Opinion

In the last half of the 1800’s, Governor Jayne appointed the following agents to take a census of the territory which would be used in the apportionment of the representation in the Dakota Territory first legislative assembly:

While Ya n k t o n was the first point occupied by a permanent settlement of whites on the Missouri slope in Dakota, the country opposite Fort Randall contained a number of white men, not soldiers, who had probably come as civilian employes with the Harney expedition in 1855. They located in that vicinity by 1857, for the purpose of sharing in the wood and hay contracts that were annually given out by the army at Fort Randall. They were also engaged in the hauling of supplies for the government.

DITOR Dear Editor, Throughout his 2020 presidential election campaign Donald Trump repeatedly said, without any evidence to support it, that countries all over the world were opening their prisons and sending violent criminals to invade the United States as illegal immigrants.

In 1925, a group of leaders had a vision. They wanted to create something in South Dakota so grand it would draw visitors from all over the world. And they were successful! This year, we celebrate 100 years of the establishment of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, an attraction so grand it brings millions of visitors to our state each year.

There were few towns and post offices in the Dakota Territory in 1870. The number had made a small increase in ten years. A traveler coming into the territory from Sioux City and crossing the Big Sioux River on the Government Bridge would journey a distance of twenty miles to Elk Point before reaching a town, though a post office had been established at Jefferson, eight miles east of the Point, on the stage road.

This article serves as a rebuttal to the article “Education Savings Accounts: Empowering Parents, Enhancing Education” recently written by Dr. Graves, South Dakota’s Secretary of Education. Instead of crafting an article lifting up the amazing work our public schools do every day, he penned an article that sounded more like a surrender note.

Public Education Funding in South Dakota Educational funding for public schools in South Dakota is governed by state law. Specifically, Section 13-13-10.1(5) of the South Dakota Codified Laws outlines how annual funding increases are determined: The “Index factor” is the annual percentage change in the consumer price index (CPI-W) for urban wage earners and clerical workers, as computed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Senator Mykala Voita District 21 Aurora, Charles Mix, Douglas, Gregory, Tripp Counties Committee: Appropriations Capitol Address: 500 E. Capitol Ave.

elect Trump has called on me to serve, if confirmed, as the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. It’s a tremendous honor and a great responsibility. The mission is to keep the American people safe from threats to the Homeland.

Dear Editor, Lest this significant information gets lost with the change of federal administrations, it needs to be noted that the Biden Administration successfully passed legislation that greatly benefits our South Dakota rural communities. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a bill sponsored by Democrats in Congress and signed into law by President Biden in 2021, serves as a prime example of such legislation. Tripp County Water User District’s January 2025 edition of its Quality on Tap! newsletter (Vol. 20) verifies the beneficial impact of this bill. Its article entitled “ARPA Money Flows Through the State” points out that the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) “is distributing $105,010,958.00 in additional grants to support vital water infrastructure and conservation projects” that are being funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Detailing the widereaching assistance being provided South Dakota rural areas, this article lists public work projects benefiting 30 water districts and 20 cities and sanitation districts in South Dakota. In addition to the fact that this is additional funding, the article also notes that American Rescue Plan money is funding three of Tripp County Water User District’s own water projects.