Category Archives: News

When Jesus suffered and died on the cross and rose from a borrowed tomb, he proclaimed the dawn of a new world for mankind — one no longer ruled by the curse of sin.

By becoming sin for our sake, Jesus took away the punishment we deserved for our rebellion against God. In return, Jesus gave us His perfect righteousness and eternal life in relationship with the Father.

Easter isn’t meant to be a once-a-year celebration, but a daily reminder that, through our faith in Jesus, we each have access to His resurrection power in every ordinary moment of our lives.

When the challenges and troubles of this world bear down on us, Jesus is our example, our comfort, our hope and our peace.

18 ways you can experience the resurrection life right here, right now

1. Give your best at all times because God gave us Jesus, His one and only Son, His very best, as a sacrifice for our sin. (John 3:16)

2. Understand all your assignments are temporary and that the end of one assignment brings new life in another. (John 12:24)

3. When you experience failure, remember that Jesus was a failure in the eyes of the world, but He was more concerned about being a success in the eyes of his Father. (Hebrews 5:8)

4. Serve your co-workers instead of competing with them because Jesus did not win His victory through His power but through His sacrificial love. (Ephesians 5:2)

5. Assume the best about your co-workers because Jesus was crucified and died for those who assumed the worst about Him. (John 10:33.)

6. When you are tempted to cut corners for short-term gain, remember that Jesus didn’t take a shortcut to win the ultimate prize of the salvation of mankind. (Luke 22:42)

7. When it seems too painful to forgive, remember that Jesus suffered to the point of death to bring forgiveness to His enemies. (Luke 23:34)

8. When your kids are going their own way, remember that Jesus had to lay down his own life before he could win the stubborn and rebellious. (John 10:11.)

9. Put the needs of weak, needy and vulnerable above your own, because Jesus left heaven for earth and died so that the powerless could be lifted up to new life. (Luke 4:18)

10. When you feel crushed by your responsibilities, remind yourself that nothing, not even death itself, could hold Jesus down, and His power lives in you. (Acts 2:23-24)

11. Sacrifice for, cherish and nurture your spouse because Jesus suffered and died so His bride, the church, could be made beautiful in righteousness. (Ephesians 5:25-27)

12. When your friends fail you, remember that Jesus experienced the pain of distrust and betrayal from his friends. Jesus died and rose again to restore our broken relationship with the Father so we could be ambassadors of reconciliation to all. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

13. Don’t put money ahead of relationships, knowing the Savior of the World was betrayed and crucified for what only 30 pieces of silver could buy. (1 Timothy 6:10)

14. Don’t live for pleasure in this world, because Jesus suffered knowing that the greater joy was leading His people into eternal life with the Father. (Hebrews 12:2)

15. Stop judging yourself better than others because Jesus was put to death by those who thought themselves righteous. (Romans 10:3)

16. When you experience the pain of illness and disease, remember that your Spirit and body are meant for glory, not in this world but another. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)

17. When you are fearful, remember Jesus sweat blood in fear of what was before Him, but He trusted His Father to carry Him through the darkness of suffering and crucifixion. (Matt 26:42)

18. When you are lacking hope, remember that Jesus believed His Father who promised the best was yet to come. (Hebrews 2:9)

Brand owners in South Dakota whose brand or brands were cancelled in May of 2015, have until May 1, 2017 to rerecord their brands.

The last renewal period was in 2015. Any brand registration in 2015 that was not renewed and paid for has been cancelled. The brand owner does have two years following the renewal period to rerecord their brand. The rerecord and registration fee of $125.00 must be paid by May 1, 2017.

The next brand renewal period is January 1 – May 1, 2020.

Brands can be registered for cattle, horses/ mules, sheep, and bison. Although brand inspection in South Dakota is on the western side of the Missouri River, brand registration is state wide.

Registration and renewal of livestock brands helps:
· prevent the theft of livestock
· return stolen or missing livestock
· investigate reports of both

In fiscal year 2016, brand inspectors in South Dakota traveled over 274,000 miles inspecting approximately 1.6 million head of livestock.

The South Dakota Brand Board currently has 25,825 registered brands. If someone would like to check their brand registration, they can call the Brand Board office at 605.773.3324 or check the online brand book at www.sdbrandboard.com.

By Katie Hunhoff

My dad likes to tell the story of a favorite teacher who told students that goldfish don’t mind living in small fish bowls because their brains are very small, and every time they swim around the bowl, it’s a new experience. “Don’t be like the goldfish,” the teacher preached.

I thought of the goldfish story when I heard about the latest plans from Washington to cut funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. Without the valuable NEH and NEA programs, I believe we would be like goldfish — swimming at random without much memory of the past and far fewer tools and skills to guide us into the future.

The humanities have always been a part of my life. My parents started South Dakota Magazine in 1985, and after college I returned to help with the family business. We have collected and told thousands of South Dakota stories.

My dad admits he had no noble goal at first. “Along the way, however, I realized our stories have worth beyond entertainment,” he once wrote. “The stories tell us who we are as South Dakotans. Reading the magazine should be like seeing your reflection in the lake. The man grins and you grin. He squirms and so do you. He grows sad and you know why.”

It took him a while to understand that importance: “Not because I’m an idiot, but because I was focused on stories, ads and renewal checks so I wouldn’t have to find other work. But now I know how we are all connected.”

We are all connected geographically, culturally, and through celebration and tragedy. Like my dad, we are all focused on paying the bills. The humanities help us keep an eye on the bigger picture. What is the importance of the human experience? And how can we make it better?

When Governor Dennis Daugaard appointed me to the board of the SDHC, I realized what we were doing at the magazine — telling South Dakota’s unique stories — was an important part of the humanities. And therefore, we are preventing our human experience from being as mundane and pointless as a goldfish in a bowl. The humanities create a forum for us to learn from the past and prepare for the future.

The National Endowment for the Humanities receives only about $150 million (from a $1.1 trillion federal budget), but the programs it funds make a substantial impact. NEH goals include strengthening teaching and learning, facilitating research, and expanding access to cultural and educational resources. On the state level, the humanities council curates a diverse group of speakers on a variety of topics and runs the state book festival each fall. Visit wwww.sdhumanities.org to see more ways the humanities impacts our state.

Katie Hunhoff is the editor of South Dakota Magazine, a bi-monthly publication featuring the people and places of our great state, and a board member of the South Dakota Humanities Council and Arts South Dakota.