Opinion

A message from city hall

Published by admin on Thu, 02/09/2023 - 10:23am

Serving as the Custer City mayor has been humbling and challenging. Custer is a very active and growing community while current times create many challenges for our community. I intend to continue facing challenges head on and help move this community forward.
The Custer City Council is made up of six voting members. As mayor, I work with these individuals daily to strive for progress in our community. The council is continuously faced with many decisions such as community needs, infrastructure improvements and upgrades and development and planning.

Legislature should focus on important issues

Published by admin on Thu, 02/09/2023 - 10:22am

We have written in this space before how we feel the South Dakota Legislature should only meet every other year like some other state legislatures do, or every five years or so should hold a session where they only repeal laws, not pile more laws on top of us, many of which are completely unnecessary and totally against the idea that South Dakotans are independent people who don’t need to be told what to do.

Questions from a high school retread

Published by admin on Thu, 02/09/2023 - 10:19am

I’ve been back in high school for the better part of six months now and I have questions!
OK, I’m not exactly in high school but it feels like it at times. As a special ed paraprofessional for Central City (Nebraska) High School, I sit in classes with the students and often take notes and follow along with the lectures in order to be prepared to help my special needs students who are mainstreamed in the general student population. So, in that way, I feel like I’ve gone back to high school and, boy, has it changed in 40 years.

How can we know if they don’t say no?

Published by admin on Thu, 02/09/2023 - 8:57am
This is not a column about me taking sides on the Julie  Frye-Mueller situation, but I was a little confused as to how a person in that instance would have known that the conversation they were having with a staff member was inappropriate.
I read the redacted letter the staff member wrote. It makes no mention of her letting the senator know she was uncomfortable with the discussion.
It does say the staffer felt she needed to be “careful of what I say or do in his presence,” referring to Julie’s husband Mike “so as to not upset him or Julie.”

Session is at the halfway point

Published by admin on Thu, 02/09/2023 - 8:43am
It’s hard to believe that as of this week we are officially halfway through the 2023 legislative session in Pierre. It has been an interesting session so far. We have an amazing new group of House members (43 percent are new this year) and I am enjoying working together with them in a professional manner. My district mate Dennis Krull and I are working hard in the House to ensure that you are well represented in Pierre! 

What the Appropriations Committee does

Published by admin on Thu, 02/09/2023 - 8:41am
In the last column I told you I was put on the Appropriations Committee and that I would explain to you briefly what appropriations does.
The Appropriations Committee is a legislative committee responsible for reviewing and making recommendations on the state’s budget and financial matters. The committee considers proposals for state spending and makes recommendations for allocation of funds to various departments and programs. The committee also reviews and monitors the state’s financial status and makes recommendations for changes to budget and financial policies.

The woes and wonders of winter

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:47am
The sun is shining as I write this. Clouds cover parts of the sky, but you can still tell it’s blue. People commented to me that it was a little cold, but I won’t complain. Any winter day that I can take a walk in the sunshine is perfect to me. 
Yes, winter has its woes. There are bitterly cold and cloud-covered days, but I’m used to this. In 2021, southern Minnesota had negative 20 to 30 degree temperatures and gray skies for two months straight. The winter blues was suffocating some days, but I don’t often struggle with that here. 

How we deal with all the bills

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:46am

As I write this, we are in the third week of the 98th legislative session. We are seeing more bills that are being brought forward and assigned to committees.

Supply side of inflation must be addressed

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:35am

I was going through mail the other day when I came across a letter from a high school student in Martin. The letter started out, “Dear Senator Rounds – I am going to be honest with you here, I don’t understand government very well nor do I have a burning passion to do so.” I think that’s relatable to lots of people, not just those in high school.

Check out our wrestling team

Published by admin on Thu, 01/26/2023 - 1:11pm

Hey you, the Custer High School basketball fan who is reading this editorial: We have another CHS team that is well worth your attention. That team is the Custer Wildcat wrestling team.