Weekly Column
South Dakotans,
I have added a coronavirus resource page to my website to keep South Dakotans updated on the latest coronavirus developments. Information will be added regularly, and you can also follow me on Twitter at @RepDustyJohnson or on Facebook at Representative Dusty Johnson for updated information.
Earlier this week, the South Dakota delegation hosted Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert Wilkie, Jr. for a tour of the Hot Springs VA and a roundtable discussion about the vital role this facility serves for the local veteran community. The Hot Springs community's identity and purpose has long been grounded in serving veterans at the historic Battle Mountain facility.
If you've turned on the news in the last month or so you've probably heard this word over and over: Coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.
This week, the president addressed the nation regarding the U.S. response to the outbreak. So far, officials have determined more than 80,000 cases globally – the majority of them in China.
South Dakota's congressional office has a tight-knit team – there are eight full time staff in Washington, three in Sioux Falls, two in Rapid City, and one in Aberdeen. That's 14 folks, plus me, who handle all the congressional-related work in our entire state.
As the old saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This is a concept that is often lost in Congress, however, this week was the exception. Legislation unanimously passed the House that will work to protect our borders and our number one industry – agriculture.
Thirteen-year-old teenagers are not commonly known for their persistent dedication to serving others. I know I certainly wasn't. But every once in a while, I'm privileged to meet someone who challenges that norm.
On days I'm home in South Dakota, I sit down for my morning bowl of Wheaties and flip through our local papers. This week, as I ate my bowl of cereal, I came across a well-researched and well-written article. The title was: "Effort begins to reduce risk of death of South Dakota mothers during childbirth." It was written by local reporter Nick Lowrey from South Dakota News Watch and placed in many papers throughout the state.
At the end of this month, the 62nd annual Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo will be taking place in Rapid City. An estimated 331,000 people from all over the country will descend on Western South Dakota, making it the second largest annual event in South Dakota.
Since 2014, every January marks the "Burning of the Beetle" in Custer, South Dakota. What's turned into a fun tradition and artistic celebration, stemmed from a bleak time in the Black Hills.
The Black Hills National Forest is one of South Dakota's treasures, but if you traveled there several years ago, you'd see a much different forest than you'll see today. For years, the Mountain Pine Beetle infected more than 430,000 acres of forest, leaving millions of trees dead in its path.
Securing our border has been at the forefront of this administration's agenda and rightfully so. I traveled down to the southern border earlier this year and real progress is being made there, however, there is more work to be done.
In the last year, we experienced a true crisis on our southern border with unprecedented numbers of illegal border crossings. Congress and the administration have been focused on how best to combat this crisis, so I welcomed the opportunity to visit a business right here in South Dakota that is playing a key part in increasing security at our borders.