Additional Articles

• An open letter to Sen. John Thune

  Dear Sen.Thune, I read your letter to The Brookings Register last evening about your response to the impeachment trial of President Trump. Although I don’t agree with your decision not to call more witnesses, nor your decision to acquit, I can respect the reason you give for your position.

  1 day ago

• Improving life in rural America

  The majority of South Dakota is rural. We’re a large state with a small population – we average just under 11 people per square mile.

  1 day ago

• An ounce of prevention

  As the old saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This is a concept that is often lost in Congress, however, this week was the exception. Legislation unanimously passed the House that will work to protect our borders and our No. 1 industry – agriculture.

  1 day ago

• Will impeachment play in November?

  The Democrats who impeached President Trump knew they did not have a prayer of removing him from office. But they also knew impeachment might have another effect – to weaken the president and reduce his chances of winning reelection in November.

  2 days ago

• Holding on to life: The real nature of mercy

  There’s something about being in the bleak midwinter and having to think about suicide that seems especially unbearable.

  3 days ago

• Things have gone downhill

  Marvin Pincus understands that times change, and he’s changed a lot, too. He’s a lot older now, of course, and it gives him more time to consider things, like snowboarding.

  3 days ago

• Let’s get back to business

  The U.S. Senate has only confronted a presidential impeachment trial three times in American history.

  3 days ago

• Economic picture isn’t nearly as rosy as Trump proclaims

  WASHINGTON – The U.S. economy is slowing down, with economic growth crawling along at a mere 2% in the fourth quarter of 2019, worsened by Trump’s trade war policies.

  4 days ago

• Get your children vaccinated

  OK, antivaxxers, I have had it with you. I have watched as you arrogantly refuse to vaccinate your children. You always have some sort of excuse, like how it is big pharma making money, well guess what?

  4 days ago

• Criticism of Trump doesn’t stand up

  The Rev. Carl Kline’s testimonial is not supported by the American Bar Association’s review of the summary findings of that report.

  4 days ago

• Author guilty of cultural appropriation

  I don’t mean to disillusion you, dear reader, but Raymond Chandler, author of “The Big Sleep” (Bogart and Bacall), was never a private eye. An Englishman, he pretty much perfected the hard-boiled L.A. detective novel after losing his job as an oil company executive. “When in doubt,” he famously advised, “have a man come through the door with a gun.”

  5 days ago

• Mills: Grinding it out in Pierre

  We finished week four and boy can I feel it! Twelve-hour days in suit and tie, combined with limited sleep take their toll. The mood on the House floor this week reflected the stress. It was quite a rollercoaster. Here are a few bills that made it through:

  5 days ago

• New Hampshire grabs a clumsy handoff from Iowa

  ROCHESTER, N.H. – So now it is up to New Hampshire.

  5 days ago

• My, what a beautiful colon you have

  When Dr. Sam said to me, “You’ve got the colon of a man half your age,” it was hard to keep from beaming. This must be how a mother feels when a complete stranger tells her how beautiful her new baby is.

  6 days ago

• Mourning

  Recently I said that I planned to publish two beautiful poems of grief and loss by David Baker, from his new and selected poems, Swift, published last year by W. W. Norton.

  6 days ago

• A time of trouble

  This is the most personal and difficult article I have written. Two weeks ago my wife of nearly 40 years, Kathleen, called me in Pierre to let me know she was diagnosed with cancer.

  6 days ago

• Growing South Dakota’s communities

  Communities are the heartbeat of South Dakota. As I travel across the state, I hear this over and over: people love our state, and they want to preserve our special way of life for generations to come.

  6 days ago

• Thoughts on public notices, abortion, recreation facility

  I’m reminding the public to engage their interests in local government actions by reading the public notices that are published in The Brookings Register – that of the city, the hospital and public schools, which we the citizens of Brookings are the owners of.

  6 days ago

• Debate surrounding acting legal AG’s legal authority intensifies

  Washing-ton – If you are having a hard time keeping track of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, you are not alone.

  1 year ago