October was Bullying Awareness Month and offered the opportunity to discuss this all-too-common issue, as well as to transform into a society that recognizes that bullying must be addressed through education and support.

The SESD conference tournament was held in Wagner, on Saturday, October 23, 2021, and was full of tough teams. The Spikers were placed in the pool with Wagner and Mt.

Various organizations provide us with data to help us think about public policy needs, adequacy of coverage for various medical and mental health needs, and so on. South Dakota is largely a rural state, and services are often lacking when it comes to mental health and physical health needs.

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg on October 29 joined a tenstate coalition led by Missouri in filing a lawsuit against the Biden Administration for imposing a vaccine mandate on federal contractors and federally contracted employees. The lawsuit challenges the Biden Administration’s use of federal procurement statutes to mandate vaccinations through Executive Order 14042.

In our modern world, we can agree there is no shortage of information. We are constantly surrounded by voices wanting to help us understand every subject under the sun, however, in our quest for gathering accurate information, we also realize that most of what we listen to, especially political news, is sprinkled with half-truths, speculations, and biased observations. The bottom line is that we actually know very little about facts and depend heavily on outside sources to relay to us what they have heard. Imagine what we would know if there were no television, radio, newspaper, telephone, internet, or any type of media communication. Knowing about state, national, or world events would be comparable to those who lived 200 years ago. Yes, we have certain convictions about social and spiritual issues, but for the most part, our views are shaped not by what we positively know to be a fact, but rather by trusting what someone has told us.

Traditionally, October and November have been two months that South Dakota celebrates and honors Native American heritage. During that time, we have many opportunities to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories, and to acknowledge the important contributions, achievements, and sacrifices of Native people.