latest
South Dakota closed the 2020 budget year on June 30 with a surplus of 19.1 million, Governor Kristi Noem announced.
Read moreThe summer reading program at the Lake Andes Public Library is coming to a close on August 10. Students have been reading and recording their books on the readSquared app, which can be accessed for free through Google. It is not too late for parents to sign up your children for the program. Certificates and badges are available through the app for your child and with each 100 points earned they will receive prizes from the library. Questions? Call the library at 487-7524 during our regular hours.
Read more
The Senate recently completed consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – annual legislation to authorize funding for our military and national defense. Like the last two NDAAs, this year’s bill focuses on restoring military readiness and ensuring that our nation is prepared to meet threats posed by major powers like Russia and China.
Read more
The 2020 wheat harvest for some farmers west of town came to a halt due to a small shower Friday morning. There are reports of 50-70 bushel wheat per acre. Photo by Scott Pechous
Read more
When the Senate goes back into session the week of July 20, one of the proposals we’ll be working on is a “phase four” coronavirus relief package. The last coronavirus relief bill we passed back in March—the CARES Act— included funding for the Paycheck Protection Program which helped many businesses in South Dakota stay open during the pandemic. It also included direct funding for families and individuals which was intended to help keep our economy going. It’s never easy to vote for such a big piece of legislation—with a big price tag—but the coronavirus pandemic has been unlike anything we’ve faced before. It required us to take significant action to save lives and prevent the economy—which we greatly improved over the past few years—from crashing.
Read more
I came home to South Dakota after eight years serving in Congress because I love our state. I missed working with cows and horses. I missed our beautiful wideopen spaces. But more than anything else, I missed spending time with my family and our South Dakota way of life.
Read more
As New York struggled with tens of thousands of coronavirus cases, medical professionals from across the United States headed to New York City to help. Their work was crucial to New York’s efforts to contain the pandemic and undoubtedly helped save lives. And in May, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced their reward: tax bills from the state of New York.
Read more
In March, when things went from 0 to 100 at the beginning of the pandemic, our health care system was forced to adapt quickly on so many levels. With patients no longer allowed to visit hospitals in-person for regular appointments, we needed a solution – and fast.
Read more