text
stringlengths 237
126k
| date_download
stringdate 2022-01-01 00:32:20
2023-01-01 00:02:37
⌀ | source_domain
stringclasses 60
values | title
stringlengths 4
31.5k
⌀ | url
stringlengths 24
617
⌀ | id
stringlengths 24
617
⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
In the past 20 years of working with kids, I have had the opportunity to meet hundreds of parents and young children. Before 2022, when talking to parents, you could sense their pride, hopes to expand their family, and enthusiasm to give their children a good life. Now, there's a sense of anxiety and fear among young parents.
In addition to recovering from the stress and uncertainty of the past two years, a lot of the worry stems from a nationwide baby formula shortage that has taken parents by surprise.
No parent in the United States should ever have to worry about feeding their children. Yet, in Joe Biden's America, that thought has become commonplace for families across our nation.
As the stock remains limited and barren shelves in the baby food aisle become more common, retailers and parents are struggling for solutions. It is unfathomable this would ever be a partisan issue. Yet, Biden and the Democrats' handling of the significant shortage of formula is all too reminiscent of its too little, too late lackluster response to every other crisis this administration has faced from day one.
According to the Argus Leader, the formula shortage began in November 2021, with more than half of the supply gone by April. Biden, for his part, hasn’t taken responsibility for the disaster South Dakota families are experiencing. When asked if he should have taken steps sooner, Biden replied he wasn't a "mind reader" and said the administration had "to move with caution as well as speed," showing a lack of expediency on an issue that is quite literally an emergency for families across the country. According to Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden was notified about the baby formula shortage in "late April… in April… in early April."
Regardless of when he became aware of the shortage, he seemed surprised while making his first comments on the shortage in mid-May: "all of a sudden, it's on the front page of every newspaper." The Biden administration had plenty of time to act. Instead, the crisis wasn't even communicated until May, giving families no time to prepare for the difficulties ahead - not to mention other entities that care for young children, such as hospitals, children's homes, and child care centers.
The Biden administration blamed the formula shortage on "fearful" parents who literally could not feed their newborns. Then, Biden attempted to shift the responsibility off his administration by saying they aren't "mind readers." Now, they've tried to blame baby formula maker Abbott's plant shutdown for the shortage. In a country where our leaders have had to react to insurmountable threats and crises, this administration struggles to manage basic yet essential processes and procedures. It has repeatedly gone to extreme lengths to protect its own interests. The constant blame game is unacceptable, especially in the United States of America.
To add to the hurt, friends, and family have had to drive hours to multiple grocery stores in hopes of finding the right type of formula for their child. With record-high gas prices averaging $5 a gallon and rising as a result of the Biden Gas Hike, the toll of driving 40, sometimes 60 miles one way for formula only exacerbates the costs they experience as new parents.
The latest rash of ill-conceived advice is telling parents that they should give their children cow's milk. Cow's milk contains high concentrations of protein and minerals, which can stress a newborn's immature kidneys and cause severe illnesses, including heat stress, fever, and diarrhea. In addition, cow's milk lacks the proper amounts of vitamin C, iron, and other nutrients that infants need. The American Academy of Pediatrics has long recommended the best diet and nutrition for infants should only be breast milk or iron-fortified formula during the first 12 months of life. Those nutritional, scientific facts do not change for the convenience of an irresponsible administration.
Being a first-time parent can be challenging. Many parents receive valuable advice from those around them, but it can be hard to discern the good from the bad. A daytime talk show host recently shared her opinion that mothers concerned about the formula shortage should "Just breastfeed." This advice is not only embarrassing; it's completely uninformed. Women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, insufficient glandular tissue, or thyroid issues may be unable to produce their own milk. Mothers of multiples (like I was) may simply not produce enough milk to feed their children and must rely on formula.
Baby formula is vital for so many children's growth and development, but mere months into their time on Earth, in the most developed country in the world, they are faced with food insecurity. Sometimes we get to pick and choose our battles, but this is one we can't work around. This shortage has long overstayed its welcome, but the pain new parents feel could have been avoided if Joe Biden and the Democrats had been proactive in mitigating a crisis they saw on the horizon months ago. We cannot make excuses for an inept administration when it comes to the future of our children. Mismanagement of our food supply is not normal, and it is not acceptable.
Jessica Castleberry represents District 35 in the South Dakota State Senate.
|
2022-06-15T14:21:12Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
CASTLEBERRY: Mismanagement of food supply is unacceptable | Opinion | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/castleberry-mismanagement-of-food-supply-is-unacceptable/article_b7d89fc4-f5e7-5197-ba1a-43d9b5e673e0.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/castleberry-mismanagement-of-food-supply-is-unacceptable/article_b7d89fc4-f5e7-5197-ba1a-43d9b5e673e0.html
|
Well, the Primary Election for the legislature has come and gone. Seems like a long time ago already. In District 30, the House of Representatives race, the unofficial results were as follows:
Dennis Krull 2,535 votes for 27%
Trish Ladner 2,133 votes for 25%
Patrick Bauman 2,033 votes for 23%
Lisa Gennaro 1,309 votes for 15%
Congratulations to Representative Elect Dennis Krull and Representative Trish Ladner on winning.
Julie Frye-Mueller 2,848 votes for 50%
Timothy R. Goodwin 2,802 votes for 50%.
So, there you have it. Everyone is asking if I am going to request a recount. The closeness of the race is within the recount window. So... yes. I am going to request a recount.
My layman’s understanding is the Secretary of State validates the election on Tuesday, June 14. After that I have three days to ask for a recount. I plan on submitting my recount request paperwork on Wednesday, June 15. From there, the Secretary of State, Steve Barnett, coordinates the recount with the three county seats in Rapid City, Custer, and Hot Springs. I am asking for the recounts not to be done simultaneously like they have in the past. My understanding is if there are multiple counties, I can ask to do the recount sequentially and not all at the same time. No dates are obviously set yet, but my estimation would be the last week of June.
We have Special Session about the impeachment trial June 21 and 22. Even though the House has already impeached the Attorney General, we are required to be there for the two-day Special Session. So, it looks like we will gavel in on June 21 and gavel out on June 22, or what is called “sine die.” I wrote an article about sine die a couple of years ago. You can look up all my articles at my internet page. Just search timrgoodwin.com then click on “blog.”
|
2022-06-15T14:21:15Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
GOODWIN: Cautiously optimistic about a recount | Columnists | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/columnists/goodwin-cautiously-optimistic-about-a-recount/article_adf095ff-c659-5ff3-87e7-5c22a75d7386.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/columnists/goodwin-cautiously-optimistic-about-a-recount/article_adf095ff-c659-5ff3-87e7-5c22a75d7386.html
|
In May, the Chadron Police Department welcomed a new member with Dusty Bryner taking his oath of service. Assigned to the department as an investigator, Bryner will also work with the Western Nebraska Intelligence & Narcotics Group (WING) Task Force
The new investigator was born in Broken Bow, and grew up in Curtis and Hemingford, graduating from Hemingford High School.
Bryner became interested in law enforcement in high school, and enlisted in the United States Army as an MP after graduation.
His career in law enforcement began in 2004 with the Alliance Police Department. He later became the Chief of Police in Hemingford in 2015, a position he held until this year.
“The Village of Hemingford decided to Contract Police Services with the Box Butte County Sheriff’s Office, at which time I was hired by the Chadron Police Department,” Bryner explained. “I chose to apply to the Chadron Police Department largely due to past working relationship with Chief Hickstein.”
Among his favorite things about being in law enforcement, particularly in Nebraska, is the sense of community and the support he receives from that community. “The ability to make a positive change for you community by taking care of issues affecting the community through your work is very rewarding,” he stated.
As an investigator, Bryner does not wear a uniform every day nor respond to calls as a normal officer. Many times, calls are assigned to him after the initial investigation. At other times, Bryner may become involved when a uniformed officer is not needed or may be detrimental to a case, such as conducting surveillance to identify individuals involved in criminal activities.
Looking at the future, Bryner said the only goal he has in law enforcement is to continue to make a difference in the community.
Hickstein
|
2022-06-15T16:18:23Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Investigator looks to make a difference | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/investigator-looks-to-make-a-difference/article_09008b33-8b6e-5581-baab-445a16b2b036.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/investigator-looks-to-make-a-difference/article_09008b33-8b6e-5581-baab-445a16b2b036.html
|
After overcoming a sinus problem that required surgery and forced her to miss the 2021 season, Carlie Collier of Dunning, Neb., had an excellent track season this spring. Her time of 12.05 seconds in the 100 meters is fifth on CSC’s all-time list and she ranks second in the 200 meters indoors in 25.21 seconds and fourth outdoors in 24.78.
The Eagles’ Derrick Nwagwu nearly always placed high in the triple jump again this past season. He has CSC’s second best all-time mark in indoors of 49-4 ¼ and third best outdoors of 49-6 ½.
Joe Dumsa had a career-best high jump of 6-9 ¾ indoors this past season for the Eagles and cleared at least 6-6 three other times.
Led by some outstanding athletes with lots of eligibility remaining, the Chadron State College track and field team had many bright spots during the 2022 season.
With sprinters, throwers and jumpers leading the way, the Eagles were a force at every meet and appear to have a bright future, particularly if several of the standouts who were sidelined or slowed by injuries recover.
Because of injuries, the Eagles were never at full strength this in 2022, but still had an array of impressive accomplishments.
“We had a lot of athletes do really well,” Coach Riley Northrup said “Most of them are still young and will only get better if they stay healthy, or in several cases, get healthy. Our team has a great work ethic and we have a lot to look forward to if we can get everyone back at full strength.”
Northrup is pleased that the Eagles had 11 NCAA National Indoor and 8 National Outdoor Meet qualifying marks, and also points out that the CSC men and women combined to post 52 all-time top 10 marks during the two seasons.
One of the highlights was at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships, where the CSC men scored 111 points and placed third among the dozen teams in the final standings. Following the meet, Northrup admitted that he had not anticipated they would rack up that many points. The Eagles outscored Adams State, Western Colorado and Colorado Mesa, all by at least 32 points, proving that they were a high-quality team.
Individually, two weight/hammer throwers stole much of the spotlight. Daniel Reynolds, a redshirt freshman, served notice that he was “ready to rumble” when he hurled the 35-pound weight 60 feet, 4 inches, fourth longest in CSC annals, at the opening meet of the season. He eventually broke Cory Martens’s CSC record and then crushed the RMAC record while winning the event at the conference meet.
Once the action moved outdoors and the hammer throw was available, sophomore Shane Collins joined the fun. Both won first while competing at different meets to open the season. Three weeks later, Reynolds broke the second of Martens’ school records when he became the first CSC athlete to throw the hammer more than 200 feet.
The RMAC Meet was next and Collins broke that record, which had stood since 2005, with a heave of 202 feet even. Reynolds was the runner-up at 201-10, just two inches shy of the new record. Before the season ended, both had done even better. Reynolds held on to the school record with a fling of 203-8, and Collins was just six inches behind with his career-best of 203-2.
The next two years should be interesting as these gladiators continue their friendly rivalry while striving to become national placewinners.
While no other Eagles broke a conference record or won a gold medal at the RMAC Meets, they had many other noteworthy performances.
Highlights at the RMAC Indoor Meet saw Osvaldo Cano place second in the 400 in 49.92 seconds, Derrick Nwagwu win the bronze medal in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 49-4 ¾ and true freshman Hector Ortega go 6-7 in the high jump.
Two more high jumpers also had career-bests during the indoor season. Joe Dumsa cleared 6-9 ¾ and Jourdaine Cerenil went 5-8.
The Eagles were even more potent outdoors. During the RMAC Championships, Nwagwu in the triple jump, Creighton Trembly in the high hurdles and Quest Savery in the javelin were silver medalists. Reynolds was third in the shot put.
On the track, freshman Quincy Efeturi placed in both the 100 and 200 sprints in the men’s competition, as did Carlie Collier in the women’s races. Efeturi, who joined the Eagles from Nigeria, also outran about 20 entries to win both dashes at the Loper Invitational in Kearney in mid-April.
Also on the track at the RMAC Outdoor Meet, both Cano and Greg Logsdon placed in the 400, Logan Moravec ran the 800 in 1:54.81, the second-fastest time in that event in CSC history, and the CSC men placed third in both relays, just as they had done in the 4x400 at the indoor meet.
In the field, Brock Voth hit his second-best mark of 48-4 ¾ in the triple jump at the conference meet, and after Collins had set the hammer throw record, he also placed in both the shot put and the discus. In addition, both Dumsa and Alec Penfield high jumped 6-6 and veteran Harley Rhoades found the decathlon to his liking and placed fifth in that grueling event.
Aside from Collier and Cerenil, the Lady Eagles weren’t as strong in as many events as the men, but Northrup believes several of his 2022 recruits have bright futures. They include sprinter Caydince Groth, hurdler Danea Rader, middle distance runners Hannah Wilkie and Alissa Wieman and Hunter Wiebehaus, who cleared 5-5 ½ and placed fourth in the high jump at the RMAC Outdoor Meet.
The coach also was pleased that one of the veterans, Courtney Smith, was fourth at the RMAC Meet in the hammer throw at 166-5, some 22 feet farther than her 2021 best. He’s confident that some younger throwers are capable of making similar gains.
In reflecting on the 2022 season, Northrup, as well as others who follow the Eagles, can’t help but wonder how much better the team would have been if everyone had been healthy.
Foremost among the missing since he was never competed in ’22 was Naishaun Jernigan. He had won the long jump at the 2021 RMAC Outdoor Meet by going a career-best 25 feet, 7¼ inches and was the bronze medalist at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Meet by going 25-1.
A short time later, while playing in a pickup basketball game in his hometown of Springfield, Mass., he tore the meniscus in a knee. He returned to CSC this past year, but had to spend his time rehabilitating instead of competing. He still has three years of eligibility remaining.
In addition, two of the Eagles’ top sprinters—Brodie Roden and Morgan Fawver—were on the shelf much of the time.
Roden, the RMAC Indoor Meet’s Athlete of the Year in 2020 after he won both the 200- and 400-meter races and also anchored both of the winning 4x100 and 4x400 relays at the conference’s outdoor meet in 2021, was not available for the 2022 indoor season and was not at full speed for the outdoor campaign. That’s because he suffered a broken toe during a weight training accident last fall, followed by a lingering bout with COVID.
While Fawver beat all of his teammates in the 60 meters at the Don Holst Open Meet that the Eagles sponsored in late January and also long jumped 24-4 ½ at the Colorado Mines Winter Classic the next week, he was unable to compete at either conference meet because of a hamstring issue. He qualified for both national meets, but was sidelined again early in the action indoors and CSC was forced to notify officials that Fawver would not be able to compete outdoors.
While on the subject of injuries, there was some good news this spring. Northrup is grateful that Collier was able to bounce back from a mysterious sinus ailment that necessitated surgery and forced her to miss the 2021 season. This year she became one of the Eagles’ all-time top sprinters and was her team’s leading scorer.
Riley Northrup
Rmac Meet
|
2022-06-15T16:18:29Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Eagles had excellent track season despite injuries | Sports | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/sports/eagles-had-excellent-track-season-despite-injuries/article_68547042-04b4-5da9-90be-bcc7e7fe5e3d.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/sports/eagles-had-excellent-track-season-despite-injuries/article_68547042-04b4-5da9-90be-bcc7e7fe5e3d.html
|
Former Box Elder police officer sentenced for aggravated sexual abuse
Andrew W. Bogue Federal Building and United States Courthouse
A former Box Elder police officer is heading to federal prison for 13 years after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a minor at Ellsworth Air Force Base.
Judge Jeffery Viken sentenced Ricardo Olandez, 35, on May 27 to serve the 13 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release after he entered a guilty plea to forcing a minor girl to engage in sexual acts with him over the course of six weeks in April and May 2021.
A grand jury originally charged Olandez with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact. On Nov. 5 he pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual abuse as part of a plea deal.
The acts took place on Ellsworth Air Force Base, where Olandez's wife was stationed, according to court documents.
The victim was 16 years old at the time and living with Olandez and his wife. She moved in with the couple in 2017 for reasons not listed in court documents.
According to a factual basis statement, which Olandez signed, he began making inappropriate, sexually-suggestive comments to the victim on April 6, 2021. That evening, he called her from her bedroom to the living room under the guise of asking her to massage his back. The rest of the family was asleep at the time.
"The defendant started touching her underneath her shirt. (She) froze and did not grasp what was happening," the document states.
Within a matter of days, Olandez raped the girl. Over the next six weeks he assaulted her "repeatedly." After the assaults, Olandez would tell the victim he loved her and require her to tell him that she loved him.
On May 14, 2021, the victim told Olandez's wife. She confronted him, he apologized repeatedly before fleeing to Montana. Law enforcement arrested him in Georgia on June 7, 2021. The Box Elder Police Department ended his employment there on May 18, 2021.
Viken credited Olandez with 355 days time served towards his sentence. He will also have to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
According to a United States Attorney's office press release, the Department of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama prosecuted the case.
Olandez had five retained attorneys listed on his case from two different law firms. Two public defenders were assigned to the case and then removed when a retained attorney appeared in court to represent Olandez.
Rapid City Federal Courthouse4
Judge Jeffrey Viken
Box Elder Police Department
Ricardo Olandez
Heather Sazama
Jeffery Viken
|
2022-06-15T23:24:39Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Former Box Elder police officer sentenced for aggravated sexual abuse | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/former-box-elder-police-officer-sentenced-for-aggravated-sexual-abuse/article_3683ae3b-25f3-5ab7-8543-78683574a94f.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/former-box-elder-police-officer-sentenced-for-aggravated-sexual-abuse/article_3683ae3b-25f3-5ab7-8543-78683574a94f.html
|
RAPID CITY - Feliciano Castillo, 73, of Rapid City, SD, died on June 12, 2022.
A Rosary will be held Monday, June 20, 2022, 5:00-6:00 p.m., at St. Isaac Joques Catholic Church, Rapid City, SD. Funeral services will be Tuesday, June 21, 10:00 a.m., at St. Isaac Joques Catholic Church. Burial, with military honors, will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery.
|
2022-06-16T05:51:38Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Feliciano Castillo | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/feliciano-castillo/article_88f933fd-7321-5fcd-a0df-da4b230789e8.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/feliciano-castillo/article_88f933fd-7321-5fcd-a0df-da4b230789e8.html
|
New business aims to be hub for well-being
Amy Amman, owner of The Light-Hearted Yogi, stands behind the counter on Tuesday at her store in west Rapid City. The new business, which opened on Feb. 22, includes a yoga studio, a gift shop and a lending library.
Plants hang in the botanical section of The Light-Hearted Yogi store on Tuesday in Rapid City. Along with plants, the store sells rocks and crystals, candles, jewelry and books.
A bundle of herbs rests in the window of The Light-Hearted Yogi shop on Tuesday in Rapid City. The slogan of the shop is "A Hub of Well-Being," which is what owner Amy Amman hopes the business can be for the community.
The sun shines on saucers, cups and plates in The Light-Hearted Yogi shop on Tuesday in Rapid City. "I believe that whatever you feel inside, that's your guidance," owner Amy Amman said. Amman said people should pursue what makes them happy.
The yoga studio of The Light-Hearted Yogi.
Courtesy, Amy Amman
“Well-being is where it’s at” is one of Amy Amman’s mantras. Her new business, The Light-Hearted Yogi: A Hub of Well-Being, strives to be a place that nurtures people and encourages greater well-being in their lives.
Combining yoga and other classes, activities and a gift shop, Amman opened The Light-Hearted Yogi on Feb. 22 at 3448 Sturgis Road. The business developed, Amman said, because she wanted to offer and create a culture that was different than anything else in the area and that nurtures physical and emotional well-being.
“I am light-hearted. I have to stay light-hearted. That’s how I have to operate my life for me to be satisfied,” she said. “We’re human. We’re never going to be done, but your well-being starts with you and how you feel.”
“I really want to make The Light-Hearted Yogi (a place where) if you’ve got a body and you can move, you’re qualified. Even if you’re in a wheelchair or you just had surgery, come sit and take some time for yourself. Shut out the outside world and slow down,” Amman said.
Amman completed training and became certified through the Online Yoga School, and she teaches some classes. Though the term “yogi” is in her business name, she said yoga is just one component people can find at her business.
The class she teaches at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays is especially appealing for beginners or people who feel insecure about their bodies or uncertain about their ability to do yoga.
“I have a passion for (helping) veterans,” said Amman, whose oldest son is a Marine. “I wanted to create a safe place (for) any marginalized communities. I wanted to be able to offer group meetings and accessible and … inclusive classes.”
Amman said all those who teach classes at The Light-Hearted Yogi aim to make their classes accessible to everyone. Classes include belly dancing, restorative yoga with a sound bath, and yoga to improve balance, and this week there are outdoor yoga classes at Old Storybook Island.
Restorative yoga with a sound bath helps people find a comfortable position, then adds calming sounds to draw people more deeply into relaxation. The frequency of the sound bowls is scientifically proven to help people turn off the outside world and allow their bodies to be in a state of relaxation, Amman said.
A local massage therapist teaches a “balanced and stable” class that blends yoga poses with an emphasis on stability and mobility, and it’s especially good for older people. An energetic yoga class meets on Tuesday mornings, and Amman leads a chakra-based yoga class on Friday mornings to teach people about chakra systems and apply what they’ve learned.
Amman also teaches a Sunday morning class and partners with a new coffee truck, Bean There Done That, which is onsite at The Light-Hearted Yogi during the class.
“This place is magic. The classes are very well-received,” she said. “I’m loving every minute of it. Everyone has been very encouraging and very receptive.”
A grief group meets every three weeks, and Amman said she’s open to hosting more community events. The Light-Hearted Yogi will host an improv camp for kids ages 8 to 15 from July 25 through 29. She also plans to bring in some live music to fill a void left in the community after The Cave Collective closes.
The Light-Hearted Yogi also will host “divination and guidance” events with tarot reading, palmistry, oracle readings and past life readings.
If retail therapy counts as a well-being activity, Amman has that covered, too. Her gift shop is a potpourri of things she loves — candles, crystals, home goods and vintage items — and books to buy and borrow, divination cards, upcycled and new gifts, plants and more. She wants to collaborate with artists, makers and entrepreneurs who share her mindset about the importance of well-being and she hopes to continue adding products to her gift shop.
“Whatever you’re into, whatever your belief system, the things you do that make you feel good, I’m into that,” Amman said.
“It’s a pretty cool place,” Amman said of her new business. “We’re going to do all the fun things.”
For class schedules and more information about The Light-Hearted Yogi, follow facebook.com/thelightheartedyogi, @thelightheartedyogi on Instagram, email thelightheartedyogi@gmail.com or call 605-484-4673.
RC Small Business Bash
On Saturday, Amman and about a dozen small businesses throughout Rapid City are participating in an RC Small Business Bash they’ve organized to promote themselves and their services in the community. Each business is offering a door prize.
Discover or rediscover these participating small businesses: The Light-Hearted Yogi; Made You Look Thrift Store, 3445 Sturgis Road; Koyote Koffee, 3464 Sturgis Road; Everybody’s Bookstore, 3321 West Main St.; Dandelion Wishes Market, 2330 W. Main St.; YouNique Finds, 901 Mount Rushmore Road; Peace At Last Pottery & Plants, 820 E. St. Francis St.; Daphidil’s Exotic Aviary Birds & More, 1601 E. Cambell St., Suite 3; Tasia’s Apothecary, 201 Main St., Suite 207; Mystic Market, 1302 E. St. Patrick St., Suite 104; We Care Thrift Store, 401 East Boulevard N.; and Antique & Furniture Mart, 1112 W. Main St.
|
2022-06-16T13:58:11Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
New business aims to be hub for well-being | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/new-business-aims-to-be-hub-for-well-being/article_7a033b67-367b-5667-a50e-e2b6016befb3.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/new-business-aims-to-be-hub-for-well-being/article_7a033b67-367b-5667-a50e-e2b6016befb3.html
|
The interior of what was likely a Cold War-era bomb shelter in west Rapid City, littered with debris and a bright orange traffic marker.
Jeff Furiga peers down into a bomb shelter that straddles the fence between his home and his neighbor's in west Rapid City.
Jeff Furiga's view of the bomb shelter from his side of the fence in west Rapid City, noting the raised ground was their indication that a bomb shelter lay beneath.
Caved-in earth on Jennifer Giroux's property in west Rapid City revealed the interior of a bomb shelter, likely from the 1950s.
Caved-in earth created an entrance to a Cold War-era bomb shelter, discovered by Jennifer Giroux on her property Tuesday in west Rapid City. Two metal pipes, seen in the upper left-hand corner, prompted her to look inside.
A piece of Cold War-era history was unearthed in a Rapid City woman’s backyard Tuesday, when a patch of caved-in earth revealed what appeared to be a bomb shelter from the 1950s.
Jennifer Giroux discovered a portion of the bomb shelter on her property on Dover Street in west Rapid City, when she spied two metal pipes protruding from the ground next to the collapsed earth. Further exploration of the interior revealed a good portion of the shelter straddled the fence separating her property from her next-door neighbor, Jeff Furiga.
The caved-in earth, likely due to weather, formed a 1-2 foot circular window into the underground shelter, though likely not the original entrance. The interior told few tales, littered with rocks, brick and debris. A bright orange traffic marker and scattered bottles diluted the underground time capsule. Only its four concrete walls, all visible from peering through the hole, know the stories of the past six decades.
While the discovery was new to Giroux, Furiga had known of its existence since he was 10 years old. His grandparents build the house in 1952, and he remembered visiting for summer vacations and being aware of the shelter in the 1970s.
Furiga never had the opportunity to explore it, because the entrance was across the fence, on what is now Giroux’s property. He took his first look inside on Wednesday.
When he was a kid, he said they didn’t really talk about it. In the 1970s, it simply wasn’t significant.
“The Cold War was still going on,” Furiga said. “So it wasn’t that bad — I mean, you could understand.”
Another piece of Cold War history, Furiga referenced the tornado siren, or "12 o'clock siren," near Pony League Field. The siren was once utilized for air raids, because “The Russians could have bombed us at any time,” he said.
From Furiga’s backyard, a glance over the fence revealed raised ground where he said they “just knew” it was a shelter.
“I was told time and time again that that’s a bomb shelter,” he said. “I’m pretty sure my grandfather pointed it out to me.”
Furiga recalled seeing bricks and what looked like a frame at one point, on Giroux’s side of the fence, marking what he guessed was the original entrance. No longer visible, he guessed the bricks must have been removed by the time Giroux bought the house.
Furiga’s history with his house can be traced back from his grandparents, to his own parents, to 2011, when he moved in to help with his mother. His mother passed away last year, and he’s now preparing to move on, back to the warmer pastures of Arizona. Had Giroux not discovered the pipes sticking out of her yard, he may never have gotten a glance inside the bomb shelter he’d only ever known from the other side of the fence.
Giroux moved into her house in 2003 or 2004, the origins of the bomb shelter a mystery to her, as well.
The shelter and all its mystery will soon pass on to new owners, as both Giroux and Furiga prepare to move on. What the concrete walls reveal to the new owners remains to be seen, but they’ll know it’s there.
|
2022-06-16T13:58:18Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Rapid City woman discovers Cold War-era bomb shelter | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/rapid-city-woman-discovers-cold-war-era-bomb-shelter/article_93d7a9cb-28ac-5878-84cf-8fc77b81bb96.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/rapid-city-woman-discovers-cold-war-era-bomb-shelter/article_93d7a9cb-28ac-5878-84cf-8fc77b81bb96.html
|
In April, The Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Community Action Partnership, Karen Eisenbarth, announced her intent to retire effective June 30. Eisenbarth has been employed at the agency for nearly 14 years, first as the HR Director and then as CEO in 2013.
“Karen has provided exceptional leadership to NCAP during her tenure, expanding programs, and implementing technological advances that have improved agency capacity to provide exceptional service to our clients. The agency has seen growth in programs and partnerships in the communities”, says Jake Stewart, NCAP’s Board of Directors President. “Karen and the entire team at NCAP responded to the pandemic by immediately implementing remote services to clients to ensure the agency continued to meet the needs in each community NCAP serves”.
“It is with mixed emotion, joy, pride, and sadness that I step back from my role at NCAP,” said Eisenbarth. “Serving as the leader of this incredible agency has been the greatest honor of my life. This decision was made easier knowing the extraordinary capabilities and commitment of our Board of Directors, the leadership team, and our entire staff to continue to serve our communities.”
Northwest Community Action Partnership is a non-profit serving low-income residents in the Nebraska panhandle with a variety of programs to improve their lives. All of NCAP’s programs aim to serve those in poverty and to help people achieve economic stability. The agency’s primary service counties are Sioux, Dawes, Box Butte, Sheridan, and Cherry, but the agency also serves the entire panhandle with several programs. NCAP was established in 1965 and has over 75 employees. NCAP was honored as Business of the Year in 2019 by the Chadron Chamber of Commerce.
NCAP’s Board of Directors is conducting a search for Eisenbarth’s successor.
Karen Eisenbarth
|
2022-06-16T15:55:34Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Eisenbarth announces retirement from NCAP | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/eisenbarth-announces-retirement-from-ncap/article_5a96b275-0767-5143-9a0d-4c333289347f.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/eisenbarth-announces-retirement-from-ncap/article_5a96b275-0767-5143-9a0d-4c333289347f.html
|
Attorney General race heats up as impeachment, GOP convention approach
Stu Whitney South Dakota News Watch
Marty Jackley, Jason Ravnsborg and David Natvig
Ravnsborg, suspended from his duties since the House of Representatives voted for impeachment April 12, has reached out to delegates in support of Natvig, director of the Division of Criminal Investigation. Natvig is a former law school classmate that Ravnsborg appointed to the DCI role.
Asked about the possibility of Natvig appointing Ravnsborg to a state law enforcement role if he prevails, Hilgemann said, “It’s possible. I wouldn’t advise it, but it’s possible.”
But delegates said that Natvig also has to run on his record at DCI, noting a string of recent retirements among senior staff and assistant directors.
Since losing the 2018 gubernatorial primary to Noem, Jackley has worked as Haakon County State’s Attorney in Pierre and in private practice. He has providing counsel to billionaire credit card magnate Denny Sanford, listed in court documents as the subject of a child pornography investigation involving state and federal authorities.
The decision doesn’t rule out charges federally or in other jurisdictions, but it resolves a potential conflict of interest for Jackley as he seeks to win the job of South Dakota’s top law enforcement official. Natvig was asked about the juxtaposition of DCI’s work in combatting internet crimes such as child pornography and Jackley’s representation of Sanford.
“Everyone deserves legal representation, but a lawyer doesn’t have to accept every client.”
In a video announcing his campaign for attorney general, Natvig said, “I don’t care who you are – if we have the evidence, if we have the case, we are coming after you and we will win.”
|
2022-06-16T15:55:40Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Attorney General race heats up as impeachment, GOP convention approach | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/attorney-general-race-heats-up-as-impeachment-gop-convention-approach/article_734a4338-eff3-55f5-accc-447a79f1e6db.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/attorney-general-race-heats-up-as-impeachment-gop-convention-approach/article_734a4338-eff3-55f5-accc-447a79f1e6db.html
|
A 30-year-old event could see its finale this weekend, as the 31st annual Ride the Ridge on June 18 may be the last. Ride the Ridge was started in 1991 to showcase the Pine Ridge area of Nebraska and introduce the Pine Ridge Trail to local and surrounding area riders.
Bill Riggs, who has been involved with the event for several years, said it was begun to utilize some of the area trails. He noted this year the ride will be completely on Fort Robinson State Park lands, though previous years have incorporated private land as well. Going across private property has never been an issue, he said, as arrangements are made beforehand and the riders have always been “what you would call good neighbors. We’ve had no problems whatsoever, and appreciate everyone who let us do that.”
The average number of riders is about 150, and Riggs expects there will be 80-100 for this ride. Riggs has seen riders from toddlers, nestled in the front of the saddle with parents, on up through people in their 80’s. People have come from all over Nebraska, as well as Iowa, Colorado and other areas.
Riders must have their own animals, Riggs noted. “Basically, what we do is provide guides and give the history and what’s happening.”
The full ride is about 12 miles, with a morning and afternoon ride scheduled. Each ride is expected to take 2.5-3 hours.
One of the memorable events that comes to Riggs’ mind, looking back on the 30 years of the rides, is when they rode to the top of the buttes at Fort Robinson for a breakfast provided by the fort’s camp cooks.
“We’ve had so many things,” he said, “but that’s one of the most interesting. We’ve had a lot of different talents that come through.” Musicians have come on the ride, for instance, playing for the groups at meal times. “There’s a lot of effort that goes into that, but it’s great to see those kind of things.”
As for this possibly being the last ride, Riggs would like to see it continue. “There’s so much beauty that you don’t see from the roads. You get a chance, by going on these rides, to really look at the area around you. A lot of it is what like our forefathers saw.”
There has been some interest in continuing the annual ride, Riggs said, but nothing that’s set for sure. “It’s a good family activity,” he said, “and it’s a good way to see our lands. Especially with the rains we’ve had, it’s beautiful.”
Don Huls and Marvin Liewer will serve as trail bosses. Huls, a former Dawes County Extension Agent, and Liewer, a former Nebraska National Forest District Ranger, started Ride the Ridge to highlight the Forest Service’s work on trail development taking place at the time.
A state park permit is required, but the ride itself is free. There will be door prizes for riders, Riggs noted.
Registration for Ride the Ridge will be June 18, beginning at 8 a.m., with the morning trail ride scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Signs will be posted at the park to direct riders to the registration point. Riders will break for lunch on their own and can choose to take another trail ride in the afternoon at 1 p.m. or enjoy watching the Cowboy Mounted Shooters at the Fort Robinson arena. Pre-registration for riders overnighting at the park will be offered June 17 from 5-7 p.m. at the Mare Barns. For more information, follow Ride the Ridge on Facebook or contact Don at 308-432-3841 or Tom at 308-430-5333.
Bill Riggs
Marvin Liewer
Don Huls
|
2022-06-16T17:48:36Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Ridge approaches final ride Saturday | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/ridge-approaches-final-ride-saturday/article_794f94bd-f83e-520b-bc36-059197e907e5.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/ridge-approaches-final-ride-saturday/article_794f94bd-f83e-520b-bc36-059197e907e5.html
|
MARCOULIER: SBA helps communities recover swiftly from disasters
South Dakota is no stranger to disasters, both natural and man-made. The state has a long history of natural disasters including flooding, wildfires, tornadoes, and drought. The recent May 12 storm system that spurred high winds and tornadoes is an example of this problem. It is more important now for residents and small businesses to remember that the best course of action to limit damage from natural disasters is preparing before the disaster hits.
Natural disasters are not just more devastating; they are also coming faster, more frequently, and are often rapidly changing in their complexity and scope. In 2020, the United States suffered twenty-two separate billion-dollar disasters —the most in our history— but experts in the space expect that number to continue to climb. As the anchors of our communities, small businesses rely on resilient neighborhoods for their customers and their employees, and the SBA’s disaster relief loan programs help communities recover swiftly.
• The SBA has several local resource partners to assist business owners develop a disaster continuity plan – whether your business is in the relief, recovery, or continuity phase. In South Dakota, we have multiple resource partners statewide including Small Business Development Centers, SCORE, a Veteran Business Outreach Center, and a Women’s Business Center to assist you with your disaster planning.
The best way to mitigate the effects of a disaster is to create a disaster continuity plan. This plan should discuss how you will contact family, friends, employees, and first responders following a disaster. You should also review your insurance coverage to make sure it is current and covers all necessary costs. Most importantly, practice and evaluate your plan with family members, managers, and staff to make sure it works.
(Aikta Marcoulier is the SBA’s Regional Administrator based in Denver. She oversees the agency’s programs and services in Colorado, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming)
|
2022-06-16T19:37:15Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
MARCOULIER: SBA helps communities recover swiftly from disasters | | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/marcoulier-sba-helps-communities-recover-swiftly-from-disasters/article_709e2055-d86c-5bdc-b21b-3cb64018ecde.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/marcoulier-sba-helps-communities-recover-swiftly-from-disasters/article_709e2055-d86c-5bdc-b21b-3cb64018ecde.html
|
Two bison graze near a stream at Custer State Park
According to a news release, the visitor was hiking near the Wildlife Loop Road with a companion and a dog. Custer State Park officials said the hikers and the dog came over a hill and startled a small herd of bull bison.
A bull charged at the dog and hit the female visitor. She was taken to a local hospital, park officials said. The victim's name and her condition have not been disclosed.
While incidents between bison and visitors are not common in the park, they do happen. In August 2020, a woman was severely injured when she was attacked by a bison at the park during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. In August 2021, another woman was injured when she was tossed by a bison following a wedding.
Custer State Park is home to one of the largest publicly owned bison herds in the world and hosts millions of visitors every year.
“We hope this serves as a good reminder to always be aware of your surroundings, and give animals their space when possible,” Austin said.
|
2022-06-16T23:01:29Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Visitor injured by bison at Custer State Park | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/visitor-injured-by-bison-at-custer-state-park/article_88fa412a-4cf4-56f1-9649-227f6dd3b358.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/visitor-injured-by-bison-at-custer-state-park/article_88fa412a-4cf4-56f1-9649-227f6dd3b358.html
|
National company to host Rapid City medical card drive
With over 1,000 South Dakotans registered for medical cannabis patient cards, a national company plans to host a card drive in Rapid City later in June.
MyMarijuanaCards.com, a large medical cannabis certification and telehealth company, will host the drive June 26-29 in celebration of 1,121 approved patient cards.
“It’s all about the patients. We are thrilled to mark this critical healthcare milestone in our state where medical cannabis was legalized in July 2021,” said Dr. Mayson Bedient of MyMarijunaCards.com in the news release. “Our efforts are making a difference and can be seen by the nearly 700 qualified medical marijuana patients in South Dakota we have helped with certification in the past 60 days to gain access to the treatment they deserve.”
The Rapid City event will screen patients in West River's first mass patient screening. According to the release, the event hopes to connect as many qualified patients with state-authorized doctors.
Medical conditions that can qualify for medical cannabis in South Dakota include chronic pain or debilitating pain, cachexia, nausea, epilepsy or seizures, muscle spasticity and multiple sclerosis.
The drive will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those hoping to participate have to register for the event by calling 605-961-5711. More information can be found at www.mymarijuanacards.com/south-dakota.
The South Dakota Department of Health will host a public hearing June 21 to consider the adoption and amendment of proposed medical cannabis administrative rule changes.
Discussion on regulations on testing medical cannabis, specificity for the tracking system requirements for medical cannabis, and bringing rules into compliance with changes made during the 2022 legislative session.
The public hearing will be at 1 p.m. Central/noon Mountain in Pierre.
|
2022-06-17T00:41:26Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
National company to host Rapid City medical card drive | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/national-company-to-host-rapid-city-medical-card-drive/article_78f6dfb5-0d5f-5734-9816-ff7595d72138.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/national-company-to-host-rapid-city-medical-card-drive/article_78f6dfb5-0d5f-5734-9816-ff7595d72138.html
|
Nelson, Kelley on Rush's season-ending roster
The Rapid City Rush announced on Thursday their 2022 season-ending roster.
The roster is comprised of 20 players: one goaltender, eight defensemen and 11 forwards. This is the second step in the process by which ECHL teams reserve the rights to ECHL contracted players for the 2022-23 season.
The following players have been placed on the Rush season-ending roster.
Each team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from its list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer no later than 9:59 p.m. MT on June 30. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four can be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the 2022-23 Season).
Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. Teams are not required to extend a qualifying offer to players who sign a contract prior to June 30.
The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until 9:59 p.m. MT on July 16 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.
A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player, or to a goaltender who has played more than 180 regular-season games, will retain the rights to that player until 9:59 p.m. MT on July 16. After July 16, if the veteran player or goaltender is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran or goaltender shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams.
Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player’s rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player’s rights and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association.
The member with the player’s rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer.
If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by 9:59 p.m. MT on Aug. 1, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.
|
2022-06-17T00:41:32Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Nelson, Kelley on Rush's season-ending roster | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/nelson-kelley-on-rushs-season-ending-roster/article_651ca7b1-6c03-5c77-bd34-2742c79bb71c.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/nelson-kelley-on-rushs-season-ending-roster/article_651ca7b1-6c03-5c77-bd34-2742c79bb71c.html
|
Kadoka rodeo arena receives $10,000 grant
2021 Buffalo Stampede Ranch Rodeo Champions, Block Cattle Services, pose at the Kadoka Buffalo Stampede Arena.
The Kadoka Buffalo Stampede Arena was the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the South Dakota Community Foundation, awarded in a presentation in Kadoka earlier this month.
The arena was one of eight nonprofit organizations awarded through the foundation, focused on supporting community problem-solving projects. Forty-eight applications were submitted.
The arena has been an institution in Kadoka for nearly 50 years, hosting youth and adult programs and events such as Youth Play Days, Little Britches Rodeo, National Barrel Horse Association runs, 4-H rodeos, a high school practice rodeo, the Badlands Rodeo Bible Camp and the arena’s main event — the annual Kadoka Buffalo Stampede Rodeo.
JoBeth Eisenbraun, both a member of the Jackson-Kadoka Economic Development Corporation and involved with the South Dakota High School Rodeo, has seen the arena serve members of the community for decades, including herself and her own children.
“It was a huge deal for the community,” Eisenbraun said of the grant. “Because so many people utilize that arena to practice in, and to watch their kids participate in.”
Eisenbraun said the arena holds a special place in her heart, because her own boys, who went on to college rodeo, started out in that arena. She also has a middle school daughter she practices with there “all the time.”
The arena has seen many improvements over the years, with the $10,000 grant going towards upgrades to lighting and electric wiring.
A labor of love, Eisenbraun said it has taken the entire community to pull it off, utilizing volunteer work and donations for many of the improvements.
Eisenbraun recalled working on the arena as kids with Jamie Willert, chairman of the Stampede Rodeo Committee.
“We were laughing because I was out there painting one day, and he was working on something else, and I’m like, do you remember when we painted this when we were kids? So, you know, it comes around a second time," she said.
Eisenbraun said she participated in rodeo events as a kid in that very arena, as she now gets to witness her own children build memories there.
“It’s really special,” she said. “You spend so much time there, making memories with your kids.”
Eileen Stolley, secretary treasurer for the Jackson-Kadoka Economic Development Corporation, submitted the application for the Buffalo Stampede Arena, recalling her reaction when she received notification they’d been awarded the grant: “Yay.”
The Buffalo Stampede partnered with the Jackson-Kadoka Economic Development Corporation to apply for the grant. Stolley said the application was “several pages,” that included describing the lighting project, a bit about the community and their goals for completion.
"This has been a big project," she said.
The grant will go towards replacing wooden poles with steel for lighting the arena, as well as underground wiring conduits, “for safety and better aesthetics,” Stolley said.
The lighting project comes with a price tag of approximately $34,000, of which the grant will make a $10,000 dent. Stolley is still on the hunt for additional funding.
“Every little bit helps,” she said. “And we were tickled pink” to receive the grant.
“It was greatly appreciated that the improvements will be enjoyed by spectators and contestants for many years to come.”
The arena is currently gearing up for its biggest event of the year, the annual Kadoka Buffalo Stampede Rodeo, June 23-25. The event, in its third year, will include two nights of PRCA/WRPA rodeo featuring bareback riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, ladies breakaway roping, team roping, saddle bronc riding, barrel racing and bull riding.
The morning of June 24 will feature PRCA steer roping, with the Buffalo Stampede Ranch Rodeo the afternoon of June 25. The event will include dances each night, with a $15 admission at the gate. Children 10 and under are free. For more information, visit the Kadoka Buffalo Stampede’s Facebook page.
Buffalo Stampede Ranch
Eileen Stolley
|
2022-06-17T02:13:07Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Kadoka rodeo arena receives $10,000 grant | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/kadoka-rodeo-arena-receives-10-000-grant/article_2b35b7f7-924c-5163-9291-80c1b72b3f20.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/kadoka-rodeo-arena-receives-10-000-grant/article_2b35b7f7-924c-5163-9291-80c1b72b3f20.html
|
In an opinion written by Judge Christina Klinger, the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday mostly in favor of a woman's worker compensation case against the Rapid City School District.
Melissa Dittman, a former employee of the school district, injured her back while at work in February 2017 and received treatment following the injury. The school district and it's insurance company, Dakota Truck Underwriters, paid for her treatment up until she saw a Denver doctor for surgery — who was out of the insurer's network.
Dittman appealed a circuit court ruling supporting the Department of Labor's determination that she was not entitled to the out-of-network doctor fees. She argued she was entitled to the money because the school district and insurer denied she ever was injured, which means she legally would be allowed to see anyone her main provider referred her to.
Klinger referenced in the court's opinion a law in place since 1995 that requires worker's compensation insurance policies to have a case management plan; but if the employer/insurer denies comprehensibility for the injury, the employee can deviate from that plan.
The school district argued they never denied Dillman was hurt at work. Their exact wording was that Dillman "claimed to have suffered an injury to her low back," but they refused to explicitly agree she had indeed been injured.
The South Dakota Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dittman on this issue, stating that her employer did deny she had been injured. Because of the denial, she was entitled to see the necessary doctors, regardless of their network status.
The school district and the insurer argued in their appeal against the circuit court's ruling supporting the Labor Department's determination that the doctor in Denver wasn't a referral at all, but that Dittman sought a second opinion from him on her own. Dittman had located the doctor in Denver herself, she consulted with her original doctor, who ultimately made the referral.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dittman on the issue.
"Dr. Vonderau subsequently referred Dittman to Dr. Corenman because he determined it was reasonable and necessary because the conservative care Dittman had been receiving was not providing her with sufficient relief," Klinger wrote in the opinion.
The last issue the court addressed was whether Dittman's bonuses should have been included in determining her weekly wages for worker's compensation. Dittman lost on that point.
The state Supreme Court determined that because the bonuses in question were not earnings tied to her work performance but were instead "discretionary," they did not apply to weekly wage totals.
"The bonuses paid to Dittman were designed to encourage applications for a hard-to-fill position. Although they were paid over two pay periods, they were not based on her hours worked or the quality of her work performed," Klinger wrote. "Unlike an annual bonus, these two bonuses were not (p)art of Dittman's continuing compensation plan."
|
2022-06-17T02:13:19Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Supreme Court rules on workers compensation case against Rapid City School District | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/supreme-court-rules-on-workers-compensation-case-against-rapid-city-school-district/article_4665b9ff-a610-5d1f-8ac0-fa78193682ca.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/supreme-court-rules-on-workers-compensation-case-against-rapid-city-school-district/article_4665b9ff-a610-5d1f-8ac0-fa78193682ca.html
|
Rapid City High School Male, Female Athlete of the Year to be announced Saturday
Rapid City Central's Matayah Yellow Mule wins the Class AA girls triple jump on the second day of the state track and field championships May 27 at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.
Rapid City High School Male Athlete of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year are slated to be announced during the the 50th annual Rapid City Sports Hall of Fame and Recognition Banquet on Saturday at The Monument.
Candidates for the High School Male Athlete of the Year include Simeon Birnbaum of Rapid City Stevens, Landin Winter of Rapid City Central, Cade Kandolin of St. Thomas More, Jason Maciejczak of Douglas and Mitch Heidecker of Rapid City Christian.
Candidates for the High School Female Athlete of the Year include Olivia Kieffer of Rapid City Christian, Jayda McNabb of Rapid City Stevens, Mataya Yellow Mule of Rapid City Central, Marin Duffy of St. Thomas More and Lamara Castaneda of Douglas.
St. Thomas More alumna and University of Utah graduate Dru Gylten, and Stevens alumnus and University of South Dakota graduate Mason Archambault will be honored as the female and male athletes of the year in the college division.
Former NFL placekicker Adam Vinatieri, athletic trainer Paul Richter, rodeo contractor Jim Sutton and coach Scott Benson will all be inducted into the Rapid City Hall of Fame.
The event starts at 7 p.m. Saturday at The Monument's Lacroix Hall and is open to the public. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door.
|
2022-06-17T02:13:26Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Rapid City High School Male, Female Athlete of the Year to be announced Saturday | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/rapid-city-high-school-male-female-athlete-of-the-year-to-be-announced-saturday/article_7b1d0c87-3901-5bf8-864c-9da4d8852c54.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/rapid-city-high-school-male-female-athlete-of-the-year-to-be-announced-saturday/article_7b1d0c87-3901-5bf8-864c-9da4d8852c54.html
|
David Noel Slaughter
RAPID CITY - "A Celebration of Life for David Noel Slaughter" - David Noel Slaughter, 72, entered his spiritual journey on June 24, 2021, after a courageous struggle from the aftermath of several strokes and prostate cancer. His human journey ended at Grand Court Mesa Assisted Living in Mesa, AZ, with family at his side.
David was born November 11, 1948, in Sioux Falls, SD, to Albert and Mildred (Johnson) Slaughter. Following graduation from Custer High School in 1967, David enlisted in the US Army and served two tours in Vietnam. Upon completion of active military service in 1970, he attended summer classes at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, where he met and married Ruth (Bakeberg) Slaughter. They had two sons, John and Joseph. David also graduated from SDSU, Brookings, SD with a BS in History, Psychology, Political Science and Recreation. David approached life as an experiment and had a colorful, creative and varied lifestyle with numerous careers and adventures, in which he touched the lives of many.
David is survived by his wife of 51 years, Ruth; son John (Mindy) Slaughter, Colorado, and grandsons Christian O'Connor, Ohio, and Jack Slaughter, Colorado; son Joseph (Dana) Slaughter, Kentucky; brother Albert (Jan) Slaughter, Illinois; sister Connie (Ray) Auer, South Dakota; numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and "in-laws". He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Mildred, and brother Brian Slaughter.
Per David's wishes, his body was donated to "Research for Life" for educational and research purposes.
A celebration of his life and sharing of memories will be held at Spearfish City Park Snappers Club on June 24, 2022, at 11:00am, followed by food & fellowship. Inurnment with military honors will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis at 2:30pm.
In honor of his memory, please plant a tree, pick up trash on a hiking trail, mentor a child, sow seeds of humor, kindness, understanding, and forgiveness. Seek help through AA or other programs when needed and "Keep on Learning"!!
|
2022-06-17T05:28:38Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
David Noel Slaughter | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/david-noel-slaughter/article_13a9b804-0011-5b98-bb27-495cfa3d377c.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/david-noel-slaughter/article_13a9b804-0011-5b98-bb27-495cfa3d377c.html
|
Felciano "Felix" Castillo
RAPID CITY - Feliciano "Felix" Castillo was born June 9, 1945 in San Antonio, Texas and passed away on June 12, 2022, in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Felix served in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in 1964 and met his wife, Cheryl Jean. They started their family in San Antonio, moved to Rapid City in 1985 and were married for 54 years. He retired from Ellsworth Air Force Base after 26 years of civilian service.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Pilar & Clara Castillo, his sisters Guadalupe, Magdalena, Maria, Tomasa, and his brothers Casimiro, Justino, Narciso.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Cheryl Jean Castillo; his brothers, Octaviano, and Ricardo Castillo; his daughters, Stephanie Guitron-Castillo, Anna (Donnie) Castillo, and Patricia Castillo; and his son, Miguel (Lisa) Castillo; grandchildren: Roxie (John) Castillo, Andre Castillo, Arturo (Caitlin) Shaykett, Enrique Lloyd, Casimira Castillo, Clarynda Castillo, Levayah Baker, Meona Castillo-Yellow Horse, and Liciana Castillo-Yellow Horse; great-grandchildren: Tiyana, Kylee, Erica, Armani, Isabella, and Aubrii; many nieces and nephews, loved ones and friends.
On Monday, June 20, 2022, a visitation from 5pm-6pm & Rosary at 6pm-7pm., at St. Isaac Joques Catholic Church, Rapid City, SD. Funeral services will be Tuesday, June 21, 10:00 a.m., at St. Isaac Joques Catholic Church. Burial with military honors, will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.kinkadefunerals.com.
|
2022-06-17T05:28:50Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Felciano "Felix" Castillo | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/felciano-felix-castillo/article_1fa3a79e-6396-5a3b-bd5f-918bab1c51e6.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/felciano-felix-castillo/article_1fa3a79e-6396-5a3b-bd5f-918bab1c51e6.html
|
Patricia Kurtz Gomez
CHESTERTOWN, Md. - Mrs. Patricia K. Gomez (Pat) passed away peacefully on June 7, 2022. Pat was born on December 7, 1934 in Rapid City, SD, to Melvin and Ione Kurtz. She met Col. Raymond V. Gomez, USAF (Ret.) and they were married on February 8, 2014. Pat was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Rapid City. She was active in church leadership, counselor and chaperone for the teen youth group, and an accomplished soprano soloist in the church choir.
Pat worked at the Pennington County Treasurers Office in the License Department. She was always willing to make sure that her friends and family got the best license plate numbers. Pat received a master's degree in clinical psychology at the University of South Dakota-Vermillion. She finished her study of the clinical specialty at the Gestalt Institute in Cleveland, Ohio. When Pat moved East, she was busy making friends by joining various clubs. She sang with the Philadelphia Mendelssohn Club. Her favorite accomplishment was singing with the choir at Carnegie Hall with her mother, Ione, in attendance. Pat became an avid sailing enthusiast with the Philadelphia Sailing Club and made lifelong friends who made numerous local and Caribbean trips with her at the helm. She especially loved time with her "Bay house girls" on the Chesapeake Bay.
When she retired from Villanova University, where she was a mentor and advisor to "non-traditional" students, she made Rock Hall, MD her home. Other hobbies included playing bridge, playing the recorder with her friends, and learning to paint watercolors. She enjoyed entertaining and attending parties. She never knew a stranger and enjoyed meeting new people. Pat was an accomplished bridge player who loved to compete and socialize with her many friends in Rock Hall and Heron Point, MD.
|
2022-06-17T05:28:57Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Patricia Kurtz Gomez | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/patricia-kurtz-gomez/article_6e3418cc-3715-5882-9ba9-a13007007834.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/patricia-kurtz-gomez/article_6e3418cc-3715-5882-9ba9-a13007007834.html
|
Penny Stevens, 11, of Rapid City stars as Matilda in Black Hills Community Theatre's production of "Matilda the Musical."
Russell Jensen/Sage Studios Professional Photography
Dave DeChristopher stars as the tyrannical school principal Miss Trunchbull in Black Hills Community Theatre's production of "Matilda the Musical."
Penny Stevens stars as Matilda and Tessa Braddy plays her kind teacher, Miss Honey, in Black Hills Community Theatre's production "Matilda the Musical."
Someday the world might see Penny Stevens on Broadway, but this weekend locals can watch the young Rapid City singer starring in “Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical.”
Black Hills Community Theatre’s production of “Matilda the Musical” opens Friday at the Performing Arts Center of Rapid City. Shows will be at 7:30 p.m. June 17, 18, 24 and 25, and at 2 p.m. June 19 and 26.
Stevens, 11, plays the title role of Matilda. The musical is based on Roald Dahl’s book “Matilda,” about a little girl who possesses astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers, and who is unloved by her cruel parents. This is Stevens’ first role in a musical.
“Matilda” is particularly challenging because Stevens had to learn to speak and sing with an English accent. Penny Stevens was coached by her father, Paul Stevens, who grew up in London, she said. Kory Yamada, Penny Stevens’ voice coach, also gave her tips for practicing diction.
“The hardest thing about learning the accent is just some certain words are hard to say differently,” Stevens said.
Stevens' favorite solo song in the show is “Quiet,” when Matilda has an epiphany after being treated abusively by Miss Trunchbull, the tyrannical school principal.
“Matilda feels anger and then everything goes quiet, and she pretty much figures out she has these powers inside of her and she can do something other people can’t do,” Stevens said.
Tackling a challenging role may be good practice for Stevens’ future career.
“I do hope to do more acting and musicals in the future. I do want to see myself on Broadway. I do love to perform and act,” Stevens said. “I think any role would be really cool to play on Broadway.”
Matilda is a character Stevens knew and liked before being cast in the role, and she's a fan of Roald Dahl’s work.
“I read a lot of his books. I love to read them over and over again,” Stevens said. “I watched the movie ‘Matilda’ and I really love the movie and I thought Matilda would be a really fun role to play.”
“I like that because Matilda is bullied by everyone, she figures out she can do so much and she’s strong even though she’s tiny,” Stevens said.
Stevens and the cast were nearly ready to open the show last year on Sept. 21, but the production was cancelled when cast members became ill with COVID-19. In the months since, Stevens continued rehearsing in case the show went on eventually.
“They didn’t make any promises but I just had a feeling (BHCT) might bring it back. Even though I didn’t have my script, I kept practicing my lines and singing my songs,” Stevens said. “When they announced it was back, I was so happy.”
Director Kory Yamada was not able to return for this production, but most of the 27-member cast – which includes 18 children and teens -- is back. Ryan Puffer, BHCT’s operations manager, stepped in to direct the show.
“‘Matilda’ is a big show,” Puffer said. “It’s such a fun show to work on. … Most of the cast was able to come back, and it was fun to watch the kids remember everything like we hadn’t missed a day.”
“It was fun to put my own mark on it and do things a little differently,” he said. “It’s really fun to see a vision for the whole thing come together and be able to have your input on every aspect to make the show as perfect as you can. … People worked so hard on this. We’re so excited to finally get to open it.”
Stevens likes the inspiring message of “Matilda the Musical” and believes audiences will, too.
“I hope audiences know that if you’re tiny, if you’re young, you can do so much and even though people around you don’t appreciate you, you can appreciate yourself and what you can do as a person,” she said.
Go to bhct.org for tickets and more information about “Matilda the Musical.”
|
2022-06-17T15:06:12Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Young singer with Broadway dreams stars in 'Matilda' | Entertainment | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/entertainment/young-singer-with-broadway-dreams-stars-in-matilda/article_c93475f8-65c2-518f-acc8-bace5ab10067.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/entertainment/young-singer-with-broadway-dreams-stars-in-matilda/article_c93475f8-65c2-518f-acc8-bace5ab10067.html
|
Learn about the region at History Days
Items from the Old Fort Meade Museum and many other historical artifacts, photos and memorabilia are on display Friday and Saturday during the sixth annual History Days in Sturgis.
Sturgis and Meade County Historical Society's sixth annual History Days are Friday and Saturday at Sturgis City Auditorium. This year's theme, “History: Lost and Found," focuses on researching, preserving and sharing history.
History Days opens Friday with a reception and cash bar from 4 to 7 p.m. at Sturgis City Auditorium. Browse through booths displaying historical artifacts, pictures and other information and memorabilia. Booths will be open during Friday's reception and Saturday from 9 a.m.-noon.
Booths include information and displays about Bear Butte Creek preservation, Sturgis and Meade County Historical Society, Silver City, genealogy, the USS General S.D. Sturgis transport ship during World War II, photo preservation, West River History Conference, and Society of the Black Hills Pioneers. Items from the Old Fort Meade Museum and the former Faith Museum, and photos from the Bob Lee Collection will also be on display. Ruby Gabriel, a local Meade County author, will also have a booth about a book she recently wrote about Meade County.
Two programs will be presented Saturday at Sturgis Public Library — “Basics of Scanning and Preserving Photos” by Dustin White, owner of White’s Canvas Art Company of Sturgis, 11 a.m., and “Family History: Also Known as Genealogy — Getting Started” by Cathy Druckrey, Rapid City Society for Genealogical Research, 1 p.m.
For those who want to learn more about the Sturgis and Meade County Historical Society, a booth with information about the Society and membership will be available. There are five levels of membership in the Sturgis and Meade County Historical Society: individual membership, $25 per year; family membership, $35 per year; student membership, $15 per year; life membership, one-time payment of $5,000; and business sponsorship, $250 per year.
For more information, contact 605-381-5395 or mark@sturgishistory.org.
|
2022-06-17T15:06:13Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Learn about the region at History Days | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/learn-about-the-region-at-history-days/article_0540bcad-e683-559a-9f8b-992c78887a15.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/learn-about-the-region-at-history-days/article_0540bcad-e683-559a-9f8b-992c78887a15.html
|
Rush looking to renegotiate contract with The Monument
Nugget, the Rapid City Rush mascot, waves the Rush flag and energizes the crowd during an April 16 game at The Monument Ice Arena.
For about a year, the Rapid City Rush’s ownership group, Spire Hockey, has wanted to re-open negotiations with The Monument regarding its lease of the facility that houses the team, and hasn’t made much headway.
But progress has recently been made between the two organizations and communication is underway as growth within the Rush, both on the ice and financially, has given them a bargaining chip as they seek to make changes to their contract and become more profitable, operating as the smallest market team in the ECHL.
“We want to renegotiate and we want a true partnership with the city and the arena, and we want to fight together in our market,” said Todd Mackin, president of Spire Hockey. “We need help to be sustainable in this league.”
The Rush are currently in the third year of a five-year contract, which is why there’s been a lack of discussion over the last year, according to Craig Baltzer, executive director of The Monument. He said his organization has always been open, but negotiating in the middle of a contract can be difficult.
“It’s a little unorthodox, but we get it,” Baltzer said. “Expenses — labor, product, equipment — everything costs more than it used to. That’s for everybody, including us.”
When the current contract was signed in January 2019, Scott Mueller became the majority owner and Spire Hockey signed on as a partner but had no involvement in negotiations. Spire Hockey became the sole owner in May 2020, so the company is now arguing that it is operating under a contract that was agreed upon by previous ownership.
Baltzer said he initially thought the Rush were starting talks for when their contract expires in 2024, but it became clear they wanted to change their current contract. He and The Monument decided at a board of directors meeting several months ago to move forward with negotiations.
“I think it’s fairly reasonable that they are looking to strengthen themselves and do all that, and of course we want them to be strong,” Baltzer said. “So we’re going to work with them and try to make something happen here and make sure we’ve got ECHL hockey here forever.”
Craig Baltzer, executive director of The Monument, gives remarks during the 1972 Flood Storyboard Wall Dedication ceremony June 9 at The Monument.
Among the changes the Rush want to see, the primary item is revenue from concessions and parking. The Rush are the only ECHL team, among 27, who do not receive any money from food and beverage or from parking fees. They instead receive a rebate from The Monument for every ticket they sell, and The Monument doesn’t charge for parking.
Mackin, who said ECHL teams make an average of $250,000 a season off concessions and parking, wants a part of that revenue, and Baltzer said he’s willing to discuss that possibility.
“The whole concession idea is based on the incentive for teams to put a body in the building. It comes from our revenue and our revenue is concessions,” Baltzer said. “If they would rather see a percentage of the concessions, we would definitely be open to that.”
As far as parking, Baltzer said The Monument has been looking into charging for parking for years, but the difficulty of multiple events happening at the same time at different venues has delayed action on it.
“We’ve always tried to figure out a way to make that part of our revenue stream,” he said. “Most venues in the country have paid parking. It’s something desperately we’d want.”
Mackin, Spire Hockey and the Rush are using several bargaining chips in the hopes of amending their contract or possibly writing a brand new deal. One of which is the turnaround of the franchise, which set a single-season franchise record for points in the ECHL and earned its first postseason berth in seven years this season, and brought along with it an increase in attendance and ticket sales.
They recorded the 15th highest regular-season attendance this season, the 13th highest ticket sales total and 12th highest corporate sales total.
They are also seeking assistance based on their travel expenses, which are the highest in the league due to the team’s distance from competition. Transportation, per diem and hotel and lodging are all well-above the league average.
Todd Mackin, president of the Rapid City Rush and Spire Hockey, introduces Scott Burt as the new Rapid City Rush head coach at a July 7, 2021 press conference at The Monument Ice Arena.
Mackin also spoke on the standing the Rush has in the Rapid City community. Since taking over ownership and cleaning up the front office, which included the investigation and discovery of an embezzlement scandal by a former employee, the Rush has raised $150,000 for local nonprofits and was nominated for Small Business of the Year by Elevate Rapid City.
“The reputation the Rapid City Rush had prior to this has completely flipped, I think, in the community and nationally,” Mackin said. “We need help from the city, we need community buy-in to compete with big cities like Dallas and Atlanta and Kansas City and Orlando and Salt Lake City. We need an understanding of that.”
Mackin hasn’t ruled out moving the team, but said he wants the Rush to be in the City of Presidents.
“We want to be in Rapid City. We feel like we’ve done everything we’ve promised since we’ve been here, and we’re asking for a little help,” he said. “I don't think some of those things are unfair to ask for.”
Baltzer said this season was the first true test of Spire Hockey as the ownership group of the Rush. Whereas the 2019-20 campaign produced typical first-season struggles and unknowns, and the 2020-21 season was marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021-22 was truly a platform for Spire Hockey to show what they could do, and they produced.
“We’ve noticed an advancement, especially this past year, in their crowds, and we’re noticing some good things,” Baltzer said. “We’ve fought really hard to make sure this team stays in Rapid City. We’re extremely happy with where they’re at and where we appear to be going.”
The ball is currently in the court of The Monument. When board member Jason Lambert reached out to Mackin, he asked him where the Rush’s pain points are and to produce a “dream scenario” proposal. The Monument now has to look over that proposal and decide how to proceed.
“We’ve got to crunch some numbers and some of the things that Todd was eyeballing, some things he was looking at that other teams are doing with their building,” Baltzer said. “So we’re in the process right now of looking at that.”
|
2022-06-17T15:06:14Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Rush looking to renegotiate contract with The Monument | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/rush-looking-to-renegotiate-contract-with-the-monument/article_7e798e58-2d18-54a6-92e2-c9d65c8a862d.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/rush-looking-to-renegotiate-contract-with-the-monument/article_7e798e58-2d18-54a6-92e2-c9d65c8a862d.html
|
Katie Wilken of Rapid City is shown at the "Silos Baking Competition" that was filmed live at The Silos in Waco, Texas. She finished in the top three with her Peach Raspberry Almond Crumble Cupcake, and she will add that cupcake to the menu of her dessert table and charcuterie business in Rapid City.
Katie Wilken of Rapid City always dreamed of having her own cooking show. She got a taste of being a TV baker when she was chosen to compete in the first Magnolia Network “Silos Baking Competition.”
Out of nearly 4,000 bakers nationwide who submitted entries, Wilken was one of six contestants selected for the “Silos Baking Competition.” Hosted by Joanna Gaines, the “Silos Baking Competition” gave home bakers throughout the United States the opportunity to vie for $25,000 and a chance to have their winning dessert featured on the menu at Silos Baking Co. in Waco, Texas. The final six contestants came from Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, South Dakota and Texas.
“Silos Baking Competition” aired June 12 on the Magnolia Network and Food Network, and the show is now streaming on Magnolia Network, Discovery+ and the Food Network.
Wilken, 28, has such a passion for baking that when she’s not teaching math at Rapid City Christian School, she’s devoted to desserts. Wilken demonstrates tips for creating dessert tables and shares recipes on her YouTube channel, Katie Lee Wilken, on her Instagram @katieleewilken, and on her website, katieleewilken.com.
She also runs a side business creating dessert tables and dessert charcuterie boards for weddings and special events. Cupcakes are her specialty, and her vanilla raspberry and chocolate peanut butter cupcake flavors are especially popular, Wilken said.
“I’ve grown up baking my whole life. I grew up on a ranch in northwestern South Dakota. I did a lot of baking with my grandma. She’s the one that fostered that interest in me. I grew up reading cookbooks,” Wilken said.
The “Silos Baking Competition” is designed to be a competition that celebrates the joy of being in the kitchen. When Wilken spotted the announcement that Magnolia Network was looking for home bakers to enter the “Silos Baking Competition,” she began developing a Peach Raspberry Almond Crumble Cupcake for the competition.
“I worked on (the contest entry process) forever. They asked a ton of questions and asked for a recipe that has to be shelf-stable. Every day after school, I’d come home and try a new iteration. Once I was happy with it, I submitted that,” Wilken said.
From January to March, Wilken said she went through four or five rounds of the entry process as the contestants were narrowed to the final six.
“The final thing was I had to have a Zoom call. They said, ‘We want to see your personality on TV.’ I went to the chat and Joanna Gaines popped on and said, ‘Katie, we want to have you in Waco,’” Wilken said. “It was great.”
The “Silos Baking Competition” was filmed in late March in front of a live audience at The Silos in Waco, Texas.
“I taught all week long and flew out the next morning. It transported me to a whole new world,” Wilken said.
“I think the experience was super fun. Chip and Joanna Gaines are all that (they) are cracked up to be. They created a really fun experience for us. It was an awesome time,” she said.
The day of filming the outdoor competition started out about 40 degrees.
“It was so cold. I was getting nervous, but it started and I was so relaxed. It was a lot of fun,” Wilken said. “Everybody knew their recipes coming into it. It was a low-key competition. At home, I was trying to practice going fast, and we ended up having three hours (to make our dessert).”
Each contestant prepared a dessert plate that was presented to the panel of judges. In addition to Joanna Gaines, the judges were Andrew Zimmern and Zoë François.
Zimmern is an Emmy and four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, United Nations' World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador, chef, writer and teacher. He also hosts the show “Family Dinner on the Magnolia Network, and he hosts shows for Travel Channel, MSNBC and OutdoorChannel.com.
François is a trained pastry chef, best-selling cookbook author and celebrated baking instructor. She hosts “Zoë Bakes” on the Magnolia Network and hosts Magnolia Workshop baking courses.
“Chip Gaines was there for comic relief,” Wilken said. “He came back after the judging to eat the desserts.”
Wilken made it to the top three competitors, and she was thrilled by the responses from people who watched the “Silos Baking Competition” and even sent her photos of their watch parties.
“I’ve heard from teachers and my parents’ friends and college professors … and students of mine and their parents, and co-workers. People have been so sweet,” Wilken said. “It’s just wild to me.”
“It was crazy for me to be a girl from South Dakota to make it on,” Wilken said. “It was special. It was totally a blessing and just crazy.”
Though she didn’t win “Silos Baking Competition,” she came home with bragging rights and an impressive addition to her baking resume.
This summer, when she’s not helping her dad at the family ranch, Wilken is booking summer 2022 events for her dessert table business, and she’s added her Peach Raspberry Almond Crumble Cupcake to her menu. She’s also launching a new venture teaching dessert workshops that she hopes to begin in mid-July.
“I love teaching and I love baking so I’m hoping to take the two passions of mine and put them together,” Wilken said. “That’s something I’m super excited about doing.”
She hopes to partner with local coffee shops to host the workshops, or she will go to people’s homes and teach small groups skills such as baking specialty flavors of cupcakes or designing their own dessert charcuterie boards. Contact Wilken through her website or Instagram for more information.
|
2022-06-17T16:59:12Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Math teacher bakes her way to TV competition | Business | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/business/math-teacher-bakes-her-way-to-tv-competition/article_b16f53ad-2548-5170-8c0b-a781ad13548e.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/business/math-teacher-bakes-her-way-to-tv-competition/article_b16f53ad-2548-5170-8c0b-a781ad13548e.html
|
The ribbon didn't quite want to be cut at the Intralinks open house last week, much to the amusement of those attending.
Owner Scott Phillips noted the business started in 1998 and is based out of Gering, but has been servicing clients in Chadron for years. In the past five years, there’s been an employee coming here once a week. However, there was enough business to where one employee one day a week wasn’t cutting it.
“It was getting to the point where a couple days and a couple people were needed,” Phillips said. “We started looking for a building about four or five years ago, and finally were able to get in here last year. About five hundred hours of labor later, here we are.”
The building required some heavy renovations, as it formerly housed a jewelry store in front a living space in the rear.
On Site Tech Robert Sullivan explained the business provides computer service, networking, security cameras, door access, and office phone systems. He noted that one of the services provided at Chadron that isn’t done much at the Gering office is computer repair.
Commercial clients are provided on-site service calls as well, and the length of time on each job varies.
Regarding personal computer issues, Phillips said he likes to help people on the spot with simple things, if he can and he’s available. Phillips said if a person’s computer has internet access they can provide assistance remotely.
In regard to security systems, Phillips said a big part of the job is learning what a customer wants and designing a system to those specifications.
Phillips said they also do some computer sales, mainly Dell laptops, desktops and servers. Parts are custom ordered, he said, but with supply issues it can take anywhere from 10 days to two months to arrive.
|
2022-06-17T16:59:18Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Intralinks opens Chadron location | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/intralinks-opens-chadron-location/article_ac397c4a-e312-5e8e-8d39-8f4d4e1825ca.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/intralinks-opens-chadron-location/article_ac397c4a-e312-5e8e-8d39-8f4d4e1825ca.html
|
City View Trolley returns for summer season
The City View Trolley returns to Rapid City this summer, with rides available through Aug. 31.
Rapid City's City View Trolley is back this summer to take visitors and residents on a city-wide tour of attractions.
Beginning Monday, the trolley will operate on a Monday to Friday schedule.
Known by its distinctive green and red turn-of-the-last-century cable car appearance, the City View Trolley takes passengers on a narrated, hour-long, 15-stop tour of Rapid City. Operated by Rapid Transit System, the trolley is popular among visitors and residents alike.
A total of 13,600 riders used the trolley during the 2018 and 2019 summer seasons. Trolley rides were suspended during the 2020 summer due to COVID-19 and operations were suspended last summer due to staff shortages.
“We are excited to have the trolley back for another summer,” Rapid Transit System Manager Megan Gould said. “It’s a popular ride and a great way to see and visit some of our community’s most well-known attractions.
The trolley season is scheduled to operate through Aug. 31. The trolley runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the last route departing at 4 p.m. from the Milo Barber Transportation Center, 333 Sixth Street.
Stops on the tour include the Journey Museum, Storybook Island, Dinosaur Park, Stavkirke Chapel in the Hills, Founders Park, Sioux Park Formal Gardens, Main Street Square, the Berlin Wall in Memorial Park, Canyon Lake Park and the Dahl Fine Arts Center. Riders can stay on the trolley for the entire tour or get off at a particular stop to visit an attraction and board the trolley on its return trip an hour later.
The City View Trolley became a part of the Rapid Transit System in 2007. The route begins and ends at the transportation depot, but riders can board at any of the stops along the tour route. Fares range from $2 for adults to $1 for children 12 and under and $1 for "honored citizens:" riders 60 and older, disabled citizens and Medicare card holders.
For more information, contact the Rapid Transit System at 605-394-6631.
|
2022-06-17T18:47:52Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
City View Trolley returns for summer season | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/city-view-trolley-returns-for-summer-season/article_849ea128-be44-574e-b566-f9e761ed43a6.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/city-view-trolley-returns-for-summer-season/article_849ea128-be44-574e-b566-f9e761ed43a6.html
|
Gov. Kristi Noem stands with Ben Koisti, who is the governor's director of operations. Koisti and Communications Director Ian Fury will transition to Noem's campaign staff through the November election, while taking a leave of absence from state government.
Image from Gov. Kristi Noem's Facebook page
PIERRE | Two members of Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration are taking a leave of absence to work on her reelection campaign.
|
2022-06-17T18:47:58Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Two Noem staffers will move to campaign reelection work | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/two-noem-staffers-will-move-to-campaign-reelection-work/article_5b3ad7f4-9041-5955-b911-57a1332a831e.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/two-noem-staffers-will-move-to-campaign-reelection-work/article_5b3ad7f4-9041-5955-b911-57a1332a831e.html
|
Matt Wurnig will showcase his date with a Keystone local in July, about a month after they went on their date, for the second season of “50 Dates 50 States.” The show is an internet series hosted on YouTube, but gained its following on social media.
“Basically I was bored during the quarantine and no one knew what was going on,” Wurnig said in June.
In 2020, Wurnig had a full-time job as the director of fun for the Bismarck Larks, a baseball club in North Dakota. He said with everything going virtual, he hopped onto the Tinder dating app. People could place their location anywhere for free at the time. He said he thought he would try to get a match in every state.
“Then I was like, ‘Oh, what if I actually got to meet people since you can’t really go out and meet people right now,” he said.
Then Wurnig went on a virtual date and thought he would make it a fun challenge to go on a virtual date with someone in every state.
He said he got to a point where he was going on three or four virtual dates a night.
@50dates50states Date 37/50 Complete #50Dates50States #southdakota #mountrushmore #rapidcity #travel #dating #girls #fyp ♬ Beauty And A Beat - Justin Bieber
“It’s so weird to think about now, but it was so normal then,” Wurnig said. “They knew what they were getting into, but when I completed each virtual date I’d write their name in the state on map, and I had all the different time zones.”
He said it started gaining publicity on Instagram and people reached out and said Wurnig should put clips on TikTok. Wurnig said he didn’t know what he was doing on the app in the beginning, but got accustomed to it, kept creating content and gained popularity.
On the virtual dates, Wurnig said he would try to be entertaining whether it was wearing a wacky suit or ordering his date her dinner, but felt like there was a ceiling to how much he could.
Then he “upped the ante” and visited them all in person in his 2001 Ford F-150 truck with over 200,000 miles on it. It took about six months starting Jan. 11, 2021 to about mid-June. Wurnig said he started in Wyoming and then ended up back in Montana.
“It was a lot of fun meeting so many incredible girls, and not just them but also their roommates or their family or their friends or whoever, just people along the way,” he said.
Wurnig said when he told his family he was quitting his full-time job to go date women, they were surprised, but everyone has been supportive. He said his family will call after they watch an episode and talk about the date.
Now in the second season where women had to fill out applications to be considered rather than a Tinder match, there’s more at risk. The best 10 dates will be taken on a trip to Miami and the winner of the season will travel with Wurnig to a four-night stay in Puerto Rico.
“With those things playing a factor, it holds a little bit more weight because I’m not going to take someone to Puerto Rico that I don’t like,” he said. “There’s girls that I have on my radar that I think we’ve connected really well and I think they feel that as well. … I also don’t want to try and show too much favoritism.”
Wurnig said he is nervous for the Puerto Rico trip. He said he is also nervous about one or both parties realizing they are not actually attracted to one another after spending more time together.
“Or is it going to be like this awkward…what do we do now type thing,” he said. “I don’t want there to be any pressure on my end or her end to just dive into a relationship when we’ve hung out five times. I guess we’ll see how the cards are dealt when it comes to that.”
Wurnig said he does want a season three, but does not know if he will be at the center of it. He said it may be more like “The Bachelor” and have a woman going on dates or a different guy.
However, it hasn’t just been about dating. He said he has learned a lot about life in general, like it is important to believe in your own ideas and people really are not all that different.
In the beginning, Wurnig said it was intimidating for him to quit his full-time job and commit to the travel.
“I just believed in myself, I believed in the idea and I just kept chipping away, chipping away, chipping away,” Wurnig said. “I think sometimes a lot of people get discouraged about their ideas or a dream they have or ambitions because of whether it’s other peoples’ opinions or whether they’ve been rejected too much, but if you just keep trying. I am just hugely passionate about people believing in themselves and their ideas.”
He said he also learned at the end of the day, people are not that different in there is typically always a connection on some base level.
For himself, Wurnig said he hopes he can continue to grow as an individual and learn as much as he can.
“I think some motivation behind me doing a lot of this is life can hit you in all kinds of different ways,” he said. “There’s so many things that I want to do before life hits or I have more responsibilities, so I think for me just continuing to develop as a person, kind of a young influencer/business person you could say, developing those skills, traits, meeting a ton of people, building connections and just doing so much as I can of that to get to where I want to be before some of those bigger responsibilities of life come into play, or before I really search for those things.”
Wurnig said he hopes people see that a kid from Montana who went to school in North Dakota can make something happen, and if he can do it, someone in a similar situation can, too.
The South Dakota episode is expected around July with Wurnig’s last date wrapping up in Hawaii July 29. The Miami trip is in August and the Puerto Rico trip is scheduled for September. People can follow along on TikTok or on YouTube.
Matt Wurnig
|
2022-06-17T22:16:28Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
TikTok dating celebrity stops by Black Hills | Entertainment | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/entertainment/tiktok-dating-celebrity-stops-by-black-hills/article_acabf46a-1126-5cec-99fb-1e4f43d033dc.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/entertainment/tiktok-dating-celebrity-stops-by-black-hills/article_acabf46a-1126-5cec-99fb-1e4f43d033dc.html
|
Heartland Heights, a new affordable housing complex off Degeest Drive, began moving in residents Friday. The complex is a result of a partnership between Lloyd Companies and The Club for Boys in Rapid City, aiming to bring affordable housing to Rapid City.
Heartland Heights, located off Degeest Drive in the Elk Vale neighborhood, offers 41 units ranging from one to three bedrooms, priced at 30-60% of the median income in Rapid City. The units completely pre-leased in under two months — record time for Lloyd Companies.
“That alone shows how necessary affordable housing is out here,” said Cassi Chase, property manager at Heartland Heights. “On top of being 100% leased, I do have a quite lengthy interest list as well. So there are still so many people out there that are in need of affordable housing and just kind of lost in the search.”
The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Pennington County increased 15% between 2020 and 2022, according to a press release from the Club for Boys, making the local need for affordable housing “urgent.”
The Heartland Heights project began with a partnership between Lloyd Companies and the Club for Boys in Rapid City over two years ago, when Lloyd Companies approached The Club for Boys as the nonprofit side of a project possible through tax credits awarded by the South Dakota Housing Development Authority.
The partnership would make the project more likely to get approved, said Doug Herrmann, executive director of The Club for Boys. When they were first approached about the partnership, thoughtful consideration and lots of questions revealed a good fit for the mission of the club.
Once the board had a clear understanding of the project’s vision, Herrmann said it was an “easy yes.” Lloyd Companies provided knowledge and resources for needs the club was seeing on a regular basis.
“[The project] really fits very well into helping our boys have better outcomes,” Herrmann said. “Whether they're in a safe place, they have good shelter — they improve their academic performance and they're engaged in social activities that are in their best interest.”
It all goes back to what the club was intended to be, he said: a place to reduce delinquency, provide care and support and increase educational achievement.
“Stable communities, neighborhoods, and a house — all of those things really contribute to much better outcomes across the board,” Herrmann said.
He said stable housing allows kids to stay at the same school, a benefit not only to club members, but the surrounding community. Herrmann described school as one of the most stabilizing factors their members have.
“And if the family is stable with housing, then they're not moving from school to school or community to community," he said. "And so that improves their academic performance. Because there's a continuum there, and has that kind of ripple effect that we think is important.”
The building is located near Valley View Elementary School and East Middle School, schools attended by many club members, with easy access to The Club for Boys due to their busing program.
Chase hopes that affordable housing will also eventually help Rapid City residents get out of shelters and dangerous neighborhoods.
“For your family, or even just for a single person, it's so essential to all other aspects of their living,” she said.
As the site’s property manager, Chase has had the opportunity to see first-hand how affordable housing has impacted its residents.
“I've had people cry when signing the lease,” she said. “I've had people ask me if they can hug me. They’re so grateful.”
Chase called her work with affordable housing “the most rewarding side of housing.”
While Lloyd Companies has done multiple affordable housing projects in Sioux Falls, this one is a first for Rapid City, and the company already has plans for a second.
Heartland Heights II broke ground a few weeks ago, with plans for completion in spring 2023. The building will be identical, and at the same site.
Chase will be on-site at Heartland Heights five days a week to help residents with apartment issues and to connect them with community resources.
“Our philosophy is that we’re trying to move people forward,” she said. “We want to be that steppingstone so our residents can find success.”
In their partnership with The Club for Boys, the stepping-stones are finally leading to Heartland Heights, as residents begin to move in.
“The building is beautiful, and it’s been so rewarding to be part of this project from the start and to know that families are now beginning to see the benefit,” Herrmann said. “We’ve realized that the club really can make a difference through a project like this, and we know the impact will be felt for generations to come.”
Doug Herrmann
Lloyd Companies
|
2022-06-17T22:16:34Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Affordable housing complex opens in Rapid City | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/affordable-housing-complex-opens-in-rapid-city/article_a29cf8a7-4100-50c0-95e1-633e93a4757f.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/affordable-housing-complex-opens-in-rapid-city/article_a29cf8a7-4100-50c0-95e1-633e93a4757f.html
|
Kylie Carlson South Dakota News Watch
Featured panelists were Augustana education professor Sharon Andrews, retired Parker High School teacher Phil Bjorneberg, Rapid City school board member-elect Michael Birkeland, and Jim Holbeck, board development director for the Associated School Boards of South Dakota.
Phil Bjorneberg
With outside political forces adding new stress to South Dakota schools and teachers, a panel of four education experts stressed the importance of restoring trust in professional educators to do their jobs well and focus more on teaching than worrying about potential criticism from beyond the classroom.
The hour-long discussion generally debunked claims that public school teachers and administrators in South Dakota are indoctrinating students to think a certain way, and stressed the importance of treating teacher with respect and providing them with some autonomy in the classroom to reach students from a wide variety of backgrounds. Panelists agreed that across South Dakota, and especially among some of the most outspoken critics of public education, there is a general lack of understanding of what is happening in South Dakota classrooms and the overall good intentions and actions of classroom teachers.
The recent shift to negative attention toward classroom content has left veteran teachers uneasy, but the next generation of educators in South Dakota may be feeling the most disenfranchised, panelist said. Many experienced teachers are retiring early or changing careers and recent teaching graduates are eschewing South Dakota for other states where pay is better and the political stress is lower.
The online panel discussion was hosted by South Dakota News Watch via Zoom and Facebook Live as part of a special report on the increasing influence of politics in public education. Featured panelists were Augustana education professor Sharon Andrews, retired Parker High School teacher Phil Bjorneberg, Rapid City school board member-elect Michael Birkeland, and Jim Holbeck, board development director for the Associated School Boards of South Dakota.
The discussion, the most recent segment in News Watch’s ongoing “South Dakota Matters” series of polls and panel discussions, was held June 16 and is available for viewing on the South Dakota News Watch Facebook page.
“I’ve been in schools consistently for the last four decades and teachers are just trying to do what they have a passion to do and what they’ve been trained to do,” Andrews said. “I don’t see this indoctrination or know these agendas.”
Birkeland also highlighted a disconnect he sees between some parents and teachers. Many parents trust their own children’s teachers, having seen what they are doing in their classrooms, but remain skeptical about teachers overall. Birkeland said that finding ways to show what teachers are doing in their classrooms in a more public way may be a key to helping bridge the gap between educators and parents and reduce the tension felt in some districts.
Putting more faith in trained teachers to do their jobs according to school standards is also very important, Andrews said.
“[Educators] know what to do. We know a lot about how learning happens. We know a lot about how to teach with a multicultural, inclusive stance but still acknowledge diversity,” he said. “Just doing that alone is enough for teachers, let alone that we have some hidden agenda that we’re trying to indoctrinate our students.”
While the uproar over what is being taught is relatively new, Holbeck said that there have been no major changes in how school curricula has been developed and implemented in recent years. Much of the K-12 curricula in South Dakota are designed around textbooks picked by the school or by curriculum directors charged with ensuring their school system is teaching by cohesive guidelines, Holbeck said. He feels that the issues with what is being taught can be traced back to disagreements between political parties.
“[Educators are] out there trying to show both sides of things, but I’m afraid sometimes today there’s people who don’t want to hear both sides, they want to hear their side,” Holbeck said.
He also stressed the importance for voters to learn about the positions and values of the candidates running for positions influencing education at the local and state levels prior to elections.
Andrews said she has seen some students get discouraged about the profession because of the political and financial issues the state is experiencing, but she sees more education students who continue to be energetic and demonstrate their enthusiasm to influence and teach younger generations. She hopes to continue to encourage young educators to continue their paths and careers into South Dakota classrooms.
The panelists said more open communication about all the good things happening in public schools may tamp down some of the criticism and political pressure. They also urged teachers to support one another and strengthen camaraderie in the profession as a way to help teacher get through the difficult early years and remain in the profession long term.
To watch a video of the panel discussion, go to sdnewswatch.org and click on the link provided with the article.
|
2022-06-17T23:56:25Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Education experts: South Dakota teachers deserve trust and respect, not continued criticism | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/education-experts-south-dakota-teachers-deserve-trust-and-respect-not-continued-criticism/article_4bdc24d4-135b-567b-96ea-b884bdeb3162.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/education-experts-south-dakota-teachers-deserve-trust-and-respect-not-continued-criticism/article_4bdc24d4-135b-567b-96ea-b884bdeb3162.html
|
Rapid City Stevens' Simeon Birnbaum (left), Tanner Lunders, Justin Juniel and Alex Otten pose for a picture after setting the school record in the 1600-meter sprint medley relay May 17 at O'Harra Stadium.
The Rapid City Stevens relay team of Tanner Lunders, Justin Juniel, Alex Otten and Simeon Birnbaum took home first place in the sprint medley at the Nike Outdoor Nationals on Friday in Eugene, Oregon.
The foursome won the event with a time of 3:25.12, beating out competition from around the country and winning it by 1.78 seconds. Their time also set a new South Dakota state record.
After Lunders, Juniel and Otten ran their legs, keeping the Raiders in the top three, the baton was handed off to Birnbaum, who moved into second place on the first of two laps before pulling ahead in the first 200 meters of the last lap.
The victory marks the second national title won by Birnbaum, who claimed the 1-mile at the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle on Wednesday.
Alex Otten
Justin Juniel
|
2022-06-17T23:56:31Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Stevens wins sprint medley at Nike Outdoor Nationals | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/stevens-wins-sprint-medley-at-nike-outdoor-nationals/article_a915e203-ea47-518b-aa2c-883ff26543d1.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/stevens-wins-sprint-medley-at-nike-outdoor-nationals/article_a915e203-ea47-518b-aa2c-883ff26543d1.html
|
Sasquatch fall to Canyon County, drop 5th straight
The Spearfish Sasquatch gave up runs in each of the first three innings en route to an 8-2 loss to the Canyon County Spuds on Friday night at Wolfe Field in Caldwell, Idaho.
The Sasquatch (4-15), who have now lost five in a row, have dropped the first three games of their five-game series against the Spuds (11-6), who extended their winning streak to six.
Rapid City native Ryan Bachman recorded a double for Spearfish as part of a 2-for-4 outing that included a run, while Drew Biggerstaff picked up a pair of hits. Johnny McHenry scored a run and added an RBI, and Belle Fourche's Gage Kracht tallied one run. The Sasquatch racked up 14 strikeouts at the plate and did not draw a walk.
Starting pitcher Hunter Polley lasted five innings, allowing seven runs, four earned, on seven hits and one walks while striking out three on 88 pitches. Reliever Wyatt Adams surrendered one run on three hits in three innings, fanning one and walking one on 39 pitches.
Canyon County took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run home run with two outs, then made it 3-0 in the second on an RBI sacrifice-fly and extended its lead to 4-0 in the third on another sac-fly.
Spearfish tallied its only two runs of the evening in the fourth inning. A McHenry single was able to plate Bachman, who led off the frame with a double, and a bases-loaded sac-fly by Kracht to right field sent McHenry to the plate.
The Spuds added three more runs in the fifth and tacked on a final run in the eighth.
The Sasquatch face the Spuds again Saturday at Wolfe Field.
Spud
|
2022-06-18T04:47:33Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Sasquatch fall to Canyon County, drop 5th straight | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/sasquatch-fall-to-canyon-county-drop-5th-straight/article_96721937-6375-5870-a06e-0103b6813802.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/sasquatch-fall-to-canyon-county-drop-5th-straight/article_96721937-6375-5870-a06e-0103b6813802.html
|
Dolores Marie Riley
CHANDLER, Arizona - Dolores Marie Riley passed away June 3, 2022. Dolores was the first-born child to Violet Langdeau and Richard LaRoche. She spent her early childhood years with her grandparents on the Lower Brule Reservation where she was raised in the Lakota Sioux way of life.
Her education began at Stephan Indian School and then continued on to Black Hills State College where she relieved a Bachelor of Education Degree. Dolores followed by completing a Master of Education Degree at Western State College of Colorado. She finished her education at Utah State University with a Utah Administrative Endorsement. Dolores retired as an Assistant Superintendent of the Salt Lake City School District.
In 1959 she married Terry Pexa. They had four children: Tamara, Terry Jr., Lanny and Nicole. After that she married Mike Riley and welcomed Michael Jr. into the family.
Dolores is survived by her husband and five children. Her siblings are Sharon Brown, Renee Dietrich, Cheryll LaRoche, Desine Norris, Veronica Feeney, Eyvonne Rekow, Bettina Bergren, Bernard Glasford, Leon Glasford, Vernon Glasford, Keith Glasford. There are five grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at Osheim and Schmidt Funeral Home in Rapid City on Wednesday June 29 at 1:00 PM. A complete obituary can be found at: www.osheimschmidt.com
|
2022-06-18T06:23:14Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Dolores Marie Riley | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/dolores-marie-riley/article_0badc0bc-fc26-5977-8741-a2e0193bfaca.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/dolores-marie-riley/article_0badc0bc-fc26-5977-8741-a2e0193bfaca.html
|
Jason Nielsen
DES MOINES, IA - Jason M. Nielsen (46) died at his home in Des Moines, IA on June 13, 2022. He was born in Rapid City, SD on September 17, 1975, to Leon and Charlene (Tvedt) Nielsen. He attended kindergarten in Pierre, SD. After a move to Sioux City, IA he continued his schooling until graduation. He graduated with the class of 1994 from North High School in Sioux City.
During the summer months in high school, he played legion baseball for the Williston Keybirds in Williston, ND. After graduation, he attended Western Culinary School in Portland, OR. He has held chef positions in Portland OR, Rapid City SD, Sioux City IA, Brainerd MN, and Des Moines IA. He also spent approximately 3 years in Melbourne, Australia as a chef.
One of Jason's favorite activities was fishing, whether it be in Alaska with his father Leon or on a Minnesota lake with his uncle Al and aunt Lois.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Charlene Nielsen-Grondahl, grandparents: Pat and Norma Nielsen and grandparents: Harold and Arlene Tvedt.
Grateful for having shared his life are his son, Jack Nielsen of Des Moines IA; father, Leon Nielsen (Kris) of Rapid City; stepfather, Larry Grondahl (Brenda) of Williston ND; brother, Shaun Nielsen (Carrie) of Rapid City; and three nieces: Lauren Nielsen, Lindsey Nielsen and Lana Johnston (Adam) all of Rapid City.
A celebration of life memorial service will be held at Kirk Funeral Home on Tuesday, June 21st at 2:00 p.m. Jason will be laid to rest at Mountain View Cemetery in Rapid City, SD.
|
2022-06-18T06:23:39Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Jason Nielsen | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/jason-nielsen/article_ea2908e9-f2e0-53e3-b0ac-d559b42fb6fa.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/jason-nielsen/article_ea2908e9-f2e0-53e3-b0ac-d559b42fb6fa.html
|
Marty Lane Trupe
RAPID CITY - Marty Lane Trupe was born on July 18, 1965, and went to be with the Lord on June 14, 2022.
Marty was born in Rapid City, SD to Robert and Marlys. As a boy, he was the quiet one. From early on his curiosity motivated him; he'd take things apart just to put them back together. He grew up on the water with trips to local watering holes, looking over the cab of the family pick-up camper with his brothers and sister.
Marty met the love of his life in their teenage years. Amy gave him a run for his money with her sass and beauty. Marty and Amy said their vows in October of 1987, nearly 35 years ago. Soon after, they welcome their sons, Tyler and then JonDean. Marty was devoted to Amy and worked hard to be an outstanding role model for his boys. Marty fit easily into Amy's family. Many wonderful memories made on the badminton court and elsewhere!
Marty previously owned Mid-State Campers Sales. He grew up in that family business, working alongside his parents and brothers, eventually becoming the sole owner in 2008. He was a successful and insightful businessman. With his charisma and calming personality, it was easy for him to work with clients, customers, and family. He shared his wisdom with everyone he could. Employees became family, with some of Marty's greatest relationships coming from the dealership.
Marty's love for family took him on many adventures. His happiest times included trips to Mexico and weekends at Lake Angostura. He would fish and hunt with his sons, brothers, and father whenever able. He recalled trips to the Big Horns with his brother-in-law Mike, and Father-in-law Roger. He loved playing games and sharing laughs with the Trupe and Frye families. His granddaughters adored him and will miss making his morning coffee on lake weekends and doing cookies on the pontoon. Marty and Amy loved to dance, and when you'd hear Reggae Cowboy you couldn't pry them apart. The sweetest smile crossed his face when listening to Amy sing.
He was known as a jokester; always playing pranks at family gatherings, and many people will remember his giddy laugh when his prank was successful. His smile and sense of humor will last forever. He was a mentor, teacher, and icon to many. He was the first person to lend a hand or offer advice. Marty was the ultimate family man. Friends were collected and became his family. Marty was a loving and loyal husband, an amazing father, a dedicated son, adored by his granddaughters, and was loved by his family, friends, and all that he met.
Marty is survived by his wife Amy Frye-Trupe, son Tyler (Jessica), son JonDean, and granddaughters, Jenessa and Aspen, parents Robert and Marlys Trupe, siblings Robin (Barry) Sims, Robert (Mandi) Trupe, Morey (Shawn) Trupe, and Kim Trupe; nieces and nephews Rhea, Ryan, Erin, Dylan, Garret, Austin and Madisyn.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., on Monday, June 20th at Behrens-Wilson Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, June 21st at 2:00 p.m., at Fountain Springs Church West Location in Rapid City.
|
2022-06-18T06:24:04Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Marty Lane Trupe | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/marty-lane-trupe/article_3f819faa-3a29-5538-932b-ff76e4e159cc.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/marty-lane-trupe/article_3f819faa-3a29-5538-932b-ff76e4e159cc.html
|
RAPID CITY - Merlin "Bud" Evans, 94, died Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at the Department of Veteran Affairs of the Black Hills Healthcare System at Fort Meade.
Merlin served in the United States Army.
Memorial Service will be 10:00 a.m. Friday, June 24, 2022 at the funeral home.
Entombment will be at Black Hills National Cemetery at Sturgis, SD.
|
2022-06-18T06:24:10Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Merlin "Bud" Evans | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/merlin-bud-evans/article_f6c2b299-9f3f-53ab-9b3f-df7b963a017d.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/merlin-bud-evans/article_f6c2b299-9f3f-53ab-9b3f-df7b963a017d.html
|
Robert "Bob" Bush
RAPID CITY - Robert "Bob" Bush, 88, died Saturday, November 14, 2020 at Westhills Village Healthcare Center.
Bob served in the United States Marine Corps.
Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday July 6, 2022 at Westminster Presbyterian Church.
At the request of the family, everyone please wear a face mask at the service.
|
2022-06-18T06:24:35Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Robert "Bob" Bush | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/robert-bob-bush/article_833fdac6-a61e-55d3-9018-2600c512f0d5.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/robert-bob-bush/article_833fdac6-a61e-55d3-9018-2600c512f0d5.html
|
Michael Hill is the executive director of the Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills, which is back with classes and concerts for all ages this summer.
Maya Buchanan is seen here in 2017 during the final competition round of the Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition. She will perform with professional musicians from throughout the United States at this year's Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills.
Museum visitors pose for a photo in front of a replica of Tinker the T. Rex in October at The Journey Museum and Learning Center. The Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills has created a new musical tale for children, "Adventures and Dinosaurs," that incorporates Tinker and locations in Rapid City and the Black Hills.
Internationally award-winning violinist Maya Buchanan of Rapid City and South Dakota dinosaur Tinker the T. rex will be special guests at this year’s Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills.
Returning for its 15th year, the festival conducts free educational programs for children to introduce them to classical music and instruments, and the festival presents a concert series in July for adults. Because of rising COVID-19 cases in the region, some scheduled programming could change. Go to cmfbh.org or facebook.com/OrlandoChamberSoloists for updates.
The concerts and programs are performed by professional musicians from the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber, San Francisco Ballet, Curtis Institute of Music and the University of California. Several are Grammy Award winners. This year, the professional musicians will be joined by Buchanan, a native of Rapid City. She is a student at the Curtis Institute of Music, a conservatory where Leonard Bernstein and many major conductors trained, said Michael Hill, the festival’s executive director.
Buchanan is a top medalist of the Washington, Stulberg, Stradivarius and Johansen International Competitions. She has performed in Europe, China and with orchestras throughout the United States, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as the winner of the 2017 CSO Young Artist Competition.
“Maya has done exceptionally well, and she will join us for the first time as a full-fledged professional musician,” Hill said.
“We’re always excited about the musicians coming back, and they just love coming back. This has become their second home,” Hill said. “They love performing with each other. (Artistic Director) Dawn Edwards programs great music so they know the programs are going to be great. The other aspect is they enjoy working with the local kids.”
Music for kids
The Musical Story Time — Teddy Bear Series for preschoolers begins June 28. Using one or two musical instruments, favorite children's stories are set to popular classical music themes with illustrations. Children are invited to bring their teddy bears with them as professional musicians bring the characters to life.
In Rapid City, Musical Story Time — Teddy Bear Series will be at 9:30 a.m. June 29 at General Beadle School, and at 9 a.m. June 28 and July 18 at Rapid City Public Library. More dates and times throughout Rapid City and the Black Hills will be announced later in the summer.
In collaboration with The Journey Museum and Learning Center, the festival will debut a new musical story, “Adventures and Dinosaurs,” for its Children’s Family Concert. The story is inspired by Tinker the adolescent T. rex, who is part of the Journey’s permanent collection. “Adventures and Dinosaurs” Children’s Family Concerts will be presented at 9:30 a.m. July 13 at General Beadle School in Rapid City, at 2 p.m. July 11 at Homestake Opera House in Lead, and at 10 a.m. July 20 at Sturgis Community Center in Sturgis.
This new multimedia musical story takes children on an adventure that combines familiar classical music with historical sites in Rapid City and the region. “Adventures and Dinosaurs” was written by Dawn Marie Edwards, the Chamber Music Festival’s artistic and education director.
“The story goes that little Mikey, who loves pretending he’s an explorer, falls asleep and meets up with Tinker and it’s a big surprise at the end,” Edwards said. “I think kids are going to love it because they’ll recognize everything in the pictures.”
“Setting the story with local characters and history allows us to create a stronger impact on the children we serve each year. Our goal is to reach each child through the music, the storyline and new illustrations created specifically for them,” she said.
The festival also presents its Discovery of Strings and Harp for students in the General Beadle Discovery Program. Children receive instruction from professional musicians on donated instruments — nine violins, four violas, a cello and five harps. This program is designed to foster the talent of underrepresented string players in Rapid City.
“Our free educational programming has become the heart and soul of our organization as we see the real impact arts can create on a community. The programs are designed to increase the academic and social outcomes for all our students. Even through the pandemic, we continued to work with these children for the benefit of our community,” Hill said.
The Discovery program concludes at 1 p.m. July 16 with the third annual International South Dakota Harp Competition at General Beadle School. Kids demonstrate how well they can play and what they know about the harp, and can win prizes to local businesses including Pizza Ranch and McDonald’s.
Music for adults
The festival's Classical Concert Series will be at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays in the Adelstein Gallery at The Journey Museum.
July 8 and 9 — "You had me at Hello." The theme is instant attraction based on your favorite composers, featuring Rachmaninov’s “Piano Trio,” Schumann’s “Piano Quartet,” and a new arrangement of Beyonce’s “Halo.”
July 15 and 16 — "Night Music of Madrid." Favorites from Latin America and Spain will be highlighted, featuring Montero's “Buenos Aires Quartet,” Albeniz and Boccherini.
July 22 and 23 — "Stairway to Heaven." The theme is Classic Rock with Classic Roots, in addition to Faure’s “Piano Quartet” and Saint-Saens’ “Fantasy for Violin and Harp,” performed by Edwards and Buchanan.
Edwards traced “Stairway to Heaven” back to its roots and discovered the classic rock song is based on Celtic harp folk music.
“We’ll start with a Celtic harp song and go into a rendition of ‘Stairway to Heaven,’” Edwards said.
Tickets for the Classical Concert Series may be purchased from The Journey Museum and Learning Center by calling 605-394-6923, or tickets can be purchased at the Chamber Music Festival’s website, cmfbh.org.
Hill said the nonprofit Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills is proud to maintain its programming as the only professional chamber music festival and a new grant award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The award places the CMFBH among the top arts organizations nationally, Hill said.
|
2022-06-18T13:59:24Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Violinist, dinosaur highlight chamber music festival | Entertainment | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/entertainment/violinist-dinosaur-highlight-chamber-music-festival/article_70ebb165-4c85-51ed-8aca-b9fd5a910e9e.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/entertainment/violinist-dinosaur-highlight-chamber-music-festival/article_70ebb165-4c85-51ed-8aca-b9fd5a910e9e.html
|
Tyler Read: Artist and community builder
Tyler Read poses for a photo in front of a mural he painted inside the Rapid City Police Department's sub-station inside the Uptown Rapid mall.
Tyler Read’s art career started when he was arrested in high school for graffiti in Seattle. It continued to Art Alley in Rapid City and circled back to working for the Rapid City Police Department — but not as a officer.
“My principal said, ‘You’re going to take an art class so you learn what real art is.’ Lo and behold, I was pretty good at it,” Read said.
During his senior year, one of Read's teachers encouraged him to apply for art school in Seattle. He said he initially opposed the idea because he still had about 100 hours of community service to complete, and any incomplete hours would turn into jail time as soon as he turned 18. The teacher said he would sign off on the hours Read spent in art school working on his future as community service.
“It worked out. I went to school,” Read said. “I ended up dropping out after a year and went into manual labor in Michigan, a lot of different things. I kind of put art away until I moved here (to Rapid City) in 2004, and I got a job welding cattle gates out by the train tracks.”
During that job, graffiti on the train cars pulled Read back into the art world.
“The train was 50 feet away, so I’d be welding and look up and see the trains go by. And eventually couldn’t be away from it anymore,” he said. “But I quickly transitioned into doing legal work.”
Artistic work
Read became involved in Art Alley first as an artist and then later as the community engagement coordinator for the Rapid City Arts Council from 2012 to 2019. Art Alley is located between Sixth and Seventh, and Main and Saint Joseph streets in downtown Rapid City. It started informally in 2003. After moving to Rapid City, Read started painting in Art Alley. In 2005, he sought to change some of the narrative around letter-based graffiti.
“When we started there, they didn't allow letter-based graffiti, and then we figured out how to make it an asset to the alley. We added images of well renowned, iconic figures, and then I added graffiti to it,” Read said.
After various complaints from some business owners, the city passed an ordinance in 2016 establishing the Rapid City Arts Council as the facilitator for issuing permits to artists who want to paint in Art Alley.
“The building owners had really a laundry list of bad things that were happening, so we worked alongside them and the police department at the time and the city to develop a system, and I caught a lot of flack for that,” Read said. "If we didn’t put in a permanent system, they were gonna shut it down.”
The experience led to some frustration on Read's part and he began to paint less in Art Alley.
“Ultimately, that really kind of wore on me: The experience of having to drudge through leadership instead of championing it. It just put a bad taste in my mouth, and I painted a lot less,” he said. "I see beautiful things happening there right now. I just wanted to see somebody come along behind and take ownership of it because for years that was in rough shape, it broke my heart to see all that."
From 2017-2019, while still working for the Rapid City Arts Council, Read was also Bush Foundation Fellow. The fellowships are designed to develop leadership skills. During that time, Read traveled with his wife, Jenny, to graffiti festivals in England, Spain and the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. He was also able to purchase a screen printing studio for the Dahl Arts Center to help Art Alley artists turn their art into prints they could sell.
After his fellowship, Read worked with the Institute of Indigenous American Legacy (I. Am. Legacy) a nonprofit organization founded by Erik Bringswhite, a former gang member. I. Am. Legacy provides services to Indigenous persons who are formerly incarcerated or justice-system involved and their families.
“It’s for everybody, but they use Lakota-based culture as kind of a backbone. I worked for them for about six months as they started up,” Read said.
Read’s wife Jenny is Lakota, as are their children, and Read, who is Puerto Rican and white, is passionate about building relationships with the Native American community in the Black Hills.
“It kind of started with meeting my wife, and then wanting my daughters to have a good sense of identity. In the process of living here and being somebody who tries to help out, you get to know the community. And just about all of my mentors, my close friends, my family, everybody around me is Lakota. It’s very important to me to be reverent of that culture and participate in a respectful way,” he said.
Read carried that mentality with him to the Cheyenne River Reservation where he worked as Art Director for the Cheyenne River Youth Project from 2019 to 2020. After the pandemic started, Read decided it was time to find work in Rapid City. He had been going back and forth to Bear Butte for work, and he decided he needed to be with his family more.
Starting with RCPD
At that time, the Rapid City Police Department was looking for a community engagement specialist. The decision to apply wasn’t one Read leaped to.
“My wife sent it to me on Facebook. I'm like, ‘Are you crazy? I'm not gonna work for the police department.’ This was during the George Floyd protests,” he said.
“Jenny was like, ‘Think about this. Think about what your skills are. You want to be a bridge builder. You want to be somebody who helps the community heal. Where can you do that better right now than with the police department?’ I thought, okay. Challenge accepted.”
Read starting working at the RCPD substation in Knollwood Townhouses in September 2020. Knollwood Townhouses is known to police as one of “The Big Three." The Big Three refers to the high crime area of Maplewood Townhouses, Knollwood Heights Apartments and Knollwood Townhouses. Read is not a police officer, so his role is not to enforce the law, but to help support the community where he can.
The substation looks nothing like a police station. It’s a room with a small kitchen, a bathroom, video games, a food pantry and art supplies. During Read’s interview at his desk in the corner, neighborhood kids played games and socialized with their friends.
Because of Read’s previous work with youth — he partnered with the Pennington County Juvenile Diversion on a mural creation program for at-risk youth — he was able to make connections with children in the neighborhood.
“What I did to introduce myself into the community was I went outside and wrapped some saran wrap around some of the monkey bars. I made a big temporary wall and then I started painting, and my mom made me four dozen cupcakes,” Read said. “I see little eyeballs looking at me. They elected one kiddo to come over. From there, it’s history. Now this is their office.”
Read faced some suspicion from the neighborhood — and still does sometimes — because he works for the police department, but he said he focuses on building community.
“The goal is to empower the community. The answer, in my opinion, to reducing crime is to have a community that when somebody’s getting maced outside and there’s a bunch of kids standing around watching, that everybody isn't sitting on their stoop watching it and taking video," Read said. "They’re ushering the kids in. It’s not that apathy of watching violence happen in front of the kids. The community needs to feel like they have enough power over this place.”
Read works full-time at the substation. He is currently working on planning a mural for the kids in the community to paint. He organizes bake sales called "Hood Cakes" where kids sell baked goods to buy video games or items for community members in need.
After one bake sale, the neighborhood kids decided to spend the money on plastic light bulbs because glass ones were going missing. Glass bulbs can be used as pipes for some drugs.
Although Read doesn't paint as much as he used to, his artwork informs his community involvement. He said what drew him to graffiti was the lack of community in his life as a young person and the desire to have a voice, something he tries to give the community he works in.
"I think we need to reconnect before it's too late, so if we build a sense of community, we're gonna take care of each other," he said. "We're gonna have a more grounded sense of what's right and wrong in general, and just do the right thing."
|
2022-06-18T13:59:30Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Tyler Read: Artist and community builder | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/tyler-read-artist-and-community-builder/article_0b87f46c-9858-5160-994b-2fa02e7e8e59.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/tyler-read-artist-and-community-builder/article_0b87f46c-9858-5160-994b-2fa02e7e8e59.html
|
The Rev. Dr. Russ Seger of Chadron was joined by his family and many friends in observing the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a minister of the gospel on Sunday, June 5 at the Chadron Congregational, United Church of Christ, at Fourth and Chadron Avenue, where he has served more than 20 years.
It was a festive occasion that featured some outstanding music. The Seger family joined forces to sing a gospel hymn. There also was a duet by the Segers’ daughter, Kelli Juhl of Hot Springs, and her daughter, and an emotional solo by Russ and Linda’s son, Jeremiah, who lives Des Moines, where he has his own construction business and sings in a community choir.
Russ expressed his appreciation to the audience for coming to share in his celebration and told numerous stories about his long tenure in the ministry that has been far from normal.
While he was ordained 50 years ago, it was about 63 years ago when realized that the ministry was the direction his life was headed. He recalled that when he was 10 years old after he had sung a solo at the church he was attending in Rapid City. a lady in the congregation came forward. placed her hands on him and said, “Russell, I think you have been called to the ministry.”
Truer words were never spoken. The fall of 1967 after he had graduated from Rapid City High School, he enrolled at Open Bible College in Des Moines. He graduated four years later, was immediately licensed as a minister and ordained a year later—in 1972.
He’s either been receiving more training or preaching ever since, and says it’s been an awesome experience, much of it uncharted, but always productive and fulfilling.
Seger related that while his parents did not attend church regularly, but they made sure he went to Sunday school.
“They didn’t have to ‘make me go’,” he said. “I wanted to go. I liked the people and enjoyed what I was learning.”
The training included lots of Bible instruction and memorization of a verse each week, he said. “All the verses were from the King James Version, of course. It’s amazing. They come back to me when I need them. I’ve always been grateful for that basic Bible instruction. Faith anchors our lives and gives us stability in God’s love. Faith goes beyond what I can describe, but it sustains me.”
The best thing about enrolling at Open Bible College, Seger says with a smile, was meeting his wife, Linda, who also was a student there. He calls her “a remarkable human, who besides being the mother of our (two) children has been my teacher and provided tremendous support.”
They were married before they graduated. After receiving their degrees—his in Bible and theology and hers in education and guidance—they moved to Cuba City, Wis., to pastor a small church.
Before long, a member of the congregation died. Seger says preaching funeral sermons was not something he had studied. He sought the advice of the undertaker, but was told “I’ll take care of the body, you take care of the family.”
“I soon learned I was undertrained for my job, so after two years we moved back to Des Moines so I could have more training and earn a master’s degree at Drake University, which was affiliated with the Disciples of Christ denomination,” Seger related. “They did not accept all the credits I had earned at Open Bible College, and made me take more undergraduate work before I could start my master’s program.”
Seger spent 3 ½ years at Drake earning the second undergraduate degree in psychology and the master’s degree in theology. All that time he also was pastoring a nearby church, “so we’d have something to live on.”
The Segers’ next move was to the University of Dubuque, a Presbyterian institution about 190 miles northeast of Des Moines, to study for a doctorate. He was there five years, completing the work in December 1986, and, again, was a busy pastor at a nearby church as well as a graduate student. His ministry broadened there.
While his first funeral sermon some six years earlier may have been a struggle, since then he had become absorbed by topics such as death and dying along with grief management. As he looks back on his life, he believes two tragedies he witnessed as a youth had honed that interest.
One was the suicide by his step-grandfather and the other the gruesome death of one of his elderly newspaper route customers, who stepped off the sidewalk onto the street and was immediately struck by a payloader, a large dirt moving machine.
“Those are things you never forget,” he noted.
The University of Dubuque had no courses that focused on such adversities and how they could be managed, but Seger found a professor, Dr. Herbert Anderson, who appreciated Russ’s interest, and told him perhaps they could create such a curriculum.
“We did that,” Seger said. “I did lots of reading and research. It helped shape me as a minister and has led to many remarkable and powerful experiences.”
After receiving his doctorate, the Segers returned to Des Moines, where he was the pastor of the Avon Community Church and also became the first chaplain at the Des Moines General Hospital. During the 8 ½ years he filled the latter position, he conducted at least 1,200 funerals. He also worked closely with doctors and other hospital staff, trying to help them realize, in his words, that death is a one-on-one matter, its inevitable and it’s not a sin to die.
Russ chuckles when he recalls making the latter statement during a staff meeting, and one of the doctors jumped from his chair, pounded his fist on the table and shouted, “It is in this hospital.”
Since 1995, Seger has been a member of the Federal Emergency Management Team, certified as a grief and trauma counselor. That same year, Seger was part of the team that went to Oklahoma City following the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building where 168 people died.
Two years later he was sent to Guam, where a South Korean airliner had crashed on a U.S military base, killing 229 of the 254 who were aboard, according to Wikipedia. His duties included sorting through the wreckage and identifying the bodies the best he could.
“South Korea wanted us to bury the plane with the victims in it,” Russ relates. “That’s not the American way. An important part of the healing process is for the family to have a connection with the corpse. Our job was a challenge. We didn’t have enough body bags and no refrigeration.”
That was one of four major plane crashes that Seger has helped with. He also took a leave of absence from his pastorate in Chadron and spent three weeks in New York City following the destruction of the Twin Towers and the death of more than 3,000 on 9/11. That experience included both helping identify the victims and working with grieving survivors, helping them begin the healing process.
It was Linda’s idea that the Segers leave Iowa in 1999 and come west. She wanted to teach on the Pine Ridge Reservation. When she signed a contract, Russ said, “I had to find a job.”
The church, which held Chadron’s first gospel services in 1885, was looking for a pastor. Russ was offered the job on an interim basis fort 1999-2000 and he accepted. But the church in Iowa where he had been serving, required him to return there the following year before he could move to Chadron permanently in 2001.
When he returned, the church board gave him permission to utilize his vast training and experience to also serve for the chaplain for the town, the fire and police departments and the community’s Hospice program. Depending on the circumstances, the latter can be nearly a full-time job in itself, although on the average Russ says he spends from six to eight hours a week in that duty.
“It can be an awesome task to walk alongside someone in the shadow of death,” Seger notes. “It often opens the door to great friendships as I share with them during what is often the most important and also the most difficult time in their life.
“It’s often a wonderful opportunity for me to help them. I often hear confessions and learn about unfinished businesses they want to resolve. That’s called clinical debriefing. I have heard stories that will break your heart. Sometimes I cry with them. I also answer many spiritual questions. I listen carefully, but try not to be judgmental.”
Because of the relationships Seger has developed with the ailing person, he often preaches their funeral sermon, particularly when they don’t have a church home. He said that’s usually between 25 and 30 annually in Chadron.
Of course, not everyone who dies has been in Hospice care. Tragically, that happened to community members recently. Just a few days after Seger was recognized for his 50 years as an ordained minister, he was asked to conduct the funerals for Les Ouderkirk, who had died unexpectedly while on vacation with his wife, Kimberly, the pianist for the United Church of Christ, and also for Chadron businessman and Dawes County commissioner Levi Grant, who was died, along with his companion, Mimi Wheeler Groves, in a motorcycle wreck in Utah.
He knew both men well and their deaths were a shock to him, like they were to everyone else.
Russ said he relies on his long-standing faith to get him through the emotional trials he encounters. “Without that faith, it would be incredibly difficult to see beyond the present,” he added. “When I know God is with me, I believe I can survive all disasters.”
Russ’s relationship with his United Church of Christ congregation, is a blessing, he emphasizes.
“I love Chadron and I love this congregation. I would trust them with my wallet,” he said with his ever-present smile. “I share in both their joys and their sorrows.”
Now that he’s observed his milestone anniversary, he knows the question will be asked, “How much longer will you continue being our pastor?”
“I plan to stay as long as my health is good and I feel I can be effective,” he responded. “I know it will be at least another year because Linda has signed a contract to teach at Red Shirt again this year.”
Herbert Anderson
|
2022-06-18T15:30:44Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Russ Seger’s ministry has many facets | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/russ-seger-s-ministry-has-many-facets/article_55461470-dadc-5d95-9bd8-6badfb7fa0c8.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/russ-seger-s-ministry-has-many-facets/article_55461470-dadc-5d95-9bd8-6badfb7fa0c8.html
|
Simeon Birnbaum on breaking 4-minute mile: ‘Nothing really changes’
Rapid City Stevens rising senior Simeon Birnbaum crosses the finish line first to win the 1-mile race at the Brooks PR Invitational on Wednesday in Seattle.
Heading into Wednesday’s Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle, Simeon Birnbaum wanted to complete the 1-mile run in under four minutes, but admitted he wasn’t sure how reasonable that really was.
The Rapid City Stevens rising senior had the slowest entry time for the event among the dozen participants, a personal best and South Dakota state record of 4:07.88, and was nearly five seconds off the leading entry time.
But Birnbaum moved himself into contention on the fourth and final lap of the race, and used a blistering kick in the final 100 meters to not only win it, but finish in 3:59.51, becoming the 17th high school student-athlete in United States history to run a sub four-minute mile and the third to do it as a junior.
“I’d like to say it feels absolutely wild, but at the end of the day you kind of think about it and it’s just, I just ran another PR,” he said. “Nothing really changes. You’re just a little more known.”
Simeon Birnbaum sits in the championship throne after winning the 1-mile race at the Brooks PR Invitational on Wednesday in Seattle.
Birnbaum, who won the Class AA state championship in the 1600-meter run for the second straight year at the South Dakota state track and field meet last month, began Wednesday’s race in the back-half of the pack and moved up to fifth halfway through. He started the final lap in fourth, then on the final stretch came off the right side of the runners in front of him and burst past them for the honor to break the finish-line tape.
“Originally I wasn’t even thinking about (breaking four minute),” he said on the last lap. “I was just going for the win and trying to outkick those guys, but I heard the announcer going crazy and I was like wow, that’s pretty amazing, so I was pretty excited.”
He said his strategy for the event was to hover around 61 seconds for the first three laps, which he did by going 1:01.53, 1:00.82 and 1:01.05, then close hard. He completed the final lap in 56.12 seconds and won the race by .57 seconds.
“Even on the last lap, it wasn’t just a time trial, it was a real race,” he said. “It’s not often you have a race that’s won at sub-four that’s actually a race and was what it took to win, so that was pretty cool.”
Birnbaum and his competition had the benefit of a pace-runner to set them up to break four minutes. They found out a few hours before the event that Gary Martin, a Pennsylvania high school senior who ran a 3:57.89 mile, would lead the first two laps.
“He did us a big favor by taking us out quickly and bringing the whole field along the first 300,” Birnbaum said. “And then we had a race from there, but we owe him a lot for taking the pace out.”
Birnbaum said he hasn’t thought about his future goals for next year’s spring track season, only that he’ll soon be turning his attention to his senior cross country campaign at Stevens as he looks to win back-to-back Class AA individual titles in October.
“I definitely came in with the goal to break four, but I don’t know how realistic many people thought that was because I was the last-seeded guy in the race,” he said. “I had the worst entry time, but the goal was to break four.”
|
2022-06-18T15:30:50Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Simeon Birnbaum on breaking 4-minute mile: ‘Nothing really changes’ | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/simeon-birnbaum-on-breaking-4-minute-mile-nothing-really-changes/article_98ff9fcf-b23b-5eee-be91-6732d0afe8dc.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/simeon-birnbaum-on-breaking-4-minute-mile-nothing-really-changes/article_98ff9fcf-b23b-5eee-be91-6732d0afe8dc.html
|
Each year around Fathers Day, we hear about the impact fathers have and how important the role is they play. I'm always left hoping I'm at least doing a few things right.
I had a great dad. He spent time with us, sacrificed for us, and always worked hard to provide for us. But my dad taught me how to be a dad by example. He did a lot of good things in plain sight, but my dad never explained why he was doing things or even revealed all of the things he was doing behind the curtain.
The way he did it, I just participated in my own raising. I never knew I was learning life lessons. I was just helping around the house or working for his janitorial business.
My boys haven't been so lucky. They get more "dad talks" than I ever did. Some are entirely pleasant and maybe even fun. But both of my sons have been on the wrong end of loud and colorful one-sided conversations that I spend most of the following week trying to convince myself were necessary tough love and not well-meaning parental bullying.
I never expect Father of the Year awards. I work too much and don't do nearly enough to help with parenting. I make time for family, but I know family time is always squeezed in between work responsibilities. I learned that. My dad worked night shifts at a factory and did janitorial work early in the morning and late at night. He always made time to be at our games and events, but it was almost always him arriving separately because he was coming from work or heading to clean an office building when it was over.
My dad died 10 years ago. I wish he was still here mainly so I could ask questions like, "How did you deal with this when I did it?"
My recent graduate makes me proud. He stands up for what he believes - even if that means standing up to people in authority. I love that about him - until he stands up to me. I know I did things that confounded or disappointed my parents when I was a young adult. But like I said, my parents did things. They didn't spend time explaining their actions so I don't know what I put them through or how they handled it.
All I have is a blueprint for loving my kids and taking care of them no matter what happens. So I try to do that but I really would love to know how my dad kept from pulling his hair out when I turned 18 and realized I knew everything. Maybe it was because I was six inches taller and about 75 pounds heavier than he was. That might have been part of it, but I'm certain my dad was also far more patient and wise than I am.
At least with Blake I can use the whole, "when I was in your shoes..." argument to make a point. But with Dawit, I'm in even further over my head. I can't tell him what it was like growing up a young black man in a mostly white environment.
For example, we stopped at a store on the way home Thursday and he put some candy on the counter and the clerk rang it up. I gave him a hard time about sneaking candy into my purchase and the clerk felt bad. I told her it was no problem, that I was just teasing him.
"Oh, are you like a mentor?" she asked.
"No. He's all mine," I said with a smile.
"Biologically?" she asked timidly, trying to figure out how the big white man and young black guy went together.
"No. He's adopted," I answered.
"Well, stay in school, kid," she said with a laugh.
When we got in the car, Dawit couldn't help but wonder why the young woman at the register would tell him to stay in school.
"Was that because I'm black?" he asked.
I told him it was possible. I made sure to point out that even if it were, she didn't mean anything negative by it. She was kind. There was no intent to hurt his feelings. I assured him that she might have just been caught off guard by the whole situation and just said the first thing that popped into her head.
As Dawit does, he took it in stride and we laughed about it later.
It was just another instance that reinforced that I can't feel how he feels because I have never been in his shoes.
No matter whose shoes I'm in, all I can do is try to do the right thing and keep the conversations a little quieter and less colorful.
I wish dad had shared more of his wisdom when he was alive so I might have a better idea of how to handle some of the tough situations that will come. If you think raising young kids is difficult, wait until you try to finish raising young adults.
Adam Fondren, Journal Staff
Kent Bush is the editor of the Rapid City Journal. Reach him at kent.bush@lee.net
|
2022-06-18T15:30:56Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
BUSH: Still trying to figure it out | Columnists | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/columnists/bush-still-trying-to-figure-it-out/article_af98867d-b79b-597c-b4f1-36153e1a007e.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/columnists/bush-still-trying-to-figure-it-out/article_af98867d-b79b-597c-b4f1-36153e1a007e.html
|
As was evident during the golden anniversary celebration of his ordination as a Christian minister, Russ Seger has many memories and stories to share. Two incidents that occurred in Iowa before he moved to Chadron are especially unique to him.
He notes that he is always saddened when someone he had come to know well while visiting with them as their Hospice minister in their final days completes his or her journey on this earth. He feels, though, that it’s his duty to maintain his composure during the funeral service so everything is done with dignity.
One time early in his ministry he said that didn’t happen. He had to pause before he stepped to the pulpit to speak, even though the deceased was 97 years old. Just a few days before that, this gentleman had requested that Russ baptize him by immersion before he passed away. He had been a church-goer for years, but had never been baptized and wanted that to take place.
“The whole process that we had gone through together got to me before I was supposed to speak. I had to ask the audience to bear with me for a few minutes while I shed some tears,” Russ remembers. “They were really mostly tears of joy.”
The second incident was much different. Russ recalls that when he entered the hospital room where the ailing person was in bed, a long string of swear words were directed at him.
“He was trying to scare me off. To me, it was like saying ‘sic ‘em’ to a dog. It was a challenge that I rather enjoyed. I stayed and tried to convince him I was there to help,” Seger said
Before long, Russ said the Hospice patient mellowed and the two became acquaintances, if not friends. But what happened next came as a shock. The man confessed that he had two families and he needed Russ to do him a favor—get them together before he died.
That took some doing. The first wife and their three young-adult children lived in the Des Moines area. The second wife and their two younger children lived in San Diego.
“About a week after I had made some contacts, I went to the Des Moines airport and picked up the woman and the two younger children and took them to the hospital. They entered the man’s hospital room where the other wife and the three older children were already there. I introduced everyone and unfolded the story for them.”
Seger said the man, a well-to-do electrical engineer who traveled extensively while designing power grids, died a few days later while the Californians were still in town. They all sat together at the front of the funeral home while Russ conducted the service.
The man, who had already put his older children through college, also had made arrangements to pay for the younger children’s college.
“I’m not going to speak of the ethics of what had taken place,” Seger said. “But I was grateful I could help it have a peaceful ending.”
|
2022-06-18T17:02:05Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Russ Seger has had unique experiences | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/russ-seger-has-had-unique-experiences/article_dce19a36-0257-5420-a869-115e3a4d42ad.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/news/russ-seger-has-had-unique-experiences/article_dce19a36-0257-5420-a869-115e3a4d42ad.html
|
Jayda McNabb, Simeon Birnbaum named Rapid City athletes of the year
Left: Rapid City Stevens' Jayda McNabb competes at the Class AA state basketball tournament in March. Right: Stevens' Simeon Birnbaum competes in a race during the state track and field championships in May.
Rapid City Stevens senior Jayda McNabb was named High School Female Athlete of the Year and Stevens junior Simeon Birnbaum won High School Male Athlete of the Year at the Rapid City Hall of Fame banquet Saturday at The Monument.
During the 2021-2022 school year, McNabb was selected team MVP in volleyball. In basketball, she was selected team MVP, named to the Class AA All-Tournament Team and the All-State Team, helping lead the Raiders to the state tournament championship game.
She was also named Raider Female Athlete of the Year, was a South Dakota Miss Basketball finalist and was the Journal's Class AA Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Birnbaum, meanwhile, won the Class AA cross country individual championship, helping lead the Raiders to the team title, was named South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year in the sport and was the Journal's Class AA Best of the West cross country runner of the year.
In track and field he set the state records in the 1600-meter run and 3200, and claimed state championships in the 800, 1600, 3200 and sprint medley. He also broke four minutes in the 1-mile run at the Brooks PR Invitational on Wednesday and anchored the winning leg of Stevens' sprint medley team that won at Nike Outdoor Nationals on Friday.
|
2022-06-19T07:10:55Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Jayda McNabb, Simeon Birnbaum named Rapid City athletes of the year | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/jayda-mcnabb-simeon-birnbaum-named-rapid-city-athletes-of-the-year/article_3e5f22d6-f4ab-5590-ab8e-655f10af2abb.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/jayda-mcnabb-simeon-birnbaum-named-rapid-city-athletes-of-the-year/article_3e5f22d6-f4ab-5590-ab8e-655f10af2abb.html
|
The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) says the westbound driving lane of Interstate 90, beneath the LaCrosse Street Bridge (exit 59), will be temporarily reduced to one lane from 9 a.m to 2 p.m both Monday and Tuesday, June 20-22. The closure is necessary for the construction crews to work on decking the bridge.
Motorists should be prepared for minor delays. Drivers are asked to be aware of construction workers and equipment and drive cautiously through the workzone.
This is the second year of the project to reconstruct the interchange on I-90 at exit 59 (North LaCrosse Street). Complete Contracting of Rapid City is the prime contractor on the $17 million project. The overall completion date of this project is June 2023.
South Dakota Department Of Transportation
Diverging diamond interchange
|
2022-06-19T16:18:52Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Temporary lane closure planned for Westbound I-90 at Exit 59 | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/temporary-lane-closure-planned-for-westbound-i-90-at-exit-59/article_004a256b-bdec-54ae-9cca-8f266d9082f9.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/temporary-lane-closure-planned-for-westbound-i-90-at-exit-59/article_004a256b-bdec-54ae-9cca-8f266d9082f9.html
|
Rapid City firefighters work on hot spots after dousing the flames at a late morning Monday house fire on Range View Circle in southeast Rapid City. No injuries were reported.
Rapid City firefighters work on dousing hot spots in debris at a Range View Circle house Monday afternoon. First responders arrived at the home around 11:30 and put out the fire in about 15 minutes. No one was injured.
Smokes rises from a house fire on Range View Circle Monday afternoon.
A Rapid City firefighter works on a hot spot in the garage of a Range View Circle house fire Monday afternoon.
The Rapid City Police Department and the Rapid City Fire Department responded to a call around 11:30 a.m.
“When crews got here, they began to attack the fire noticing it had come from the garage and had spread into the primary part of the house as well as the attic,” said Tessa Jaeger, spokesperson for the RCFD.
It took firefighters approximately 15 minutes to extinguish the blaze, Jaeger said. Reporters with the Journal arrived at the scene shortly after noon, and firefighters were working on extinguishing hot spots, although there were no active flames at that time.
The garage roof partially collapsed on a vehicle parked in the garage. No one was in the home at the time, and no one was injured in the fire, Jaeger told reporters. The cause of the fire is not known at this time.
Brendyn Medina, spokesperson with the RCPD, said patrol officers saw smoke around the same time as the call and headed to the neighborhood.
“I'm told by the firefighters that arrived on scene first that our officers were already on scene already working to evacuate homes in proximity to the one that you see behind us, trying to look out for the nearby residents of this neighborhood as well as clearing out an area for the fire apparatus to stage,” Medina said.
He added the response to the fire is an example of the RCPD and RCFD working together.
“I think what you saw is the great working relationship that the police and fire share, especially on a shared call like this one,” Medina said.
Multiple officers were at the scene. Truck 1, Squad 1, Battalion 1, Engine 6, Medic 4, and Engine 4 with the RCFD responded to the fire. Jaeger said not all of the firefighters actively fight the fire at the same time, but having multiple crews allows firefighters to rotate out and make sure they have enough oxygen in their tanks and have time to rehabilitate.
It is standard for police, firefighters and ambulance to respond to fires. Medina said police help control traffic, emergency evacuations and containment of the scene. An ambulance is on scene in case there are any injuries and to monitor fire crews and make sure they’re getting enough water while they fight the fire, Jaeger said.
The RCPD and the RCFD are conducting a joint investigation on the incident. While it is not standard procedure for police to assist on fire investigations, the department will assist on investigations when needed.
“I think it's safe to say that there are questions that we have about this fire that will take an additional resource of investigation, so that's why we're involved,” Medina said. “I would say that it's not an everyday occurrence. It's probably you know, a few times a month, we will partner together on investigations like this.”
No other homes in the area were damaged by the flames.
|
2022-06-20T22:24:50Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Fire destroys Rapid City home | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/fire-destroys-rapid-city-home/article_7ef7f879-0194-5941-bc7f-050eb6149cf1.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/fire-destroys-rapid-city-home/article_7ef7f879-0194-5941-bc7f-050eb6149cf1.html
|
The RCPD and the Rapid City Fire Department responded to a report of an unconscious person in Rapid Creek at approximately 2:30 p.m. Monday near North Maple Avenue and Omaha Street.
After RCPD and RCFD arrived at the scene, they discovered the person was dead and called in the Rapid City/Pennington County Water Rescue Team. to retrieve the body.
RCPD spokesperson Brendyn Medina said the rescue team recovered the body around 3:30 p.m. The RCPD is investigating the death.
As late Monday afternoon, Medina said there didn't appear to be any signs of foul play, but an autopsy will be performed to further determine the circumstances surrounding the death.
"We're going to continue to work through this like we would any other unattended death," he said.
Police have been able to preliminarily identify the man, but are unable to release his name until next of kin is notified.
Rapid Creek
Rapid City/pennington County Water Rescue Team
Water Rescue Team
Brendyn Medina
Rcpd
|
2022-06-21T00:17:58Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Body found in Rapid Creek on Monday | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/body-found-in-rapid-creek-on-monday/article_9ad65afd-adaf-5a91-867c-81c8a2c1d74b.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/body-found-in-rapid-creek-on-monday/article_9ad65afd-adaf-5a91-867c-81c8a2c1d74b.html
|
Lead-Deadwood School District Superintendent Dr. Erik Person, Board of Education President Suzanne Rogers and Vice President Tim Madsen listen to public comment Monday night regarding the display materials policy at Lead-Deadwood High School.
Members of the Lead-Deadwood School District Board of Education and administration staff listen to public comment Monday night in Lead.
Lead-Deadwood High School
The Board of Education unanimously approved a revised policy on classroom displays and decorations Monday night. The policy limits materials and decorations on district property that could represent any "social agenda" or other controversial matter including political or religious messages.
Controversial materials can include endorsing candidates, platforms, positions, political parties or slogans; concepts, images, slogans or phrases that have appeared in the media and have been associated with controversy or a movement or a cause; and concepts, images, slogans or phrases that a reasonable person would deem offensive, obscene or inflammatory.
The revised policy allows school counselors to display signage in the office aligned with the American School Counselor Association standards and recommendations, but not in classrooms. The policy first came to the board in May after some educators took issue with safe space signs that had rainbow coloring.
The rainbow signs were showing support and respect for LGBTQ students, and indicated to students that the classrooms were non-judgmental places.
The safe place signs for LGBTQ students came under scrutiny by a fellow Lead-Deadwood teacher, who claimed the signs were indicative of "social drama" and "political propaganda" in schools.
Lead-Deadwood Superintendent Dr. Erik Person said the issue with the signs was "blown out of proportion." He said one of the bigger issues that came up throughout discussion on the policy is how First Amendment rights are being impacted in public schools.
Person said the policy aims to address where that line is. He said the courts have not ruled on this particular issue, but it has been established that teachers have First Amendment rights in their classrooms — but that there are reasonable limits.
"We tried to take the approach in absence of a policy on this particular issue to say, 'OK, the signs don't seem to be that big of a deal, but let's not have a problem, let's not have it grow from here,'" he said. "That wasn't adequate for some people."
Person said the policy will act as guidelines for materials and isn't meant to value or devalue groups of people.
"It is just to give us a tool to sort through this and figure out what is going to be allowed," he said. "Good policy has a set of guidelines rather than specifics because as soon as you start naming specific things, not only are you discriminating by viewpoint but you're also going to miss something."
Person said he heard throughout discussion on the policy from both sides, those for and those against, that classrooms need to be a safe space for all kids. He said he believes educators in the district are committed to that, but it's become evident that there's still work to do there.
"This is a good reminder that if we're going to say every classroom needs to be a safe space, then we need to mean it and we need to aggressively go after that whether we have a paper sign or not," he said.
In response to a public comment asking about Bible verses and scripture on teacher email signatures, Person said this policy would limit that use as well.
Board president Suzanne Rogers said she was disappointed the district got to the point of needing the policy because it was a simple sign with the intent to help a high-risk group of kids that became a controversy. She said she understands why it did, but wishes it didn't.
"Initially I though we didn't need a policy because I know all of our staff has always had the best interest of all of our students in their heart, and they will do whatever they could for any student, but I fear we've opened Pandora's Box," Rogers said. "We cannot go back if we don't create a policy with some structure."
The revised policy also allows administration to consider whether the display of "controversial subject matter" will cause strong negative reactions from "reasonably minded persons" to determine if the materials should be removed.
According to the policy, the United States flag nor any other state flag in an unaltered form are considered controversial for the purposes of the policy. Materials, symbols or other things temporarily being displayed in the classroom or other instruction areas are exempt from the policy as long as it’s being used as part of a lesson based on the approved curriculum and content standards, and appropriate in school and for the grade level. The clause does not exempt employees or the district from any laws or policies prohibiting teaching divisive concepts.
|
2022-06-21T03:51:12Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Signage, materials to be limited in Lead-Deadwood School District | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/signage-materials-to-be-limited-in-lead-deadwood-school-district/article_39811665-73c8-5699-9bfc-b6666db3b8ff.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/signage-materials-to-be-limited-in-lead-deadwood-school-district/article_39811665-73c8-5699-9bfc-b6666db3b8ff.html
|
Rapid City Hall
Taxpayers will have to pay the remaining $325 of a nuisance on Indiana Street after council members lowered the property owner's assessment to $200 Monday night.
The Rapid City Council voted 5-4 to lower the assessment for Theodore Standing Soldier with Council members Lance Lehmann, Jason Salamun, Pat Jones and Ritchie Nordstrom voting against it.
Council member Darla Drew said she made the substitute motion to lower the fee because there seemed to be a confusion and misunderstanding, and the issue was "cultural, in a way," when dealing with Native American neighbors and city ordinances.
"I think if we're going to really actually work with Lakota people in our community, then we have to work with them and make clear what's going on because it doesn't happen on the reservation," she said. "It's too much, I think he can do the $200 and move on with his life. ... Sometimes it's hard when you move up from the reservation to understand the rules and regulations of living in Rapid City."
Drew said this is a bridge to build and that exceptions need to sometimes be made based on cultural differences.
"When we're talking about making it very clear to people that move up here from Pine Ridge or Rosebud or Cheyenne Eagle Butte, we have to have a different conversation," she said.
Standing Soldier spoke during public comment and said he's lived in Rapid City since 2017 after moving from the Pine Ridge Reservation. He said he does a lot of youth mentorship and coaching, and is a single dad to a 13- and an 8-year-old.
He said he had some wood and plywood in his backyard to build a tree house for his sons. Standing Soldier said he remembered getting a notice in the mail and asked why he was getting charged $575 and if there was a way to contest it. He said he received an email telling him to attend the public hearing during the Monday night meeting. He said he did pick up branches from his yard.
Community Development Director Vicki Fisher said the property owner was sent a notice to remove the debris after the city received a complaint. She said an inspection was completed and a citation was issued. Fisher said if there was a reason someone couldn't clear debris, the city typically tries to work with the property owner. Fisher said her office was not contacted.
About 1,200 pounds of construction and yard debris, concrete and metal fence posting was removed from the yard. Through the contractor, the assessment was made at $50 an hour and Standing Soldier was billed for four man-hours for two men, which includes what was taken from the property, the equipment, hauling it to the landfill, and the items being separated at the landfill.
Fisher said it is a standard fee and is what the city was charged for the work. Fisher and Finance Director Pauline Sumption recommended the council waive the late fee of $100 which would have increased the assessment to $675 and waive the administration fee. Waiving of both would bring the cost down to $525.
Sumption said she could empathize with the situation, but said it's a bad precedent to be set and not a good burden to put on the rest of the taxpayers.
Council member Bill Evans said the original charge is a ridiculous amount and it seems like people have forgotten what it's like to not have money.
"It feels like a way of bullying," he said. "I feel like this is unacceptable for a city to do this to its citizens.
He also called the high charge "almost abusive treatment" of the city's citizens.
Allender said the remaining $325 will come from the city's general fund.
|
2022-06-21T05:31:16Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Council member claims 'cultural' barrier in nuisance | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/council-member-claims-cultural-barrier-in-nuisance/article_cf8f6f38-89bd-5541-b078-ef4d5d14e888.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/council-member-claims-cultural-barrier-in-nuisance/article_cf8f6f38-89bd-5541-b078-ef4d5d14e888.html
|
Linda Carol Karna
RAPID CITY - Linda Carol Karna, 72, of Rapid City, SD went home to be with Jesus on June 17, 2022, with her loving husband of 51 years by her side.
Linda was born March 12, 1950, in Owatonna, MN to Lloyd and Marilyn (Remold) Dahl. There she was raised and attended school graduating in 1968. Linda met the love of her life and was united in marriage to Wayne Karna on September 19, 1970, at Trinity Lutheran Church. The couple made their home in Owatonna, until moving to Custer, SD in 1976 to raise their family.
Linda wanted nothing more than to have children and start a family. She had such a strong love for children that it was only natural that she opened her home to foster children and started a daycare business which she ran for over 30 years. She loved children with all her heart. Linda enjoyed country music, shopping, baking and crocheting blankets, but most importantly loved sharing her handmade gifts with everyone. Her greatest joy was spending time with her family and beloved grandchildren which led Wayne and Linda to move to Rapid City in 2006 to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
She will always be remembered as a loving Wife, Mother, and Grandmother.
She is survived by her loving and caring husband, Wayne Karna; her children: Shad (Nikki) Karna, Tanya (Alvin) Morava, Jenni (Greg) Darlow; and her beloved grandchildren: Emma, Kayne, Sophie, Halle, Brie, Kaden, Maycie and step-grandchildren, Jude and Cade, all of Rapid City, SD. She is also survived by her two brothers, Jim (Deb) Dahl, Mike (Wendy) Dahl and a very special Godson, Jacob Dahl.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Lloyd and Marilyn Dahl; and brother, Terry Dahl.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Linda's name to the Children's Home Society, 24100 S. Rockerville Rd, Rockerville, SD 57702.
A private celebration of Life will be held for family members only on June 22, 2022.
Family and friends may go to Linda's online guestbook at www.kirkfuneralhome.com.
Terry Dahl
|
2022-06-21T05:31:47Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Linda Carol Karna | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/linda-carol-karna/article_13ae8ed6-c71f-5cc7-a8ab-4aad31f39fe2.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/linda-carol-karna/article_13ae8ed6-c71f-5cc7-a8ab-4aad31f39fe2.html
|
Sharon Marie (Flack) Knust
BILLINGS - Sharon Marie (Flack) Knust, 79, of Billings, Montana, went to be with The Lord, on Thursday, May 12, 2022, when she died in her sleep at home. She was born June 1, 1942, in Milbank, SD, to Wesley and Harmina (Broekema) Flack. Sharon had five brothers and three sisters. She attended and graduated from high school in Custer, S.D. She married David Lee Knust on July 2, 1960, in Bristol, Rhode Island.
She met her lifelong sweetheart, David, while living in Custer, SD. From there she followed him to Rhode Island where they were married. After David was honorably discharged from the Navy, they moved back to Rapid City, SD, where their son Dan was born. A few years later they moved to San Diego, CA, to be closer to her mom. While living in San Diego, she gave birth to her second son John. Next, they moved north to Orange County, CA, where they lived for several years. In 1976 David, Sharon, and the boys moved to Billings MT to be closer to her older sister. Billings, MT, is where Sharon would call home until she went to meet Jesus in heaven. It really is an impossible task to try to sum up the life of such a wonderful lady in just a few paragraphs, so allow us to list a few of her greatest attributes. Sharon was resilient, self-less, sacrificial, welcoming, giving, encouraging, loving, and kind.
Sharon was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, David; her sisters: Patsy (Steve) Hughes, and DeDe (John) Reichert; and brothers-in-law: Steve Hughes and John Reichert.
Sharon is survived by Robert Flack, Lloyd (Louise) Flack, Harold (Arlene) Flack, Wesley (Rhonda) Flack, Wiley (Kathryn) Flack, Alice (Chuck) Wilson; and sons: Dan (Rachael) Knust and John (Alice Pagitt) Knust; and numerous grandchildren; great-grandchildren; nieces; and nephews.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 24, 2022, at 12:00 p.m., at Black Hills National Cemetery, 20901 Pleasant Valley Drive Sturgis, SD 57785, phone number 605-347-3830. The service will be officiated by Pastor Dan Knust. Condolences may also be expressed at www.smithfuneralchapels.com.
Sharon Marie
David Lee Knust
Robert Flack
John Reichert
Dan Knust
|
2022-06-21T05:32:06Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Sharon Marie (Flack) Knust | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/sharon-marie-flack-knust/article_409f9ecb-1f83-5a8f-95d7-d8c5f9cc98be.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/sharon-marie-flack-knust/article_409f9ecb-1f83-5a8f-95d7-d8c5f9cc98be.html
|
Brad Johnson For the Rapid City Journal
Rapid City Rotarians Pat and Willis Sutliff help students put the finishing touches on a piece of artwork in preparation for graduation ceremonies.
Becky Hollibaugh of Rapid City enjoys lunch with students at the School of St. Jude.
Roger Heacock holds a chicken he and his wife Chris received from their sponsored student’s family. The chicken was taken to the school and was given to another family that did not have any chickens.
South Dakota Rotarians and students gather around the school supplies brought in suitcases from the United States. South Dakota sponsors play an important role in the children’s education.
Most Americans donate charitably from their abundance but when you receive the gift of one of the only chickens a family owns, it changes your life.
Such was the case in May when 10 Rapid City and Spearfish Rotarians visited the homes of their sponsored students at the School of St. Jude in Arusha, Tanzania.
They were part of about 35 mostly South Dakota Rotarians and spouses who traveled to Africa to enjoy a photo safari and visit the School of St. Jude.
The school was started 20 years ago by Gemma Sisia, an Australian woman, who married a man from Tanzania and decided to start the school in his hometown.
Rapid City residents have been involved in the school’s success for 19 of those years.
It was in 2003 when Rushmore Club Rotarians Pat and Willis Sutliff met Sisia at an international convention in Brisbane, Australia. The Sutliffs were so impressed that they immediately began building U.S. financial support for the school.
A major part of their effort is recruiting people to visit the school.
Also on the trip were Rapid City Rotarians Ashok Kumar and his wife Kaushi, both longtime medical doctors.
“Nothing prepares you until you go and see for yourself,” he said of Tanzania’s poverty.
At the school, the U.S. visitors spent time with St. Jude students, enjoying lunches, participating in classes, discussing careers and exchanging culture. They also were honored at the school’s equivalence of high school graduation, where Pat Sutliff was a guest speaker.
The school is unique in that it provides a free education to the brightest students from the poorest families. It is funded largely by sponsors with connections to Rotary clubs in Australia and the United States.
Tanzania, on Africa’s eastern coast, is home to about 66.6 million people. About 80% live on less than $4 a day.
Sisia explained that Tanzania has about 17,500 primary (elementary) schools and less than 800 high schools. Students must take national exams at the end of sixth grade and 10th grade in order to compete for a few higher-level grades.
Often it is the poorer students whose families cannot afford government schools that do not continue and Sisia’s goal is to help the brightest students escape poverty.
The Sutliffs have sponsored at least one student for nearly their entire association with the school. They also helped form the American Friends of the School of St. Jude foundation.
“It is amazing to see where these students come from and what they are like when they graduate,” she said. “They are going to make a difference in their country. For us to touch and change other people’s lives on the other side of the world is amazing.”
Admission to the school is competitive. About 4,000 students including the top 10% from government schools make the first cut. After academic tests, the number may drop to less than 1,000.
But the School of St. Jude is helping lift not only the students, but their families out of poverty.
The impact school sponsors have on the School of St. Jude is having is changing the world.
“It is just little raindrops that makes a big flood,” Ashok Kumar said. “You see the flood, but it is just the small raindrops that started it.”
Fellow Rotarian Janet Kahler, and her daughter Deonne, first visited the school five years ago. The pair now sponsor four students.
“When I met my young student Beatrice (five years ago), she didn’t speak any English,” Kahler said. “On this visit the family remembered us. We feel it is important to let them know we are coming back. Her mother hugged us. The whole neighborhood was there. They are so grateful for the child’s education.”
Chris Heacock said the families are so grateful someone is sponsoring their student’s education. “You don’t get educated for yourself so you can go somewhere and have a great life,” she said. “You get educated so you can give back and help your family and community.”
When the home visits end, the host family offers a significant gift. Chris and her husband Roger Heacock received live chickens, as did the Kahlers.
“It is so important in their culture that even if you have so little, you give a gift,” Chris Heacock said. “I realized it was very important to graciously accept the chicken.”
Kahler added, “It means a lot for them to give it to you. Giving one of your chickens away is a big deal and I get teary thinking about it.”
|
2022-06-21T13:34:20Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
South Dakota group visit supports school in Tanzania | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/south-dakota-group-visit-supports-school-in-tanzania/article_66386325-3149-5e70-b214-42a18a7aa35c.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/south-dakota-group-visit-supports-school-in-tanzania/article_66386325-3149-5e70-b214-42a18a7aa35c.html
|
LNI Board’s vote to stay in Rapid City was unanimous, founder says
Action from the 2021 Lakota Nation Invitational at Summit Arena.
Under pressure from the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council and other groups to move out of Rapid City following the Grand Gateway Hotel incident, the Lakota Nation Invitational Board of Directors held a vote on whether to put that action into motion.
The result was a resounding no, as every member of the board voted to stay in the City of Presidents.
“When you get pressure from the tribal government, that’s about as much pressure as you can get,” LNI founder and basketball director Bryan Brewer said. “Some people want us out, but we’ve discussed this before. There’s always been pressure on us by certain groups to move out, but we’ve pretty much made up our mind that we are not going to leave Rapid City.”
Following a March 19 shooting at the Grand Gateway, owner Connie Uhre banned Native Americans from the hotel in a Facebook post, which sparked widespread outrage and led to the LNI and other indigenous-led organizations being asked to move out of Rapid City.
The Lakota Nation Invitational logo.
The LNI, which has held all 45 of its signature basketball tournaments in Rapid City and hosts several other sporting events, released a statement April 22 announcing its intention to remain.
Brewer told the Journal that the board’s decision to stay stems from the LNI’s origins and mission to break barriers and bring people together.
“Because the LNI was created because of the racism that existed back in the 70s, our goal has always been to get our children to work together. Reconciliation,” he said. “Reconciliation; that’s what I’ve worked with, and we want to continue working with that, especially in Rapid City.”
Incidents in the past have also led to requests for the LNI to find another home, but the organization has continually chosen to stay. In 2015, OST leaders asked it to leave over an incident involving a group of Native students who were sprayed with beer at a Rapid City Rush game at The Monument Ice Arena, referred to as Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena at the time.
Bryan Brewer
“When bad things happen, then that’s when everybody wants something to happen. They’re looking for a drastic change and to make something happen,” Brewer said. “We don’t want to be part of that change right now.”
He added that the LNI has many partners in the community that have helped make the basketball tournament an annual success and produce around $6 million every year. The organization signed a new six-year deal with The Monument in April to continue hosting the event at the venue.
“When we first started LNI, we dealt with a lot of things in Rapid City, and we had to deal with those things ourselves. We didn’t have any tribal government supporting us when we had things happen,” he said. “We worked with the city, we worked with the mayors, worked with the police and the sheriff’s department to get some of these things straightened out. We had problems there also, but we worked through them.”
The 46th annual Lakota Nation Invitational basketball tournament is set to take place Dec. 14-17 at Summit Arena.
|
2022-06-21T15:40:55Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
LNI Board’s vote to stay in Rapid City was unanimous, founder says | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/lni-board-s-vote-to-stay-in-rapid-city-was-unanimous-founder-says/article_fce6ceda-8633-52ff-9453-21e8bb4e513f.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/lni-board-s-vote-to-stay-in-rapid-city-was-unanimous-founder-says/article_fce6ceda-8633-52ff-9453-21e8bb4e513f.html
|
Carter Johnson re-signs with Sabres
Badlands Sabres forward Carter Johnson (left) controls the puck behind the net in the first period of a Dec. 4, 2021 loss to the Great Falls Americans at Roosevelt Park Ice Arena.
Forward Carter Johnson has re-signed with the Badlands Sabres ahead of the 2022-23 season, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.
"Having Carter sign back with us is very exciting news for our organization” head coach Brendon Hodge said. “Carter really took strides throughout the year last season. He, like most players we had last season, took some time to adjust to a higher level of hockey, but once Carter got up to speed he was a vital part to our team making the playoffs."
Johnson, a 19-year-old Sioux City, Iowa native, scored 10 goals and added 14 assists in 47 regular-season games this past season. He also collected 28 penalty minutes and had a plus/minus rating of minus-14.
"We are expecting Carter to take another big step in his development and lead our team to another successful season," Johnson said.
|
2022-06-22T00:40:37Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Carter Johnson re-signs with Sabres | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/carter-johnson-re-signs-with-sabres/article_d46347c9-9603-5d4c-aed7-66de1cc15cec.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/carter-johnson-re-signs-with-sabres/article_d46347c9-9603-5d4c-aed7-66de1cc15cec.html
|
Rapid City Area Schools interim CEO Nicole Swigart listens as Board member Troy Carr discusses his thoughts on the invocation policy presented Tuesday evening.
Clergy members, students, staff, community members or any person who wants to give an invocation at the Rapid City Area Schools Board of Education meeting may be able to following board approval Tuesday night.
The board approved the first reading of a revised copy of an invocation policy 5-0. Board members Amy Policky and Clay Colombe were absent from the meeting. The policy requires two readings and publication before it is made official.
The revised policy, which was not attached to the agenda but was available at the meeting, states the purpose of the policy of the invocation is to support, wish guidance upon and encourage the board as it fulfills its duties and obligations as board members.
Those hoping to give an invocation at a meeting would need to send a request to the district secretary and could not include content that would harass, discriminate, contain obscenities, threats or intimidations. It also could not violate board policy. Those that violate board policy would not be eligible to provide invocations at future meetings.
Board member Troy Carr said his concern is that a person unfamiliar with how to give an invocation would do so and that it should be delivered by someone who knows what they're doing.
He said a June 6 invocation led by Walter Rasmussen does not reflect Carr's beliefs or that of his church. The invocation in question cannot be heard on the district's video from the June 6 meeting, but public commenters described it Tuesday as a "thinly-veiled" attack on students in the LGBTQ community.
Carr said his other concern is that someone giving an invocation may know the rule, but by the time they get to the podium and talk, the damage could be done.
Board member Jim Hansen said the three minutes set aside for an invocation outlined in the policy is too long, although the time limit was not revised during the meeting.
Some members of the public during public comment asked if an invocation was necessary at all.
The board also discussed a classroom displays and decorations policy, similar to that adopted by the Lead-Deadwood School District Monday night.
Materials would not be allowed to represent any "controversial subject matter or political or religious messages." This could include materials endorsing a candidate, platform, position, political party or slogan; concepts, images, slogans or phrases in the media and associated with controversy or a movement or cause; and concepts, images, slogans or phrases that would be deemed offensive, obscene or inflammatory.
According to the policy, the United States flag nor that of any state in the Union, in an unaltered form, are considered controversial. Temporary materials displayed for instruction are exempt from the policy as long as the items are part of a lesson and are based on the approved curriculum and content standards, and school and grade level appropriate.
Materials on display on school property can be seen as an endorsement by the district and can be removed by the principal, superintendent or designee if determined to be in violation of the policy.
Members of the public who commented on the policy said they wondered if the policy extended to jewelry or clothing. Board President Kate Thomas said the policy is on classroom displays and material, not what people wear.
During the meeting, the board approved its consent agenda without discussion and no items were pulled. One item approved included a parental guide and reference page for parental/guardian rights.
According to the resolution, the district has seen a need for parents and guardians to have a guided resource for explanations of rights in RCAS policies, South Dakota Codified Law and directions and procedures.
The resolution creates a committee that includes three board members, a principal from each school level and at least one parent from each school to create a reference document that includes a list of common problems parents may encounter and which department to contact for solutions; a list of policies and procedures associated with solutions to common problems and links to policies; a diagram of how to move beyond the first administrative contact if the solution is not resolved; a list of links to the grade level and class standards; a list of links to class standards, curriculum, age appropriateness in curriculum, lesson material and homework assigned; links to grade level curriculum resources for each subject; and a link to a summary of each school's improvement plan.
The document would be included in the student handbooks for each level or in a separate resource on an annual basis, housed on the district's website and the committee's work will be finished and materials posted before the start of the 2022-2023 school year.
During the meeting, Thomas said she could not give an update on the original list of books slated for destruction on the surplus list because they are still under investigation.
Nicole Swigart, who was named as the interim CEO for RCAS, said she started her first day Tuesday and attended the meeting.
|
2022-06-22T02:24:49Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
New invocation, classroom display policies in works for RCAS | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/new-invocation-classroom-display-policies-in-works-for-rcas/article_b9dec789-d1ec-58b8-a26d-33b82ea9ec23.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/new-invocation-classroom-display-policies-in-works-for-rcas/article_b9dec789-d1ec-58b8-a26d-33b82ea9ec23.html
|
It’s official. The recount for District 30 Senate race is as follows: Pennington County Monday, June 27th at 9 a.m.; Custer County Monday, June 27th at 2 p.m.; Fall River County Tuesday, June 28th at 9 a.m.
All recounts are held at the respective county courthouses with the Auditor’s Office in charge. All are open to the public.
Also, the property tax summer study is having its first meeting at 10 a.m. on June 27 in room 362 in the State Capitol.
Working backwards chronologically, we are gaveling in at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 21 in the House of Representatives for a Special Session regarding the impeachment trial of our Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg. The Attorney General was impeached on April 12, 2022, by the House of Representatives. Now the Senate conducts the trial scheduled for June 21 and 22.
This is unprecedented ground as a State Constitutional Officer hasn’t been impeached since statehood November 2 of 1889. The Senate’s job is to conduct the trial to determine if the AG is guilty of the articles of impeachment. If the Senate decides that he is guilty, then their next job is to pass punishment which could include removal from office. Since the impeachment, Attorney General Ravnsborg has been suspended from his official duties.
Another event happening soon is the State Republican Convention held this year in Watertown.
The dates are June 23 through 25. The highlights of the convention will be selection of the Constitutional Officers to be on the ballot in the General Election held November 8, 2022. There are two hotly contended races among the Republicans. First is the Attorney General’s race. Previous Attorney General Marty Jackley is running against David Natvig, the current Director of South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). The other race is our current Secretary of State Steve Barnett running against Monae Johnson from Rapid City who has worked in the Secretary of State’s office in the past.
Remember, at the State Convention only the delegates are eligible to vote, and they have to be present to vote, meaning no phone-ins or proxy voting.
|
2022-06-22T13:17:38Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
GOODWIN: Recounts set in District 30 Senate race | Columnists | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/columnists/goodwin-recounts-set-in-district-30-senate-race/article_87ab1d82-c71f-5f38-90b5-efdb8095a337.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/columnists/goodwin-recounts-set-in-district-30-senate-race/article_87ab1d82-c71f-5f38-90b5-efdb8095a337.html
|
RCPD officer presented with Life Saving Medal
Rapid City Police Chief Don Hedrick, left, present a Life Saving Medal to Officer Robert Mathies, right on Tuesday morning. This is the third honor Mathies has received in the five years he has been with the department.
Photo courtesy of Rapid City Police Department social media
A Rapid City police officer has been presented with a third award during his five years with the department — this time for saving a life.
“Having one is rare. Having three is very rare,” Rapid City Police Chief Don Hedrick said Wednesday.
Hedrick presented officer Robert Mathies with a Life Saving Medal at Tuesday morning's briefing for saving a juvenile girl during a car accident in Rapid City involving a stolen vehicle on May 10, 2020. Hedrick said the girl was not breathing and had no pulse when Mathies gave her life-saving CPR.
“As a result of that, she started breathing and the pulse came back,” Hedrick said. “Anytime you have a youth involved, that can be a very traumatic experience for our community and for everyone involved, and because of his quick actions, we have somebody that is alive today. All of those factors played into it. That's why we came to the conclusion that he should receive this medal.”
According to department policy, the award may be bestowed upon members for an act performed in the line of duty, which through disregard of personal safety or prompt and alert action, results in saving a life.
Mathies’ heroics started in 2018 when he received a Commander's Citation, which he earned for his actions during a situation in 2018 involving a man who had a knife in hand and was acting erratic and putting the neighborhood at risk.
“Due to Robert’s and others’ actions, they were able to get him under control so he didn’t hurt himself or somebody else,” Hedrick said.
Commander's Citations are awarded when an RCPD staff member demonstrates exemplary service, above and beyond the normal scope of their duties, on a case, incident, special project, or to an employee who maintains their composure when confronted with a highly volatile situation and continues to perform well in accordance with acceptable standards of contact.
Former Police Chief Karl Jegeris presented Mathies with a Distinguished Service Cross Medal for his actions during a Dec. 29, 2019 incident when Mathies, along with other officers, ran into an apartment building on East Minnesota Street while an active shooter fired at them. Journal archives show a bullet hit a patrol car during the incident.
Distinguished Service Cross Medal's are awarded to RCPD members who distinguish themselves by demonstrating exceptional bravery despite an imminent risk of serious bodily injury or death. The medal falls just below the Medal of Honor, which is the highest award possible in the department.
“He's a good police officer. Rapid City's lucky to have him,” Hedrick said. “He spends a lot of time training our newer police officers, and that's an honor in itself. When we trust you to train others, that means you're doing things well.”
Hedrick said awards are given to show appreciation within the department as well as show the community “some of the amazing things our folks are doing out there on a regular basis.”
“It's a way for us to internally hold up somebody that does something amazing or exceptional and, also, we want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to keep good police officers employed here,” Hedrick said. “We have a lot of amazing folks working in our building and we want to make sure that they understand they're appreciated and extraordinary acts are valued highly.”
All department personnel can nominate someone for an award. Nominations are reviewed by the Awards Review Board, which consists of one command staff officer appointed by the police chief, and one employee from each division. The board sends recommendations to the chief, who makes the final determination.
Hedrick said Life Saving Medals are not a frequent occurrence. Only a couple are awarded each year.
“The Life Saving Medals aren't easy to come by,” he said.
Robert Mathies
Karl Jegeris
|
2022-06-23T00:23:31Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
RCPD officer presented with Life Saving Medal | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/rcpd-officer-presented-with-life-saving-medal/article_7367f63e-cd1d-5e82-bc03-fe58601327d1.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/rcpd-officer-presented-with-life-saving-medal/article_7367f63e-cd1d-5e82-bc03-fe58601327d1.html
|
Sasquatch hold off Gem City for back-to-back wins
The Spearfish Sasquatch held off a comeback effort from the Gem City Bison for an 8-6 victory Wednesday at Black Hills Energy Stadium in Spearfish.
The Sasquatch (7-16) were up 8-1 through six innings before the Bison (7-16) rallied for five runs in the last three innings. Spearfish grabbed back-to-back wins for the second time this season and has won three of its last four games.
Rapid City native Ryan Bachman recorded two hits, a double and a triple, scoring two runs and adding two RBIs. Carson Green drove in three runs, and Johnny McHenry tallied two runs as part of a two-hit night.
Starting pitcher Cam Hoiland earned the win, allowing one run on five hits and four walks while striking out four in six innings. Dylan Richey earned the save in 2/3 innings of work.
The Sasquatch and Bison face off again Thursday in Spearfish.
|
2022-06-23T05:15:28Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Sasquatch hold off Gem City for back-to-back wins | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/sasquatch-hold-off-gem-city-for-back-to-back-wins/article_18ce00bc-0045-5ab1-a3c0-1ed04ab572bd.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/sasquatch-hold-off-gem-city-for-back-to-back-wins/article_18ce00bc-0045-5ab1-a3c0-1ed04ab572bd.html
|
Kingsbury and Associates, in partnership with Sirius Realty of Greenville, South Carolina, announced May 27 that the Black Hills Industrial Center is the preferred location for the Western Legacy Development Corporation. The partnership claims the site would process 8,000 head of cattle per day and include a specialty bison line. If true, this would be the biggest processing facility in the United States.
Photo courtesy of Megan Kingsbury
Photo courtesy Megan Kingsbury
Dream Design International, Elevate Rapid City, ranchers and community members are questioning the feasibility, sustainability and suitability of the 1 million-square-foot facility for the Rapid City area community.
Megan Kingsbury, president/CEO of Kingsbury and Associates, said the project will be fully funded by her company. She claims she has completed all environmental impact studies and is in the research and development phase for the internal technology of the plant. Kingsbury claims the facility could bring 2,550 jobs to the area.
However, she has not provided any documentation to support her claims to the Journal or Elevate Rapid City, despite numerous requests.
Kingsbury said they plan to break ground in 2023, despite Dream Design International's leadership saying there is not enough room to accommodate the facility in the industrial center.
Who is Megan Kingsbury?
Kingsbury said it was always her plan to come back West River, but she didn’t know when.
“My goal in life is to be a rancher,” she said. “I want to go back and look at cows' ears everyday.”
Kingsbury is a fifth-generation South Dakotan. She said she is the president/CEO of Kingsbury and Associates, managing partner of ProStructor LLP, managing partner of Sirius Realty, owner/operator of Grimes Cattle Company and executive vice president of Kingsbury Builders Supply. She said her father’s family is from Keystone and Rapid City. Her mom’s family is from the Kadoka/Interior/Wall area. When her parents graduated from South Dakota State University, they moved to the Twin Cities in Minnesota and opened a business in commercial development.
Although she spent most of her time in Minnesota, she also traveled back to South Dakota to spend time on the Grimes Ranch. Kingsbury said her agriculture career started at age 5 when her grandfather gave her a bred heifer. She said her grandfather kept the heifer and every year she got to decide if they kept the calf or sold it.
After going to private school in the Twin Cities, she trained as a classical pianist and operatic singer at Bob Jones University, and she received advanced education through Clemson University. She said he was able to experience a lot of what the East Coast had to offer.
“The Midwest is a very different culture compared to the coast,” she said. “There’s good things from it and there’s not so good things from it, just as with any place. The strong takeaways, though, were the ability to capitalize on the business background that I had from the family company.”
She said she was able to take her knowledge from her family’s company with her time on the East Coast to found Kingsbury and Associates. The debt equity capital firm was founded in 2018 in Greenville and moved to Rapid City in 2021, along with opening a Rapid City branch of Sirius Realty.
Kingsbury said she had existing clients asking her to start a company. She said she reluctantly began working on the side on her own.
“I had way more business doing work on my own than I could ever imagine,” she said.
Kingsbury said her company has never advertised and is based on relationships.
“We’ve built our reputation on doing the right thing by people,” she said. “Obviously it takes a tremendous amount of work and takes a tremendous amount of guts and strength to pull it off, especially as a female in a completely male dominated industry both nationally and globally.”
Kingsbury said not only is she competing for a deal, but she’s competing for a seat at the table and then the deal. She said everything is hard, but it’s twice as hard as a woman.
“I found all women are marginalized when they’re at the corporate table,” she said. “I had strategic male mentors that saw the potential I had and invited me to a seat at the table. Because of them, I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity that I got in the door. They have empowered me and have continued to pour into me and enable me to speak for myself at that table.”
Curtis Harper, one of Kingsbury’s mentors and owner and broker in charge of Sirius Realty, said Kingsbury is like a daughter to him. He said she pulled him out of retirement.
He said he met Kingsbury about five years ago through a colleague.
“We met and I just saw a spark in her,” Harper said. “I said, ‘This person wants to work, this person wants to make a difference.’”
The two had lunch, met occasionally and Harper said he knew she was someone he wanted to pour into. He said pouring into Kingsbury is his way of repaying his own mentor Tom Hiles.
Harper said Kingsbury came to him before she left in 2021 to relocate to Rapid City and asked if he would help her open an office. Harper said he looked into getting a license, got it and the two found the opportunity to help ranchers.
“I’m totally bought into helping her, I’ve got a ton of manufacturing experience, she has the experience in terms of raising funds, so it’s a perfect match in terms of our skill sets,” he said. “We want to create a more fair market for everybody.”
Harper said he’s the one who suggested actually building the facility. He said his role is figuring out how to construct the facility, what vendors are necessary and how big the facility needs to be. He said Kingsbury’s role is fundraising, raising capital for the project, being the face of the project, public relations, and working with governmental associations and tribal associations.
Kingsbury said she ties her success in the corporate world directly back to the work ethic and strength of character and stubbornness learned in South Dakota and in the agriculture community.
Between being with her family company and launching Kingsbury and Associates, Kingsbury said there were a couple nights she spent in her car.
“Although I had always had opportunities, after spending a night in my car with nowhere to go and no idea what the next step was with just my dog, I know what it’s like to be at the bottom,” she said. “I determined that I would never stay there and it’s through the work ethic, the values, the relationships that this project is possible.”
She said she hasn’t taken time to absorb her journey yet because she’s too focused on her new project, but thinks it illustrates what human determination is able to accomplish.
“It’s not that I’ve always made the right decision, but I was just stubborn enough to never quit,” Kingsbury said.
She said she wanted to come back to Rapid City and wanted to start the facility out of a moral obligation. She said she has the sustainability to go back to ranching and live a good life and do nothing. The other option was to bring offices back with her.
“The goal of it is to create the legacy, create the sustainability within the family ranches, and perpetuate the values that have made me the business woman and fundamentally the woman I am today,” Kingsbury said.
Elevate Rapid City President/CEO Tom Johnson said Elevate has had numerous conversations with Kingsbury and her company dating back to as early as December 2021. He said Elevate didn’t have much time to react to the idea of the meat processing facility when they saw the press release come out in May.
Johnson said with any company, Elevate Rapid City tries to understand a company’s business plan, capital structure, competitive analysis, market penetration, logistics and infrastructure and workforce requirements. He said they’ve asked Kingsbury numerous times for the documents and haven’t received any.
He said in a project of this magnitude there would be concerns — like is 2,500 employees in a market like Rapid City possible, can 8,000 head of cattle a day be slaughtered, is there enough water for a project like this when it’s already a concern for the area, and are there logistics in supply chains available and cost effective to ship the grain to feed cattle here before they are slaughtered.
“The list continues to get bigger but we haven’t been able to really determine if those concerns have been addressed because we haven’t been able to get any information through a request for a business plan,” Johnson said. “It’s challenging for Elevate because the press release said it’s happening, this will happen, that the funding is in place, and yet at the same time we see statements like we’re in the exploratory phase and then we see statements like we’re breaking ground in ‘23.”
Johnson said the environmental assessment that would need to be done on a facility like this would likely take about 36 months or three years.
“We continue to evaluate statements that seem to contradict one another and we’re just trying to understand which statement is the one that is the most accurate,” he said.
Johnson said he’s heard from several dozen people in the ranching community who have the same questions Elevate does.
“Certainly everybody wants a healthy agricultural ecosystem, us and the ranching community,” he said. “We’ve talked to several producers who I think have some healthy skepticism of the facility’s size and scope, and feasibility. We echo their concerns, and that’s why we’ve asked for a business plan so we can understand how those issues get resolved ourselves."
There have been multiple public comments at Rapid City Council meetings stating this facility would not be a good fit for Rapid City and that it would disrupt traffic with just the cattle coming through.
One person from a June 6 council meeting said Rapid City is a tourism town and doesn’t understand how the facility could fit.
Hani Shafai, president/CEO of Dream Design International, said the Black Hills Industrial Center does not have adequate space to accommodate such a large plant, but does welcome any manufacturer that helps the ranching and farming community.
Shafai said Dream Design will do whatever it takes to bring help to farmers and ranchers, but the plant is too large for the industrial center since most sites are already committed to businesses. He said there are only small parcels left, and they are not large enough to accommodate the facility.
Facility timeline
Kingsbury said the facility is in the research and development phase until the end of the year. She said the company has a number of engineers and designers, and hopes to have a vendor fair during the Central States Fair in August. She said they are processing many applications locally, nationally and globally.
She said people can take any one issue, isolate it and have concerns. She said if the concern is the procurement of livestock, with breeding programs and implementation of additional feedlots opening, that hurdle can be overcome.
As for the workforce, Kingsbury said they have three years of recruiting and training the best talent in the state to grow individuals. As for housing, she said the three and a half years before the facility opens will allow her company to work with local contractors and local development agencies and municipalities to meet those needs.
Kingsbury said all of the environmental studies have been completed and include plans to rely on solar power, trapping methane, water recycling and to be carbon-neutral.
“It’s important to us to be very good neighbors here in our local community as well as to be good citizens and stewards of our resources,” she said. “It is only reasonable to pursue use of all of the green energy alternatives that logistically are feasible and financially make sense on a facility of this size.”
Kingsbury also said they have secondary locations under review, but believes there is plenty of space in the industrial center. She said the project would stay within the metro-Rapid City market if there were a secondary location due to housing and workforce.
She said this would be the greatest project she will ever have in life, regardless of where she goes from here. She said it is the greatest contribution that could be made and can make a difference in the world.
|
2022-06-23T12:56:06Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Unanswered questions surround $1.1 billion meat processing plant | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/unanswered-questions-surround-1-1-billion-meat-processing-plant/article_82841a48-de76-5860-8994-b4bf1f301d8e.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/unanswered-questions-surround-1-1-billion-meat-processing-plant/article_82841a48-de76-5860-8994-b4bf1f301d8e.html
|
Stevens’ Paul Hendry wins national coach of the year award
Rapid City Stevens track and field head coach Paul Hendry, center, poses with his sons after winning the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year for girls track and field at the organization’s annual convention Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa.
Rapid City Stevens athletic director Jared Vasquez noted that with the high turnover rate of coaches these days, Paul Hendry’s tenure at the school is an accomplishment in and of itself.
And for his years of service, as well as his commitment and success, Hendry was honored as the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year for girls track and field at the organization’s annual convention Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa.
“Sitting there in the audience, I was there with my two sons and my youngest one’s like, ‘You’re going to win, you’re going to win,’” Hendry said. “I know the more times you get there, and the more years of experience and wins and working in your association, you get better chances to hear your name called, so I knew there was a chance, but it’s still a surprise when you hear your name called.”
Hendry, who has coached both the Raiders girls and boys track and field teams since 1998 and has spent the last 21 years as head coach, was named a finalist for the award earlier this month and was among seven other coaches from Iowa, Montana, Colorado, Mississippi, Minnesota, North Dakota and New Mexico contending for the award.
“I’m very happy for Paul, just because of his dedication and involvement with making the sport better, not just at Stevens, not just in Rapid City, but statewide,” Vasquez said. “To see him finally be recognized in a day and age where coaching longevity is starting to become the exception instead of the norm, at least from what I’ve been observing, I’m really happy for Paul.”
Hendry said the award speaks to the accomplishments of Stevens track and field as a whole, and that the recognition is shared within the program.
“It’s not me as an individual winning this, but it represents our coaching staff, the awesome athletes I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the years,” he said. “Plus the support we get from the parents and school and the community is what this award means.”
Vasquez said Hendry has fostered a team atmosphere out of a highly individual sport, and that his success as a program leader has been shown through strong showings at state meets, many college signings and high quality student-athletes.
“It’s always very gratifying to see that someone who you support and try to get them what they need to do the best job that they can get recognized, especially when they’re getting recognized by their peers,” he said. “You’re just happy and excited for them, and feel good for them that all their hard work and commitment to a sport and to a craft and their involvement in that sport, not just locally but statewide, is recognized.”
|
2022-06-24T01:42:03Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Stevens’ Paul Hendry wins national coach of the year award | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/stevens-paul-hendry-wins-national-coach-of-the-year-award/article_cd5bf19d-880f-5770-a8b7-71fb5d48f067.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/stevens-paul-hendry-wins-national-coach-of-the-year-award/article_cd5bf19d-880f-5770-a8b7-71fb5d48f067.html
|
Air Force officer reflects on time with Douglas School Board
U.S. Air Force Col. Brady Vaira sits next to board member Amy McGovern at his final board meeting as an associate member with the Douglas School Board of Education on June 13.
U.S. Air Force Col. Brady Vaira presents a gift to the Douglas School District at his final board meeting as an associate board member on June 13.
For the past two years, Col. Brady Vaira has served as the commander of the 28th Mission Support Group at Ellsworth Air Force Base. As his time at Ellsworth comes to a close with the beginning of a new assignment, he reflected on another support mission from his service in South Dakota — the Douglas School District.
Vaira served as an associate board member with Douglas for two years, a role he completed at the board’s June 13 meeting. A non-voting position that rotates every two years, the purpose of the associate membership is to provide Ellsworth Air Force Base representatives an opportunity to better understand the operation of the school district and to express opinions as reflected in the military community.
While the position itself is not new, Vaira’s membership came at a unique and challenging time for schools across the country, and Douglas in particular. While the world dealt with a dramatically altered approach to education with the hit of the coronavirus, Douglas was also experiencing and preparing for unprecedented growth.
As the commander of the 28th Bomb Wing Support Group, the associate board position was a good fit, Vaira said. His position at Ellsworth involved leading nearly 2,000 military, civilian and contractor professionals in planning, organizing, coordinating and implementing installation services and support to more than 8,500 military and civilian personnel and their families.
Nearly 70% of school-age children from the base attend Douglas, he said, making up about 40% of the entire district’s population. His own children— Dillon, fifth grade, and Sierra, first grade — would join those numbers. It just made sense.
Vaira entered his role with a goal of teamwork. Knowing he would serve for a limited time, creating connections and relationships between the district and the base was what he hoped to accomplish.
Reflecting on the past two years, he saw that goal accomplished, starting with the welcome he received from the board on his first day.
“From up and down, all across, the administration of the school has been super, super welcoming when we got here,” Vaira said.
When Vaira and his family arrived in South Dakota in May 2020, COVID-19 was in full swing. School districts were making decisions about closures and distance learning, with no blueprints and no right answers.
His first meeting with the board was via Zoom. It included a COVID-19 Recovery Committee Report determining phases, thresholds and mitigation strategies. The following meeting had questions from parents regarding the Opening of School plan, and concerns about masking in school.
On base, their approach was to protect the mission, protect the force and find the balance between “making sure we can still do our mission and having the right amount of mitigation in place to protect the mission and to protect the force,” Vaira said.
The base was able to share their approach with the school district, and in turn, the district was able to share with the base their tracking and mitigation methods.
He saw the partnership working — the relationships, connections and open communication he sought to accomplish were playing a vital role in navigating one of the most difficult times in the district’s history.
“We tried to get into lockstep as much as we could,” Vaira said.
Those first six months were “tough,” he said, but also brought pride.
“I think, for the most part, we did a really good job as a school,” he said. The mitigation and communication efforts ensured they never lost sight of the most important thing: the kids.
“Everybody was trying to make sure that we educated kids, no matter what we had to do,” he said. “So I'm really proud of that.”
In addition to the challenges of COVID, Vaira’s time with the district also came during a period of unprecedented growth, while also preparing for the incoming B-21 mission. He saw the district exhibit a proactive approach that he called "amazing."
Vaira had the opportunity to help shape what that growth looked like within the district, offering timelines and knowledge from the base side, and insight into how the base was preparing for the growth, as well.
“We're all in the same boat. What we're doing right now is gonna leave a mark," Vaira said.
A bittersweet fact of military life is not always getting to see that mark. Moving from base to base, Vaira and his family take and leave pieces of themselves everywhere they go.
From the Black Hills community, he will take with him the sense of community, he said. From Douglas, he’ll take the partnerships and the vision for the future.
“Just the fact that they're so in lockstep with us on so many things,” he said. “And they're looking to the future, trying to take care of the current mission. That's really the biggest thing I'm gonna take.”
Vaira left his mark on the school district, as well.
Board of Education member Amy McGovern recalled an event from December 2020, when students from Francis Case Elementary School made a presentation to the board, reading letters about “Thankful Thursday.”
One such student was a second grader, expressing his thankfulness for the armed forces.
“The Colonel got up and presented him with a challenge coin, which was just huge, ” McGovern said. “ Because that’s not just something they throw around.”
This was at the height of COVID, she said, when everyone was in masks and social distancing, and it “was just fantastic. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room.”
“It was truly an honor to sit beside him,” McGovern said.
As Vaira and his family prepare to move to South Korea, he described them as a jigsaw puzzle of cultures. They have lived all over the United States, and all over the world. His daughter Sierra was born in Germany.
“I'm sure I'm going to come back," he said about the Black Hills. "It is like a second home to us.”
Even his son Dillon talked about coming back one day. As they were moving out of their South Dakota home, he left muddy hand prints on the wooden panels of their fence.
“Just in case when we come back, I know which one it is,” he told his dad. They grow attached, he said, and then have to let go.
“I hope they get to come back someday, and see some of the things that we put in place,” Vaira said.
|
2022-06-24T14:10:35Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Air Force officer reflects on time with Douglas School Board | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/air-force-officer-reflects-on-time-with-douglas-school-board/article_e6c91c0e-3215-5998-9aef-e0bc9126f5ce.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/air-force-officer-reflects-on-time-with-douglas-school-board/article_e6c91c0e-3215-5998-9aef-e0bc9126f5ce.html
|
South Dakota's elected officials, organizations react to abortion ruling
South Dakota's State Capitol building.
Matt Gade / Forum News Service
South Dakota's elected officials and statewide organizations are reacting to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
South Dakota law has a provision that immediately bans abortions in the state, except in a case to save the life of a pregnant woman. The provision was passed in 2005.
Gov. Kristi Noem said she will call a special session to solidify state law on abortion bans. In a statement, the governor said she intends to save lives and help mothers who are impacted by the decision.
“Every abortion always had two victims: the unborn child and the mother. Today’s decision will save unborn lives in South Dakota, but there is more work to do,” Noem said. “We must do what we can to help mothers in crisis know that there are options and resources available for them. Together, we will ensure that abortion is not only illegal in South Dakota – it is unthinkable.”
U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., issued a statement early Friday after the Supreme Court's announcement to end the federal constitutional right for abortion.
"This decision to overturn Roe is long overdue, and it’s a historic day in the pro-life movement,” Thune said. “Our country is dedicated to the defense of human rights, and I hope that we can further live up to that promise with the question of abortion now rightfully returned to the states, the democratic process, and to elected officials who can be held accountable to the American people for their decisions.”
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., said the Supreme Court made the correct decision.
“I’ve never believed the Roe v. Wade decision — which was ultimately a personal privacy case — was a justification to take a human life. The unborn deserve protection,” Johnson said.
U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., has not issued a statement on the decision, yet.
The South Dakota Democratic Party decried the Supreme Court's decision and took aim at Gov. Kristi Noem and the state's law that triggered the abortion ban.
"South Dakotans have shown at the ballot box that they do not support a ban on abortion, but Kristi Noem and Republican officials continue to enact an extreme, out-of-touch agenda," the statement from the Democratic party said.
Planned Parenthood North Central States, which was the only abortion provider in South Dakota, stopped scheduling appointments at their Sioux Falls facility on June 15. The organization said South Dakota and North Dakota both have the trigger laws, but abortion services will still be available in Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.
“The U.S. Supreme Court decision is wrong and will harm millions of people,” said Sarah Stoesz, president/CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States. “This decision is an unconscionable rollback of fundamental rights for all people in the United States. Because people’s right to access abortion is no longer guaranteed by federal law, it now depends on where you live and how much money you have to travel out of state for abortion care. Forced pregnancy is a grave violation of human rights and dignity."
Wyoming also has a trigger law that bans abortion, but provides exceptions in cases of rape or incest or to protect the mother’s life or health, not including psychological conditions. Wyoming has just one abortion provider in the state, a doctor at a Jackson clinic, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. She only provides medication abortions, as opposed to surgical procedures which can be done safely later in a pregnancy.
A second clinic that would offer abortions was set to open this month in Casper, though its opening will likely be delayed for around six months after someone tried to burn it down. Its founder told the Star-Tribune they still plan to open and provide other health care, even if abortion is no longer legal.
South Dakota Right to Life Executive Director Dale Bartscher said the organization "enthusiastically applauds" the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
"We will continue helping women navigate pregnancies they did not plan for as we remind South Dakotan's that the pro-life movement cares about women and their unborn children,” Bartscher said. “Our movement includes nearly 3,000 pregnancy help centers across the United States designed to provide free services for women where and when they need it, such as free ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, prenatal vitamins, baby clothing, formula, parenting classes, and additional practical and material help. These centers and our tens of thousands of volunteers will continue looking for more ways to help mothers in need."
ACLU South Dakota issued a statement saying the organization is working with partners and providers to respond to the Supreme Court's ruling and fight back.
“Anti-abortion politicians have put South Dakota on the wrong side of history for too long, and the ACLU is determined not to let them off the hook,” said Libby Skarin, ACLU of South Dakota campaigns director. “The ACLU of South Dakota is mobilizing supporters to make sure that these anti-abortion politicians feel the consequences of their brazen disregard for our rights.”
|
2022-06-24T18:01:13Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
South Dakota's elected officials, organizations react to abortion ruling | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/south-dakotas-elected-officials-organizations-react-to-abortion-ruling/article_c61bf232-bf82-5f76-ae9f-962a23ac5b24.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/south-dakotas-elected-officials-organizations-react-to-abortion-ruling/article_c61bf232-bf82-5f76-ae9f-962a23ac5b24.html
|
Hope Owens promoted to Central volleyball head coach
Hope Owens was named head coach of the Rapid City Central volleyball team Friday. Owens served as an assistant coach for the Cobblers last season.
Rapid City Central assistant volleyball coach Hope Owens has been promoted to head coach, school activities director Jordan Bauer announced Friday morning.
“This is a great day for Cobbler Volleyball,” Bauer said in a statement. “Coach Owens is a highly-regarded young coach who has worked and has a proven track record of success. Coach Owens has tremendous relationship-building skills and possesses an unmatched passion to serve as the next leader for the Cobbler Volleyball program.”
Owens, 25, spent the 2021 season as an assistant coach for the Cobblers under previous head coach Jayna Morrill. She also led one of the school’s freshman teams, organized offseason workouts and serves as a coach for Black Hills Juniors Volleyball Club.
“I’m truly honored,” Owens told the Journal. “I’ve always had a very deep commitment to Central High School and building our program to be unified, as well as successful. I believe our student-athletes deserve that. I feel like they have the potential to get there.”
Owens grew up in Gettysburg and played volleyball at Potter County. After graduating from Northern State University in Aberdeen in 2019, she moved to Rapid City and worked for the State of South Dakota before becoming a teacher at Rapid City Area Schools and joining the Cobblers coaching staff, where she fell in love with the role.
“I just have such a passion for watching our kids be successful and watching them grow,” she said. “Our athletes are people before they’re athletes, and just watching those kids grow into respectful, responsible kids, that’s really what motivates me the most.”
Owens said she wants to bring more communication and organization to the program, two skills she said she’s strong in, and create a positive mentality among her team.
“What interested me the most (in becoming head coach) was making that larger impact,” she said. “I’ve always had that spark of leadership since I was younger, and I’ve always had a passion for being a role model to our student-athletes, as well as our coaches.”
At 25 years old, Owens said she understands that there might be doubt from those on the outside of her abilities as a young head coach, but she’s on a mission to prove them wrong.
“I want to prove that it doesn't matter what your age is. I feel like that doesn’t define anything,” she said. “With connecting with our athletes, we can serve as a good role model.”
Central volleyball hasn’t produced a winning season since 2012 and finished 18th in the Class AA standings last year, out of 19 schools, with a 7-27 record. Owens said turning the program around will start with laying down the groundwork for success.
“We can’t count to 10 if we haven’t counted to five,” she said. “It’s really important that you build those core foundational skills before you expect your athletes to move to 10.”
The Cobblers can begin official practices Aug. 12 and start playing matches as early as Aug. 23.
|
2022-06-25T01:47:01Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Hope Owens promoted to Central volleyball head coach | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/hope-owens-promoted-to-central-volleyball-head-coach/article_6d369868-729b-59b2-980b-f04a636b3302.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/hope-owens-promoted-to-central-volleyball-head-coach/article_6d369868-729b-59b2-980b-f04a636b3302.html
|
Rapid City group protests Roe v. Wade overturn
Two protesters converse as the crowd chants in the background at the Roe Decision Day Protest on Friday at the corner of Main and Ninth streets in Rapid City. Cars honked as they drove by to show support for the protest.
Ten-year-old Vox Copeland, left, and 7-year-old Felix Copeland, right, rest underneath an umbrella on Friday during the protest. Despite the rain, the crowd continued to grow throughout the evening.
Julie Streeter leads protest chants at the Roe Decision Day Protest on Friday near the federal courthouse in Rapid City. Streeter said that everything seemed too quiet when she got there, so she started reading off people's signs as chants.
More than 150 people stood at the corners of Ninth and Main streets near the federal courthouse in Rapid City through the rain Friday evening protesting the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
The United States Supreme Court announced the reversal of the 1973 landmark case that established a woman’s ability to terminate a pregnancy as a constitutional right Friday morning. Protesters in Rapid City, though, couldn’t believe the nation made it to that point.
“We’re just taking so many steps back,” Jordan Kitzmiller said. “We’ve made it this far. We’re supposed to love each other and care about each other, you’re supposed to have the right to choose. That’s what we’re about. We’re supposed to be free, and as of today we’re losing a lot of the rights that make us free.”
The protest was organized by the South Dakota chapter of the National Organization for Women, which aims to take action through grassroots activism to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect the equal rights of all women and girls in social, political and economic life, according to its website.
Members of NDN Collective also attended. Some protesters even stopped traffic for about three minutes on Main Street while some holding signs stood in the intersection.
People yelled several chants throughout the protest that lasted through sunset, including “My body, my choice,” “Screw the Supreme Court,” and “We won’t go back.”
People also held signs that read “Abort the court,” “Don’t like abortions? Just ignore them like you do children in foster care,” “You’re not pro life, you’re pro fetus” and “Welcome to 1973.” There were also signs referencing coat hanger abortions.
The group on the street corners, as well as those who honked in support while driving past, varied in sex, race and age.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a separate opinion from the court Friday calling on the other justices to reconsider the court’s rulings on same-sex marriage, same-sex relationships and contraception cases.
Kitzmiller said it’s “gross” and isn’t fair that people are having their rights taken away from them.
Ashley Schulz said if Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was still around, this wouldn’t have happened.
Kristen Pierce said she doesn’t think anyone used logic on making the overturn decision.
Schulz said she thinks people need to take responsibility for it getting to the point of overturn because no one has taken action.
“We haven’t been doing anything up until recently in the last, what, 10 years or so, about it, and it’s too late now because as everyone knows, Supreme Court rulers are there for life,” she said. “Anything that’s happening now, you can expect it to get worse in the future.”
Schulz said education now is important, and the overturn decision is one of the most important political things happening in the country.
Kitzmiller said if people don’t know what’s happening to them and don’t have the resources to learn what the laws mean, they won’t be able to take action.
“You have to be able to know what’s going on around you, and if you don’t give people the correct education — sex education — then how do you expect them to be able to make the right decisions?” she said. “There’s going to be unwanted children, and there’s already an issue with the foster care system with children that don’t have love, don’t have the homes they need. Why do we want to make that problem worse?”
Theodora Rossiter, 5, looks up at her sign on Friday at at the corner of Main and Ninth streets in Rapid City.
Saphire Schroeder looks up at the sky on Friday at the corner of Main and Ninth streets in Rapid City.
Odessa holds up a sign at the Roe Decision Day Protest on Friday at the corner of Main and Ninth streets in Rapid City.
PHOTOS AND VIDEO: Rapid City protest over Supreme Court decision
About 150 people showed up to a protest organized by South Dakota's chapter of the National Organization for Women in response to the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Protesters made signs, led chants, and blocked traffic as cars honked in support of their cause.
|
2022-06-25T03:35:26Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Rapid City group protests Roe v. Wade overturn | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/rapid-city-group-protests-roe-v-wade-overturn/article_904fddb8-3a7e-599d-bcda-fb36525a5e8b.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/rapid-city-group-protests-roe-v-wade-overturn/article_904fddb8-3a7e-599d-bcda-fb36525a5e8b.html
|
RAPID CITY - Bobby F. Lewis, 83, of Rapid City, SD, passed away June 19, 2022.
Bob was born on March 9, 1939 to Albert and Prudence (Ritter) Lewis in Flathead County, Montana. He attended a country school, graduating in the class of 1957, from Flathead County High School in Kallispell, Montana. Bob enlisted in the Montana National Guard, joined the Air Force in 1960, stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base. After his service, he lived one year in Phillip, SD, before returning to Rapid City to work in finance business. (Bob always said he never made enough money to leave town.) In 1972, (after the flood) he became a Property Manager Director for Urban Renewal for 5 years, disposing of all properties located in the floodways. In 1977, he became a Real Estate Appraiser and started Black Hills Appraiser, retiring in 2012.
Bob was an active member in Rapid City Chamber of Commerce, Diplomat, Elks Lodge 1187, Masonic Lodge #25, NAJA Shriner and Morning Optimist.
Bob loved to travel and play golf. After retirement, he spent many summer hours getting rid of weeds and trimming plants on the Elks Golf Course, which gave him great pleasure picking up pine cones on all the neighbors yards.
Survivors include his wife, Judy, of 43 years; children Eric Lewis of Colorado Springs, CO, Chad Lewis and Kevin (Lori) Lewis of Rapid City, SD, Timothy (Pam) Voegele and Laura Corrigan of Rapid City, SD; 13 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Al Lewis, Sam Lewis; sister Evelyn Smithsonian and daughter, Penny Hill.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 2-4pm on July 10th at the Elks Lodge in Rapid City.
Family and friends are asked to bring stories and jokes they shared with Bob over the years so all can enjoy them as everyone who knew him, knew, knew he loved to laugh and tell jokes and stories. Kirk Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
|
2022-06-25T05:15:30Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Bobby F. Lewis | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/bobby-f-lewis/article_40bc9e4d-88a9-5cd8-bcff-682b62ebe5fe.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/bobby-f-lewis/article_40bc9e4d-88a9-5cd8-bcff-682b62ebe5fe.html
|
Elizabeth Jean (Seitz) Pauley
RAPID CITY - Elizabeth Jean Seitz was born in Deadwood, SD, on November 11, 1928, to George and Jessie (Zerba) Seitz.
Betty was a farm girl through and through, growing up with her parents and three older siblings on an irrigated farm on the Belle Fourche River, east of Vale, where her grandparents had settled in 1909. She attended Vale schools, graduating from high school a year early in 1945. She lost her father, whom she adored, in 1947, and then two years later lovingly cared for her mother who died of cancer in 1949. Betty persevered and, along with her brother Jim, borrowed the money to keep the farm in the family.
Betty married Ezra "Ezzie" Pauley on November 11, 1950, and they began married life on the Pauley farm further down the river valley east of Vale. Ezzie woke up every morning for the next 65 years believing he'd won the lottery by marrying Betty Seitz, the sweetest, smartest, prettiest girl he ever knew. In 1956 they moved to the Seitz place and into the adobe brick farmhouse Betty's father had built in the mid-1930s.
The quintessential farm girl became the quintessential farm wife, working in the fields and the lambing sheds, painting barns, building cabinets, cooking for sheep shearing crews, gardening, teaching Sunday school, and raising two boys. Betty was somewhat shy and definitely a homebody, but she also had gumption, a pioneer spirit and a deep faith, believing that hard work and God's grace would carry her through most any trial. In her own words: "Farming is a difficult way to make a living, and it is certainly not for everyone. Sometimes I marvel that it is for anyone! But farm life has many rewards and most of the time we have been very happy on this farm."
Despite the tragedy of losing both her parents at a young age, losing Ezzie in 2016, and son Greg in 2019, Betty believed she had lived a charmed life and was grateful to the Lord for blessing her with a family she loved. Betty Pauley lived all but five of her 93 years on the Seitz-Pauley farmstead, and died on June 15, 2022, at home in the house her father built.Betty suffered from dementia toward the end of her life and was thankful for the care provided by her daughter-in-law, Amy and the other special caregivers who attended her.
She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Jessie; siblings, Doris Thurlow Lien, George Jr. (Helen), and Jim; husband, Ezra, and son, Greg.
She is survived by daughter-in-law, Amy; grandson, Ethan (Sarah); son, Randy (Pat); grandchildren, Isaac (Jackie), Eva, and Cessy (Brian) Dillon; great-granddaughters, Edie and Faith; sister-in-law, Helen Seitz, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
A family graveside memorial service will be held at a later date at the Vale Cemetery.
Those who wish to honor Betty's memory may do so by performing an act of kindness for someone in need, or by making a contribution to Hospice of the Northern Hills.
Condolences may be sent to www.kinkadefunerals.com.
|
2022-06-25T05:15:48Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Elizabeth Jean (Seitz) Pauley | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/elizabeth-jean-seitz-pauley/article_ea159173-79a5-5c0a-b9f5-5c2ca21c91e5.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/elizabeth-jean-seitz-pauley/article_ea159173-79a5-5c0a-b9f5-5c2ca21c91e5.html
|
RAPID CITY - Ethel Deckert, 92, passed away on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. She was born on July 13, 1929, in Marion, SD. She married Abner Deckert in 1951. She had many vocations in her lifetime including Bell telephone operator, rural schoolteacher, seamstress, and cook.
Ethel is survived by her children: Cathy (Henry, Jr.) Knapp, Black Hawk; Cindy (Dave) Buchholtz, Aurora, SD; Cheryl (Mark) Brodrick, Rapid City; and Tim (Ann) Deckert, Rapid City; brother Bert Schroeder, Sioux Falls; Sister-in-law Shirleen DeHoogh, Stillwater, OK; seven grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband in 1999, an infant son, Charles, granddaughter, Tony, one brother and one sister.
Visitation will be from 3:00-5:00 PM on Sunday, June 26 at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home. Services will be at 11 AM on Monday, June 27 at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Livestreamed at https://rcwestminster.com/online-worship-prayer.
Full obituary at www.osheimschmidt.com.
|
2022-06-25T05:15:54Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Ethel Deckert | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/ethel-deckert/article_01a9afba-6ed8-5546-9700-93d48a63159c.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/ethel-deckert/article_01a9afba-6ed8-5546-9700-93d48a63159c.html
|
DUBUQUE, IA - John J. Etienne, age 74 of Dubuque, IA completed his earthly journey on June 22, 2022 at Luther Manor Grand Meadows in Asbury with his loving family by his side. To honor John's life, his Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 241 Peosta Street in Peosta, IA with Rev. Michael Schueller and Rev. John Haugen officiating. Family and friends are invited to visit one hour prior to the service at the church and also at John's Celebration of Life which will be held from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the Barrington Lakes Pavilion, 11197 Lakeview Drive in Dubuque, following his services at the church. Full military honors will be accorded by the Dubuque Marine Corps League and burial will be in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Dubuque.
John was born on December 3, 1947 in Columbus, OH, the son to Joseph A. and Nancy J (Novak) Etienne. He was raised with a strong work ethic, an innate sense of integrity, and a natural drive and determination to make the most out of every opportunity which would present itself throughout his life. John graduated in 1969 from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering. John married his soul-mate, Jacquilyn Weiland on June 7, 1969 in Rapid City, SD. He went to work for DuPont in Parkersburg, WV until November of 1969 when he was called to serve his country. He served in Vietnam from September of 1970 to September of 1971 in the 2nd Armored Division. Upon returning from Vietnam, John earned his Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering from SDSM&T and returned to work at DuPont. John and Jacquie moved to Dubuque in August of 1979 to work for John Deere. After 31 years, he retired in May, 2010. John and Jacquie were blessed with two wonderful children. John was a devoted husband and father. He served 7 years as Wahlert Booster Club President investing his spare time in organizing the Dubuque parishes to staff the concessions stands for athletic events at Wahlert High School. He proudly traveled with the Wahlert and Loras golf teams where he became known as (Homie). John was a volunteer teacher for Junior Achievement, he loved golfing with his friends, and he even did his best to perfect his fishing skills from time to time, but he really liked to skip rocks. John filled many roles at John Deere over the years and took his responsibilities seriously, but none compared to his love and adoration for his family at home. His sense of humor and story telling abilities were legendary, and his ability to make friends wherever he found himself was absolutely amazing to watch. John's humble spirit was continually on display for all to witness, and the memories which he leaves behind now thankfully reside within their broken hearts. John spent his life focused on all the right areas which truly matter in this world: faith, family, and fun. He understood that balance was not only a prerequisite to a truly joy filled life, but that it would also bless the lives of those around him whom he loved so much. As sad as we are today with the realization that John's bright light will not shine quite as brightly in our daily lives moving forward, we are forever grateful for the 74 years in which the Lord was willing to share him with us. Thank you, John, for leading by example and teaching us so many important lessons along your journey. May the Lord bless you and keep you safe in His loving arms until we meet again.
Those left behind to cherish the memory of John include his beautiful bride of 53 years, Jacquilyn "Jacquie" Etienne, Dubuque, IA; his two loving children, Joel (Amy) Etienne, Norwalk, IA, and Jocelyn (Brent) Harseim, Fisher, IL; his five adored grandchildren, Peyton Etienne, Madelyn Etienne, Kinley Jo Etienne, Ella Harseim, and Gage Dean Harseim; his siblings, Michele (Mike) Keegan, Kingsport, TN, Larry (Ann) Etienne, Omaha, NE, and Susan (Steve) Arensen, Florence, SD; along with numerous extended family, friends, and neighbors.
John's family would like to thank Dr. Liaboe and Trish, the staff at 3rd Floor Summit at UnityPoint, along with the nurses and staff at Grand Meadows and Hospice of Dubuque for all of their professional and compassionate care.
In lieu of flowers, donations in John's name may be made to Hospice of Dubuque, the Special Olympics of South Dakota, or Luther Manor Grand Meadows.
Online condolences may be shared with John's family at www.tristatecremationcenter.com.
|
2022-06-25T05:16:00Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
John J. Etienne | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/john-j-etienne/article_1f638c33-5fa0-541b-b1f3-9c351dcd6c93.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/john-j-etienne/article_1f638c33-5fa0-541b-b1f3-9c351dcd6c93.html
|
Mary Stein
LONG PRAIRIE - Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 A.M. Monday, June 27, 2022 at St. Mary of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Long Prairie for Mary Stein, 79 of Long Prairie who died Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at Maplewood Manor Senior Living in Elbow Lake. The Rev. Omar Guanchez will officiate and burial will be in the parish cemetery. Visitation will be from 3:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. on Sunday at the Williams Dingmann Stein Chapel in Long Prairie and one hour prior to services on Monday at the church in Long Prairie. St. Mary's Catholic women will pray the rosary at 3:30 P.M. Sunday at the funeral home in Long Prairie.
Mary was born April 28, 1943 in Guhren, Germany to Wilhelm & Theresia (Wigger) Damer. She and her family moved from East Germany to West Germany in January of 1945, on June 6, 1950 they immigrated to the United States to New Underwood, SD and in 1956 they moved to Elrosa. She grew up in Elrosa and after graduating from high school she attended and graduated from St. Mary's School of Nursing in Rochester. She became a registered nurse and started working at St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth. She met Robert E. Stein in Duluth and they were married on August 20, 1966 at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Elrosa. They moved to Long Prairie and purchased the Stephan Funeral Home in 1969 and operated the funeral home together until 2004 when they retired. She is a member of St. Mary of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Long Prairie, and was active in the Catholic Women and St. Ann's Mission group. Mary was active in her community in different organization including, the Long Prairie Food Pantry, Long Prairie Quilt Club, Long Prairie Marching Ambassadors, Long Prairie Chamber, Charter member of Long Prairie Mrs. JC's, Country Cruisers Car Club. She was also a member of the Minnesota Funeral Directors Association and the St. Mary's School of Nursing Alumni Group. Mary enjoyed spending time playing bridge at the Long Prairie Country Club.
She is survived by her husband, Robert of Long Prairie; children: Jonathan (Mari) of Wausau, WI, Katrina (Tyler) Stenton of Chicago, IL, Christopher E. (Debra) of Tulsa, OK; grandchildren: Eric, Christopher R., Abigail, Allison, and Cash Stein; brothers: Guido (Carlene) Damer of Prineville, OR, Lewis (Dianne) Damer of St. Paul.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and brothers: Fred, Alois and Josef Damer.
Obituary and Guest Book available online: www.williamsdingmann.com
|
2022-06-25T05:16:38Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Mary Stein | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/mary-stein/article_db1329cc-7838-5643-a5fc-e0f51d2292a3.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/mary-stein/article_db1329cc-7838-5643-a5fc-e0f51d2292a3.html
|
GREETINGS! For those that knew Randy - that surely will make you smile.
Randy passed away the morning of June 16, 2022, at Monument Health after a valiant, but fairly brief fight against sepsis and heart damage from endocarditis. Randy was a fighter, but it all became too much and we are thankful he is now at peace.
Randall Lynn Erickson was born April 23, 1948, to Richard and Evelyn Erickson in Canova, SD. Randy learned his love for Christian and Civil service while spending summers working on his grandparent's farm. He grew up in Rapid City, and put himself through college while working at Red Barn Furniture, and learning refinishing as a craft. He had a BS in Electrical Engineering from SDSMT, and was employed by Black Hills Energy for more than 20 years, before returning to his heart's passion of furniture revival. He later owned a small business providing furniture services specializing in restoring antique furniture. He was also active in his churches as Youth Leader, Trustee, Elder, and Deacon. He loved to serve!
Randy met the love of his life, Linda Haring, in Junior High Fellowship at the First Presbyterian Church, in downtown Rapid City. They were married on May 31, 1969 (53 years of marriage!!). Together they had one of the first houses in Chapel Valley built and in it they raised four children. Those years were filled with lots of hours at the Chapel Valley Pool, boating adventures, and vacations filled with many miles in a wagon or van. In the spirit of making learning fun, Randy created a "bounty" game that assigned coins to the child that first saw certain items (such as a moving train, a working windmill, or a certain license plate). He was a home-school teacher for a few of his grandchildren, as well as everyone's favorite phone a friend because of his vast knowledge on a variety of topics. He believed that K-12 learning was not necessarily to learn, but to learn how to learn. He was most assuredly a collector of things and a lover of learning!
Randy was his senior class VP and very active in organizing all of the class reunions over the years. He was Chairman of the Pennington County Republican Party in the 1990s (and even fulfilled his civil right as he voted from the hospital in the Tuesday, June 7, election). He was currently the President of the Chapel Lane Home Owner's Association, and also serving as an Elder, Welcome Class teacher, and lay reader at Westminster Presbyterian. He was also a chili competition winner and continued to treat his family to the chili every Christmas Eve!
Motorcycle riding is a passion of the family, and Randy has always been the Leader of the Pack. From day trips around the hills, to far-flung adventures, Randy was the master navigator and route planner. He and Linda (with the occasional addition of children/grandchild) have been visiting family and touring National Parks from coast-to-coast the last several years.
Randy is preceded in death by his parents, Richard (Pat) Erickson and Evelyn (Virgil) Graff; his in-laws, Leroy (Frances) Haring; his brother-in-law, Larry Chaussee; nephew, Stephen Larson, and great-nephew, Macon Lawrence Mason.
He is survived by his life-long partner, Linda Erickson; his children: Jay Erickson, Krista (James) Buchholz, Erin Erickson (Noah Deyo) and Todd Erickson; as well as his grandchildren: Brennen, Noelle, Jacob, Sydney, Annelise, Benjamin, Emerson, Ian, Brycen, Gavin, Cedar, and Althea; his sisters: Kendra (Gary) Larson and Pam Chaussee (Brad Blumenthal); in-law siblings: Chad (Judy) Haring; nephews: Nathan (Ami) Larson, Calar Chaussee, Seth (Sarah) Haring, Sam (Nicole) Haring; and nieces: Lauren (Josh) Sheets, and Megan (Marcus) Mason; and numerous great-nieces and nephews. What a legacy he has!!
The wake will be on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Fellowship Hall, providing time for sharing personal stories; and the funeral on June 29, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. (with lunch to follow) at Westminster Presbyterian.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Randy's home church, Westminster Presbyterian.
|
2022-06-25T05:16:50Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Randall Lynn Erickson | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/randall-lynn-erickson/article_b3967327-6ba6-50a3-865b-5133366519f9.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/randall-lynn-erickson/article_b3967327-6ba6-50a3-865b-5133366519f9.html
|
SPEARFISH - Vincent Francis Mahoney 69 of Spearfish, formerly of Rapid City passed away Friday, June 17, 2022.
Vince was a shy, quiet man -- unless he was talking about music, the Twins or the Green Bay Packers. The oldest son of Richard and Elda Pearl (Kellar) Mahoney, he loved to tease his nieces and nephews and never missed any celebration in their lives. He often attended concerts with Clyde, with his brother-in-law, his mother and anyone else he could talk into going. He loved attending Twins games in the Metrodome with Laura's family and seeing Bret Favre at Lambeau Field with his nephew Ryan. For nearly 40 years he sponsored children in Haiti, sending them Christmas cards and birthday cards.
Vince is survived by his brothers Patrick (Linda, Ryan, Megan) and Gregory; his sister Laura Geary (Benjamin, Deanna, Lisa) and his best friend Clyde Derry. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Paul (Cassandra) and his brother-in-law Patrick Geary.
Visitation will be 5:00pm June 29th at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home followed by Recitation of the Rosary at 6:00pm. A Christian Funeral Mass will be 11:00am June 30th at Blessed Sacrament Church. Inurnment to follow the luncheon at Pine Lawn Memorial Park in Rapid City. Online condolences can be left at www.osheimfhschmidt.com.
Rest in peace Vinnie. We miss you already.
|
2022-06-25T05:17:09Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Vincent Francis Mahoney | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/vincent-francis-mahoney/article_6ce33f77-fdf6-5789-bb4e-b7447cf06766.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/vincent-francis-mahoney/article_6ce33f77-fdf6-5789-bb4e-b7447cf06766.html
|
Medical cannabis screening drive begins Sunday
Dr. Mayson Bedient speaks with a patient. Bedient is a Sioux Falls-based doctor with MyMarijuanaCards.com.
Photo courtesy MyMarijuanaCards.com
Patients who have questions about medical cannabis should speak with their medical provider, a Sioux Falls-based doctor said.
Dr. Mayson Bedient works with MyMarijuanaCards, which will have its Rapid City patient screening event starting Sunday. The screening will last from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day through Wednesday. Patients can register by calling 605-961-5711.
Bedient said patients finding a provider tends to be the difficult step to receive a medical cannabis card.
“Then it’s an evaluation of medical records of the patient, kind of chatting with the patient about what they’re hoping to achieve, what kind of symptoms they’re trying to treat, making the decision with the patient, whether medical marijuana is the right step for them,” he said.
According to state law, patients hoping to receive a medical card must have a debilitating medical condition, which is defined as “a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe, debilitating pain; severe nausea; seizures; or severe and persistent muscle spasm, including those characteristics of multiple sclerosis."
Rapid City man arrested in shooting incident
Bedient said if a medical provider and patient decide it is the best course of action, the provider will fill out a state application that includes a medical form with a patient’s medical diagnosis. The patient then submits their passport-quality photo, their ID, name, address, phone number, pays the $75 state fee and the state Department of Health reviews it. If everything looks good, the patient is issued their card.
Those who qualify under low-income households, or those with a gross monthly household income less than 130% of the federal poverty level, can request a reduced fee by providing documentation.
Bedient said he presents medical marijuana as an option if he feels a patient would benefit from it just like he would any other medication or therapy.
“That varies from individual doctor to individual doctor, what medications (and) what therapies they like,” he said. “I feel that it’s on the same playing field as other medications because it does have a benefit. If I feel that it’s appropriate, I certainly will bring that up in conversation because I know sometimes patients are not sure whether I’m friendly to it and are hesitant to mention it themselves, or maybe aren’t aware that it’s an option for them.”
Bedient said there is a process to add a diagnosis to the list of eligible conditions and the current list may change as time goes on. He said there has been some controversy with the official list and would like to see some mental health disorders, like anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, added.
“I’m not saying it should be a first-line treatment, but it should be an option for people who have maybe not responded to other treatments,” he said.
Bedient said this is a new program but medical providers are doing their best to get information out there. He said if patients wonder if they would qualify, they can always call and/or set up an appointment.
Other patient information can be found at medcannabis.sd.gov.
A 32-year-old former violent offender was arrested following a Thursday night shooting in Rapid City.
|
2022-06-25T17:56:54Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Medical cannabis screening drive begins Sunday | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/medical-cannabis-screening-drive-begins-sunday/article_c9b17d99-dafc-5f4f-a7a4-175a4a9d5c4f.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/medical-cannabis-screening-drive-begins-sunday/article_c9b17d99-dafc-5f4f-a7a4-175a4a9d5c4f.html
|
Frank Morrison
The former owner of Thirsty's restaurant in downtown Rapid City was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals Thursday morning to start his 13-month prison sentence for tax fraud.
Chief U.S. District Judge Roberto Lange sentenced Frank Morrison, 72, to 13 months in Yankton with good time credit to equate to 11 months. Morrison was also ordered to pay $684,927.56 in restitution to the IRS, a $200,000 fine, a $100 special assessment fee and will have two years of supervised release.
Lange said if Morrison cannot pay the full amount, he will be required to pay restitution in monthly installments of $10,000, which may require liquidation of assets, 30 days following his release. The sentence is about half of the minimum guideline amount for similar crimes, which could have been 24-30 months, after Lange granted a downward variance request.
Morrison pleaded guilty in April to failing to withhold and pay $699,123 in taxes between 2008 and 2020.
Morrison and his attorney Ellery Grey said the motive for the tax evasion was connected to what Morrison felt was a racial injustice on the Ellsworth Air Force Base in the 1980s.
"What the government did was traumatic to me and my family," he said.
Morrison told the Journal in a March 28 interview that as a Native American, he earned a minority business contract to paint a hangar on Ellsworth Air Force Base. He said each time he and his crew made progress, he was told the paint wasn't the right quality and had to start over despite the paint being tested.
He said officers also used racial slurs against him and another minority business owner.
Morrison said in court Thursday that it destroyed his business. He said he knows it's not an excuse, but not paying federal taxes was his way of fighting back against a government that failed him after he served in the military.
"It was wrong, I'm sorry," he said.
Asst. U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson requested 24 months of sentencing followed by supervised release. He said the nature of the crime is serious and it is important to deter other business owners from doing the same. He said he did not think Morrison was at risk of committing the same crime.
Lange said under different circumstances, he believes he would have enjoyed sitting down with Morrison and having a conversation. He said aside from his crime, he seems like a well-liked individual who is involved in his community.
About 30 people appeared in the courtroom for Morrison's sentencing.
Roberto Lange
|
2022-07-01T00:49:34Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Former owner of Thirsty's sentenced to prison for tax fraud | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/former-owner-of-thirstys-sentenced-to-prison-for-tax-fraud/article_28c77208-6bb2-577d-bb80-4739913f755a.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/former-owner-of-thirstys-sentenced-to-prison-for-tax-fraud/article_28c77208-6bb2-577d-bb80-4739913f755a.html
|
One month after Rapid City police officers shot and injured a woman during a failed traffic stop, there are a number of questions that have gone unanswered about the investigation, which the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation is conducting.
In the early morning hours of May 31, RCPD officers attempted to stop a vehicle in the Lacrosse and Waterloo streets area for an equipment violation. After the vehicle slowed but did not stop, a passenger jumped out and the driver threw something out of the window, Police Chief Don Hedrick told reporters near the scene during a press conference just hours after the shooting.
Hedrick said officers attempted to conduct a tactical vehicle intervention to cause the vehicle to spin out, which failed. The vehicle continued to Terra Street at Terra Mobile Home Estates on South Valley Drive where the shooting occurred. According to the RCPD, the 31-year-old woman attempted to drive at an officer, who was outside of his car. She was shot multiple times. One window showed bullet holes and another shattered completely.
It is unclear if one or two officers fired their weapons, but Brendyn Medina told the Journal a week after the shooting only one officer was directly involved. One officer returned to work the next day and the other returned on June 6.
The morning of the shooting, the RCPD turned the scene over to the Pennington County Sheriff's Office until DCI arrived and began its investigation — a procedure the department has said is standard for shootings involving an officer.
Since DCI began their investigation, status updates have been vague. The agency has not released the woman's name, and her condition remains murky. She was transported to the hospital, but it’s unclear if she is still there, if she's alive or if she's in custody.
Until Tuesday, the media contact for DCI was Tim Bormann, former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg’s Chief of Staff. After multiple attempts to get in touch with Bormann, he spoke to the Journal a week after the shooting and said the investigation was ongoing.
He said the last he had heard the woman was stable, but still in the hospital. He said he would check with investigators about releasing the woman’s name and find out her condition. Bormann also said he would speak with investigators about the status of the investigation, which he said was ongoing. He indicated a 30-day timeline from start to finish is typical.
Thursday marked 30 days since the shooting. Since interim Attorney General Mark Vargo removed Bormann and David Natvig, former director of DCI on Tuesday, South Dakota Public Safety spokesman Tony Mangan has stepped in to help the Attorney General with media questions.
The Journal spoke with Mangan and asked for updates on the status of the investigation. We asked for the name and condition of the woman, if any charges have been brought against the woman or any officers, how many officers are being investigated, if the investigation is complete, when investigators expect it will conclude and if DCI will release the investigation report when it is complete.
After speaking with the Attorney General, Mangan provided the following statement.
“This remains an on-going investigation. A third agency will eventually be asked to review and assess the investigation and findings,” Mangan said.
Mangan did not clarify which agency would review the investigation or if reviews are standard. He also declined to clarify why the woman’s name and condition is being withheld.
“At this time, the investigation is on-going and there is nothing else we can release. The Attorney General just started this week and the third agency has not yet been determined,” Mangan wrote.
South Dakota Department Of Criminal Investigation
Tim Bormann
Tony Mangan
The Rapid City Police Department released the identity of a man Thursday who was found dead in Rapid Creek on Monday afternoon.
|
2022-07-01T00:49:40Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Unanswered questions remain a month after Rapid City police shoot woman | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/unanswered-questions-remain-a-month-after-rapid-city-police-shoot-woman/article_ddcd3f1b-3800-5206-b89d-62be00d0e1c0.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/unanswered-questions-remain-a-month-after-rapid-city-police-shoot-woman/article_ddcd3f1b-3800-5206-b89d-62be00d0e1c0.html
|
SPEARFISH - Dorothy Ann Berry, 99, of Spearfish, SD passed away on Sunday, June 26, 2022, at West Hills Healthcare in Rapid City, SD.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Lead, SD. A private family inurnment will take place in Oakridge Cemetery near Deadwood, SD.
|
2022-07-01T06:46:49Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Dorothy Ann Berry | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/dorothy-ann-berry/article_362cfb00-a3a0-5da7-93b3-279a97570900.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/dorothy-ann-berry/article_362cfb00-a3a0-5da7-93b3-279a97570900.html
|
Governor Noem appoints a new attorney general that “forgot” about a 45-day deadline on a triple murder suspect. Seems like a logical choice.
It seems Governor Noem has no problem letting residents decide about masks and vaccinations, but has an entirety different opinion about your reproductive decisions.
Maybe morality will come back into fashion with the recent U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on abortions.
I am amazed and bewildered that there are still some South Dakotans who still support and defend our 45th president. Trump's attempts to undermine our democracy with his words and actions to illegally hold on to power are totally and completely un-American.
Kristi Noem is spending the better part of this week in New York promoting her book. Apparently the governorship in South Dakota is a part-time gig.
Isn’t it the governor's job to look out for the best interest of the state’s infrastructure and resources? Then why does Noem continue to lobby to burn down the Black Hills and blame it on Biden?
|
2022-07-01T13:43:58Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Your Two Cents for July 1 | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/your-two-cents-for-july-1/article_4820b0f6-9560-5fef-9d6d-e1aef584b124.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/your-two-cents-for-july-1/article_4820b0f6-9560-5fef-9d6d-e1aef584b124.html
|
Rapid City Journal Editorial Board
Even in siding with the Journal and saying that a judge can't write a memo in mid-December to retroactively seal a case in early October, the justices said they didn't believe any "government secrecy" was at play in the case.
The Senate Majority Leader got his case sealed simply by sending an email to a friendly state's attorney and district judge and the state Supreme Court still believes that this favor would have been granted to any member of the public.
But Gary Cammack's attorney got his case sealed early. In the nine months between our case reaching the supreme court and the decision, Cammack was installed in the South Dakota Hall of Fame and won his primary for his State Senate seat.
Thanks to lax public record laws, we still don't know the woman's name. We don't know if she is alive. We don't know if she was arrested or charged. We don't know if her accomplice has been captured or charged.
As a society, we can't allow government officials to shoot a person and have that information covered up for more than a month.
Of course, the Rapid City Police can't investigate their own officers, so the state Department of Criminal Investigations took over. There are two officers and one witness/suspect/victim involved. There should be two body cameras and two dash cameras. Honestly, the only reason this investigation should take a week is if the woman who was shot was physically incapable to be interviewed.
However, the investigation has yielded no publicly available information in 30 days. The impeachment of an attorney general and the appointment of a new one can slow down that officer, but why would DCI not be able to finish its work? According to a state spokesperson, the agency that will sign off on the DCI investigation hasn't even been chosen.
Citizens have to stop shrugging their shoulders and shaking their heads and using their ballots to send people in Pierre who won't let the state continue to fail when it comes to open and honest government.
NEWBY: To double your gains, triple your effort
Muriel Strode once said, “A great work demands a great sacrifice, and who is not capable of a great sacrifice is not capable of a great work.”…
|
2022-07-01T13:44:05Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
OURS: The people have a right to know | Opinion | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/ours-the-people-have-a-right-to-know/article_bbc627cd-8b8d-5c1c-8b4a-97a3752087cf.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/ours-the-people-have-a-right-to-know/article_bbc627cd-8b8d-5c1c-8b4a-97a3752087cf.html
|
Deputy presented award for helping stabbing victim
Pennington County Deputy Anthony White, left, shakes hands with Sgt. Jeremy Milstead, right, on Thursday as Milstead presents White with the Meritorious Service Award.
Pennington County Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony White received a Medal for Meritorious Service on Thursday. The medal can be awarded for an act that results in the saving of a life but which involves no personal danger to the employee.
Sgt. Jeremy Milstead nominated White for the award for his actions at a July 30, 2021 incident where White rendered aid to a stabbed man.
According to the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, dispatch received a call around 2 a.m. reporting a stabbing incident near Elk Vale Road and Interstate 90 in Box Elder. Ernie Petersen, the victim, was being transported to the hospital in a red Ford F-250 truck.
Law enforcement directed the driver to pull in the parking lot of the Flying J in Box Elder. White, who was on patrol in the area, heard the call come in and drove to meet the vehicle.
“I just drove there. I actually arrived at the exact same time that they did,” White said. “As soon as they arrived, the victim got out of the passenger side and I could tell that he had very serious wounds.”
Petersen had “very serious” wounds and was bleeding “quite profusely” from his neck and chest area. White applied pressure to the wounds. In a statement, the PCSO said White coordinated the emergency response of medical and law enforcement personnel while he tended to the victim.
“It is without a doubt that had Deputy White not responded as quickly and as decisively, the outcome would have been much different,” the PCSO said in a statement. “His calm and controlled demeanor, compassion, and ability to effectively coordinate first responder resources represents the epitome of what is a first responder. Deputy White’s superior performance and dedication to duty reflect great credit upon himself, the Patrol Division, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.”
White has received the Meritorious Service Award in the past and the Medal of Distinguished Service.
“I feel proud to work for an agency that recognizes the hard work that its employees put forward, so it feels good in that respect that our agency cares about us enough to recognize us,” White said.
|
2022-07-01T15:58:51Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Deputy presented award for helping stabbing victim | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/deputy-presented-award-for-helping-stabbing-victim/article_ba2b3751-316f-5705-b40e-f4d2412cd39a.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/deputy-presented-award-for-helping-stabbing-victim/article_ba2b3751-316f-5705-b40e-f4d2412cd39a.html
|
The Cactus Cafe and Lounge storefront before it was burned to the ground last week.
The Cactus Cafe and Lounge burned down beginning the night of June 20 and into the morning of June 21 in downtown Wall.
The Cactus Cafe and Lounge was a staple in the Wall community, demolished one year shy of its 70th birthday by a devastating fire.
The Cactus Café and Lounge in Wall burned to the ground one week ago Tuesday, leaving owner Jim Coats with anger, devastation and a lifetime of stories — three lifetimes, to be exact.
The Cactus has been in Coats’ family for three generations. It not only held the legacy of his own family, but an entire community. The Cactus would have celebrated its 70th birthday next year. Life literally began and ended within its walls. Coats said more than 20 weddings took place in the cafe's basement.
If walls could talk, the Cactus could chew your ear off — a conversation that was silenced when it was demolished by fire last Monday night into Tuesday morning.
The night of the fire, Coats was working in the kitchen like any other night — long days, from morning till close. He was getting ready to close at about 9 p.m. when his bartender came running from the upstairs apartments, saying there was a fire.
“I was in such shock,” he said. “There’s literally smoke pouring out of every window.”
There were nine apartments above the Cactus. At the time of the fire, Coats said there were five people upstairs, “three that were supposed to be, and two that weren’t.” He alluded to some tension between a few of his employees contributing to the unwanted guests upstairs that night.
By the time he learned of the fire, only one person remained upstairs — a man that “barely got out,” he said. “It was horrific.”
Coats described the smoke “boiling out of these peoples’ rooms.” The man inside was a friend of 25 years. He had just begun work at the Cactus. Coats screamed his name through a window, into the burning room.
“Come to my voice — come to my voice,” he screamed through the smoke.
“I couldn’t see, I couldn’t hear, I couldn’t breathe,” he said. “And I’m thinking to myself, my friend is going to die.”
He gave himself about 30 seconds before the situation turned deadly, fighting smoke inhalation symptoms of his own.
The man reached the window, but neither could get him over. The smoke had essentially rendered them both blind, and Coats described the man as “slippery as a slimy slug” from sweat and soot.
Pennington County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Lindquist and Coats’ friend Ray came to his aid and were able to pull the man out.
“If all three of us wouldn’t have been there, I'm telling you that guy was dead,” Coats said. “It was the most terrifying thing my mind has been through knowing. I get anxiety just talking about it. Because I know how close it was.”
From there, all Coats could do was watch as his building crumbled beneath the flames. Fire departments began to arrive and battled into the morning. He didn’t think to grab much from inside because he was confident they would douse the flames.
“They always put it out,” he said. “I guess I was incorrect.”
He saved some pictures and a little bit of money from the register, but not much else.
“Every last bit, burned to the bottom,” he said. “There wasn’t a single thing left. Not one thing.”
Suspicions of arson laced Coats’ account of the fire that night, fueled by unanswered questions about the timing and its origin. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Pennington County Fire Marshal and Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.
Coats called the timing of the fire “catastrophic” for him and his family — the start of their busiest 12 weeks of the entire year. They had been working triple time cleaning the building and getting “back into our flow,” he said.
“Things were going smooth," Coats said. "It was just starting to get so good.”
Coats had brought the Cactus through two trial-ridden years of COVID-19, running the café by himself for much of it. Help was impossible to find, he said, and he was overpaying to get what little help he could find, “just trying to survive.”
“It’s just been surreal, devastating,” Coats said.
It was three days later when Coats felt like he’d grasped the totality of the fire, as he watched the firefighters tear down burning embers.
“Every single last thing is gone. I mean, there’s not even a fork,” he said.
The Cactus Café was a third-generation family heirloom, dating back to 1953 when Coats’ grandparents — his father’s mom and dad — took over what was then the Miller Hotel. Coats estimated it must’ve been one of the oldest surviving buildings in the state.
“I was raised in those apartments upstairs,” he said.
A full-circle moment came into focus when Coats recalled playing in the upstairs apartments when he was five years old, pretending to be Superman.
“I had a sheet tied to my back, and I dove through a screen window with glass,” he said. “I thought I really was Superman.”
The large chunk of glass protruding from his arm reminded him of his mortality, along with a scar he bears to this day. Fast forward to the final day of the Cactus, and Coats really did help save a man’s life.
His memories of the Cactus span his entire life. He played Tonka trucks behind the Cactus, when the parking lot was a swamp. He helped his parents in the café before taking over himself in 2005, when his own four children began to help him.
With no more walls to hold the stories, the people who wrote them have begun to tell them again. Since the fire, Coats has received phone calls from members of the community and former customers whose life milestones were written within the walls of the Cactus — a second life for the building’s legacy.
A kidnapped bartender, a Sturgis biker spinning his wheels on the Cactus, bands and basement parties like none other. The stories were endless.
The Cactus was also a home to thousands of workers, Coats said. Many were people in need of a job with nowhere to live. Coats said he always tried to help people, and be “for the little guy.”
“If you look around Wall, you see a lot of the people that worked for us over the years that have done so good, that started out at the Cactus,” he said.
What comes next is uncertain. Coats would love to rebuild, but his present concern is getting his family through the winter. He’s entertained ideas of running a simple grill on Main Street to get through the rest of the summer — trying to stay positive and look ahead, he said.
He said the fire “rocked his world.” As he waits for answers, he hopes to end the summer on a positive note. Maybe a party at the end of the summer, he said.
“I don’t give up easy,” Coats said.
|
2022-07-01T15:58:57Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Cactus Cafe owner reflects on loss, legacy of Wall icon | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/cactus-cafe-owner-reflects-on-loss-legacy-of-wall-icon/article_1d996b65-197d-5ad2-bf0f-ecf5b16d22ed.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/cactus-cafe-owner-reflects-on-loss-legacy-of-wall-icon/article_1d996b65-197d-5ad2-bf0f-ecf5b16d22ed.html
|
Rapid City Regional Airport's commercial terminal.
Rapid City Regional Airport has partnered with EagleRider, the world’s largest motorcycle rental company, to offer visitors a chance to experience Sturgis Bike Week and the Black Hills on two wheels.
The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is expected to bring over 500,000 motorcycle enthusiasts to Western South Dakota.
A variety of touring, adventure and street bikes will be waiting for guests at the airport terminal during July and August. Reservations can be made in advance at: RapAirport.com/Motorcycle.
“Riding motorcycles is a quintessential experience for many in the Black Hills. We saw an opportunity to serve a large segment of travelers who are interested in renting bikes to visit nearby attractions including Mount Rushmore and Sturgis,” said Patrick Dame, Airport Executive Director. “We believe that this added amenity will be convenient for guests, and support the airport’s vision of providing world class transportation services while enhancing economic growth.”
|
2022-07-01T15:59:04Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Motorcycle rentals now available at Rapid City Regional Airport | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/motorcycle-rentals-now-available-at-rapid-city-regional-airport/article_5ea78c98-140f-51da-ac04-2a159254a64d.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/motorcycle-rentals-now-available-at-rapid-city-regional-airport/article_5ea78c98-140f-51da-ac04-2a159254a64d.html
|
Law enforcement clears Western Dakota Tech after bomb threat
A Rapid City Police Department patrol vehicle blocks the main entrance to Western Dakota Tech Friday morning as law enforcement investigates a bomb threat. No devices were found and the campus was cleared after approximately one-and-a-half hours.
Pennington County Sheriff's deputies stand watch outside during an investigation of a bomb threat Friday morning at the Western Dakota Tech campus. The campus was cleared and no devices were found.
Western Dakota Tech was put on secure status for about an hour and a half during an investigation of a bomb threat Friday morning.
Brendyn Medina, spokesperson with the Rapid City Police Department, said RCPD, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office and South Dakota Highway Patrol were on the scene. He said the incident is not isolated and other high level education institutions in South Dakota received a similar threat.
Medina said he did not have a list of the other institutions, but that Western Dakota Tech was the only institution in Rapid City with a threat.
He said a threat was called in to the dispatch center around 9 a.m.
Western Dakota Tech President Dr. Ann Bolman said the campus was put into secure status as soon as information came in.
"Fortunately for us, we don't have very many students on campus during the summer," she said.
Students, faculty and staff were made aware of the threat in person and electronically. The campus was released from secure status at approximately 10:30 a.m. Friday.
"We worked with staff and faculty here at Western Dakota Tech, they have their own security protocols and things they do with an emergency. We actually have a law enforcement liaison from the police department assigned to Western Dakota Tech for these types of situations," Medina said. "Communication was great. We immediately got the campus into secure status, looking out for the safety of the students that are still here on campus."
Medina said an explosives K-9 with the Highway Patrol helped methodically check each and every room on campus.
"We're very thankful for those high-level working relationships we have with other law enforcement agencies," Medina said. "That's how we were able to get through this building so quick and just make sure that we did our due diligence and made sure that the area was safe for students and staff."
Siandhara Bonnet contributed to this report.
|
2022-07-01T18:05:03Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Law enforcement clears Western Dakota Tech after bomb threat | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/law-enforcement-clears-western-dakota-tech-after-bomb-threat/article_25190caa-81d2-531d-9748-7f84558d4d37.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/law-enforcement-clears-western-dakota-tech-after-bomb-threat/article_25190caa-81d2-531d-9748-7f84558d4d37.html
|
NEWBY: Imagination powers marketing
Robert Rose once said, “Marketing is telling the world you are a rock star. Content marketing is showing the world you are one.” Too often, when we think of marketing our communities or businesses, we think in terms of how many sets of eyes we can reach. Certainly, reaching as many sets of eyes as possible is critical to our overall marketing success or mix, but if that is the extent and only focus of your marketing efforts, you are missing the boat entirely and will ultimately fail.
Humans have several senses that are overlooked when preparing a marketing or branding message. Yes, the eyes are an important one. But let’s not ignore the senses of touch, smell, taste, and hearing. Let’s face it, many of those other senses are every bit, if not more powerful than the eyes. Think of the music you grew up with, think of the music that accompanies the Olympics, movies, or TV shows. They conjure up powerful visuals in your mind.
When you walk into a restaurant, is it the words on the menu that capture your mind or is it the smell of fresh coffee, bread, seafood, and steak that ultimately wins the day. When you walk into a potential new home, is it the address and look of the property? Or is it a combination of that along with the feelings of home, the smell of freshly baked cookies on the counter, or the image of what it would be like living there that ultimately sells the property?
When enjoying music, is it the words of the song that first captures your attention? Or is it the beat and rhythm that suck you in? Is it the words on the window of a new car that capture you, or is it the smell of the newness or the feel of the vehicle when you take a test-drive?
What does this mean to a business or community today? Communities need to sell a vision and imagination. They need not only sell their events and attractions, but they also need to convince readers, viewers, and listeners that they have to do more than just see it, they must experience it and imagine it. If you believe your town is musical, visitors must hear, see, and experience music at every turn. If your town promotes itself as a BBQ capital, then promote the imagination of BBQ on everyone’s taste buds 24/7. If you believe your town is a renaissance town, then embrace it and become renaissance in nature. Whatever the hook, be a big hook capable of catching large fish, not a hook seeking minnows.
Marketing and branding are vastly different. While different, both are effectively an art based largely on localized intuition, coupled with good information and data. When it comes to marketing and branding your community or business, everyone will offer their two-cents, but understand the true value of those two-cents. Don’t just tell the world who you are, show the world what you are. That is the essence of imagination and content marketing. Let me close with the words of Albert Einstein. He once said, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
|
2022-07-01T18:05:09Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
NEWBY: Imagination powers marketing | Opinion | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/newby-imagination-powers-marketing/article_74f12f3e-ae35-59f9-9ddc-349b9f94cbd0.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/newby-imagination-powers-marketing/article_74f12f3e-ae35-59f9-9ddc-349b9f94cbd0.html
|
STEINFELD: Exercise is good medicine for the mental health of South Dakota kids
theirs
Jake (Body by Jake) Steinfeld
Today, more than ever, our children are struggling with their mental health. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but the issue needs to be recognized all year long. We simply can’t ignore the problem any longer. Between the recent mass shooting events in New York, California and Texas coupled with the pandemic, leaders from federal agencies are sounding the alarm about a new phenomenon that they have deemed a “national youth mental health crisis.”
COVID-19 alone has led to increased rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal ideation. Since April 2020, children’s mental health related emergency department visits have risen dramatically for school-aged children and adolescents. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that “the number of children ages 3-17 years diagnosed with anxiety grew by 29 percent and those with depression by 27 percent.” Kids need social interaction to thrive but with past school closures, quarantining and social distancing, their well-being has suffered immensely.
While I don’t have all the solutions, I can tell you from personal experience that exercise has a profound impact on the mental health of our children.
I’ve been advocating the benefits of exercise for our kids for more than 40 years now. It not only combats childhood obesity, but it also improves academic performance and MENTAL HEALTH. The American Psychological Association reviewed 114 studies and found that “young people who exercise more have lower levels of depression, stress and psychological distress, and higher levels of positive self-image, life satisfaction and psychological well-being.”
Governor Noem understands this and has welcomed my foundation, the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils, into South Dakota where we will be delivering three $100,000 state of the art fitness centers to Custer Elementary School in Custer, Newell School in Newell and Sturgis Williams Middle School in Sturgis as the state’s most outstanding schools for demonstrating leadership in getting and keeping their students fit. She stated, “Exercising builds both physical and mental strength. We want South Dakota to be a leader in teaching kids the building blocks to health and wellness throughout their lives.”
Building a solid foundation of fitness at a young age will help lay the groundwork for them to become strong, healthy adults. I find that when kids are building stronger bodies, they are also building confidence and self-esteem. The research supports this too. Low intensity exercise improves brain function and makes kids feel better while high intensity workouts 3-4 times a week can reduce clinical depression. In fact, according to the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report, children between the ages of 6 to 17 years who participate in regular to vigorous physical activity have fewer symptoms of depression and reduced risk of ever developing major depression.
I’ve been working hand in hand with governors across the country putting DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers in elementary and middle schools and the enthusiasm for working out and getting fit is through the roof. School administrations are beginning to understand the urgency and importance of providing fitness resources to their students and staff. Our DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers become an integral part of the fabric of the community and help create lasting positive change.
The bottom line is that we must take action now by prioritizing our children’s mental health. If your community lacks mental health resources, any kind of exercise is a strong tool you can use RIGHT NOW. If your child is feeling sad, angry, stressed out, or anxious, lead by example and move your bodies. Go for a walk together, kick around the soccer ball, or do some jumping jacks or push-ups.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is investing in critical strategies to grow the mental health workforce and expand access to mental health services. These strategies will take time to implement but getting our children out exercising is a tangible benefit that can be done immediately. Introducing physical activity and fitness to our kids is simply good medicine. It will help them maintain a healthy weight, improve mental health and ultimately enrich their quality of life.
Our children are our most precious resource. When our kids are mentally healthy and strong, the future of our nation will be strong. DON’T QUIT!
Jake Steinfeld serves as Chairman of the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils; whose sole mission is to provide DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers to elementary and middle schools throughout the United States. To learn more about the DON’T QUIT! Campaign, visit www.natgovfit.org.
|
2022-07-01T18:05:16Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
STEINFELD: Exercise is good medicine for the mental health of South Dakota kids | Opinion | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/steinfeld-exercise-is-good-medicine-for-the-mental-health-of-south-dakota-kids/article_e412db41-db2f-5fd5-9e39-96468f4a00bc.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/steinfeld-exercise-is-good-medicine-for-the-mental-health-of-south-dakota-kids/article_e412db41-db2f-5fd5-9e39-96468f4a00bc.html
|
Independence Day events abound at Mount Rushmore
Visitors to Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Sunday and Monday will have the opportunity to experience a variety of educational programs, patriotic tributes and musical entertainment in celebration of Independence Day.
Planned events include presidential re-enactors representing the four presidents on the sculpture: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. The re-enactors will kick-off the park’s celebration at 9:30 a.m. Sunday with an in-character news conference in the Carvers’ Marketplace. Visitors are encouraged to bring questions for the presidents to the event.
At scheduled times, the presidential re-enactors will give presentations, sign autographs and mingle with visitors on the Memorial grounds. Also performing throughout the day will be internationally renowned hoop dancer Jasmine Pickner-Bell, Native American flutist and storyteller Sequoia Crosswhite and Native American storyteller Darrell Red Cloud.
Sunday's events will culminate with a special evening program beginning at 6:15 p.m. featuring the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America band from Omaha, Nebraska, performing two shows at 6:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.
The Ellsworth Air Force Base Honor Guard will assist the Flag Folding Ceremony and Retreat; Col. Derek Oakley, commander of the 28th Operations Group, will give an address; and the Lakota Flag Song will be performed by Darrell Red Cloud.
The Spirit of Liberty Foundation will present the inaugural “Celebrate America” ceremony beginning at 6:45 a.m. July 4 at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone.
“A Fourth of July celebration at a national shrine is the perfect opportunity to focus on what makes our country so special while simultaneously bringing us together,” said Richard Rovsek, chairman, Spirit of Liberty Foundation based in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. “In these polarized times, we should all remember what unites us, makes us Americans, and pay tribute to the Declaration of Independence, which is our nation’s birth certificate.”
The “Celebrate America” ceremony will include the dramatic participation of leading Presidential re-enactors – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. These four presidential giants, sculpted on Mount Rushmore, represent the best traditions of American leadership. The re-enactors will sign their names on a large replica copy of the Declaration of Independence, a symbolic salute to our democratic traditions.
An avid student of American history, Rovsek participated in America’s bicentennial in 1976 by creating President Gerald Ford’s personal gift to dignitaries. In recognition of the nation’s fast-approaching 250th anniversary celebration (in 2026), Rovsek is initiating a tradition of celebrating America’s birthday at historic sites throughout the country. He worked with the National Parks Service to obtain a permit for the event at Mount Rushmore.
“Our country is becoming more and more fragmented,” Rovsek said. “We thought it was important to our nation’s psyche to create “Celebrate America” to bring the country together.”
The July 4 event at Mount Rushmore celebration agenda will include the following:
• Recitation of the First Amendment, adopted in 1791, consecrating our nation’s solemn guarantee of freedom of speech, assembly and religion.
Other special features will be incorporated into the ceremony, including statements from the leaders of all branches of the U.S. military. In addition, the “America’s Heroes Flag” will be unfurled at the ceremony. This includes all six flags from each military branch (Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard) plus the National Guard Flag, and importantly the POW/MIA Flag, that will be sewn together to symbolically bring America together. This unique work of art features a collection of over 100 powerful images of our Armed Forces from 1776 to the present date.
Daytime visitors to Mount Rushmore can enjoy the presidential re-enactors, Native American performers and the traditional Evening Lighting Ceremony.
Visitors wishing to avoid the busiest times are encouraged to visit the park before 10 a.m.
There is no fee to visit the Memorial, however the $10 parking fee will be in effect. Active duty military personnel will park for free and parking for seniors is half price. Keep the parking receipt as it is valid for one year of parking.
For a complete listing of the 2022 Independence Day schedule of events please visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial’s official website.
Richard Rovsek
|
2022-07-01T20:06:53Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Independence Day events abound at Mount Rushmore | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/independence-day-events-abound-at-mount-rushmore/article_93344dcf-8541-5e44-ad3b-ed922b4c76be.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/independence-day-events-abound-at-mount-rushmore/article_93344dcf-8541-5e44-ad3b-ed922b4c76be.html
|
State applies for 2023 fireworks at Mount Rushmore
The South Dakota Department of Tourism has submitted an application to the National Park Service in an attempt to hold a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore in 2023, despite being denied a special permit for the past two years.
“As Americans all across our great country make preparations to celebrate their Independence Day, we have once again been denied the opportunity to celebrate at our nation’s enduring symbol of freedom, Mount Rushmore National Memorial,” Gov. Kristi Noem said in a statement Friday. “But we will not be deterred. We have submitted a request for 2023 and will continue asking the Biden Administration to work with us to give the people the celebration they deserve.”
Noem successfully pushed for fireworks at Mount Rushmore in 2020, after an 11 year hiatus. The celebration gave former President Donald Trump an opportunity to be featured at a patriotic display attended by thousands of people during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Park Service denied Noem's requests in 2021 and 2022, citing opposition from Native American tribes and the possibility of igniting wildfires.
The Noem administration filed a federal lawsuit against the Biden administration after it refused to issue a permit for a similar celebration last year. A federal judge rejected her arguments in June 2021, prompting an appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.
Noem's request for a fireworks display in 2022 was also denied by the park service. In a letter dated April 18 from the U.S. Department of Interior, Mount Rushmore National Memorial Superintendent Michelle Wheatley said a fireworks event would not be “safe and responsible.”
In the letter to the South Dakota Department of Tourism, Wheatley noted the March 2021 wildfire that closed the memorial for three days.
“Current drought conditions and the 2022 wildfire outlook indicate that fireworks would cause a high likelihood of a wildfire ignition,” she wrote.
Local Native American tribes objected to the celebration being held on land they hold as sacred.
“There is ample documented opposition from the Tribes to the 2020 event, and we understand from ongoing meetings with the Tribes that these concerns have not diminished.” the letter stated.
|
2022-07-01T20:07:05Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
State applies for 2023 fireworks at Mount Rushmore | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/state-applies-for-2023-fireworks-at-mount-rushmore/article_84da201b-d297-5819-8612-f18da6dead6b.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/state-applies-for-2023-fireworks-at-mount-rushmore/article_84da201b-d297-5819-8612-f18da6dead6b.html
|
Former escapee sentenced for possessing a firearm
A federal judge sentenced an Eagle Butte man Monday with a record of assault and escape from custody for illegally possessing a firearm.
Chief Judge Roberto Lange sentenced Tahlon Ducheneaux, 29, to five years and one month in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on March 23, 2021, court documents show. Ducheneaux was a passenger in the vehicle and immediately got out of the vehicle after the stop and started to walk away. Officers released a drug K-9 to search the vehicle, who found a red backpack in the back seat.
The backpack contained a pistol, torch lighter, methamphetamine pipe, two scales with meth residue, male clothing, body wash, deodorant and a wallet containing Ducheneaux’s tribal ID and debit card. DNA testing of the firearm confirmed Ducheneaux’s DNA was on the gun and the magazine.
A federal grand jury indicted Ducheneaux on July 13, 2021 and law enforcement arrested him on July 19, 2021. Ducheneaux pleaded guilty to the charges on March 28.
Ducheneaux was convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon and aiding and abetting in 2016. He was sentenced to two years and five months in prison with two years of supervision to follow. This sentence secured Ducheneaux’s felon status, prohibiting him from possessing a firearm.
The sentence started in January 2017. In September 2018, Ducheneaux was transferred to the Community Education Center in Rapid City to complete his sentence, which was scheduled to end on Dec. 20, 2018. On Nov. 5, 2018, CEC personnel observed Ducheneaux running from the grounds. He was arrested two days later and subsequently charged with escape from custody and sentenced to five months in custody. He pleaded guilty to the charge.
In state court, Ducheneuax pleaded guilty to a charge of first degree petty theft in 2020, impersonation to deceive a law enforcement officer in 2018 and simple assault, also in 2018.
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the possession case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.
Tahlon Ducheneaux
|
2022-07-01T22:00:06Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Former escapee sentenced for possessing a firearm | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/former-escapee-sentenced-for-possessing-a-firearm/article_e0425ea6-5508-54f0-aacc-c904eff2cf54.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/former-escapee-sentenced-for-possessing-a-firearm/article_e0425ea6-5508-54f0-aacc-c904eff2cf54.html
|
Kyle man sentenced to 10 years in prison for distributing meth
The federal courthouse
U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier sentenced a Kyle man June 24 to 10 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine in South Dakota over the course of a more than 6-year period between January 2015 and March 2021, according to court documents.
Ten years is the mandatory minimum for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Chester Apple, also known as Chester Janis, 39, will undergo five years of supervised release after his sentence. Apple pleaded guilty to the charges on Dec. 12.
According to a signed factual basis statement, Apple said he distributed methamphetamine in South Dakota and elsewhere. Apple admitted by signing the document that he knowingly, intentionally, and repeatedly obtained methamphetamine and disbursed it to others for use and further distribution.
The document states between 1.5 and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine were distributed during the course of the conspiracy.
The Badlands Safe Trails Task Force, which includes the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation and the Martin Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama represented the government in the case. Kody Kriss defended Apple in the case.
Chester Apple
Heather Sazama
Kody Kriss
|
2022-07-01T22:00:12Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Kyle man sentenced to 10 years in prison for distributing meth | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/kyle-man-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison-for-distributing-meth/article_e84b7812-06d9-55b3-a1ca-256c97237b1e.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/kyle-man-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison-for-distributing-meth/article_e84b7812-06d9-55b3-a1ca-256c97237b1e.html
|
Court program helps offenders find sobriety
Pennington County Judge Sarah Morrison congratulates a DUI Court participant on his graduation Wednesday in the Pennington County Administration Building.
Current and graduated DUI Court participants applaud after a participant received his certificate of completion for his fourth phase Wednesday.
Cory J, Sean Bielstein and Tavis Walker started the DUI Specialty Court program to avoid going back to prison, but they all quickly realized it would be worth more than staying in front of bars rather than behind them.
Cory J was the sole graduate during DUI Court Commencement Wednesday, the program's 24th graduation ceremony and 84th graduate. More than 20 people, including friends, family and former and current program participants applauded Cory as he received his certificate.
“I’m really not even the same person I was when I first came in,” he said. “Sobriety has brought me out, I recognize myself again. It’s a good change, it’s comfortable.”
Pennington County Judge Sarah Morrison, who is currently assigned to the court, said the program is a voluntary change that requires work while incarceration is easy. The court was established in 2013.
The voluntary program provides intensive supervision and treatment services, holding participants accountable through regular appearances with the court judge, frequent and random drug and alcohol testing, addiction treatment, mental health treatment, medication management, behavior modification based on incentives and sanctions, and intense community supervision.
The program has five phases with specific goals and activities in each phase. Completion of requirements means a person gets to go to the next phase with approval from the DUI court team. The length of the program can differ, but is no less than 14 months.
To be eligible, participants must be at least 18 years old, have a felony driving under the influence offense, no sex offense conviction history, is at high risk or shows a high need, is not on parole and is willing to maintain residency restrictions.
Bielstein said when he joined the program, he had already gone to prison twice for DUIs and had six on his record. He said a previous judge spoke and it was like she was reading his soul.
He said it didn’t take him very long to dive into the program.
“Them forcing me to go to (Alcoholics Anonymous) was a big deal,” Bielstein said. “I actually restarted my sobriety the day after I got off probation because it was the first day I went to AA without having to be nudged by the judge, as we say.”
He said Alcoholics Anonymous was a big wake-up call because he saw lawyers, judges, accomplished athletes and people he considered to have done great things.
“I think to myself, well I’m nowhere near that good, so who am I to think I can do this by myself,” Bielstein said. “It only took me about a month before a light switch flipped and I was like, ‘OK, I guess I am an alcoholic and I probably deserve to be here.’”
Walker said he had also been to prison before for a DUI. He said he finished with a prior case in February and got another DUI in March. He said he became aware of the program and didn’t want to go back to prison, and applied. He was denied right off the bat.
“I had to fight to get in this program because they were like, ‘No, we already sniffed you out,’” he said.
Walker said he worked with his attorney and finally got in the program, but it felt like “they were gunning for me the whole entire time.”
He said at first he fought back but then it began to click for him. Walker said he realized people in the program were trying to guide him to help him stay sober.
“Then it became a crutch for me to try to get to that next path and a lot of goals in life,” he said.
Walker graduated from phase four last month and is now working toward his driver's license. He also earned his barber’s license and is working in his own salon barber shop.
Tavis Walker
Cory J
|
2022-07-01T23:48:53Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Court program helps offenders find sobriety | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/court-program-helps-offenders-find-sobriety/article_9861225f-8504-59f8-b636-2a0ce269fd1e.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/court-program-helps-offenders-find-sobriety/article_9861225f-8504-59f8-b636-2a0ce269fd1e.html
|
Mcihael William Smith
CLEARWATER, FL - Michael William Smith, 77, died Sunday, June 26, 2022 at his home with his daughter Michelle and dog Roo at his side.
Michael was born November 8, 1944 in Belle Fourche, South Dakota to Joseph and Emma (Sletten) Smith. He was raised in Butte County, South Dakota on the family farm and went to high school at St. Martin High School until it closed and then went to Sturgis High School. He relocated to Chicago where he started his family with Peggy Brown and continued his education at Coyne College. He enjoyed many years as an industrial machinery mechanic.
Before retirement, he moved to Clearwater, Florida where he ultimately succumbed to his health problems.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Joe Smith; two sisters: Margaret Biggs and Hazel Smith.
He is survived by his daughters Michelle Lynn Smith – Mikos, Angelina Davita Smith, stepdaughter, Tammie Marie Cetina; sister, Gladys Smith; granddaughter, Tiffany Elizabeth Smith and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at St. Therese Catholic Church with visitation starting at 10:00 a.m.
Burial will be at St. Paul's Catholic Cemetery in Belle Fourche. www.osheimschmidt.com
|
2022-07-02T06:34:28Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Mcihael William Smith | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/mcihael-william-smith/article_ffa62a8d-0930-5046-abf3-a82502a729bc.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/mcihael-william-smith/article_ffa62a8d-0930-5046-abf3-a82502a729bc.html
|
Life begins at first breath
There is no such thing as an unborn baby. They are fetuses. Job 33:4 says. "The spirit of God has made me and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Isiah says, "Thus says God and the Lord who created the heavens and the earth and its offspring who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it."
Genesis 2:7 says, "Then the Lord formed man from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a human being." Job 32:8 says, "But it is the spirit in man and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding."
A fetus becomes a living soul when God breathes into him the breath of life. A fetus is not a human being until it is born and God breathes the breath of life into it. Abortion should be legal.
There are 7.9 billion people now. More than 1.5 billion babies have been aborted. One billion more souls are expected to be born by 2030. The Earth cannot healthfully sustain 1.5 billion more people.
Robert Ackerman, Rapid City
We all are members of a belief system. Most commonly our system of beliefs is reflected in our religious affiliation. Christian, Muslim, Buddhism are probably the most common. Some people who claim to follow the Christian system have decided that everyone would be better off if they were forced through laws to follow those beliefs.
The First Amendment to our Constitution prevents government requiring a specific belief system. Also government is not allowed to prevent us from following our chosen belief system. My belief system allows a women, in consultation with her health care provider, to make a decision as to the procedure or medical treatment that is appropriate.
Trying to regulate a persons sexual orientation, who they can marry, or their sexual practices, is also forcing one belief system on everyone. Since our government is prohibited from establishing a specific “belief system” these things are therefore unconstitutional.
Robert VandeVenter, Rapid City
Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade it’s time to make Republicans and right to lifers responsible for their decision. Laws should be made so that women who are forced to have children they don’t want, the child (regardless of race) is given to people who are anti abortion.
The first unwanted child born in South Dakota should go to Gov. Noem. Anyone registered as a Republican will receive one of these unwanted children as soon as they are born (and no it’s to late to change your party affiliation).
Since women have lost their right to choose, so should republicans and right to lifers.
Linda Palzkill, Rapid City
|
2022-07-02T12:43:14Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Letters to the editor, July 2, 2022 | Opinion | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-july-2-2022/article_baa8d5d0-f4b1-53eb-afe8-a3a358c6f9d3.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-july-2-2022/article_baa8d5d0-f4b1-53eb-afe8-a3a358c6f9d3.html
|
Best of the West: Class B Boys Track & Field
While one athlete capped off a prolific high school throws career at the Class B state track and field meet this spring, another added to his still burgeoning running career.
Where Class B boys from West River found the most success this season was in field events, as the high jump, pole vault and triple jump had all winners from West River.
Presented here is the Rapid City Journal's Best of the West Class B Boys Track and Field team, highlighting the athletes who had standout performances in both running and field events.
Track Athlete of the Year: Lane Krautschun, Bison
Bison's Lane Krautschun distances himself from the pack to win the Class B boys 3200 meter run during the second day of the state track and field championships May 27 at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.
After winning the Class B state cross country meet last fall, Krautschun entered the state track and field meet and won the 3200-meter run with a personal best time of 9:57.18.
The Cardinals sophomore also came in second in the 1600 with a time of 4:35.54, another personal record, and competed in the 800 and anchored Bison's sprint medley relay.
Field Athlete of the Year: Hank Kraft, Timber Lake
Timber Lake's Hank Kraft competes in the long jump during the second day of the state track and field championships May 27 at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.
Kraft, who was also a Best of the West selection for football and basketball, ended his high school career by winning the state triple jump title for the second straight year.
His winning leap of 42 feet, 10.5 inches earned him the championship by nearly 8 inches. He also finished runner-up in the long jump (21 feet, 4.5 inches) and sixth in the shot put with a personal best throw of 49 feet, 0.5 inches.
Dawson Reckling, Kadoka Area
Kadoka Area's Dawson Reckling competes in the high jump at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays on May 7 in Sioux Falls.
Erin Woodiel, Argus Leader
The Kougars senior, who hadn't competed since 2019, returned to the Kadoka Area track and field team and won the state high jump title.
Over the course of five high jump victories throughout the year, Reckling broke a 34-year-old school record and continued to build on it, recording a personal best of 6 feet, 8 inches. He also ran the third leg of the Kougars' 4x400 relay team that placed second at the Region 7B meet.
Cord Beer, Lemmon
Lemmon's Cord Beer clears the bar winning the Class B boys pole vault during the first day of the state track and field championships May 26 at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.
The Cowboys senior needed a personal record to win the state pole vault title, and he did just, leaping 13 feet, 6 inches to win the championship by 3 inches.
Beer won the pole vault at seven meets this season, and also ran on Lemmon's 4x400 relay team at State.
Tell Mollman, Lemmon
The Cowboys senior finished runner-up in the discus at the state meet with a throw of 154 feet, 5 inches, and placed seventh in the shot put with a personal record throw of 48 feet, 9 inches.
Mollman won seven discus title this season, including at the Region 8B meet, and recorded a personal best throw of 167 feet, 8 inches.
Rylan McDonnell, Wall; Brodi Sundall, Wall; Braden Peterson, Edgemont; Tanner Miller, Lemmon
|
2022-07-02T14:49:15Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Best of the West: Class B Boys Track & Field | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/best-of-the-west-class-b-boys-track-field/article_804bce37-a9e8-5881-a781-85d63ea7bcd4.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/best-of-the-west-class-b-boys-track-field/article_804bce37-a9e8-5881-a781-85d63ea7bcd4.html
|
The 10th annual Native POP July 9 and 10 at Main Street Square will showcase Native American work by nearly 50 artists, plus culture, fashion, music and more.
The 10th annual Native POP: People of the Plains will take place July 9 and 10 at Main Street Square in Rapid City. This juried Indigenous art show, Native American art market and cultural celebration is a free annual event. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Native POP is expanding to a two-day event.
Before the event in Rapid City, a juried art show and opening awards reception will be from 5 to 8 p.m. July 8 at Dahl Arts Center. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com. Search for Native POP: People of the Plains Artist Banquet & Honoring.
Art enthusiasts will get a first look at work by nearly 50 of the Great Plains’ best established and emerging artists who will be featured in the Native POP art market. Prize money totaling $18,500 will be awarded.
The evening includes light hors d’oeuvres. Those who have been instrumental to Native POP’s foundation and all relatives affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will be honored.
Native POP’s art market and culture bearer demonstrations are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 9, with vendors, informational booths, Native-owned food trucks including the local Sergeant Popper’s Popcorn and Bean There, Done That! coffee truck and more.
An opening grand entry and prayer and honorary drum stampede begin at 10 a.m., followed by the Red Ribbon Skirt Society at 10:30 a.m., Wacipi time with Wambli Ska at 11 a.m., a Horse Nation presentation at noon, the Pine Ridge Flute Society at 1 p.m., and Dances with Words at 2 p.m.
A designer fashion showcase at 3 p.m., emceed by “Eskimo Pie Say No,” will feature K. Looking Horse Designs from New York, Designs by Della from the Crow Nation, and local Oglala designers Mocca Cin Soul, Zuya Arts and Sam’s Auntie Wear.
A music showcase will wrap up July 9 events, starting with an open mic at 4 p.m. Wanbli Ohitikawin and Cranston Joel perform at 5:15 p.m., followed by Welby June at 6 p.m., Arrow Evolution at 6:45 p.m. and The Reddmen at 7:45 p.m.
The Native POP art market and culture bearer demonstrations continue from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 10, with an opening grand entry and prayer and honorary drum stampede at 10 a.m. The Red Ribbon Skirt Society will be at 10:30 a.m., Wacipi time with Wambli Ska at 11 a.m., a Horse Nation presentation at noon, the Pine Ridge Flute Society at 1 p.m., Dances with Words at 1:45 p.m. and comedian “Eskimo Pie Say No” at 2:15 p.m.
The first-ever Native POP Catwalk Challenge at 2:30 p.m. features fashions by emerging designers, who created their pieces in an eight-hour time span.
The music showcase begins with an open mic at 4 p.m. followed by a musical showcase with Bert Malcom at 5 p.m., Tiana Spotted Thunder at 5:45 p.m., and Scotti Clifford and The Spirits Cry at 6:30 p.m.
Native POP encourages everyone to support Great Plains artists year-round. For more information, go to nativepop.org or email info@nativepop.org.
Stevens student has first solo art show
Abstract artist Mark Carroll of Rapid City is celebrating his first solo show. At 17, Carroll is already establishing himself as a painter who…
|
2022-07-02T16:46:49Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
10th annual Native POP expands to 2 days | Entertainment | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/entertainment/10th-annual-native-pop-expands-to-2-days/article_0e8e38db-5a3c-5884-a97d-767c0548b251.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/entertainment/10th-annual-native-pop-expands-to-2-days/article_0e8e38db-5a3c-5884-a97d-767c0548b251.html
|
Ellsworth Air Force Base’s 28th Bomb Wing is scheduled to conduct B-1B flyovers at six locations throughout the Black Hills area on July 4, as part of area Independence Day events.
The flyovers will take place in Custer, Hot Springs, Piedmont, Belle Fourche, Lead and Spearfish.
The current flyover schedule is Custer Patriots Day Parade at 10 a.m. in Custer, Piedmont Independence Day Parade at 10 a.m. in Piedmont, Belle Fourche Independence Day Parade at 10:30 a.m. in Belle Fourche, Lead Gold Camp Jubilee Flag Raising Ceremony in Lead at 11:30 a.m., Hot Springs Independence Day Parade at noon in Hot Springs, and Spearfish Independence Day Parade at noon in Spearfish.
B-1 flyovers are allowed as part of approved training missions, according to a news release from the 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs office. Residents living in and around the Black Hills area could experience an increased noise level related to the flyovers.
Individuals who witness any of the flyovers are encouraged to share their photos and videos on Ellsworth Air Force Base’s official Facebook and Instagram pages available at: www.Facebook.com/ellsworthairforcebase and @ellsworthafb on Instagram.
Rapid City residents can also catch the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band at 7 p.m. at the Memorial Park Bandshell in Rapid City on July 4. The band will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Air Force with the “Sounds of Freedom” concert series. The production will feature musical selections from rock-n-roll, country, jazz, classic American and today’s popular music.
|
2022-07-02T20:28:35Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Ellsworth plans B-1 flyovers for Independence Day | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/ellsworth-plans-b-1-flyovers-for-independence-day/article_ad127da3-b167-5f95-9879-1a07a7cfd382.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/ellsworth-plans-b-1-flyovers-for-independence-day/article_ad127da3-b167-5f95-9879-1a07a7cfd382.html
|
Hardhats remain winless at Firecracker after mercy-rule loss to Missoula
Post 22's Dylon Marsh (16) fields a fly ball during a game against the Missoula Mavericks in the Firecracker tournament on Saturday at Fitzgerald Stadium.
Rapid City Post 22’s offensive woes continued Saturday night at Fitzgerald Stadium.
The Hardhats were denied a hit, while the Missoula Post 27 bats took advantage of five walks and five hit-by-pitches to roll to an 11-2 mercy-rule victory on the Day 3 of the Firecracker Tournament in a game that lasted five innings.
Post 22 (29-20) moves to 0-4 in the tournament, tying a season-high losing streak it set back in May, and has a combined nine hits over the skid.
“We are uncompetitive in every phase of the game; pitching, hitting, defense. We have no heart,” Hardhats head coach Kelvin Torve said. “We played two or three good innings of baseball in this tournament, the rest have just been no heart, no fire, no nothing.”
Despite going hitless, Post 22 did score a pair of runs off of two RBI-sacrifice flies from Jacob Solano and Harrison Good, the latter of whom scored one of the runs. The other was scored by Zeke Farlee. Dylon Marsh also drew two walks.
“I told them, nobody’s coming to save us,” Torve said. “The answer is in our dugout, and we need to find it within ourselves to come up with something that gets us out of this funk.”
Hardhats starting pitcher Brian Atkinson lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing eight runs (three earned) on five hits while walking four and striking out three. Wilson Kieffer served in relief and gave up three runs on one hit and walked one without recording a strikeout.
“For some reason, we can’t find the strike zone, we can’t find the barrel of the bat, we can’t find the pocket of the glove, we can’t find a throw,” Torve said. “We can’t find anything.”
Post 22 had two chances to get on the board first in the early going. In the opening frame, Farlee reached third base with one out, but Missoula got out of the inning with back-to-back strikeouts. In the second, Marsh made it to third with one out, but two more strikeouts ended the threat.
The Mavericks then put up four runs in the third inning. An RBI-double to center field and a two-run single to left gave them a 3-0 lead, then an errant throw trying to get the last out at first allowed the fourth run of the frame to score from second.
After Missoula added a run in the fourth on an RBI-single, the team out of Montana broke the game wide open as Post 22 worked itself into a one-out, bases-loaded jam. The Mavericks were able to build an eight-run lead thanks to a hit-by-pitch that plated a run, and two RBI-walks.
The Hardhats avoided the four-run mercy rule loss — an eight-run game after four innings — by picking up their first run of the game in the bottom-half of the frame. Following three straight walks to load the bases, the Mavericks brought in a new pitcher, who struck out the first batter he faced. Then Solano sent a deep flyout to right, which allowed Good to score.
Missoula added two insurance runs for the five-inning mercy rule off an errant throw to first that plated a runner from second, and a two-out, two-run single to make it 11-1.
Farlee scored the last run for Post 22 before the contest was over, drawing a leadoff walk before reaching second on a steal and advancing to third on another steal. Good then flew out to left to drive him in.
The Hardhats host Terre Haute at 7 p.m. Sunday for their final game of pool play at the Firecracker Tournament.
|
2022-07-03T06:20:09Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Hardhats remain winless at Firecracker after mercy-rule loss to Missoula | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/hardhats-remain-winless-at-firecracker-after-mercy-rule-loss-to-missoula/article_7d7e9b76-3767-5b35-aa62-31232fd7ca5f.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/hardhats-remain-winless-at-firecracker-after-mercy-rule-loss-to-missoula/article_7d7e9b76-3767-5b35-aa62-31232fd7ca5f.html
|
Two bison calves followed by their mother walk across a highway at Wind Cave National Park, blocking traffic on a summer day.
Courtesy, National Park Service
A new National Park Service report shows that 3.6 million visitors to Black Hills area national parks spent $231.6 million in the state in 2021. That spending resulted in 3,362 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $301.4 million.
Area national parks are: Badlands National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Wind Cave National Park.
To learn more about national parks in the Black Hills area and how the National Park Service works with South Dakota communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/SouthDakota.
|
2022-07-03T14:27:02Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
National park tourism in the Black Hills area creates $301.4 million in economic benefit | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/national-park-tourism-in-the-black-hills-area-creates-301-4-million-in-economic-benefit/article_0386cb55-2f9e-51a9-8454-84f6341c6d05.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/national-park-tourism-in-the-black-hills-area-creates-301-4-million-in-economic-benefit/article_0386cb55-2f9e-51a9-8454-84f6341c6d05.html
|
Sasquatch tally 15 hits in win over Canyon County
The Spearfish Sasquatch put together another strong offensive performance to open a three-game series against the Canyon County Spuds.
The Sasquatch tallied 15 hits to beat the Spuds 9-4 on Monday at Black Hills Energy Stadium in Spearfish. They've now scored at least six runs in nine of their last 10 games.
Damon Gaither hit a two-run home run, his first of the season, while Gabe Springer collected a pair of doubles as part of a 3 for 5 performance for Spearfish (15-19) that included a run. Drew Biggerstaff and Bryson Hoier also picked up three hits apiece, while Biggerstaff added a run and two RBIs and Hoier tallied one RBI.
Leadoff batter Nicky Winterstein went 2 for 4 with a run and two RBIs, while Bailey Bordas and Trey Vorwald both doubled and scored two runs.
Starting pitcher Cam Hoiland earned the win in five innings, surrendering two runs (both earned) on six hits while walking three and striking out six on 96 pitches.
The Sasquatch got on the board in the first inning on an RBI-single by Springer, then Winterstein hit a two-run single with two outs in the second to go up 3-0.
Hoier drove in a run on a single in the third inning, then Biggerstaff's two-run single gave Spearfish a 6-0 lead before Canyon County (15-16) got on the board with two runs in the fifth and made it a three-run game with a run in the seventh.
The Sasquatch went back up by five runs in bottom-half of the seventh on Gaither's two-run homer, then answered the Spuds' one run in the eight with one of their own, and RBI-double by Springer.
Spearfish hosts Canyon County again on Tuesday.
|
2022-07-05T06:02:41Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Sasquatch tally 15 hits in win over Canyon County | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/sasquatch-tally-15-hits-in-win-over-canyon-county/article_139d5ab9-b8e2-543e-8113-09ce2dca6318.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/sasquatch-tally-15-hits-in-win-over-canyon-county/article_139d5ab9-b8e2-543e-8113-09ce2dca6318.html
|
Kristi Noem’s push for fireworks at Mount Rushmore for a photo op for herself is insane. What part of the hills are dry and the fire danger is high does she not understand?
The people of South Dakota need to decide the fate of abortion in the state of South Dakota, not the governor and not the state Legislature.
There's only one way to solve our nation's problems, and that is to put a Republican back in the White House.
It's Independence Day in the Home of Mount Rushmore and the Rapid City Journal headlines with the patrician exploits of the Jan. 6 Committee. Way to uphold the divisive undermining of our country.
Your liberty stops when it imposes on mine. Be courteous — no one else should be impacted by your tomfoolery.
Do Republican men think that running around with guns and trampling on women's right define their manhood? Well, think again, because we are not voting for them.
Our governor would have a South Dakota law that would prohibit a raped 10-year old from getting an abortion, but "mother governor" had to intervene because her daughter couldn't pass a test.
|
2022-07-05T12:51:19Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Your Two Cents for July 5 | Local | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/your-two-cents-for-july-5/article_154ff001-5e45-558e-84e8-e693ca59c8bc.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/your-two-cents-for-july-5/article_154ff001-5e45-558e-84e8-e693ca59c8bc.html
|
The Historic Adams House in Deadwood will host Jazz on the Lawn with music by the JAS Quintet on July 21.
Brandon Jones of Rapid City will headline Summer Nights in downtown Rapid City on July 21.
Whether you’re a fan of classical, country, jazz or rock, July is packed with concerts sure to please any music lover. Native POP will showcase a dazzling array of Indigenous art, fashion, music and more. For pure escapist fun, local theater groups are bringing classic fairy tales to the stage.
July 6, 13, 20, 27
Rapid City Municipal Band’s summer season continues every Wednesday through July with free concerts at 8 p.m. at Memorial Park band shell. Bring your own lawn chairs or blanket and enjoy a variety of live music.
July 7, 14, 21 and 28
Summer Nights presents live concerts from 6-9 p.m. Thursdays throughout the summer at Seventh and St. Joseph Streets in Rapid City. July’s lineup is country singer Brianna Helbling, July 7; country rock trio Zeona Road, July 14; country band Brandon Jones, July 21; country rock band October Road, July 28. Free. Information: rapidcitysummernights.com
July 8-9, 15-16, 22-23
The Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills presents its Classical Concert Series at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays in the Adelstein Gallery at The Journey Museum and Learning Center. Tickets: Call The Journey Museum, 605-394-6923.
July 8-9: "You had me at Hello." The theme is instant attraction based on your favorite composers featuring Rachmaninov’s “Piano Trio,” Schumann’s “Piano Quartet,” and a new arrangement of Beyonce’s “Halo.”
July 15-16: "Night Music of Madrid." Favorites from Latin America and Spain will be highlighted, featuring Montero's “Buenos Aires Quartet,” Albeniz and Boccherini.
July 22-23: "Stairway to Heaven." The theme is Classic Rock with Classic Roots, plus Faure’s “Piano Quartet” and Saint-Saens’ “Fantasy for Violin and Harp,” which will be performed by internationally award-winning violinist Maya Buchanan of Rapid City and Dawn Marie Edwards, the Chamber Music Festival’s artistic and education director.
Country-Style Music Mondays showcase the High Plains Western Heritage Center’s chuckwagon music crew in down-home country music shows with classic tunes and humor. Shows are from 6:15-7 p.m. in the Bruce Miller Theater at High Plains Western Heritage Center in Spearfish. Admission is a $10 donation at the door. No reservations needed. Information: westernheritagecenter.com
Nashville entertainers Joey Leone and his band will take music lovers back to the “Roots of Rock & Roll” at 2 p.m. in the Bruce Miller Theater at High Plains Western Heritage Center in Spearfish. Admission is a $10 donation at the door. This is family-oriented entertainment. Information: westernheritagecenter.com
Jazz on the Lawn celebrates W.E. Adams’ love of music and especially jazz. Jazz on the Lawn, featuring the JAS Quintet, takes place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on the lawn and gardens of the Historic Adams House in Deadwood. The evening includes hors d’oeuvres catered by Cheyenne Crossing and a cash bar. $40 per person; advance reservations required. Purchase tickets online at DeadwoodHistory.com or call 605-722-4800
High Plains Western Heritage Center celebrates “Day of the American Cowboy” with a show featuring the music and vibrant storytelling of Paul Larson and cowboy poetry by retired rancher Marty Blocker. The show is at 1 p.m. in the Bruce Miller Theater at High Plains Western Heritage Center in Spearfish. Admission is a $10 donation at the door. Information: westernheritagecenter.com
The Black Hills Center for Equality presents the 2022 Black Hills Pride Festival with two days filled with events across downtown Rapid City. Youth Pride will be held beginning at 6 p.m. Friday at The Cave Collective. Tickets for Youth Pride are free. Youth Pride is open for anyone between the ages of 13 and 21. The Cave Collective is a sober space.
For those 18 years of age and older, a special drag queen and drag king show will begin at 7 p.m. Friday at the Holiday Inn-Rapid City Downtown Convention Center. Tickets start at $15.
Pride in the Park begins at 9 a.m. Saturday near the band shell at Memorial Park with free performances, vendors and family-friendly activities for all ages. The Black Hills Pride After Party begins at 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn-Rapid City Downtown Convention Center. The After Party is open for those 18 years old and above. Tickets to the Pride After Party start at $20.
For tickets to the paid events, or for more information, visit www.bhcfe.org
Native POP celebrates its 10th anniversary by expanding this celebration of Indigenous art, fashion, music and culture to a two-day event at Main Street Square in Rapid City. Hours July 9 are 9 a.m.-6 p.m., with live music starting at 4 p.m. Hours July 10 are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with live music starting at 4 p.m. Free. Information: nativepop.org
In conjunction with Native POP, art enthusiasts can get a first look at some of the work by nearly 50 of the Great Plains’ best established and emerging artists. A juried art show and opening awards reception will be from 5-8 p.m. July 8 at Dahl Arts Center. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com. Search for Native POP: People of the Plains Artist Banquet & Honoring.
All-abilities dance theater company Flutter Productions will present an original production, "Roots," at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center in Rapid City. "Roots" will explore the concept of what happens when we disconnect from nature. The story follows two sisters seeking respite from a tumultuous world. They venture into the forest and learn from flora and fauna they meet along the way. Tickets are $12 to $17.50; purchase tickets at performingartsrc.org/events/flutter-productions-presents-roots/. Proceeds benefit classes and performances offered by Flutter Productions.
July 13-17, 19-24, 26-31
Black Hills Playhouse will delight all ages with the beloved magical fairy tale "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella," presented with a new musical score. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday with 2 p.m. matinees Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays at Black Hills Playhouse, Custer State Park. Due to road construction, Black Hills Playhouse can be accessed by Highway 87 (take Highway 79 to the State Game Lodge and come through Custer State Park.) Tickets: Adults $41; seniors/military $36; students with ID $29; kids age 16 and younger $19. Tickets and information: blackhillsplayhouse.com/
After her journey through Wonderland, Alice’s adventures continue when she goes “Through the Looking Glass” where everything is topsy-turvy and no one behaves quite as they should. Adapted from Lewis Carroll’s classic “Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There,” this family-friendly production will be presented at 7 p.m. at Matthews Opera House in Spearfish. Advance tickets are $15 adults, $10 for youth 18 and younger. Cash bar with wine, cold beer, soda will be available. Tickets and information: matthewsopera.com/event/through-the-looking-glass/
|
2022-07-05T15:06:11Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
July a month for music lovers | Entertainment | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/entertainment/july-a-month-for-music-lovers/article_63b2570f-7c6d-5503-8521-b452a68a98fa.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/entertainment/july-a-month-for-music-lovers/article_63b2570f-7c6d-5503-8521-b452a68a98fa.html
|
Gather to Grow teaches lifelong benefits of mindfulness, yoga
From left, Faith Jackson, Abriana Hugget and Charity Jackson hold yoga poses. Gather to Grow Community Yoga Festival in Lead July 15-17 will be a family-centered event. It's open to all ages and will teach basic techniques of yoga and mindfulness.
Courtesy, Tristyn Jackson
Brixton Petrik and his dad, Garrett Petrik, practice a yoga pose. The Gather to Grow Community Yoga Festival in Lead July 15-17 will give parents and kids opportunities to learn the basics of yoga and mindfulness together.
From left: Morgan Jurens, Tina Jurens, Cole Jurens and Greyson Jurens practice a yoga pose.
Pausing for a moment to breathe, stretch or calm intense emotions can be good for anyone. The first Gather to Grow Community Yoga Festival invites people of all ages to give yoga and mindfulness a try.
Combining literacy, art, yoga and fun, the family-centered event is open to all ages and is intentionally designed so even toddlers can participate, said Cary A. Thrall, an organizer and founder of the festival.
“Gather to Grow is not only for children and families. It is also designed for yoga instructors interested in diversifying their understanding of yogic principles and how to apply them to teaching children. It is for educational and mental health professionals and all those who work with children of any age and in any capacity. All are welcome,” Thrall said.
The Gather to Grow Community Yoga Festival will take place July 15, 16 and 17 at Manuel Brothers Park in Lead. Admission starts at $25 per person per day. Participants can purchase a weekend pass or attend one day or a partial day of the festival. Go to eventbrite.com/e/252259985407 to register online, or register in person at the festival.
Gather to Grow begins at 4 p.m. July 15 with on-site registration, followed by a community session of yoga and live music, concluding at 8:30 p.m. The festival opens at 9 a.m. July 16 with on-site registration. Morning and afternoon community sessions will be offered by yoga instructors, followed by music in the evening, concluding at 8:30 p.m.
On July 17, the festival opens at 8:30 a.m. with a family breakfast provided by Lynn’s Dakotamart, ending with a community meditation session and closing between noon and 1 p.m., Thrall said.
Live music throughout the festival will be performed by Kat Baum of Inner Voice Studios and Black Hills singer-songwriter Steve Thorpe. Thrall is also looking for shopping and food vendors who would like to participate.
Thrall is a certified educator who teaches youths of all ages statewide, including recent work with Early Learner South Dakota. Thrall has partnered with Tristyn Jackson, who teaches children’s yoga, and Emily Kutil and several community sponsors to present the Gather to Grow festival.
“It’s a good way for everyone to come together,” Jackson said. “We’re trying to present to the community that yoga is useful to everybody and bring families together. … It’s a way to understand the fundamentals of yoga and mindfulness and to create lifelong tools for our younger generations.”
Thrall said Gather to Grow is a family-friendly event because she believes children benefit from learning simple mindfulness and yoga techniques.
“(It’s) teaching young people how to breathe through a moment when they’re frustrated or having a really big emotion,” Thrall said. “Especially for our littles, some of their emotions are such a brand-new thing they don’t know how to manage their body or their experience.”
“We’re offering these educational opportunities for not only children and families, but anyone who might be supporting those people … whether it’s parents or auntie or an uncle or whether they’re working with kids,” she said.
Thrall owns and operates CAT Scratch Studios (Creative Arts and Therapies) in Lead. She specializes in yoga, meditation, and incorporating art and creativity into those practices.
“We can teach self-regulation at any age. It’s one of the most powerful things. Yoga helps people be flexible in their mind and body,” she said. “Then they have this capacity to be more of who they’re meant to be. It gives them time and space and flow, and I think that’s accessible at any age.”
“When families practice mindfulness together, it brings them closer. It’s so important,” Thrall said. “If families are interested in coming (to Gather to Grow), they can bring their babies. We are making a space for everyone. I think people can participate in any way that feels comfortable. They can do part of a session, or watch, or jump right in.”
Thrall believes learning and incorporating mindfulness can also enrich the entire community. She hopes those who attend will learn and build resilience through community connections, mindfulness and movement, literacy, art and an intentional focus on holistic health.
“By working with educational professionals, yoga instructors, mental health providers, cultural leadership and more, we provide unique experiences for children of all ages, families and our communities,” she said.
“It’s so easy, literally one minute of just breathing or just sitting and calming with someone,” Thrall said. “Even for the littles, just holding the space and holding a blanket or stuffed animal, or getting a nice tight hug for 30 seconds, it makes a stronger relationship and rapport.”
“If we can bring that to the community, then I think that would be one of the most amazing things. It will shift people. They’ll have the time and space to connect deeper to each other,” she said.
To sponsor Gather to Grow or for more information, go to catscratchstudios.org or contact Thrall at CAT Scratch Studios, 104 Curnow, Lead, SD 57754 Attn: Gather to Grow.
WATCH NOW: Rapid City’s 2022 Independence Day fireworks
|
2022-07-05T17:12:04Z
|
rapidcityjournal.com
|
Gather to Grow teaches lifelong benefits of mindfulness, yoga | News | rapidcityjournal.com
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/gather-to-grow-teaches-lifelong-benefits-of-mindfulness-yoga/article_a44ae9ce-1e63-5cbc-854d-16ba37e50151.html
|
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/gather-to-grow-teaches-lifelong-benefits-of-mindfulness-yoga/article_a44ae9ce-1e63-5cbc-854d-16ba37e50151.html
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.