he Soviets are gone, but they left behind a powerful propaganda machine. “How to Speak Communist” will be the subject of a presentation by MAJ Bob Liebman (USAF ret) and former Iron Curtain defector and author of Journey for Freedom Peter Vodenka of Piedmont on Saturday May 13 at Ellsworth Air Force Base’s South Dakota Air and Space Museum. The free family event will be hosted by the Black Hills Veterans Writing Group, starting at 9 am.

Rapid City authors Ray and Josephine Cowdery will present the World War II story of Leonel Jensen, son of a Danish immigrant, a western South Dakota homesteader and later a large-scale rancher at Wasta. Jensen’s War is the Cowdery’s latest book about that war.

John Witherspoon College in Rapid City, South Dakota is holding their fifth annual ScholarShare banquet entitled “A Dream Coming True” on April 27 at 6:30 pm at the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn.

“I have been in the bush for more than six months” writes Ho-Chunk US Marine Alan B. Walker of Rapid City who fought in the vicious Battle of Foxtrot Ridge, two miles from the Khe Sanh Combat Base, during the Vietnam War. He will talk on Saturday March 11 at Ellsworth Air Force Base’s South Dakota Air and Space Museum, starting at 9 a.m, a free family event sponsored by the Black Hills Veterans Writing Group.

During the legislative crackerbarrel meeting in Rapid City yesterday, South Dakota Rep. Julie Frye-Mueller brought up SB 55 which had been intended to allow teachers to discuss all sides of scientific inquiry which are aligned with the educational content standards already outlined in law. The bill passed the South Dakota Senate on Jan. 25, but was killed in the “Republican” supermajority House Education Committee three days ago.

South Dakota Rep. Julie Frye-Mueller was one of the featured speakers at the legislative crackerbarrel meeting in Rapid City today. Frye-Mueller discussed the bill HB 1157 which is the the agriculture future development subfund to provide funding for the State Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory.

The latest legislative crackerbarrel meeting in Rapid City was held at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology this morning. There were again two separate meetings today, one hosted by the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce and another hosted by the SDSMT College Republicans; the former had a format of written questions submitted to the legislators, and the latter allowed audience members to ask questions directly of the legislators.

During the legislative crackerbarrel meeting in Rapid City this morning, South Dakota Rep. Chip Campbell brought up HB 1157 which is the the agriculture future development subfund to provide funding for the State Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory.

During the legislative crackerbarrel meeting in Rapid City today, there was some protracted discussion between the audience and South Dakota Rep. Chip Campbell, Rep. Juile Frye-Mueller and Senator Lance Russell regarding the legislature’s efforts to repeal Initiated Measure 22 which was passed by the voters of South Dakota last November.

During the legislative crackerbarrel meeting in Rapid City today, Brian Johnson, who recently testified in favor of the bill in Pierre, pointed out that there is a lot of misinformation from the media and others about SB 55, the academic freedom bill.