Newspaper editors and publishers came to Pierre on Thursday from across South Dakota. I saw Charlie Najacht, who has returned to the Black Hills after many years away to own and publish the Custer, Hill City and Winner papers. We knew each other 30 years ago when we were fellow weekly newspaper publishers. While I [...]
The Olson family never fed the friendly deer that started to hang around their ranch near Reva in extreme northwestern South Dakota, but the buck became a pet just the same and after awhile the neighbors knew that the big buck — who came to be known as Hartford when his antlers grew — was [...]
The Brookings Daily Register proudly reports that SDSU student Alexandra Hoffman — aka Miss South Dakota – was chosen as one of four “viewers’ favorites” at least week’s pageant, where she finished a respectable 12th and represented her home state with great class.
Alex comes from a great South Dakota family. Her grandfather LeRoy Hoffman [...]
Some Pollock residents are still shivering from the -47 temperatures two weeks ago. And the Mobridge Tribune reports that another nearby weather-watcher reported a -50 temperature. I bet it’s safe to walk on the ice in Walworth County.
Our Jan/Feb issue of the magazine has some readers’ input on good things about cold weather [...]
We were talking about the proposed smoking ban yesterday when an old fellow remarked how he used to drive down the country roads with a beer in his lap, a cigar in his mouth, no seat belt in sight and a few young kids riding in the pickup box. He would be breaking four laws [...]
Bishop Paul Swain, the relatively new leader of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, faces a busy week. He begins with a trip to Pierre to celebrate a Mass and then dine with Catholic lawmakers. Then he begins a tour of East River, conducting meetings that many believe could result in the merging and closing of [...]
Barack Obama spoke at Mitchell’s Corn Palace last summer, and quickly sized up South Dakota by saying it’s “warmer, nicer” than most of the country. I doubt that he said the same thing when he went to certain other states.
On this, his inauguration day, we wonder if perhaps the rest of the country is catching [...]
One of South Dakota’s salt-of-the-earth leaders died last week. You probably didn’t know Curley Haisch and neither did I.
But when I was on Bonesteel a few weeks ago, working on a Gregory County story, just about everyone I met mentioned Curley. He and Rose helped fix our town swimming pool, said one fellow. I worked [...]
There was a meeting of Rural Water Association board members this morning in Pierre. They are farmers and small businessmen and other rural people who took time to travel on a cold morning to talk about water projects.
They asked some legislators to come and talk about the 2009 session. One lawmaker mentioned that he thinks [...]
Small towns change over the years, but one constant is the postmaster. Ellie Cotton’s smiling face greeted people at the St. Lawrence post office for 15 years, but we received word this week that she retired this month.
Postmasters in towns the size of St. Lawrence (pop. 210) do the same things as their counterparts in [...]
Poet’s flagship ethanol plant at Scotland is now experimenting with corn cobs as an energy source. The $8 million experiment in cellulosic energy uses both the corn and the cob; it could change the way we harvest in South Dakota.
Corn has gradually become a major part of public discourse. It was always vital to our [...]
Few cities of 15,000 people have more political pundits, critics and players than Pierre, our state capital. Consequently, it’s a challenging place to serve as mayor. The job is difficult enough in any city, but in Pierre you’re always mingling with people who are planning and scheming to be the next governor or congresswoman or [...]
We received the following email from Iraq today:
Hello, My name is SSG Michael Janssen and I am the NCOIC of a checkpoint in Baghdad Iraq. Every morning I have chi (Tea) with my Iraqi workers and this morning I went in and saw them looking at your magazine. Being from Castlewood SD it was not [...]
The Madville Times reports that sales tax receipts have increased 9.2% in Madison, a healthy number in any year and especially for 2008. Rumors are circulating that sales statewide are beginning to nose dive.
Madison Mayor Gene Hexom thinks Madison is reporting good growth because Lake County citizens are shopping at home.
That reminds me of an [...]
Our Jan/Feb ‘09 issue has a heartfelt story by John Miles, who watched as a youngster in 1954 as his dad coached a talented, bi-racial basketball team for tiny Gann Valley in Buffalo County.
John’s piece is an excerpt from a book he’s writing about his youth in South Dakota. In our article, he acknowledges that [...]