It’s like something out of one of those old Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland musicals: “Hey gang, my dad’s got a barn! Let’s put on a show!” Instead of putting on a show, …
Here I am, an older man, and I’ve been living with a misunderstanding about the meaning of a word all my life. A friend suggested I write my column this week on something upbeat, and the word …
The U.S. finished its withdrawal from its last military base in Niger recently, and bad actors are already filling the vacuum. The consequences will extend far beyond Africa’s troubled Sahel …
The United States had an opportunity to close a chapter on a sad, decades-long saga when the government reached a plea deal with three men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Then, …
“Waal,” said Windy, stirring his coffee. “I hate to do this here, but I’m afeerd a whole bunch of it’s Doc’s fault.” This announcement coincided with …
On Wednesday morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released inflation figures for July. The news was good, but, this will remain true: Prices are far higher than they were when Joe Biden and Kamala …
During retirement, one of my freelance assignments was covering the Legislature for the South Dakota Newspaper Association. I enjoyed the work, though the weekly travel from my home in Brookings was …
On many days, all you need to do is to step outside to feel one of South Dakota’s deadliest hazards: extreme heat. So far in FY 2024, the dangers of heat illness have killed 34 workers …
The Catholic bishops of France admired the “marvelous display of beauty and joy” in the 2024 Olympics opening rites, but also slammed the blending of Christian sacred art, Greek mythology …
Sometimes — if you focus hard and squint at what is in front of your eyes — future years can be glimpsed in a week's time. The country experienced just such an occasion in recent …
Now that Simone Biles and her teammates have bravely redeemed themselves, can we go back to ignoring gymnastics for another four years? OK, that's a joke. Mostly, anyway. The sport interests me …
I am disabled; I had polio as a child and am now confined to a wheelchair. This last month or so has been extra difficult with weakness bought on by dehydration. Transfers from bed to wheelchair …
The letter by Bernie Hendricks on Aug. 9, highlights some of the grotesque (and race-baited) misinformation propagated since the 1930s primarily by the Bureau of Narcotics head, Harry Anslinger. …
It’s becoming more and more obvious that in my hunger for home-grown tomatoes, I planted too many in my back yard garden. I’m sure my mind was filled with images of juicy tomato …
Years ago, I lost a dear friend of mine to suicide, and it was fundamentally life changing for me. After that incident, I remember thinking, “I should have done something. I should have said …
South Dakotans defeated recreational marijuana in 2022 by a 53% to 47% margin — and would be wise to defeat it again, resoundingly, in the coming 2024 general election. Bertha Madras, …
The Supreme Court’s 2024 term might have been defined, to the general public at least, by multiple decisions concerning Donald Trump. These cases matter. But the bigger picture is in how the …
When the world is hot and my skin is fried, scratching from the constant dry, let the clouds boil up — boil up high. And then shade the earth with the darkening sky and bring the secrets …
It has now been more than two weeks since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee. It's always hard to get a quick handle on public …
I want to thank Mondell Keck for his beautiful and thoughtful column "From Small Things." (Aug. 5, 2024) His words: "That's the kind of small I can fall absolutely in love with — a feeling …