Opinion

On Monday, September 16, 2024, Governor Kristi Noem wrote to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to take action to address public safety on Native American reservations in South Dakota.

Dear editor, Recently we had two big white dogs running loose where we live. They both had collars on so they obviously belonged to someone! To these people who let their dogs run - you need to keep them contained on your property; fenced, kenneled or chained.

The murder of General Mc Cook on the evening of September 11, 1873 in Yankton by Peter Wintermute and the ensuing trial was the “cause célèbre” of territorial days in the Dakota Territory. That term was first used in a 37-volume collection of French court decisions from the 17th and 18th centuries.

As I watch my grandchildren grow and learn, I’m reminded of something that I learned as a young parent: our kids are capable of learning far more (and more quickly) than we realize before we see it for ourselves. They watch everything that we do, and their little developing brains absorb it shockingly fast.

The first great case in Dakota Territory to try the grit and strength of the lawyers was the Wintermute murder trial in 1874. Wintermute shot and killed General McCook, secretary of Dakota Territory, on the evening of September 11, 1873 in Yankton.

Commentary by Bill Bullard, CEO, R-CALF USA A major contributor to the ongoing contraction of America’s independent, family-scale cattle and sheep farms and ranches can be traced back to the early 90s. It was in 1994 that America deliberately kowtowed to the global elites and struck out blindly on a journey to see how long it would take before the most efficient and productive food production system the world has ever known is rendered unrecognizable. That production system, of course, was America’s widely dispersed family farm and ranch system of agriculture.

We recently celebrated the graduation of 20 new law enforcement officers in South Dakota. This graduation was unique because it included the first ever tribalfocused law enforcement training put on by a state, rather than by the federal government. Eight tribal law enforcement officers immediately began protecting and serving their communities.

Each year, we celebrate the South Dakota State Fair in the days leading up to Labor Day. Things kick off Wednesday and wrap up Monday. I love the State Fair for so many reasons. I always head for the pork sandwiches and ice cream. The bull riding and concerts are excellent, and we have plenty of celebrations!

1873 was a memorable year in the progress of Dakota Ter ritory. Spring came unusually early and farmers had started seeding their fields for some weeks before the first of April.

Dear editor, Growing up in the nineties, I remember that my parents would sometimes turn on the CBS Morning Show before we would drive off to church on Sundays. In particular, there was a feature that always captivated the interest of every individual in my family, from small to large. In this feature, a reporter named Steve Hartman would throw a dart at a map of the United States, and he would travel to wherever the dart landed. Once there, he would randomly pick the name of an individual out of the phone book, and interview that individual. Sometimes, their stories were heartwarming. Sometimes, they were inspirational. Sometimes, they were just heartbreaking. They were never, ever boring or dull.