My Most Read Work

Commentary and Features

#adulting: It can be dangerous to be crafty

Fall — autumn if you want to feel fancy — is the traditional kickoff for craft fairs, markets and bazaars. I presume this is because in the fall/winter there’s less daylight, the weather is weird and people want to be inside. Fall is almost the holidays, and I’m told that some people like to start planning their craft projects months in advance.

Thrifty people have long sought to save their pennies by using materials they have (which could be actual pennies, for instance) to create something ne

#adulting: A Black Hills summer bucket list

This year's summer may have been a bit of a slow burn (pun intended, and I'm not even sorry), but July so far has been reliably hot. Hot summer days mean swimming. At the very least, it means dipping your toes in. Literally. Find some water and enjoy. Around here, we have options from city pools to bigger beaches to tucked-away swimming holes. Rapid City has four outdoor pools that are open from late May to mid-August. Jimmy Hilton Pool at Sioux Park, Parkview Pool and Horace Mann Pool have fun

DENOUDEN: Celebrating ‘Angry Young Women’

“To read the section devoted to ‘Women’ in almost any newspaper would leave the impression that women are stupid and vain.”

That’s how Florence “Floss” Ronald, a former owner and publisher of The Daily Republic, expresses the thoughts of a group she describes as the “Angry Young Women” in a 1963 column about the changing landscape of newspapers - a landscape she helped to shape. I discovered Ronald’s columns in a gem of a collection lent to me by Shirley Tanner, a volunteer at the Carnegie Res

Features

Explore a featured selection of my writing work below.

Need any junk? The stock show's got you covered

Not for long. One event quickly grew into two per year, then three — "everyone wanted a Christmas market. And I thought, ‘oh you guys are insane.' ... I cannot do three."

This year, Gustafson is taking her market to the Black Hills Stock Show, for the Kountry Junkin' Vintage Market Rodeo Rapid City Edition. Held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 1-2 at the Civic Center Ice Arena, the market will feature 30 to 40 vendors selling unique items, from custom-made new items to upcycled items to raw materia

Brian Regan bringing laughs to Deadwood

"I’ve won a lot of awards for my humility," he said. "It’s always awkward when I have to call the carpenters and say, ‘Well you’ve got to make the shelf even bigger. I’ve got more and more humility trophies coming in.’ "

It's typical of Regan's self-deprecating style, despite being one of the most successful stand-up comedians in the country — and a favorite of other big-name comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Patton Oswalt. He'll bring that comedy to Deadwood on Saturday, with an 8

Filmmaker tells story with distinctly South Dakotan flavor

Written and directed by Kightlinger, "Tater Tot & Patton" is a character-driven drama that tells the story of Andie, a "wayward millennial" who escapes to her alcoholic uncle Erwin’s ranch in South Dakota to, as Kightlinger puts it, "get her life together." Eventually, the two lost characters "lift each other out of their personal ashes," he said.

"Family ties are so important in South Dakota. I think they’re just a placeholder for family in general," he said of the uncle-daughter relationship.

Christmas Nights of Light event fit for a fairy tale

LeZotte, executive director of Storybook Island in Rapid City, was busy on Tuesday as she, maintenance manager Walt Denett and office manager Jackie Hall finished the last of the light displays that will soon turn the children's theme park into a life-sized fairy tale.

Storybook Island's annual Christmas Nights of Light walk-through display and fundraiser starts at 5:30 p.m. tonight, lasting until 8:30 p.m. LeZotte said the gates close at 8:30 p.m., so people should plan to arrive by 8 p.m. if

Shear industry: A career of shearing and selling wool

Cup of coffee in hand, Jim Barnett takes a break from shearing Brian Iburg's sheep. They seem unaware of the change, however, as they mill around the barn. It's hard to hear over the bleating, which Barnett weathers good naturedly.

"You'd swear these sheep were trying to interrupt you all the time, wouldn't you?" he said with a smile.

Barnett, of Wakonda, rests his lean frame on the electric wool sacker he has used since 1977. A veteran of the industry, Barnett got his start in Sioux Falls jus

Mary Hart: If you do it, you'll get through it

Mary Hart may be just as familiar with the red carpet as any Hollywood star, but she returned to her home state Thursday and said it still feels like home.

"Kristi (Noem) is right-once you are a South Dakotan, you never, ever are anything but a South Dakotan," Hart said, validating Noem's introduction.

Hart gave the keynote address during Noem's Women of Influence Conference at Central Baptist Church in Sioux Falls, which included a networking breakfast, resource fair, speeches and panel discu

Salem FFA 'gets the goat'

SALEM-This will really get your goat.

A group of McCook Central High School FFA students spent most of Wednesday morning touring Salem, but they didn't go alone-they brought along two goats, as part of their "Get the Goat" fundraiser. The amount raised wasn't immediately available Wednesday.

On Wednesday, FFA members also had a special guest tour the town with them and the goats. Dr. Steve Brown, the National FFA adviser and chair of the National FFA Board of Directors, is in South Dakota this

From cows to curds: How Dimock Dairy makes its cheese

DIMOCK -- At 5:30 a.m., Paul Voelker has already been at it for a while.

The cheese-making process is well under way for him and the other cheese makers at Dimock Dairy. Troy Thelen, who has worked for Dimock Dairy for 14 years, said he usually gets to work around 2:30 a.m.

In business since 1931, Dimock Dairy sells 23 flavors of hard cheese, eight flavors of processed cheese spread -- ranch flavored is its most recent concoction -- as well as butter and cheese bites. Voelker said Dimock Dairy

News and events

Ag land values on steady rise in SD

HURON -- Despite an unexpected dip, agriculture land values are on a steady rise across South Dakota, experts say.

Values for ag land have been increasing over the long-term, even greater more than the rates of inflation, according to Matt Elliott, an assistant professor and South Dakota State University Extension agribusiness specialist.

“Part of that is driven by increases in grain prices at a greater rate than inflation, part by a decreasing rate of interest rates and treasury yield rates

Kevin Lein says students, staff finding new normal after school shooting

That's how Kevin Lein describes his recovery after getting shot last week. Lein, 57, was shot in the arm in his office at Harrisburg High School, where he is the principal. The bullet hit the ulna and the humerus in his right arm, then his chest.

But Lein, who was back at school the next day, doesn't focus on his wounds, or even on the event itself. For Lein, it's all about the next step-making sure his students and colleagues feel safe, and turning last week's event into something positive.

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Letcher farmer finds photo possibly linked to Delmont storm

LETCHER-When Ken Stach saw a strange, black object headed toward his farm on Sunday, he thought it was a bird.

"I thought, 'What the heck is a bird doing out in this horrible weather?' " Stach said.

Stach's family was in the storm cellar, waiting out what he described as "wicked" looking skies. He sneaked a peak in time to see the items fall, and soon realized it wasn't a bird-or a plane.

Stach said he thinks it's a piece of roofing felt, or tar paper, and some landed about 150 to 200 yards s

PHOTOS: Delmont, S.D. after EF-2 tornado

/ A heavily damaged Zion Lutheran Church is pictured Sunday in Delmont. The town of fewer than 300 people was hit hard by a tornado Sunday morning, which injured nine people and destroyed approximately 25 structures. (Candy DenOuden/Republic)

/ Scattered debris and damaged property is pictured Sunday in Delmont. The town of fewer than 300 people was hit hard by a tornado Sunday morning, which injured nine people and destroyed approximately 25 structures. (Candy DenOuden/Republic)

/ Damaged bui

Obama says he’s inspired by S.D. graduates

That’s what President Barack Obama emphasized makes America strong when he spoke on Friday during the Lake Area Technical Institute graduation ceremonies at the Civic Arena in Watertown.

“We’re family,” Obama said. “We’ll do anything to help one another along.”

Despite the graduation ceremonies being delayed by about an hour, Obama was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd in the packed arena receiving a standing ovation. Obama used his commencement address to a crowd of about 4,300 people to not o