OUR VIEW: Week in review: the best, worst

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CHEERS to Tevyn Waddell, the Mitchell High School freshman who continues to assault the state swimming record book. Waddell broke six state records earlier this month at the South Dakota swim meet in Aberdeen.

Among the records she set at the state meet was the time in the 100 freestyle, which was a 20-year-old mark.

The previous record was 53.21, and Waddell now owns the new record of 52.93.

CHEERS to Mitchell eighth-grader Rusty Munsen, who designed and drew a flag that placed at the state Youth Art Month contest.

Next, Munsen’s flag — which depicts a South Dakota outdoors scene — was scheduled to travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to represent the state.

Youth Art Month is observed as a way to promote art education, and Munsen shows that art, and education of art, is alive and well in Mitchell.

HISSES to spring flooding, although it appears the area around Mitchell escaped this menace this year.

A photo published last week in The Daily Republic showed the winding James River, and noted how the river’s level is 9.93 feet, well below the 25.33 feet that it reached on April 11, 2011.

Obviously, we welcome the spring rains and even a late-March blizzard because we appreciate the moisture.

But we’d rather that the precipitation come in regular intervals — a bit now, and then a bunch after the crops have been planted in six or eight weeks.

CHEERS to the South Dakota Legislature, for pushing through a new law that will put young drivers in a better position to learn the rules of the road while remaining safe.

Last week, the state Senate gave final approval to Senate Bill 106, which will prohibit our youngest drivers — those with restricted permits — from operating cell phones while they are driving.

The governor now will have to sign the bill before it can become law, and we hope it does.

CHEERS to the new fire truck that soon will be delivered to Mitchell.

The City Council recently gave approval to spend $749,000 on a new ladder truck, which will replace an outdated 1982 model.

Spending three-quarters of a million bucks on anything isn’t easy, but this is a matter of public safety.

We’re glad the deal is done and that Mitchell soon will have this new, and vital, piece of safety equipment.

Tags: opinion, updates, editorials