Opinion

Holy Week is one of my favorite seasons in the church. It is a roller coaster of emotions. On Palm Sunday, we cheer in jubilation as Jesus enters Jerusalem. We wave our palms and shout ‘Hosanna in the highest!’

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act has passed the U.S. House, but faces the 60/100 vote challenge in the US Senate unless Senator Thune can succeed in inserting the bill’s provision in a reconciliation measure that will be advanced by Republicans to resolve the ICE and Border Patrol funding issue.

The “No Kings” rally held last Saturday in Brookings and across the nation, serves as a modern cultural mirror to a pivotal shift in the Hebrew Bible.

Among the essential elements of modern-day liberal democracy is political equality, including the equal right to register to vote, to vote, to have your vote counted along with all others, to seek public office and to hold public office if elected.

Hundreds of locals join nationwide No Kings protest

For years, communities like Brookings have faced a familiar challenge: how to responsibly fund major public projects without overburdening taxpayers or delaying needed investments.

This week in the lectionary we see Jesus’s raising of Lazarus.

The third “No Kings” protest is being organized across our nation including here in Brookings from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, March 28 on the Sixth Street side of Hillcrest Park.

I have been thinking recently about the decline in church worship attendance which we have seen across denominations. This is of course, a phenomenon that has been advancing over the last few decades. So I started to reflect upon what I view as the three main causes.

This tender encounter is a powerful narrative of grace, dignity and transformation. At its heart, it shows Jesus crossing social, cultural, and moral boundaries to extend compassion to a woman who had long been marginalized and misunderstood.

The final days of the 2026 South Dakota Legislative Session are winding down with mixed reviews.

Jackson a masterful public orator; Brookings a great place to live; Indivisible Brookings save the dates

May we as individuals and as a nation, recognize that (despite how the writers of the Old Testament usurp the voice of God) violence and war are not God’s desire for us. And may we give more than lip service to the concept of peace; but truly live it out the way Jesus emulated.

By a 6-3 margin, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Learning Resources v Trump that President Trump acted beyond presidential authority under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act in ordering wide ranging tariffs on the imports of scores of nations. The majority of the Court rejected the Administration’s contention that the power to “regulate” trade during a time of a declared emergency includes the power to levy tariffs.

When we read the Bible, there are different ways of interpretation you can look at. Do you read it from the author’s perspective and how the events of the time affected them and others. Or you can read it more from your perspective. How does this affect me now in this moment. How is this speaking to me? You can do the same thing with music.

As the seasons shift and the light begins to linger, we find ourselves at the threshold of an annual journey that is centuries old.

Modern political theorists might quibble a bit about the essential elements of a modern liberal democracy, but there is universal agreement that adherence to the rule of law doctrine is fundamental.

A breath of fresh air is what we need right now.

How prevalent is voter fraud?

My wife and I recently watched a documentary program on SDPB that featured the role that Walter F. White played as the leader of NAACP from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Over the last few weeks, we have seen and heard a number of very disturbing interactions between the various agencies of our Department of Homeland Security and people who are protesting their actions.

Recently the South Dakota Legislature approved a Joint Resolution calling on one another and all South Dakotans to “seek the Lord Most High for his healing presence and mercy upon South Dakota.”

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has been getting some flak recently from his Republican primary election opponents for using his office to bolster his reelection campaign.

January 28, 2026

Stuie Lewis is a first-year seminary student and the former mayor of Bruce.

Reckless and unhinged are adjectives that I and tens of millions of Americans are using to characterize last week’s bizarre behavior of pretend monarch Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland and the actions of ICE/ Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis as they killed VA ICU Nurse Alex Pretti.

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.’s teachings alongside that of the Apostle Paul

Established Constitutional doctrines recognize limitations on the power of the US president even when inherent powers are asserted in the area of foreign affairs

January 21, 2026

On being a neighbor and sharing tea

Contrary to popular belief, the upcoming South Dakota legislative session will be more than just a slugfest over property tax relief. Some of the bills that have already been filed show that in addition to deciding the fate of property taxes, lawmakers will also be revisiting some old topics.

Concern for our democracy, and Indivisible Rising Again

It is true that the text of our Constitution’s seven original articles and 27 amendments remain unchanged, but the Constitution is not self-executing.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what race you are running. What matters is that you are running your race.

On resolutions in the new year

On being intentional in 2026

First off, I need everyone to take several deep breaths.

Present company very much included.

Letters to the editor

By Bob Burns For The Brookings BeaconAs we prepare to celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, many in our nation are fearful that the very future of the United States of America is being threatened by national governing failures, disregard for constitutional safeguards and heightened political conflict among our citizenry.…