Custer County Chronicle

What does Russia want with Ukraine?

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 9:47am

By the time you read this, Russia may have already invaded Ukraine. Or not. Nobody seems to know exactly when and if the Russians will invade Ukraine. What is known for sure is that for months Russia has been building up thousands of troops along its border with Ukraine, as well as other weapons of war.
That you probably already know. We’ve all been hearing it for weeks. What is less clear, however, is understanding what exactly it is Russia wants in Ukraine.

We must mandate freedom

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 9:41am

When the federal government oversteps its bounds, it is up to states to protect individual liberties. In South Dakota, we take action to defend the personal choice to get the COVID-19 vaccine—or not. And with good reason.   
In December 2020, President-elect Joe Biden told Americans that he would not mandate COVID-19 vaccines.
“No, I don’t think they should be mandatory. I wouldn’t demand it to be mandatory,” he said.

Need closure on Ravnsborg situation

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 9:23am

Greetings! We are in week seven, legislative days 26-29. After this week we have two weeks left, legislative days 30-37.
Our last day (37) is March 10 with Veto Day on March 28. We are going extremely hard processing 551 bills for this session.  
We have what we call Crossover Day, Wednesday, Feb. 23. This is the last day for us to hear House bills.  It’s been known to cover the clock in the House chamber once it gets close to midnight, so we accomplish all bills, passed or failed, by the end of Crossover Day.

More great news for campground owners

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 9:23am

More great news for SD Campground Owners Association (SDCOA) again this last week. SB 179 was a bill brought to amend what is in place now that protects locally owned campgrounds. This year, seeing bills that compete with the private sector was an eye opener for many as this should not be the role of the state.

What is truck blockade accomplishing?

Published by admin on Thu, 02/17/2022 - 9:31am

As you read this, police in Canada may still be working to clear truckers and other protestors who have used semis and sometimes farm equipment to block the downtown core of Ottawa, Canada’s capital, as well key Canadian-U.S. access points at Emerson, Manitoba, and Pembina, N.D., as well as at the Coutts access point between Alberta and Montana.

A different kind of Super Bowl party

Published by admin on Thu, 02/17/2022 - 9:30am

My, how things change as we age.
Twenty years ago a Super Bowl party might have ended with me not remembering half the game because I imbibed a little too heavily. At the very least, the end of the game was fuzzy. That’s not the case anymore.
Those of us who enjoy beer or the alcoholic drink of your choice eventually start to slow down and cut back on the amount we drink and how often we drink that amount as we get older. I guess this is growing up, as Blink 182 once sang. Look them up, kids. They were a pretty good band back in the day.

Regarding Convention of States

Published by admin on Thu, 02/17/2022 - 9:18am

Greetings! We have five weeks down, four more to go. We have 339 House bills introduced and 212 Senate bills for a total of 551 bills this session.

Not settling for the status quo

Published by admin on Thu, 02/17/2022 - 9:18am

This past weekend I attended two crackerbarrels—one in Hill City and the second one in Custer. I want to thank all of you who took the time to come out on a Saturday and meet with us. We had great questions and lively conversations. I truly appreciate meeting with you and discussing your concerns and listening to your opinions. It is an honor to carry that back to Pierre with me, in order to represent you the best I possibly can.

Successes and challenges mark session

Published by admin on Thu, 02/17/2022 - 9:17am

This was a busy weekend as we had three crackerbarrels on Saturday.  Thanks to those of you who attended and I appreciated the good conversations and questions.  
As we reach the midway point in session we have both some successes and some challenges to talk about.   
Successes: Thanks to hundreds of you, the Custer State Park campground expansion issue has been defeated. I often speak about complacency and when the people aren’t watching unfavorable things can happen. This time our activism paid off. Congratulations!

Your voices still matter

Published by admin on Thu, 02/10/2022 - 9:34am

In a day and age when we have to wonder if politicians listen to us at all it was refreshing to see what happened last week when two attempts by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks to build more campgrounds in Custer State Park crashed and burned, preserving our beautiful gem of a park and leaving it just as it is.
Why did this happen? You.