Opinion

Bijou Hills, at an elevation of about 1,980 feet, is a prominent upland hilly area with a valley between the two primary peaks near the southern border of Brule County on the east side of the Missouri River. They were first visited on August 25, 1801 by Perrin du Lac, who planted a cedar post 20 inches square upon which he engraved his name, the date, and the words “Sitis Cognoscendi” and “Deo Nuturea.”

The South Dakota State Fair is something to celebrate. Once a year for a few days, it seems like the whole state is in Huron, and everyone has a smile on their face.

To the Editor, I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who attended the special city council meeting on Monday night. The unwavering and positive support for both the Gregory/Dallas Chamber and the Gregory Economic Development (GED) Group was truly inspiring.

Up to about the time Fort Randall was established, no white men had made this area their home except a few fur traders who had Indian wives. In the 1850’s, steamers began to ply the river between places east and the forts upstream, and the wood yard business sprang up.

The timing was coincidental, though certainly noteworthy. As members from my administration met with industry leaders to discuss how to strengthen our state’s critical infrastructure, we were experiencing our own significant infrastructure challenges. The first meeting of my newly appointed GRIT task force was taking place at the same time as a major technology service disruption that impacted critical functions of all branches of state government.

In December of 1910, the following headline was found on page one of many weekly papers in South Dakota: “HORSE THIEVES TO PENITENTARY – Organized Gang Thought to Have Been Working in Stanley County.”

I can’t sit still for long. Maybe it’s because I grew up on a ranch, where there was always something that needed doing. I’m at my most relaxed when I’m doing work with my hands, and it’s helped me out in public service. Sometimes, you just need to be willing to take action.

hoden “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” The man who wrote those words knew a thing or two about the subject. After all, he had authored a Declaration of Independence making the bold, dangerous proclamation that the thirteen original colonies “[were], and of right ought to be, free and independent states.”

During the early part of the 1900s, horse thieves seemed to be everywhere in South Dakota. Readers of the September 15, 1905 edition of The Mitchell Capital were greeted with this headline on page one: “ADOPT NEW METHOD TO CAPTURE THIEVES – The Prevalence of Rustlers in South Dakota Arouses the Settlers.”

Dear editor, Government Can Do Bad #2 In July Congressional Republicans passed and Trump signed the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill“ (BBB), the contents of which were the subject of my July 2 “Government Can Do Bad #1” letter. In a letter entitled “Promises made, promises kept with new tax bill” published in the July 9 edition of the Mitchell Republic, our South Dakota Congressional Senator John Thune casts this budget bill in a completely positive – even glorious – light, proclaiming the BBB fulfills the Republican and Trump promise to make America more prosperous. Today I take issue with Sen. Thune, focusing on his extremely narrow point of reference of what constitutes “more prosperous” and the public deception contained therein.