West River writer Sam Hurst got in his car and drove to Red Owl to personally inspect the need for a $400,000 bridge over a creek in Meade County. He filed his report on his online newsletter, Dakota Day. Sam isn’t opposed to spending $400,000 to help Meade County but he wonders if a [...]
Karl Mudgeon occupies the corner stool in the country tavern near my farm. It is dark in Karl’s corner by the bar, but most people make a point to greet Karl and listen for a minute or two to his harranguing, though he is often a sourpuss. Suddenly some of us realize that we should [...]
It’s Christmas Week and the New Year is approaching: a good time to count our blessings and evaluate our needs.
South Dakota is rich in natural beauty and resources and a mix of small and mid-size communities. We have diverse and interesting Native American and ethnic cultures. And our people are mostly hard-working and of sound [...]
Nearly one out of 10 people in Sioux Falls work for banks and credit card companies. Since lawmakers here lifted the lid on interest rates in the 1980s, South Dakota has become a real player in the financial industry. Credit card operations have spread across the state — in Yankton, Brookings, Rapid City and [...]
A small and hardy group riders are braving the bitter winter weather today, approaching the South Dakota/Minnesota border on their way to Mankato.
The horsemen seek continued recognition of the 1862 massacre by mass hanging of 38 Dakota Indians near Mankato in 1862. It is considered the largest mass execution in U.S. history, although I’m uncertain [...]
Work and play in the sights of the Badlands!
The January 2009 issue of Esquire arrived in our mailbox today, and its cover story is a 50-state effort to find the meaning of life. The writers found a man or woman in each state to pontificate on the subject.
The editors chose well in South Dakota. They interviewed Gerard Baker, the first American Indian superintendent [...]
Remember when it was a big deal when your car odometer crossed the 1 0 0 0 0 0 marker? I never bought a car with less than 90,000 miles on it until I was 30, so I know the feeling well. It’s a milestone of relief and renewal … a fresh start.
And that’s how [...]
Rapid City’s Cornerstone Rescue Mission runs a food pantry, and the staff report that the needs are greater than they’ve been in a long time.
An interesting partnership is going on this week to stock the shelves and also provide blood for the United Blood Services. Give a pint of blood Dec. 11-13 and UBS [...]
Sunday’s Argus Leader expose on sex trafficking in South Dakota has caused a lot of talk. Has it also exposed some hyprocrisy here in our favorite state?
A lot of South Dakota communities have looked the other way — oftentimes even with a wink or a grin — while local establishments featured “exotic dancers.” [...]
I just came upon Rapid City writer Sam Hurst’s Website, dakotaday.com and today he has an article on a subject I’ve thought about quite a lot — especially recently because of Yankton’s surplus bridge.
Sam has an article by Frank and Deborah Popper, the husband-wife social engineering team whom we’ve enjoyed chiding a bit here and [...]
The ninth most popular article on today’s New York Times website is a story called North Dakota: What Recession?
Our neighbors to the frigid north are still buying cars, building condos (with big fireplaces) and trying to attract workers who haven’t see the movie Fargo.
Seems the oil business and strong commodity markets — plus a traditionally [...]
Today, Aberdeen merchants will drop snow balls (white ping pong balls) from atop the ladder of a fire truck. Special gifts and offers are in each little ball. What a cute little tradition for the holiday season.
It reminds me of the time when the merchants in Gettysburg dropped turkeys. Yes, it’s true. Some of my [...]
I read the Pierre newspaper this morning. A 36-point headline in the Capitol Journal reports, MOONSHINE DISCOVERED OUTSIDE FORT PIERRE.
“County officials, after searching the John Benton and George Cooper places 40 miles outside of Fort Pierre, discovered three stills of about 15 gallons of moonshine and seven barrels of mash. One still was found in [...]
I drove to Pierre on this Sunday night to prepare to hear Governor Rounds’ budget address on Tuesday (yes, I am lacking for entertainment). The governor is expected to say that state tax revenues are questionable at best, and we must tighten our collective belt.
I bought the Mitchell and Pierre daily papers on the way [...]