OUR VIEW: Week in review: the best and worst

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OUR VIEW

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CHEERS to news that recreation areas damaged during last year’s Missouri River flood are re-opening. A report published last week in The Daily Republic noted that several recreation areas along the river were expected to be open for the Memorial Day weekend. Among those is the North Point Recreation Area near Pickstown. The flood was a terrible burden, and we can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for those who were affected by last year’s terrible floods. But it’s sure good news that in some respects, we’re able to put the flood behind us for good.

HISSES to news that dairy farmers are having a tough go of it because of a combination of low milk prices and high feed prices. We published an Associated Press story last week that highlighted some of these troubles in eastern states like Vermont. We hope this state’s dairy farmers are having better luck.

HISSES on the practice of gender-selective abortions. Believe it or not, this practice is alive and well in some Asian countries, where couples are determining the gender of their baby and then deciding whether to keep it based on its gender. In places like India and China, the practice has created inequities, with more boys than girls in certain age groups. What a shock it is to read about this. It seems surreal.

HISSES to statistics that show South Dakota has the highest rate of rural poverty in a 10-state region of the Great Plains. A Daily Republic report noted that according to 2010 census data, more than 20 percent of South Dakotans in rural counties live in poverty. That comes out to 44,973 of the state’s 218,821 rural residents.

CHEERS to Memorial Day and all that it means. We realize this is being published a day after Memorial Day, but we hope readers stopped for a moment to understand what Memorial Day is for — to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. The Daily Republic offers its thanks to all veterans and their families, who have given so much so we can remain comfortable and free.

CHEERS to the local soldiers who recently returned from an overseas tour with the 139th Brigade Support Battalion, of Brookings. Their efforts were chronicled in Saturday’s edition and are worthy of all our thanks.

Tags: opinion, updates, editorials