or lingering trauma from the COVID-19 pandemic, South Dakota’s top education official said more public school students are being violent or aggressive in the classroom. In addition to an increase in the number of disruptive incidents, Department of Education Secretary Joseph Graves said the level of violence exhibited by students against teachers, administrators and other students has also intensified in recent years.

Jim Halverson District 21 Aurora, Charles Mix, Douglas, Gregory, Tripp Counties Committees: Education, Health & Human Services Capitol Address: 500 E. Capitol Ave.

Many of America’s cattle ranchers who are now taking over their families’ ranching operations do not remember when the beef checkoff program was enacted. That’s because it was enacted over four decades ago.