OUR VIEW

Our View: Prosecute repeat DUI offenders to full extent

A Sioux Falls man this week pleaded guilty to yet another charge of driving under the influence and has been sentenced to two years in prison.
Dennis Harris, on June 10, was driving erratically on Interstate 90 and was trailed by a Davison County deputy sheriff. After leaving the interstate, Harris was stopped. While being questioned, he handed an officer an open bottle of whiskey. He soon thereafter became combative with the officer and others who came to assist.

By Editorial board , June 25, 2010

Our View: Ending mail delivery on Saturdays is bad idea

Through rain, sleet and snow, America’s mail is delivered. Except Sundays. And, if some get their way, Saturdays, too.
There is a chance Americans will see their mail delivery service cut to five days a week, with the U.S. Postal Service suggesting an elimination of Saturday service. Huge financial losses — including $3.8 billion last year alone — have plagued the Postal Service, and it doesn’t appear to be a problem that can easily be solved. The Internet has gobbled up much USPS business and, according to an Associated Press report, the recession isn’t helping much, either.

By Editorial board , June 24, 2010

Our View: Time for a break from rain, floods

There has been a policy in place at The Daily Republic — set by a past publisher with strong agrarian roots — that mandates we not complain about rain. Too much in South Dakota depends upon the vital fluid that falls from the sky and replenishes this state’s crops, business climate and our morale in general.
Sniveling about inconvenient downpours is simply not good business.
It’s a good policy in general, but as more rain drenches the region and causes problems for so many, perhaps the time is right to break that longstanding rule and offer an outright gripe about the moisture that has plagued this region this month.

By Editorial board , June 23, 2010

Our View: Acts to curb illegal aliens aren’t racism

Is it racist to simply want federal laws enacted properly and in accordance with their original intent?
Ask the folks down in Fremont, Neb., who on Monday went to the polls to decide whether or not to ban the hiring of illegal immigrants or to rent property to illegals. As of the writing of this piece, we did not know the outcome of the vote, which was controversial and causing no little discomfort among the people of Fremont, located in eastern Nebraska.

By Editorial board , June 22, 2010

Our View: Week in review

HISSES to the excessive rainfall that our area has received of late, and to the flooding it has caused. Though it may be futile to complain about the weather, we can’t help it. Flooded roads, fields and basements are no fun. If there’s a silver lining, perhaps it’s that the widespread flooding problems of late have drawn attention to the need for upgraded infrastructure in many of South Dakota’s small towns, as noted in a Saturday story in this newspaper.

By Editorial board , June 21, 2010

Our View: Get out sledges for the Tower

Well, it happened again. The Davison County Commission hit yet another stumbling block Tuesday in its seemingly never-ending quest to demolish the much-maligned Tower Building on Miller Avenue.
This time, it’s the bidding process for the demolition that is causing the problem.
Demolition bids were opened June 1, but the awarding of a bid was put off to a later date. Then, on June 10, one of the bidders, VanderPol Dragline, came to a commission meeting and gave some unscheduled input to the commission.

By Editorial board , June 17, 2010

Our View: Debate may rekindle bit of history in Mitchell

The two candidates for governor have made a commitment to attend a debate in the Corn Palace this summer, and we couldn’t be happier.
The Palace is a great basketball venue, a wonderful tourist attraction and the lifeblood for so much industry in Mitchell, as it has been for years. Mitchell relies upon the Corn Palace and we are proud of that grand building, which was built to showcase the agricultural potential of this region and the agrarian abilities of its early settlers.

By Editorial board , June 16, 2010

Our View: Thune talk speaks well for S. Dakota values, ideals

A Daily Republic staff member was in Washington, D.C., two years ago, awaiting a flight to South Dakota by way of Minneapolis. A plane arrived at the gate and offloaded its passengers, who presumably were arriving from the Twin Cities.
Among those passengers arriving at Ronald Reagan National Airport was John Thune, the Republican senator from South Dakota. He immediately was greeted by numerous well-wishers, hand-shakers and one or two who snapped photos. That day in the Washington airport, Thune looked like a celebrity, almost presidential.

By Editorial board , June 15, 2010

Our View: Week in review

CHEERS to news that the prevalence of smoking appears to be on the decline in South Dakota. A report earlier this month in The Daily Republic noted that the number of South Dakota adults who smoke fell to an all-time low in 2008, at 17.5 percent. The state Department of Health had a goal of reducing the adult smoking rate in South Dakota to 18 percent or less by 2010, and it met that goal two years early. Secretary of Health Doneen Hollingsworth noted that fewer people smoking will mean lower health-care costs in the future.

By Editorial board , June 14, 2010

Our View: Primaries over; let’s get to issues

The primary elections are over, bringing with them a few surprises and also marking a new beginning of the 2010 campaign season for some high-profile political offices here in South Dakota.
Dennis Daugaard won easily Tuesday in a crowded Republican gubernatorial primary, gathering 50 percent of the vote. Daugaard, the popular lieutenant governor, now will face Democrat Scott Heidepriem in November, with the winner taking the position held for eight years by Daugaard’s boss, Mike Rounds.

By Editorial board , June 10, 2010

Our View: Gulf spill shouldn’t decrease Keystone confidence

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has alerted the world to the potential environmental dangers that come hand-in-hand with energy exploration.
The mess in the Gulf apparently is nowhere near being fixed. Oil still flows unabated into the ocean and will continue to wash up on shores in America and eventually the rest of the world.
If anything, the Gulf oil spill may highlight the importance of land-based energy sources, including the sometimes controversial Keystone pipelines that carry crude from the oil-rich sands of Canada to locations in the United States. One Keystone pipeline already has been placed through eastern South Dakota, while another is to be placed in the central and western sections of the state.

By Editorial board , June 09, 2010

Our View: Baseball right to not overturn call

Armando Galarraga has reason to be disappointed. He’s only human. The Detroit Tigers pitcher last week threw what for a fleeting moment appeared to be the 21st perfect game in major league history, but he was robbed of that notable and distinct honor by a bad call by umpire Jim Joyce on what should have been the last play of the game.
For those not in the know, a perfect game comes after a pitcher gets out every single batter he faces throughout an entire game. Whereas a no-hitter can occur even when batters reach base — by way of walks, errors, fielder’s choices, etc. — a perfect game is much more difficult and, correspondingly, much more rare.

By Editorial board , June 08, 2010

Our View: Week in review

CHEERS to the Memorial Day services held in Mitchell and throughout the state last week. At the ceremony in Mitchell, Marine veteran Jack Thurman told the crowd about his service in World War II, including the battle of Iwo Jima. His is a riveting story, and we are pleased that veterans like Thurman come out and share their tales with the public. Warfare is not the glorious scenes we see in some Hollywood movies, and hearing real stories from real veterans is the best possible history lesson for those of us who have not sacrificed like they have. Please, South Dakota, continue to invite these men and women to events and ceremonies where they can be properly honored. And please, veterans, tell us your stories so we can learn of, and then never forget, the sacrifices that you and others have made on our behalf.

By Editorial board , June 07, 2010

Our View: Manager needed in Mitchell city government

Mitchell’s leadership structure could change if a volunteer planning group’s suggestion is adopted by the City Council in the coming weeks or months.
Focus 2020, a volunteer planning group, is following up on its proposal — made a year ago — to change the executive management structure in Mitchell from a mayor-led government to one that includes a city manager or administrator. It’s important to note that Focus 2020’s suggestion is just that: a suggestion. The panel carries no policy-changing power and some of its suggestions have, unfortunately, been met with little enthusiasm.

By Editorial board , June 04, 2010

Our View: Where is the outrage on roads?

The state Department of Transportation, and the people of South Dakota, have caught a break.
Because there is now sufficient federal aid to get more projects done this year, the state has accelerated several highway projects within the state’s borders. The projects are scattered throughout South Dakota, with a few targeted for here in the Mitchell region, including $25,000 for preliminary engineering to replace a structure over a creek near Scotland and some general roadwork on highways near Menno and Salem.

By Editorial board , June 03, 2010