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South Dakota's Rep. Noem does not name cuts when questioned
When asked three times Thursday by The Daily Republic to say what spending she wants to eliminate from the federal budget, Rep. Kristi Noem punted twice before citing a set of proposed environmental regulations she wants to forestall.
Later in the day, her spokesman said she supports numerous cuts, including reductions or eliminations in funding for high-speed rail projects, cap-and-trade technical assistance, and subsidies for the Washington Metro rapid transit system.
Thune calls for ban on carbon regulation
U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., pledged support Wednesday for a Senate measure that seeks to bar the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating carbon emissions.
Thune said the measure, which is actually a proposed amendment to small-business legislation, could receive a vote as soon as today.
Mitchell's jobless rate rises above 5 percent
Mitchell’s unemployment rate is above 5 percent for the first time in nearly a year, but a report with the data says employment fluctuations are a normal part of the economic recovery. According to data released Friday morning by the state Department of Labor, the city’s February unemployment rate was 5.2 percent. That matches the unemployment rate from last March and is the highest rate since then. It’s the city’s third consecutive month of rising unemployment.
RELATED CONTENTThune: Democrat cuts ‘puny,’ ‘meaningless’
The $4.7 billion that Senate Democrats want to cut from federal spending is “puny” and “meaningless,” according to U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.
Thune, during a Wednesday morning conference call with reporters, said the proposed cut is barely more than the average of $4.3 billion added to the nation’s deficit each day since the current fiscal year began in October.
Thune bill seeks expansion of telehealth for rural areas
Sen. John Thune said Wednesday he has introduced legislation to expand the use of “telehealth” for Medicare patients, especially in rural areas.
“Telehealth” is defined as the delivery of health-related services and information via telecommunications technologies. Thune, R-S.D., described it as “remote monitoring” that could allow more people to stay home rather than travel for care or moving into nursing homes.
SDSMA president: No progress on reducing Medicaid cut
No progress has been made toward reducing a proposed 10 percent cut in state Medicaid funding, according to the president of the 1,900-member South Dakota State Medical Association.
Thomas Huber visited Mitchell to speak with area SDSMA members Monday evening at Chef Louie’s. The Daily Republic interviewed him prior to the meeting.
Gas prices, jobless rate both up locally
Mitchell was hit with a double dose of bad economic news Friday as the average gas price in the city hit $3.479 and the unemployment rate spiked to 4.9 percent. The average gas price is about 20 cents higher than a week ago. The unemployment rate — which covers the month of January but was just released Friday — is up 0.8 percentage points from the previous month.
RELATED CONTENTSenators: Obama budget tough on SD projects
South Dakota’s U.S. senators agreed Wednesday that President Obama’s newly proposed budget could impede progress on two major projects in the state, but they disagreed on the role earmarks should play in funding the projects.
RELATED CONTENTMitchell’s population up 4.8 percent to 15,254
The immediate Mitchell area grew in population from 2000 to 2010, according to census data released Wednesday, but the rest of the Mitchell trade area declined.
Mitchell’s population grew 4.8 percent from 14,558 to 15,254. The city retained its spot as the sixth-largest in the state. The population of Davison County, which has Mitchell as its county seat, increased 4.1 percent from 18,741 to 19,504, and neighboring Hanson County’s population grew 6.1 percent from 3,139 to 3,331.
Mitchell, S.D., lawmaker, professor introduce measure on ‘sexting’
PIERRE — New legislation crafted in part by a Mitchell lawmaker and a Dakota Wesleyan University professor seeks to update South Dakota’s criminal code with a section pertaining to “sexting.”
Sexting is a term generally applied to the sending of sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between mobile phones. The new bill, introduced Monday at the Capitol in Pierre, defines juvenile sexting and lists possible punishment for violators.
Columns
TUPPER: Proud to push an agenda
Executive sessions likely target of task force.
RELATED CONTENTTUPPER: Lake reverence resurgent in city
“This Kiwanis Woodlot we dedicate to you,” the plaque says, “to you who believe that trees and flowers, rocks, rivers, lakes and skies are beautiful thoughts made manifest, reflecting God’s love and care for his children. This, to us, is sacred ground.”
RELATED CONTENTTUPPER: Run government like a business? Please don’t
Politicians love clichés, and lately a lot of them are in love with this one: “Government should be run like a business.”
RELATED CONTENTTUPPER: Anti-progressive voters could challenge Tracy
Kudos to Ken Tracy for his victory last week in the six-way race for mayor of Mitchell.
RELATED CONTENTTUPPER: Shift development focus more toward local firms
Though Verifications and Dakota Pork seem about as different as two companies can be on the surface, they had at least one underlying trait in common: Neither company’s leaders had any real tie to Mitchell other than a bundle of incentives.
RELATED CONTENTTUPPER: South Dakota's words, meanings and whatnot
We recently received a South Dakota-tailored news release about the fifth edition of the Dictionary of American Regional English. In the lead paragraph of the release, somebody tried to cleverly string together all of the South Dakota-specific words in a few sentences:
RELATED CONTENTTUPPER: Concern for openness finally reaches the top
Somebody at the top finally gets it. That somebody is Mitchell’s very own Dusty Johnson, the chief of staff for Gov. Dennis Daugaard. Speaking Thursday about a directive the Daugaard administration often gives to bureaucrats, he said this: “It’s your job to provide the information, not to find ways to hide it.”
RELATED CONTENTTUPPER: Thune fits the part of VP
Though senator says he’s not interested, he would be good choice for running mate.
RELATED CONTENTTUPPER: Online numbers show readers want 'bad news'
Although people often claim they want “good news,” the first stories they read and the ones they talk about with their friends are the ones most people would classify as “bad news” — crimes, catastrophes and random oddities, typically in that order.
RELATED CONTENTTUPPER: Mitchell’s paralysis is a problem of leadership
Someone whose opinion I respect asked me recently if I think Mitchell is “paralyzed.” The question stemmed from the latest in a string of City Council actions to get pummeled in the local court of public opinion.
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