OPINION — Father’s Day is a time to celebrate all the great fathers in our lives. My kids have an awesome one in Bryon. My son-in-law Kyle will be a father any day now! And I want to wish every father in the state of South Dakota a very happy Father’s Day. The holiday can also be a tough rem…

OPINION — How much money does it take to be wealthy? As I’ve pointed out in previous columns, this is basically an unanswerable question. It depends on too many variables, such as social norms, personal circumstances, accounting methods, lifestyle, and financial standards. Perhaps most signi…

OPINION — More and more I find myself asking people, “How are you?” and meaning it, rather than just using it as a greeting. When they say, “fine,” I ask, “would you tell me if you weren’t?” The variety of responses I get range from, “yes,” to, “probably not,” and everything in between.

OPINION — Until its closure in 2002, the former Homestake Gold Mine was the largest and deepest in the western hemisphere. Following the closure, Barrick Gold Corporation continued to dewater the mine as negotiations to develop a deep underground research facility proceeded. As progress slow…

OPINION — As the Senate returns to work and faces a fistful of thorny issues — from upgrading infrastructure to upholding voting rights — the ghost of a man named Jim Jeffords haunts the Capitol.

OPINION — The reason Democrats in Washington are increasingly frustrated is because their legislative ambitions far outstrip their congressional majorities. They have no majority at all in the U.S. Senate — it is evenly divided, 50-50, between Republicans and Democrats — and depend on Vice P…

OPINION — In the middle of June six years ago, my first child arrived into the world. There were some very minor complications that resulted in major implications, and we ended up in the NICU. After a week of hushed voices, kind nurses, beeping machines, and more tubes and cords than we coul…