ENTERPRISE THE WORTHING
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JANUARY 2013
VOL. 7, NO. 1
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Commissioners uphold Wallenstein steps down as Worthing Fire Chief termination of police chief Worthing Commissioners met in special session on Dec. 18 for a hearing on the termination of Police Chief Roger Knutson. About 60 citizens were present. A petition signed by 105 residents was presented to the Commissioners to offer their support of Knutson. After hearing the public appeal, the Commissioners went into executive session. Following the executive session, the first motion was to terminate Officer Roger Knutson’s employment, effective Wednesday, Dec. 19. The vote was unanimous. Knutson was fired due to repeated inappropriate conduct. Mayor Eric Saugstad said that they can only give so much information to the public as they have to protect the rights of the individuals involved. A second motion was made to give notice to Knutson of his right to appeal this decision. Knutson can appeal this decision to the Commissioners. If he is unsatisfied with the results of their decision
after the appeal, he can appeal to the Department of Labor. A third motion was made to instruct the city staff to begin looking for a new police chief immediately. Again, the vote was unanimous. “Public safety is the number one goal of the Commission,” said Saugstad. He added that the Commission is committed to having a local police department. Search for a new police chief has already begun. Worthing is currently being served by part-time police officer Travis Johns. Knutson appealed the decision at hearing on Dec. 28. Again, the Commissioners voted to confirm the prior termination of Officer Roger Knutson based upon prior employment issues and the inappropriate conduct occurring December 4th, 2012 and December 5th, 2012. The decision was unanimous. The last appeal available to Knutson would be to appeal to the Department of Labor.
Jon Hanson named new Fire Chief
George Wallenstein
G
eorge Wallenstein has stepped down as Worthing Fire Chief after 32 years. Even though he will no longer be chief, he has accepted the position of president on the corporate board and will help out with training. Worthing firemen held elections of officers on Dec. 11. Jon Hanson accepted the Fire Chief position. He has been with the department for 14 years. Tony Nelson is the squad’s new 2nd Assistant Chief. He has been on the department for 13 years. Justin Apple is the new 1st Assistant Chief with nine years of service. Jarrod Hudelson is the new public relations officer and Justin Wallenstein is the new training officer.
Worthing water main issue at Third and Juniper temporarily fixed
D
uring its Jan. 7 meeting, the Worthing City Commission approved a resolution adopting the City of Worthing’s Planning and Zoning fees. Resolution 12102012 includes a fee of $250 for filing for a conditional use permit; $350 for filing for a change of zone; $150 for filing an application for a variance; and $250 for requesting a special meeting of the Planning Commission. Troy Larson, finance and revenue commissioner, said his concerns were eased on the fee for a conditional use permit. “I don’t think it would be out of line based on the fact that a lot of the things that used to require a conditional use permit don’t anymore,”
Larson said before moving to approve the resolution. Darren VanHouten, public utilities commissioner, moved to approve January vouchers, which included $4,000 for the Worthing Economic Development Corp. and $2,600 for the Worthing Days Committee. Larson seconded. The commissioners also approved meeting minutes from the Dec. 26 regular meeting and minutes from the Dec. 28 special session meeting. The commission heard a second reading for ordinance 2013-260-1, an ordinance to supplement the budget appropriations of fiscal year 2012. A roll call vote from commissioners passed the ordinance. In other business, Larson
INDEPENDENT THE LENNOX
Jon Hanson
moved to seek further information from East, Vander Woude, Grant & Co., P.C. of Sioux Falls regarding “out of pocket expenses” and to correct the mayor’s name on their proposal to assist the city with its 2012 annual report. Motion was approved. Jeff Tanner, city administrator, let the commission know that the AED that is to be placed in the police car, has come in. VanHouten reported a water main issue at Third and Juniper over the weekend. Mayor Eric Saugstad thanked the city maintenance department for their diligent work on a Sunday, as well as the residents who reported the problem. He also said that the fix is not a permanent one. ■ COMMISSION MTG., page 3
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Worthing man claims $250,000 Mega Millions Prize (Pierre) – Kenneth Lund of Worthing is a lucky man, and it’s not just because he claimed his $250,000 Mega Millions prize today from the January 8, 2013 drawing. It’s because he almost lost his chance to claim it. Lund purchased his winning Quick Pick ticket at the Countryside Convenience truck stop in Lennox. One of his three daughters works there; in fact, she was the clerk who sold him his ticket for the Mega Millions drawing. The truck stop, which will receive a $10,000 bonus for the sale, was where Lund went to check his Mega Millions ticket to see if it was a winner. And it was there that his luck almost ran out. “I ran it through the ticket checker and it said ‘sign your ticket’. My vision’s not what it used to be; I thought it wasn’t a winner. So I dumped it in the garbage, bought a Powerball ticket and went home,” Lund said. When his daughter called to see
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if he had the winning ticket that was sold in Lennox, he told her what he’d done. And she told him he should go back and find his ticket. “So I drove the six miles back to Lennox, went to the wastebasket and there was my ticket, right where I’d left it,” he said. The odds of winning $250,000 playing Mega Millions are 1:3,904,701. Lund, who’s retired after 40 years as a truck driver, says he purchased a lot of lotto tickets over the years between South Dakota and Texas, and with this win is “probably about even now”. Still, he does have an idea or two about what he’ll do with his winnings. “I’ll probably buy a new pickup,” Lund said. As to whether he’ll share the money with the daughter who made him a winner? “We haven’t talked about that yet!” Mega Millions is played in 42 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Small town living and so much more 38.5 Acre Industrial Park Elementary School Strong Local Fire Department 20 Minutes from Sioux Falls