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Aberdeen American News, Aberdeen, April 12, 2015
Presentation Sisters take up fight against human trafficking
The Presentation Sisters are a true gem of Aberdeen.
Their work on behalf of social justice and other causes is commendable. The sisters are humble and rarely broadcast the kinds of work they do every day.
Today’s front-page story about the sisters’ interest in the topic of human trafficking is just another example of their leadership and influence.
Human trafficking is an oft-misunderstood or underreported crime. Vulnerable people - young women, oftentimes American Indian - are preyed upon, becoming commodities for the purposes of sexual slavery or forced labor. They are exploited and dehumanized.
The Presentation Sisters involvement and interest in this topic comes in the form of the Pax Christi organization.
As the sisters learn of human trafficking, so does South Dakota at large.
Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., has been a leading proponent of tougher laws to curb human trafficking.
Many might not realize that human trafficking is a problem in this state. Noem in the past has cited South Dakota’s tourism industry - such as the Sturgis motorcycle rally and various hunting seasons - as times where trafficking increases.
Sisters Myra Remily and Pat Prunty have learned that the issue affects Aberdeen, too.
For years, there have been whispers that prostitution goes up in this area during pheasant season, when thousands of out-of-state hunters visit.
We have never been able to pinpoint the truth of that story. However, it is clear that there are more avenues for trafficking to occur today than ever before.
The Internet, social media and smartphones, for instance, make quick connections possible. Those who might never have been part of the trade of human beings may suddenly find a low barrier to enter.
With large income disparity between the perpetrator and victim, it is easy to see how the human trafficking trade could be exploding.
So what is there to do?
As the sisters point out in today’s story, awareness is a big part of curbing this blight.
Because this trade takes place in the shadows, more light will expose the problem, and save lives.
To that end, allies in the fight - such as the Presentation Sisters, such as Noem - can make a big difference.
We don’t have simple solutions for this problem.
But we will take a cue from the women at the end of North Second Street: We will open our ears, learn and speak out.
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The Daily Republic, Mitchell, April 10, 2015
Shot clock should be added to ’B’ basketball
Is there anything more boring than watching a basketball game in which a player holds the ball and is not forced to make an offensive play?
It can be like watching paint dry.
That’s why we feel all levels of South Dakota high school basketball should have a shot clock, which is like a 35-second timer that forces teams to shoot the ball.
Since the 2008-09 season, teams that play in Class AA - the state’s largest schools - have used a shot clock. Then, Class A teams joined in the 2014-15 season.
At that time, some Class A teams were not in favor of adding the shot clock because of the costs associated with it.
Not only does it cost in the neighborhood of $2,000 to $5,000 to install a shot clock in a school’s gymnasium, but there also can be costs to hire someone to run the shot clock at the scorer’s table.
Recently, officials have considered adding the shot clock to Class B basketball. As it is now, teams are not forced to shoot the ball during an offensive possession, which can affect the end of games dramatically.
If a team is leading by a point or two late, that team can essentially play “keep away” until the game clock runs out. But in Class AA or Class A, the team trailing typically gets its chance to score.
At last week’s athletic directors meeting in Pierre, ADs from around the state supported adding a shot clock to Class B basketball games. The final step to have the measure approved will be getting passed by the South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors.
We hope it’s passed.
While the measure would be additional expenses forced on schools that already have tight budgets, we feel the shot clock is a worthy expense.
The end of highly contested games will be more exciting to watch, and for any player considering a college basketball future, it will prepare them since all levels of collegiate basketball play with a shot clock.
Also, it will make basketball even across all levels in the state.
Best of all, though, fans won’t be forced to watch players hold the ball for the final minute.
Rather, they will more often get to see a potential game-winning shot attempt, the most exciting play in basketball.
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Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, Yankton, April 13, 2015
Highway 50 plan hits detour
Well, scratch that Highway 50 reconstruction project for a year.
The project, which has been several years in the making, was suddenly derailed by the state Department of Transportation last week after the lone bid submitted on the project came in nearly $3 million above the estimated $8.7 million cost for the two-year endeavor.
While officials said the project remains in the state’s plans, its start will now be pushed back to 2016.
However, while the project is still on the state’s to-do list, the pulling of the plug so close to the groundbreaking for the project - which was expected to take place later this month - is very frustrating and perplexing.
And one has to point to the conspicuous fact that the bid-letting occurred with so little time before the work on the project was scheduled to commence.
The bids on the project were opened on March 25, which was merely one month before the work was to begin. Of course, if the bid(s) had come in at or a little below (or even slightly above) the estimated cost, this wouldn’t have been a problem.
But when only one bid is received and the cost comes in at more than 30 percent above the original estimate, that’s a real problem - and there’s no time to adapt.
Ron Peterson, area engineer with the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT), admitted that the bidding process happened later than is customary for such projects.
“With this being let at the end of March, it’s relatively late,” he told the Press & Dakotan last month. “Usually, we like to let things in December, January or February so that the contractor can get all (their) paperwork in order, (their) bond, insurance and subcontractors.”
He said the process took longer because of “a lot of design things,” such as finalizing details and acquiring the rights-of-way on some needed easements.
Nevertheless, the end result is the project will be pushed back one year - which represents a year lost.
Ultimately, the process seems to have been poorly managed. No time was apparently allowed for a possibility that things might not align just right in the bidding process, which can be filled with many variables, as we have just seen.
The thing is, this project has been years in the making. The need for the project was assessed and slotted years ago, and city and state officials have been planning for at least two years on the best way to approach it and how to handle the traffic difficulties.
Yankton officials are now working quickly to rearrange some of their own projects that were originally slated to steer clear of the Highway 50 work.
We aren’t going to pretend to be experts on such matters, and perhaps there are sound reasons why this particular bid-letting was placed just a month before work on a two-year, multi-million highway project was supposed to begin. We can only judge the consequences of what we’re seeing - and, in this case, what we won’t see this year. And frankly, no one in Yankton can be terribly impressed.
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