The Bible says pain and agony engulfed Jesus Christ in the final hours before his death, while fear of the future gripped his followers. Fear once again is prevalent in churches as Christians …

Getting an initiated constitutional amendment on the ballot in South Dakota is plenty tough for citizens. House Bill 1169 would have made it almost impossible. HB 1169 required that signatures …

During the recently completed legislative session, there were a couple of discussions in a House State Affairs Committee meeting that may have a direct bearing on South Dakota’s future. …

Now that the legislative session is in the rearview mirror, I’m focused on looking forward and unlocking new opportunities for South Dakota. We had a historic 100th legislative session, and we …

Child care is not just a family issue. It is a business development issue. The ability of South Dakota families to access quality, affordable child care directly impacts workforce participation, …

It only stands to reason that a bunch of elected officials who are term-limited would believe that terms limits are good for everyone. That’s the case in the South Dakota Legislature, where …

For a condemnation of Kristi Noem’s performance as governor, just look at what her former lieutenant governor is doing. You won’t get him to admit that, of course. Larry Rhoden …

Too often lately our leaders seem to come from the Satchel Paige School of Political Thought: “Don’t look back, something may be gaining on you.” The very act of looking back …

Sunshine Week is a nationwide time to reflect on just how good your government is about conducting the public’s business in a transparent, accountable way. South Dakota has always struggled to …

March 29 marks Vietnam War Veterans Day, a day to reflect on the sacrifices and service of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War. Many of these veterans returned home to a country that was …

I always look forward to South Dakota Searchlight’s daily email of state and national news. The editor who puts that email together probably didn’t mean for it to happen, but one day …

Donald Trump’s Oval Office tirade recently laid bare his instinct to harangue and bully those — even supposed allies such as Ukraine, fighting for its survival — who dare to …

I am no stranger to discussions about eminent domain and property rights. I’ve fought for private property rights in this Capitol for over 20 years. When I was a legislator, I was the prime …

In 2016 I was in my first year of covering the legislative session for the South Dakota Newspaper Association. During the course of my work there, I was struck by how good-humored legislators were as …

The leader of South Dakota’s public universities gave a telling answer recently when a legislator asked him why the higher education system isn’t churning out enough teaching graduates. …

For the last four years, the Biden administration’s energy policies put our country on a dangerous path toward a future defined by less affordable and less reliable energy. America is rich in …

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, appearing recently at the University of Louisville’s law school, was asked about eroding confidence in the Supreme Court. “I think my court would probably …

Living on a ranch, I’ve never had much time for technology. I’ve always preferred riding a horse over online entertainment, and at work, I stick to the traditional pen-and-paper approach. …

The second Donald Trump administration is barely more than a month old and it’s already exhausting. The flurry of moves made by the president are designed to “flood the zone” to …

The 33 state senators who voted Feb. 12 to allow concealed-carry handguns on South Dakota’s college campuses sounded positively giddy with themselves as they passed Senate Bill 100 and sent it …