Winter weather was just as extreme on the prairie before European settlers arrived. Preparing for it was part of the daily existence of the prairie’s original inhabitants. In the 1800s, Native American tribes of the Midwest stayed fairly local year-round, unlike today’s “snowbirds,” who “fly away” to warmer southern climates for the winter months. They followed a strict calendar governed ... Read More »
We are in the 1 percent, folks. At least, many of us in the rural Dakotas are, when the thing being measured is our view of the night sky. Read More »
In the heart of South Dakota, nestled into the banks of the Missouri River, two small towns make up one community. Read More »
“But it’s all so … flat.” I heard this time and again from folks when they learned what I was planning: a 2,000-mile, six-week exploration of the American Midwest—by bicycle. Just about everyone seemed to think that I was set to experience the dullest, most featureless bike tour ever undertaken. They were right about one thing. In terms of rote ... Read More »
We often think about “public education” in terms of where the money comes from—it’s education paid for by the public. But just as importantly, it’s also education of the public. Read More »
"Being grown-ups in our private and public lives means taking responsibility for whatever is within our reach. And politics is always within our reach ..." Read More »
In a nation where only a little over half of the people who could vote did so in 2012, apparently not everyone takes that responsibility seriously. Read More »
With absentee voting starting Sept. 23 for the general election, several entities are attempting to increase voter registration and/or turnout. Here are some of the strategies they are using. Vote605 app Voters can go to the websites of the secretaries of state for both North and South Dakota to find election information. The next step, according to South Dakota Secretary ... Read More »
How do you know if a strategy for civic engagement is going to do any good? Hahrie Han, a political science professor from the University of California–Santa Barbara, has suggested some questions that those who want to do something to improve voter participation can use as a guide. Ask: Does the action I want to take make voter participation more: ... Read More »
Is "getting out the vote" the job of the secretary of state? Read More »
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