It’s been said before but it’s being said again — because it’s that critical. Buy local.

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg continues to be in the public spotlight — and it’s not for good reason. The S.D. House of Representatives this week began the process of considering whether the first-term attorney general should face impeachment for his role in a vehicle/pedestrian accident west of Highmore last year. It’s an important step that needs to be taken seriously, not only by lawmakers, but also by the people of South Dakota.

The debate about controversial nicknames and stereotypes has returned to Atlanta, where the baseball culture there has embraced an offensive chant. The MLB franchise — and/or MLB itself — must step in and end it now. Atlanta may have just won a World Series, but the Major League Baseball franchise has some work to do in the offseason. Specifically, the organization must figure out how to deal with the racial insensitively that has surrounded the ball club for decades.

The man in the hunter-green hooded sweatshirt with orange lettering gripped his cardboard coffee cup and walked toward me down the hallway of our shared hotel in Deadwood. It was early. “Good morning,” he said as we closed in on each other. “Good morning,” I responded. Later, in the elevator, I rode with a couple who couldn’t have been much older than me, the names of whom I will never know. After we reached the ground floor and the elevator dinged and the door opened, he said to me, “have a good day.” “You guys, too,” I responded.

As many readers probably know by now, The Courier is making a change regarding how it views its relationship with readers and — importantly — how readers view their relationship with the weekly newspaper that covers the communities of Freeman and Menno.

What will the future of athletics and education at Freeman Public Schools look like as it relates to cooperation with a neighboring district? Those living in the Freeman Public School District might just have a significant say in the matter. A task force comprised of administration, board members, staff, students and Freeman Public patrons has issued a survey to gauge interest in a possible partnership with another nearby district and say the results of the survey will play a big part in school leadership’s course of action — or inaction — going forward.

Given the breadth of athletic success and community engagement Freeman Public has enjoyed over the years and decades, it’s shocking that a long-standing booster club isn’t a central part of the Freeman Flyers tradition. But it is not.

As my wife said, I was in “my happy place” as I prepared dinner for friends on Saturday night. Steaks on the grill, twice baked potatoes, banana peppers stuffed with ham and mozzarella and a cucumber/onion salad served in a sugar/vinegar/celery seed marinade helped set the table. We visited as we enjoyed all of that and more and I quietly reflected on how lucky we were to partake in such abundance, when there are so many who have so little.

Summer isn’t officially over until Sept. 21, but as far as students who are returning to school this week and next are concerned, it’s pretty much history. Freeman Public and Menno began their 2021-22 term on Wendesday and Freeman Academy will start on Aug. 25. A new school year always presents both challenges and opportunities, and also some anxiety for both parents and children. Will the students apply themselves? Will they fit in? Will they be good friends? How will they manage their time? How won’t they manage their time?

Any doubt about whether the South Dakota Chislic Festival had the legs to be a sustainable, viable and always-evolving festival was trampled by thousands of people last weekend as the third event of its kind generated an off-the-charts kind of response. Thousands of visitors came to Freeman on Saturday for the relatively new event that celebrates South Dakota’s official state nosh, which the people of this community and the surrounding area have been enjoying for generations.