Editor, The Daily Leader:

P.E.O. Chapter BN expresses appreciation and thanks to all who supported our 5th annual Garden Walk 'N' Talk. How grateful we are to be part of such a supportive community.

There is a new kid on the block that is challenging tennis for the title of most popular racket sport. You might not even have heard of it until right now. That sport is pickleball.

There have been some sharp barbs put out in the media lately regarding the Dakota Energy law suit against East River Co-op and those that have differing views.

To all of the people I met at Madison's Community Center, I'm not given a chance to say goodbye. I'm banned on the Community Center grounds for a year. I was let go.

I don't love public speaking and I certainly don't like writing articles for the paper, especially when it involves a pending lawsuit. However, I do love my faith, family and friends and community, and I think it's important to share where I stand and push back against any people trying to s…

I am writing this as a follow-up to the nice article in last Tuesday's edition of The Daily Leader about the Knights of Columbus donation to Valiant Living. Nothing was mentioned about the source of those funds, so I would like to offer some additional information.

Editor, The Daily Leader:

Good news and bad news. The good news is that the federal government is offering South Dakota 280 million annually to benefit hospitals and clinics throughout the state if our Legislature will vote to expand Medicaid. The condition is that our state contribute $1 for each 15 federal dollars …

I am always amazed with the many services that Madison has to offer. Rarely do I have to seek contracted work from outside of the Madison area.

Today, I would like to provide one small bit of accurate and verifiable information for people to discuss. These facts can be easily confirmed by going to the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation website. There you will find that in February 2020, the South Dakota pre-pandemic une…

Several people, including Dakota Energy members and non-members, have been publicly attacked by Dakota Energy management for having differing opinions. Those attacks included personal insults, slurs, allegations and attempts to discredit them.

Joe Biden is doing his best to strengthen Medicaid's support for long-term care for the elderly and for people with disabilities. Therefore, now is the time to beef up Medicaid in South Dakota so that, at last, every adult and child gets health coverage. The expansion of Medicaid has been of…

We want to thank Gale Pifer for his fine letter to the editor. His information on the history of the Leader, the Hunter family and the new owners was good to know.

The National Association of Conservation District's 66th annual Stewardship Week begins Sunday. This week's Stewardship Week will take place April 25 to May 2 and will celebrate the theme "Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities."

Have you ever wondered who writes F words on public bathroom walls? We have all been exposed to this morally repugnant behavior from time to time. And so you wonder: Do these vandals scratch this stuff into the walls and doors while they are using the bathroom, or do they actually waste thei…

An event occurred in Madison on March 1 which many in the community might have missed. It was the end of one important family business and the beginning of another.

Dakota Energy members: I encourage you to go to dakotaenergy.coop/your-products-services/electric-service/ and review the well authored notice to members regarding the rate increase implemented in January of 2019. The letter was honest and to the point, not placing the blame on any one entit…

At the town hall meeting with Dakota Energy, Chad Felderman said he has a fiduciary responsibility to the member-owners. What do you call it when Dakota Energy controlled the number of people and who could attend, did not let East River and Basin speak, answered only selected on-line questio…

Last month The Madison Daily Leader announced a change of ownership. At this pivot point in the life of our local paper, it's good to reflect on the role of responsible news media in community and civic life.

I read the news articles in The Madison Daily Leader about the Dakota Energy lawsuit against East River Electric. I agree that they should have the right to buy power from whoever has the cheapest power which will result in cheaper rates for their members.

Have you seen the letters from Dakota Energy, their ads in newspapers, videos on our Dakota Energy website, on Facebook and radio adds badmouthing East River and Basin Electric, and their costs?

"Food Brings Everyone to the Table" is the theme for this year's National Ag Week.

A stable power supply network guided the people of South Dakota through an unprecedented energy emergency this past February thanks to the steady hands of the Western Area Power Administration and Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

It's almost April, and as we note the flowers and bushes beginning to flower in our yards, it's worth noting that some of the fading color in a few Madison properties is no longer welcome. Campaign signs, put up long before the November election, still mar the view of citizens enjoying a spr…

I learned of this pending litigation (Dakota Energy lawsuit) through East River co-ops postings in the Huron Daily Plainsman's "Payday." I personally am not a member of Dakota Energy, so whatever the outcome of this lawsuit is, it will have no direct impact on me personally.

Trees in South Dakota are both precious and important. They are vital to our environment, our wildlife and our well-being. They serve as breaks to strong prairie winds, banks for carbon and enhancements for crop and livestock farming. They were what made early South Dakota communities habita…

Energy providers have been in the news a lot lately with the cold weather and power outages across the country. While some of us in South Dakota may have experienced brief periods without power and most of us did our part to conserve energy, our hearts go out to those throughout the country …

I'm both angry and sorrowful as I review the news reports concerning the Highmore pedestrian death.

With our governor now making national news for her adamant "stonewalling" the request for disclosing how much state money she spent campaigning for her mentor, loser Donald Trump, it's time to ask, when will the public rise up and insist on their right to know how our tax money is being spent?

Gov. Noem proposed combining the South Dakota Department of Natural Resources with the Department of Agriculture. An emergency proposal nonetheless. Catering to the hunger of a few.

The job of firefighters seems like it would be a dirty, dangerous and thankless job. We recently lost our home to a fire. The Madison firefighters responded very quickly to contain the fire so it would not spread.

I want to express my opinion on this election. First off it was stolen by Biden, if only you will look at it carefully. He is the Hitler of the United States, as you will see once he is in office. I know 'cause I saw what Hitler did to Germany in the early '30s and the '40s. I have served un…

Like Donald Trump, Kristi Noem is dangerous, not just to South Dakota but to America.

We want to take time to explain the decision to close. It was definitely not the lack of business. We have had several people interested in the building, and our copier leases were up, so we took the opportunity to get out of the printing business.

Like December 7th and September 11th, January 6th is a tragic date in American history.

The South Dakota Wildlife Federation Board of Directors is opposed to the merger of the S.D. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the S.D. Department of Agriculture.

We cannot let the attempted violent or political coup slide like a lot of Republicans want. After supporting Trump and his lies and violent hate-filled tweets, they now want to say that for "unity," let us just forget it all happened and move on.

To Senator Thune, Senator Rounds, and Representative Johnson:

In Sunday's Argus Leader, Law Professor Jonathan Turley said he believes the 2020 election was conducted fairly. Still he advises, a Federal Election Commission should be created to reduce the level of rage being felt because millions believe the election was stolen.

I would like to express my appreciation to all the Madison and surrounding area residents who generously contributed to the local 2020 Salvation Army Red Kettle drive. Your generosity resulted in setting a new local record, as $13,638 was raised.

I have a hard time thinking about this world without Jack [Mader] in it. Thank God for the wonderful memories and stories that will live on forever.

Does Governor Noem care about the massive suffering and deaths she has caused this Christmas season? Does she care about the devastation to thousands of families that will be without a loved one because of her? Does she have any empathy or understanding of the fact that she has traded these …

Dec. 30 is the deadline for people to renew their expired South Dakota driver licenses and ID cards.

On Dec. 12, a "masked up" crew of Food Pantry volunteers provided over 6,000 pounds of food to 155 Lake County families. This Christmas food distribution was the 38th year of this important event. Along with the food, 274 children received about 600 gifts through the generosity of the many w…

Last week, some S.D. newspapers carried AP's report of a climate-change speech by the UN secretary-general. The SG's message to the world is that it's essential for the planet to reduce the fossil-fuel polluting war on nature. He said that 2020 would likely be one of history's top three hott…

As we anticipate the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20, 2021, we are reminded of what a critic of another strong-minded executive, Teddy Roosevelt, said back over a hundred years ago: that this president had no more use of the Constitution than a tom cat had for a marriage license.

The current Madison City Commission is considering a proposal to hire a city administrator to "oversee, operate and manage municipal services."

The final chapter of Lake County (or Interlakes) Speedway has been written with the death of Eldon "Elt" Ristesund. Elt died in Howard on Nov. 23 at the age of 94.