• Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, April 2, 2013
• Native American foster care needs work
• Federal law says Native American children belong in Native American foster homes, except in the most extreme circumstances. Despite that law, the number of children in South Dakota who are pulled out of their culture and kept in white homes hasn't changed much since the law was passed almost 35 years ago.
• There are lots of reasons given for why Native children -- at a high rate -- are sent to white foster homes. There are not enough approved and available Native American foster homes on the list, for starters.
• It's often difficult to find family members to care for children placed into foster care.
• It's hard to solve the complex problem of finding suitable foster care homes, no matter what race the child is, particularly for Native children. But we have to, and we have to look at all possible options.
• No one's hands are clean. The state needs to work even harder to place children in safe Native American foster homes. That responsibility can't be taken lightly. Tribes need to help to encourage Native families to provide safe, suitable foster care. Relatives and other families need to come forward to care of the children.
• Numbers don't lie. If 80 percent to 90 percent of Native children are being placed in white homes, clearly the spirit of the law isn't being followed. And we're falling short of our duty as a state to children who deserve safe care and should remain in a home where they can share their culture.
• It's good to talk about the issue with all involved at the table and to find ways to improve foster care. Progress is important.
• Everyone who works with Native foster children has work to do to make that number move.
• ___
• Rapid City Journal, Rapid City, April 3, 2013
• Vote keeps Evans Plunge open
• It was a close vote, but Hot Springs voters agreed to allow the city to purchase Evans Plunge. After two winters of seeing the popular swimming pool closed during the off-season, Evans Plunge may have an owner with the funds to keep it open year-round: taxpayers.

(Continued on page 28)