Opinion

When Freeman Academy/Marion and Lower Brule squared off in Mitchell on Saturday for the second annual Sacred Hoops Classic, it was about more than just a basketball game. It was also about building a sense of respect for, and understanding of, cultures that are difference from one another.

According to a statement read prior to announcing the starting lineups, “This classic is about bringing athletes from all corners of South Dakota together to not only play the game of basketball, but also to build relationships and gain a better understanding of all races in our state.”

Given all that we know about the challenges created by COVID-19 and the toll the virus has taken on health care systems and health care workers, it’s hard to understand what Time was thinking when the magazine announced last week that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had been named its 2020 Person of the Year.

It clearly should have been the health care workers fighting this ongoing global pandemic.

When registered voters living in South Dakota head to the polls next week Tuesday, Nov. 3, they will have an opportunity to do something that would have been unthinkable even 20 years ago: legalize marijuana.

And they should.

One of the most perplexing aspects of our collective response to COVID-19 is just how quickly wearing face masks became political.

COVID-19: What have we learned?

Corona vs COVID-19

Human ability to deny reality is boundless.

Testing: every school child should have had a test.

The greater Freeman community is feeling the sting and impact of sudden loss this week following the automobile accident that claimed the life of Dennis Schrock Sunday night. Schrock died at the intersection of 280th St. and S.D. Highway 19 when the westbound vehicle he was driving collided with a southbound minivan. He died at the scene, according to a report from the Department of Public Safety. He was 71.

I love the story about Kent Mettler and the bell he purchased from a seller in Tyndall not long ago. You can read it on the front page of the second section of this week’s Courier, or by clicking here.

Early this week, school officials from Freeman Public released their plan to return to in-person instruction when the 2020-21 school year begins on Aug. 19, and it’s impressive. The 28-page document includes a letter from Superintendent Kevin Kunz, an explanation about how and why the district arrived at its conclusions, local data and plenty of documentation from two key players in the return-to-school process — the South Dakota Department of Education and the South Dakota Department of Health.

Given everything we learned at the Freeman City Council’s July 27 meeting, there should be no question of whether the city of Freeman should rebuild Main Street from the downtown business district all the way to the North County Road.

It absolutely should, and there’s no better time to move forward with what would be a major infrastructure project than now.

On July 17, John R. Lewis died at the age of 80. He was a U.S. Congressman for Georgia for over 30 years until his death. His most important legacy was speaking out and actions for civil rights for black people in the U.S.A.