Opinion

Gov. Noem talks COVID-19 response

Published by admin on Thu, 11/19/2020 - 8:53am

It has been nearly eight months since COVID-19 first hit our state. Though there is still much to learn, we are fortunate to have a much better sense of the common enemy we’re fighting today than we did back in March.
Today, we know that hand washing kills the virus. And though anyone can get it, we also know that it’s the elderly and those with certain pre-existing conditions who have the greatest risk of mortality.

The state responds to USA Today

Published by admin on Thu, 11/19/2020 - 8:52am

Over the weekend, we were all privy to more unbelievably bad journalism. “The Dakotas are ‘as bad as it gets anywhere in the world’ for Covid-19” Joel Shannon of USA Today wrote. The facts tell a very different story, but Joel Shannon wouldn’t let the facts get in the way of his fictional storytelling.
Let’s start with the profoundly untrue headline. No, the Dakotas aren’t as bad as it gets anywhere in the world. In fact, the entire United States doesn’t break the top 10 list for deaths (per 100,000) globally.

I hope Dan knows how lucky he is

Published by admin on Thu, 11/19/2020 - 8:51am

Some of our readers may not know this, but Charley and Norma Najacht, the owners of the Custer County Chronicle and Hill City Prevailer News, also own the newspaper in Winner, the Winner Advocate.
The graphic designer in Winner upped and moved to Alaska, and while we search for her replacement, we at the Chronicle have been helping out our sister paper by building ads for them. You would not believe how hard it is to hire a graphic artist or a reporter, for that matter.

‘We need a little Christmas’

Published by admin on Thu, 11/12/2020 - 10:56am

I took a stroll down Main Street in Hill City on a recent cloudy, snowy morning, and I saw the first signs of Christmas start to pop up in town. The Alpine Inn was starting to decorate its porch with garland and the Black Hills Institute had a Christmas tree up in its window.

My concerns with Joe Biden

Published by admin on Thu, 11/12/2020 - 9:38am
Boy, what a week! Congratulations to Representative elect Trish Ladner for being elected my district mate in District 30.  Also, congratulations to Senator-elect Julie Frye-Mueller on winning her general election to the state Senate.
South Dakota went for Trump 62 to 32 percent. In the House of Representatives, state level, Republicans gained three seats, making it 62 Republicans to eight  Democrats.  In our Senate, it is now 32 Republicans to three Democrats.

A special thanks to our veterans

Published by admin on Thu, 11/12/2020 - 9:35am
One of the things I appreciate most about those who served is that they didn’t rely on someone else to protect freedom. Veterans didn’t assume someone else would make the sacrifices so our kids could sleep safely in their beds every night. They raised their hand. They said yes to the call. 

A newspaper’s mission: freedom of speech

Published by admin on Thu, 11/12/2020 - 9:34am
I’ve often said we at the newspaper don’t have a life;  we’re too busy reporting on  other people’s lives.
While that’s not entirely true, there is a lot of truth to it. Our lives and how we spend our time do revolve around writing about and capturing in photos other people’s lives as the newspaper records for posterity the events, lives and issues of our community.

And that’s the way it is

Published by admin on Thu, 11/05/2020 - 10:51am

The time has changed, elections are over and the holidays are approaching.

As I write this, it is still unclear who our next Commander in Chief will be.

To mask or not to mask

Published by admin on Thu, 11/05/2020 - 9:53am
To mask or not to mask has been the question since the very beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in this country and around the world. In the early days of the outbreak, late February and March, we were glued to our television sets listening to the likes of Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx as they gave their best advice on how the country should react to this impending virus from China.

Will election results be accepted?

Published by admin on Thu, 11/05/2020 - 9:51am
When you read this the elections of Nov. 3 will be history. I’m not too worried about one side accepting the results. But when you think about what happened four years ago with the Clintons and the DNC trying to bring down the duly-elected president, anything can happen.