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• Does that mean we are in the grips of a climate change? Does it mean global warming is a reality? Or is it just a variable freak thing that happens from time to time at the whim of Mother Nature?
• We don't know and at this point it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that we're in a lot better shape than many other parts of the country to cope with weather swings like we've been experiencing. Yes, there are times during blizzards and other storms where people in rural areas can lose power for several days due to downed lines but that's more the exception than the rule. And when lines do go down, utility crews from different communities and REAs pitch in as needed to get them restored as quickly as possible because they're not dealing with the numbers heavily populated areas are. And as we've found out all too often, most notably last summer, flooding can happen at any time. But with volunteers, the National Guard

and coordinated response efforts by state and local governments we manage to get through those situations far better than most. The same applies with wildfires, grass fires and other blazes. Thanks to local firefighting crews with assistance from neighboring communities when needed, fires are usually brought under control without the widespread damage we're now seeing in Colorado and other states.
• So, yeah, it's hot out there and likely to stay that way for a while. But when it comes to coping with it, and other weather related problems, we're better off than many other parts of the country. You can thank our geography, our more manageable population base, volunteers and the people running state and local governments and the electrical power supply for helping make that possible.
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• RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) -- Wildfires that have burned thousands of acres in western South Dakota's Black Hills haven't forced the closure of Mount Rushmore National Memorial or other popular attractions and don't appear to be keeping visitors away, a state official said.
• July through early September is the critical period for South Dakota's tourism industry, Jim Hagen, the state's tourism secretary, told KELO-TV.
• "So far, we have not picked up any sentiment from folks saying, 'Hey we're going to cancel our vacation,' or, 'Should we be coming to South Dakota?'" Hagen said.
• "We have to knock on wood, thank those firefighters that are here for doing an amazing job, those firefighters that sacrificed their lives the other day," he said, referring to last weekend's crash of a C-130 air tanker battling the so-called White Draw Fire that killed four and injured two North Carolina National Guard airmen. "It's

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