It took a while, but the mystery of just who Colleen Hinkle is has been solved at long last. Apparently the name of Colleen Hinkle showed up on the Goehring Family Wed Site that Mary Hinkle operates. This has been a mystery for a little more than a month. It appears that this Colleen Hinkle has the same address as Mike And Colleen Gervais. The error has since been corrected and all is well in the world. The lesson here is that Mary Hinkle better not use the computer while she is drinking wine. She even forgot that she did it in the first place.

Legislators Tackle Big Issues
After a debate that was split mostly on party lines, the South Dakota House approved a bill that would ban per-head payments to workers who register voters or get them to the polls. The Republican majority passed the measure by a vote of 45-to-25. A few Republicans joined the Democratic minority in opposing the bill.The measure's main sponsor, Representative Mike Buckingham (R-Dist. 34), says it would help reduce fraud by preventing political groups from paying workers based on how many people are registered or delivered to polling places. Such workers could still be paid salaries or by the hour. Opponents say they see no need for the bill.

They say current law allows the prosecution of anyone who breaks election laws. House Minority Leader Dale Hargens (D-Dist. 22) says that the bill might violate the federal Voting Rights Act and might run counter to certain prior court rulings.

Also on the Statehouse agenda is a bill they hope will cause the US Supreme Court to rule abortions illegal. Key lawmakers in the abortion fight do not expect a veto similar to one that Governor Mike Rounds made last year. They instead are preparing a package of bills to further restrict abortions in South Dakota. Final details of the bills have yet to be finalized. The bills will generally require women to be given more information from doctors before abortions are done, change the parental notification procedure when minors need emergency abortions and add a clause to state law that would automatically ban abortions if the US Supreme Court ever decides that they are not legal. The Governor issued a technical veto of last year's abortion bill because of a glitch that would have wiped out existing abortion regulations while it was tied up in court.

And it appears that, unless something unexpected happens, South Dakotans may be voting in 2006 on a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage. An existing state law already does that, but Representative Elizabeth Kraus (R-Dist. 34) thinks the definition should be in the state constitution. She's offered a joint legislative resolution that will put the issue on the 2006 statewide ballot. The measure has 55 House sponsors and 23 Senate sponsors, virtually guaranteeing that it will clear South Dakota's 105-member Legislature. Joint resolutions passed by lawmakers go on the ballot automatically and do not have to go to the governor for his approval. Kraus says her measure is an important means of protecting the sanctity of marriage.