OUR VIEW: Week in review: the best and worst

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CHEERS to the decision by the state Transportation Commission that allowed Interstate 90 in South Dakota to be designated as a Purple Heart Memorial Highway. The Daily Republic generally is very hesitant to see streets and stretches of roads named after certain people or groups, but in an opinion piece earlier this spring, we noted that this should be an exception. Purple Heart recipients deserve the utmost respect from the general public, and we figure the I-90 designation is a great way to remember their sacrifices.

CHEERS to the “100 Days of Heat” program, which kicked off last week in South Dakota. The program is sponsored by the state Highway Patrol and is designed to promote safe driving. During the kickoff weekend of the campaign, troopers statewide issued 278 citations and 544 warnings for speeding and 100 seat-belt violations and made 11 DUI arrests and 27 drugrelated arrests. We like these campaigns. Although some may feel police are pushing, we feel exactly the opposite and are glad officers and their agencies are working hard to clean our roads of needless dangers.

HISSES to the sad news that was delivered last week in The Daily Republic, noting that a growing number of South Dakotans don’t know where they’ll get their next meal. The news came in a report from the nonprofit organization Feeding America, and showed that 12.6 percent of South Dakotans — more than 100,000 residents — are classified as “food insecure.” That’s up from 11.6 percent from a year ago, and sad news indeed.

CHEERS once again to the annual Memorial Weekend in Mitchell event, held last week on Main Street. The 10th annual event brought several thousand people to town for various events, including a car show, street dance, inflatable rides and a barbecue, among other things. More important, it also raised approximately $15,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Mitchell Main Street & Beyond.

Tags: opinion, updates, editorials