Conference call with Senator Rounds
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HURON – When he was back in the state for the August break, Republican South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds fielded the most questions about challenges producers are having with the unusually wet weather, gun control and proposed red flag laws and the future of trade and tariffs.
But the one inquiry he got from everyone he spoke with had to do with his wife, Jean, who is undergoing cancer treatments at the Mayo Clinic.
In a conference call with reporters on Thursday, Rounds said he was at her side for two of the four treatments she has had, and will accompany her again next week when they hear how her doctors plan to proceed next.
“She has handled it very well,” he said of the treatments. “They’ve made a difference. We’ve seen the size of the tumor shrink.”
Rounds will join Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., in Sioux Falls today to meet with the mayor and other officials regarding the response to the damaging tornadoes that hit the city late Tuesday night. They will also tour some of the damaged areas.
The state’s delegation will offer its help with anything that can be done at the federal level to recover from the three twisters, he said.
“If nothing else, we can just be there to offer support,” Rounds said.
Despite the extensive damage, he said he is grateful there were no serious injuries or deaths from the tornadoes and straight-line winds reaching speeds of 130 mph.
With a late planting because of the mid-April blizzard and subsequent thunderstorms, the concern now is the fall harvest.
“The farm community is feeling the effects of this weather as well,” he said.
Rounds said his thoughts are also for the people of Mitchell and Madison and other areas that are dealing with heavy rain and flooding this week.