Commentary
A bright spot at the intersection of farming, electric vehicles and solar energy
The energy transition is in full swing across the U.S. and the world, but the changes now underway are not simple or linear. In an economy as complex and connected as ours, progress in one area will often affect other parts of the economy, creating winners and losers. And then there are the changes that […]
How two dead South Dakotans continue to feed the world
There are politicians who spend their entire careers pursuing power and fame, and there are others who set aside those ambitions long enough to make a lasting difference. A reminder of that truism arrived recently in the form of a news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The release said the department is awarding […]
A little advice for the next leader of South Dakota’s Democrats
Shane Merrill is a farmer, so it’s a given that he knows all about hard work. Yet Merrill has set himself up to take on the hardest job in the state as chairman of the South Dakota Democratic Party. Merrill had the chance to move up from interim chairman after the previous chairwoman, Jennifer Slaight-Hansen, […]
State is content to be a benchwarmer in aquatic invasive species battle
Pathetic best describes South Dakota’s response as zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species transform the state’s lakes and rivers. While Minnesota invests heavily in education and research to counter the impacts of zebra mussels, our state gives lip service. Leadership flows down from Gov. Kristi Noem and, since protecting our water is not important […]
Bar exam problems persist as jobs go unfilled
Chief Justice Steven Jensen’s State of the Judiciary message to the Legislature in January of this year suggested that reduced State Bar licensure rates were no longer a problem in South Dakota. But results of the July bar exam indicate otherwise. The University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law graduated 59 students in May. […]
New approach needed as Forest Service fumbles on Black Hills leadership
When I reported back in May that the Black Hills National Forest was on its eighth supervisor in seven years, I made it sound like that was a lot of turnover. Since then, there have been two more supervisors. That brings the tally to 10 in the past seven years, and five this year alone. […]
So this is what passes for ‘unity’ in the Trump era
There was a time in 2004 when South Dakota Democrats had plenty to celebrate. This was back in the days before South Dakota politics was awash in red. It was likely even before the days when anyone would characterize states as red or blue. On the national level, there was a short time when South […]
Democracy demands less time behind closed doors for local governments
Hear about something called “Democracy Day” and it’s easy to imagine it refers to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., the White House and the federal government. But democracy isn’t limited to the halls of Congress. Democracy plays just as big a role in the county courthouse and city hall. The most common display of […]
Death of Fairview-Sanford merger was right outcome for patients and communities
Editor’s note: The author is not the same person as Minnesota Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington. Late last month, the Minnesota-based hospital system Fairview Health Services announced that it was pulling the plug on a proposed merger with South Dakota-based Sanford Health. This marked the second time these two health care systems had failed to consummate […]
Without a motorcycle helmet law for adults, we all pay
There’s a legend in journalism circles about a metropolitan daily newspaper that published a weak editorial page that was squeamish about taking a stand on anything. The paper was so consistently wishy-washy that the editorial writers had their keyboards fixed so that if they hit control-T, their computers automatically typed: “This bears watching.” This time […]
Kansas newspaper saga illustrates the balancing act of community news
One of my favorite newspaper mottos is “the only newspaper in the world that cares about (insert community name).” Over the years, I have seen various newspapers print it on their front-page nameplate. In many respects, the motto captures what a good newspaper is all about — publishing news and information about the community that […]
At the border, politicians play while migrants pay
Sister Teresa Ann Wolf from the Mother of God Monastery in Watertown recently comforted a young, pregnant Guatemalan woman who collapsed in pain after crossing the Rio Grande River, her baby breached and both lives in peril. Gov. Kristi Noem recently flew to the Texas border, where she joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and a […]