Three pieces of mail were waiting for me when I got to the office Monday morning, Dec. 8. (None of them were bills, which is always a plus.) Each letter told a story, but not because of their contents — and, unfortunately, they all amounted to the same story.
Yankton Pride
Season’s Greetings, everyone!
The upcoming South Dakota legislative session will likely be an important one for property tax relief in the state — and, consequently, an important one for education, too.
South Dakota has real cause for concern. On Dec. 2, Governor Rhoden put forth his budget proposal for 2026. The news is bleak. Our state sales tax collections went backward for only the third time in the last 30 years, and education, nursing homes, and state employees will see 0% increases. …
A recent survey by the South Dakota Department of Health indicated the impact that vaccine skepticism, especially during the age of COVID, has had on vaccination rates in the state, which one state medical official called “concerning.”
With the holidays now fast approaching, final preparations are being made ahead of next year’s regular legislative session. Pursuant to the Nebraska Constitution, the Legislature will convene its shortened 60-day legislative session at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
The holidays offer us, among so much else, a rich trove of Christmas movies, giving us a chance to relive old movie memories, get lost in those nearly interchangeable Hallmark films or argue over whether “Die Hard” counts as a Christmas movie. But this year, I also finally managed to catch u…
Holiday Sounds
During a recent stop on her image rehab tour, Marjorie Taylor Greene told CNN’s Dana Bash that she is sorry “for taking part in the toxic politics.” It has been, she added, “bad for the country.” A week later, Greene finally did something patriotic by announcing her retirement.
Thanksgiving is over, and for a lot of people, the Christmas shopping season has now officially, and perhaps frantically, begun …
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of time with family and friends, great food, and gratitude for our abundance of blessings. As Thanksgiving turns to Christmas and gratitude turns to generosity, I’m preparing to present a balanced budget to the South Dakota Legislature.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay in our society, including in our grade schools, high schools and colleges and universities.
On behalf of Heartland Humane Society, I want to extend our deepest gratitude to the Yankton community and beyond for the generosity you showed during our Fall Fundraising Campaign. Thanks to hundreds of donors, bidders, businesses, volunteers, and supporters, we not only reached our goal — …
A familiar name popped up in a news story this week — even though it was someone I’d only met once, under unfortunate circumstances.
At Human Services Center (HSC) gratitude isn’t just a sentiment — it’s a practice. Small, everyday gestures create a ripple of positivity within our hospital. Here are a few simple ways to show appreciation:
This time, the price was right.
America’s Thanksgiving is rooted as much in adversity as it is in prosperity. We often need to be reminded to give thanks in difficult times when the nation is shackled with divisions. Thus, the holiday was conceived for Americans out of the necessity to remember, not necessarily out of grat…
Let’s talk about water quality for a moment.
In 1621, the early settlers of the Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag Tribe met to celebrate the blessing they received from the previous year: a successful harvest. This gathering is considered the origin of our country’s modern Thanksgiving tradition. Thanksgiving then initially continued l…
A “Family Circus” comic strip from last Saturday put the holiday season in a relatable perspective. It showed the mother taking her three children into a department store that was decked out top to bottom in glorious Christmas decor. One of the bewildered kids asked, “Aren’t they going to ha…
Disturbing
The importance of attendance in student success can’t be overstated. Research consistently demonstrates that chronic absenteeism sets off a chain reaction of negative effects on academic performance, with consequences that compound over time.
This probably goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: If you thought that a change in administrators for the South Dakota Department of Corrections (DOC) would instantly end the problems that have been going on inside the prison walls — the violence, the substance abuse, the deaths — y…
Each November, communities across South Dakota gather to honor the men and women who served our country. This past week, I joined students, families, and community members in Elk Point for a Veterans Day ceremony that reminded me how important this day is for all of us.
On Nov. 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln presented the case for the future and the hope of America.
These are difficult times for many nonprofit agencies in the Yankton area and across the nation.
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, the Nebraska Examiner reported that the Executive Board of the Legislature is considering new security upgrades in the Nebraska State Capitol building. This announcement comes in light of recent acts of political violence across the country and growing recognition by s…
The march of time is relentless, and by extension, so is history, which is basically the story of time.
Ready To Open
In a wide-ranging interview with “60 Minutes” on Nov. 2, President Donald Trump pretended that he did not know the Binance founder, Changpeng Zhao, the cryptocurrency billionaire whom he pardoned, even though in 2023 Zhao had pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four months in prison for viol…
When the term “quality of life” is used as a selling point for a community, it generally refers to amenities such as parks, a swimming pool, shopping opportunities, schools, museums, libraries and so forth. It makes living in such a community even more attractive.
If it seems like the new book you requested is taking longer to get to you, that’s because it is — and we’re sorry for the inconvenience!
When it comes to the prospect of Yankton County building a juvenile detention facility that could address local and regional needs, the biggest question is not whether or not it’s needed. It is.
On Oct.31, the Agriculture Committee held its second and final interim public hearing for the year. This hearing was held for four interim study resolutions: LR153, LR168, LR257, and LR258. Additionally, the committee received a public briefing by Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in Charge, Omaha…
I thought Adelita Grijalva made a pretty good point this week, which I suppose proves her point.
Paid Off
Each November, as the colors of autumn fade and winter gently approaches, South Dakotans pause to reflect on the extraordinary service and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans. Veterans Day is more than a date on the calendar — it is a promise that we will never forget those who answered the c…
A special school bond election was held Tuesday in Wausa, Nebraska, but it wasn’t exactly an “Election Day” at the polls.
With so much of the legacy media’s focus spent on smearing Israel these days, you probably haven’t heard a ton about the ongoing massacres in Nigeria.
Yankton’s annual Citizen of the Year award was created more than a half-century ago to honor individuals who make this community a better place to live — and no better place to be.
Throughout the year, various advocacy groups and think tanks offer opportunities for senators and legislative staff to hear from different experts’ perspectives on policies in Nebraska and nationally. This past week, I had the opportunity to attend this year’s Platte Institute’s Annual Legis…
Today is Halloween, an important day in ancient times and now a source of giddy terror and copious amounts of candy — usually. And this year, it carries us into a weekend, which is a nice bonus.
It’s That Time
I was among the 450 people at the recent No Kings rally in Vermilion, part of 7 million citizens across the United States who expressed their dismay about the direction our country is going. President Trump declared that he is not a king, and I agree. We abolished kings in this country 250 y…
The Yankton City Commission and several downtown merchants have reached what appears to be a promising accommodation in terms of how to handle the staging of special events in the Meridian District.
I’ve spent my entire life in grocery stores. I am a fourth-generation grocer and president & CEO of GF Buche Co., serving rural and tribal communities in South Dakota for 120 years. Some of our customers are the poorest people in the United States and live in the most remote areas of Sou…
The influenza season is upon us. It’s hitting sooner than usual and is potentially less predictable than ever.
In the past few months, I outlined six initiative petitions that have been filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office and are currently in circulation for the 2026 General Election. Since then, two additional initiative petitions have been submitted to the Secretary of State: (1) th…
It’s hard to look at the images of the demolition taking place at the White House and not have a sense of stunned loss — more so than anger, perhaps — churn inside me.
Opaque Transparency
Commented