Opinion

Thursday, October 6, 2022, President Joe Biden pardoned “all current United States citizens and lawful permanent residents who committed the offense of simple possession of marijuana in violation of the Controlled Substances Act.”

Gov. Kristi Noem’s apparent change of heart regarding the sales tax on food in South Dakota looks plainly like an election-season conversion of convenience.

The record-breaking pace continues for South Dakota’s tourism industry – even with high inflation raising gas prices for visitors to our state. We recently rounded up Custer State Park’s famous buffalo herd (although I didn’t get to ride in the Buffalo Roundup this year like I normally do).

Dear editor, On Monday, August 29, I found my way to Gregory, SD. I was on a quest.

oem South Dakotans don’t ask for much from their government. They just want the freedom to live their lives and for the government to guarantee a level playing field with common-sense rules for everyone to play by.

As soon as the courier arrived at Fort Laramie with the news that gold had been discovered in the Black Hills, the information was telegraphed to the world and the mad rush to Dakota Territory was on. They first explored the streams in the southern hills for gold. Slim pickings caused them to move north, and their fortunes took a turn when significant amounts of gold were found in Deadwood Gulch.

Historical information and materials reveal that the records and information on the open range spring cattle roundups are incomplete, and in some cases, nonexistent. To a greater extent, available records and information on the horse roundups which were conducted on the northern plains are even more limited.

I am working with the local museum in Pangman on a project to mark the sites of the one-room schools. A book has been written about the 170 one-room school sites in Gregory County. On Labor Day, we visited the museum in Winner which has a one-room school on its site. This museum, like most, is always making additions, and I think everyone should take the time to make regular visits. I believe that it’s important for my generation, who has the memories, to make contributions preserving local history for the generations to come. Last December, we visited the Western Heritage Museum in Spearfish. We were very impressed, and I think that all students, especially West River, should have a chance to visit and learn more about the history of western South Dakota. It is up to the present to teach the future about the past.

When I first ran for governor, South Dakota needed new opportunities. For years, our economic growth had not kept up with the nation. Young South Dakotans were too often leaving our state to pursue college or a career. Cities like Sioux Falls were growing, but our rural communities were slowly falling behind.

Dear Editor, I would like to respond to the recently placed ad referring to the Gregory County Pumped Storage Project. If this project was not feasible years ago when first designed, what changed? I suspect that a lot of Biden’s Green New Deal money has become available now.