To the editor:

It’s hard to fully express how much we enjoyed this year’s Spartan basketball team.

Congratulations to the Spartans boys basketball team in the state tournament. I see via the SDHSAA record book that Wessington Springs has had a boys team at a state tournament a couple times in the past.

Last week we observed Sunshine Week by discussing ominous clouds of secrecy forming on the horizon. Truthfully, the overcast conditions are already here.

Darleen Cuppy wrote her Cuppy’s Corner News Monday morning. Delia came to get it later in the forenoon.

Darleen Cuppy wrote her Cuppy’s Corner News Monday morning. Delia got it later in the forenoon. Darleen’s daughter Candi Sails and Baleigh came in the evening and fixed her TV remote while they were there.

This year, more than 150,000 new colorectal cancers will be diagnosed, and some 52,000 Americans will die of the disease. With the help of your medical local providers, you can help turn the tide.

Letter to the Editor, On Monday, February 19 my husband and I attended the Farm, Home & Health Show. We were very impressed as it was the best one we have been to. There were lots of vendors, very well organized and the 4-H kids did an exceptional job serving lunch. Kudos to the new organizer as she did an exceptional job.

This past week was not only the last week of the 99th legislative session but it also marked my final one in the South Dakota Legislature. Reflecting on my tenure serving District 20 in Pierre, I find myself reminiscing about the time spent here and the remarkable individuals I've had the privilege to meet and collaborate with. The range of issues— from complex and intense to fun, emotional, or even challenging—that I've had to make decisions on, as well as the places I've been fortunate to visit on behalf of the Legislature, all flood my thoughts as the session comes to a close.

We finished the final week of this year’s Le g i s l a t ive Session. As always, the final week of session is a flurry of activity, especially in the Joint Committee on Appropriations. This week we finished budget setting for Bureau of Finance and Management, Department of Education, Board of Technical Education, Department of Health, Department of Social Services, Department of Human Services, Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Department of Labor and Regulation, Department of Corrections, Board of Regents, and State Treasurer. These agencies, in addition to those completed last week were rolled up into FY 2025 General Appropriations Bill, HB1259. In addition, we finalized and passed SB52 which appropriates onetime dollars from the FY2024 budget which result from reversions from agencies and additional revenues. This year we saw a large increase in unclaimed property receipts which fueled the revenue increase. We aren’t expecting that in future years.

Week 9, the final week in the state legislature was a lot of hurry up and wait. The final week consists of conference committees where the House and Senate passed different versions of the same bill and they have to iron out the differences. Even though the session is over, with the exception of veto day, you can see how bills faired by checking on the www.sdlegislature.gov website.