Year In Review 2021

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This year’s biggest local stories

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2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

2021

>>>ON THE COVER Shown here is the west side of Lake Mitchell that the preliminary dredging design has indicated is the area that needs the most sediment and lake bottom dredged. The preliminary design has also provided city leaders with a cost estimate to dredge the city-owned body of water, which amounts to roughly $15 million. Sam Fosness / Republic Students applaud one of their speakers during the Mitchell High School commencement on May 23 in the Corn Palace. Matt Gade / Republic The Howard Tigers hoist the Class 9A State Championship trophy following their 55-18 win over Herried/Selby Area on Thursday, Nov. 11 at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. Matt Gade / Republic An 18-year-old man was found dead early Monday, July 26 on the north side of Mitchell and authorities believe the death was caused by the man being thrown from a moving vehicle. File photo

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top stories of 2021 >>>>>>>> The Mitchell Board of Education voted 5-0 Monday, Aug. 30 to enact a mask requirement for all K-12 buildings in the Mitchell School District. Erik Kaufman / Republic Over 130 people take part in a protest outside of Mitchell High School on Wednesday, Sept. 1 in Mitchell.

Matt Gade / Republic Mitchell resident Reed Bender, left, listens as his attorney R. Shawn Tornow makes comments after Reed turned himself in for an indictment of obstruction of police in October of 2020. In Oct. 2021 following a three-day trial that included five hours of jury deliberations, a Davison County jury could not agree on a verdict of a charge of obstructing a law officer after refusing to wear a mask during a 2020 school board meeting. Matt Gade / Republic Daniel R. Kittle was named the 21st president of Dakota Wesleyan University during an announcement in the Rollins Campus Center on DWU’s campus. Kittle replaces Amy Novak who stepped down in June. Matt Gade / Republic

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>> JANUARY top stories

No. 2: For the last 13 years, the 72-year-old Yankton Sioux Tribal member Faith Spotted Eagle has battled in courtrooms, stood along pipelines and protested in front of Trump Tower in hopes of halting the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Such advocacy earned her the electoral college vote of Robert Satiacum, Jr., making her the first American Indian to receive an electoral vote.

No. 3: For Bill and Adam

Submitted / Jim Buchanan

Jim Buchanan, a retired physician in Rapid City, S.D., analyzes state COVID-19 data and information every day and posts daily reports on social media to a growing number of fans and followers.

No. 1: Meet Linda and Jim. At first, nobody looked to them for

health information as COVID-19 swept into the US in early 2020.

Yet over a pandemic year filled with swirling uncertainty and confusing statistics, they emerged as unlikely heroes. Armed with spreadsheets and databases, their dedication and accuracy quickly elevated them into trusted, go-to sources of pandemic information for a growing number of online fans. Linda and Jim aren’t journalists or public health professionals. They don’t get paid for what they do. They’re a state representative from Sioux Falls and a retired physician from Rapid City. Still, they took it upon themselves to daily gather COVID-19 information and publish reports about new cases, hospitalizations, breakdowns of media briefings and summaries of pandemic news reports as a way to further their work for the public and for the betterment of public health.

Mushitz, owners of Mushitz Ringnecks, it’s not about the money. Keeping the pheasant hunting tradition alive and well for future generations is what motivates the father-son duo to run their hunting lodge and guiding service in the pheasant belt of South Dakota. But to do that, there must be a healthy pheasant population.

No. 4: Outside the Capitol

on Wednesday, Jan. 6, the mob overwhelmed the police.

Capitol Hill staff fled, as sirens blared. Shots fired were reported in the Capitol.

C-Span broadcast rioters roving Statuary Hall. Inside, makeshift weapons were improvised. South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson said they planned whether to fight or flee. More than fear, Johnson said he felt anger.

Absolute, seething anger.

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No. 5: Eric Storms lifted his phone to video chat with his wife and three children on Christmas Day, but the pain was unbearable. The 32-yearold Chamberlain resident was 10 days removed from a transplant after diabetes left his kidney function at 12%.

Storms was separated from his family for 11 days in the hospital due to COVID-19 restrictions.

No. 6: In 2011, Jolene Kayser, an Alexandria resident, saw the post and then began talking with coworkers who had entertained similar ideas about finding a good use for used prom dresses. The Glass Slipper project was then born. The project is a volunteer organization designed to provide high school girls an opportunity to acquire prom dresses they may otherwise be unable to afford.

No. 7: Mitchell Mayor Bob Everson broke down what went into his tiebreaking vote Tuesday night to let the citywide mask mandate expire on Jan. 27.

For Everson, his decision centered around freedom of choice and the near-equal rates of declining COVID-19 cases in counties that did not implement a mask ordinance and those that did over the past two months.

No. 8: In September 2020, Linda McEntee assumed the role of executive director of Big Friend Little Friend, which has been in operation since 2010. The local program focuses on empowering children through supportive mentoring relationships while allowing monetary donations to be used strictly for the Mitchell-area program and for more local leadership and control.

No. 9: Authorities are

investigating a deadly shooting that “wasn’t a random act,” Mitchell police said Sunday morning. At about 11:07 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, officers located a male victim who sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene where the shooting occurred, police said.

No. 10: Since the beginning of the pandemic, South Dakota has lagged behind other surrounding states in testing, but by September 2020, South Dakota had conducted fewer than 150,000 tests and has yet to catch up as experts learned of the frequency in which the virus spreads asymptomatically.

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2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

>>FEBRUARYtop stories

Amy Lawrence Photography, courtesy of Ethan Vobr and Tasha Welch

Ethan Vobr, center, and Tasha Welch, right, along with son Bentley, sit bedside at the hospital with Cameron Vobr in Sioux Falls.

No. 1: The end of Cameron Vobr’s life was journaled in hope. Four

months, seven days old when he took his last breath at 8:23 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2021, in his father’s arms. “I whispered how proud I was of him and how much I loved him,” Ethan Vobr wrote. “He had heard what he needed from us and let go.” Those were among many beautiful, deep feelings written by Ethan honoring his first-born child. What started out as text messages to keep family and friends notified eventually morphed into something bigger. Through a journal and generosity, a family transformed their quiet tragedy of losing their newborn into a life-saving legacy: Cameron Vobr will always be remembered.

No. 2: Eighteen-year-

olds Hannah Nelson and Brett Evans became cancer survivors before they were old enough to drive, forced to understand harsh realities before most are able to comprehend such complicated matters. When they needed a push back into the world, swimming was the answer for both. And eventually it brought the couple together.

No. 3: After 18 years as part of the Dakota Wesleyan University family, Amy Novak is moving on to new adventures. “I’ve had 18 really exceptional years at DWU. I’m a stronger leader and have been grateful for the myriad friendships and relationships that have become like family,” Novak told the Mitchell Republic.

No. 4: The mother of a Mitchell teenage boy who was hospitalized after being assaulted during “locker boxing” in December 2018 has filed a civil complaint against the Mitchell Skating and Hockey Association.

The teenagers involved were minors at the time of the incident and are identified in the complaint only by their initials.

No. 5: After dealing with a nearby nuisance property that’s worsened over the

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 | 5

years, a group of Hanson County residents’ mounting frustrations have reached a boiling point. From used semi-trailers to old cars and scrap metal, Greg Patton’s 14.5-acre property that’s located on Old Mill Road along the James River has been collecting an assortment of materials throughout the past several decades.

No. 6: On Thursday, South

Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem invoked the story of a smalltown S.D. hotel owner who lost pipeline workers as guests when President Joe Biden rescinded the Keystone XL permit last month, citing a Washington, D.C., publication. But additional reporting shows the hotel’s situation was a bit more complicated.

No. 7: South Dakota

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg will face three misdemeanor charges for hitting and killing a man with his car alongside a highway last September, a county prosecutor announced Thursday, Feb. 18. Ravnsborg will face charges for operating a vehicle while using his cellphone, failure to keep his car in its travel lane, and careless driving.

No. 8: Like with prep basketball and the spring sports season, the state’s

high school FFA programs were halted when COVID19 forced school closures last year and caused the cancellation of the 2020 FFA state convention. But the 2021 state convention has been given the green light this April. And for the first time, the convention won’t be held in Brookings at South Dakota State University but instead has been moved to the Central States Fairgrounds in Rapid City.

No. 9: Representatives of

the three major educational institutions in Mitchell gave an update on the state of their schools Thursday at the State of the Schools Luncheon, discussing the ongoing COVID-19 fight, institutional leadership changes and the continued efforts to improve and expand its programs.

No. 10: The Mitchell School District named a Longfellow Elementary School Teacher as the district Teacher of the Year Wednesday at a ceremony at the school’s Performing Arts Center.

Heidi Eitemiller, a 21-year educational veteran who teaches physical education at Longfellow and Title I at the Abbott House, was selected from five nominees throughout the district.

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>> MARCH top stories >>

Matt Gade / Republic

Gary Van Roekel heads out after receiving a shot of the Moderna vaccine during the vaccine clinic at the Avera Patient Financial Services building at 1308 West 15th Avenue on Friday morning in Mitchell.

No. 1: It’s been a long, painful year of fighting COVID-19. But the

all-important vaccinations administered at a clinic held recently

by Avera Health in Mitchell were painless. “You wouldn’t know you had gotten (the shot) if they hadn’t told you,” Gary Van Roekel told the Mitchell Republic of the COVID-19 vaccination shot he received Friday, March 5. Van Roekel, Mitchell, was one of hundreds of area residents who converged on the Avera Patient Financial Services building on 15th Avenue to receive their first dose of the Moderna variant of the vaccine. The clinic was one of the regularly scheduled events organized by Avera Health to administer the vaccine. And it was well-attended, as officials administered over 600 shots.

No. 2: Mitchell basketball

has been revitalized from top to bottom. The Kernel boys and girls basketball teams are headed to the Class AA state tournament in the same season for the first time since 2012, a year both teams reached the state finals and the girls won the championship. Excitement surrounding both programs continues to rise, but not long ago, expectations were grim.

No. 3: Despite schools in the state primarily remaining open with live, in-person classes during the 2020-21 school year, most teachers have yet to receive a vaccine shot. Mitchell Superintendent Joe Graves said he would love for teacher vaccinations to be underway already, but with the steady decline in new cases across the state and zero cases reported in the school district in its latest case update, he is understanding about how vaccine distribution is being handled.

No. 4: After more than 20 years in a patrol car for Davison County, Sheriff Steve Brink has announced his retirement, set to take place later this spring. Brink said that he’s thought about retirement for a while, and that it’s time for new blood and leadership to run the department. He also said

that law enforcement is a job for young men and women, especially today.

No. 5: Mitchell learned at the end of 1922 that the Corn Palace would host the state tournament in mid-March, and it was to be the largest event yet. Interest in high school basketball was surging, and the state high school board asked Mitchell to make room for 16 teams in 1923, rather than the 10 teams that had made the tournament in past years.

No. 6 The online world offers so much. Entertainment.

Education. Public services.

Communication. But it also hides dangers and pitfalls.

Cyberbullying. Identity theft.

Online predators. Learning to navigate the ups and downs of the internet can take years, but at least one set of students at Longfellow Elementary School in Mitchell is working ahead of the curve.

No. 7: Dana Schuldt wanted her Mount Vernon High School art students to find their passion.

Free to find inspiration without pressure, those students entered pieces in all 12 categories in the South Dakota High School Activities Association visual arts sweepstakes, placing in the top-three in nine categories, winning five and

capturing the Class B state championship on March 20 in Sioux Falls.

No. 8: Word that the Biden administration had cancelled fireworks this Independence Day at South Dakota’s most famous granite sculpture went off like a firecracker from the state’s biggest politicians. On Monday a spokesman for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem told Fox News to “rest assured, there will be plenty more from Gov. Noem on this topic in the very near future.”

No. 9: The South Dakota House State Affairs committee voted unanimously to delay impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg until a court had reached a verdict on whether the AG is guilty of three misdemeanors related to a deadly crash on a rural highway last fall.

No. 10: At least two Mitchell residents are seeking to challenge Mayor Bob Everson in the upcoming mayoral election. Jason Bates and Tara Volesky recently took out nominating petitions from City Hall. The two Mitchell residents have yet to collect the 50 signatures needed to file their nominating petitions for the mayoral election that’s scheduled for June 8.

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2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

>>APRIL top stories >>>>>>>>>>

Sam Fosness / Republic

Shown here is the west side of Lake Mitchell that the preliminary dredging design has indicated is the area that needs the most sediment and lake bottom dredged.

The preliminary design has also provided city leaders with a cost estimate to dredge the city-owned body of water, which amounts to roughly $15 million.

No. 1: City leaders took a major leap

toward dredging Lake Mitchell this spring after the Mitchell City Council hired an engineering firm to conduct a preliminary dredging design.

Among the three groups that pitched proposals to lead a preliminary dredging design, the Mitchell City Council tabbed Minnesota-based Barr Engineering in April to complete the project at a cost of $339,000.

While there’s been a history of mixed support for dredging the lake as a potential solution to improve the water quality and reduce algae outbreaks, the council’s approval to fund the design indicated dredging Lake Mitchell had become a shared

goal among the eight-person governing body.

Perhaps the most anticipated aspect of the preliminary dredging design that began in April was identifying a price tag to dredge Lake Mitchell.

And that number was revealed to be roughly $15 million, which Mayor Everson said is “within reach” for the city.

Among the more notable findings that resulted from the preliminary design included a recommendation to primarily use mechanical dredging instead of hydraulic, identifying the spoil site location where the dredged sediment and dirt will be disposed and the type of water drawdown needed for dredging the lake.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 | 7

No. 2: Hundreds

of professional and amateur anglers flocked to the ChamberlainOacoma area in late April to fish one of South Dakota’s premier walleye destinations.

Chamberlain-Oacoma was picked to host its first-ever National Walleye Tour event hosted by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s. The threeday event brought some of the nation’s top pro anglers to the area.

No. 3: After the

pandemic canceled the Mitchell High School prom in 2020, MHS students were able to gather and dance the night away for the spring prom in late April.

the board from that era to remain a member of the governing body.

No. 6: Vantage Point

unveiled its plan to expand the Mitchell headquarters to keep up with the growing demand for the company’s services.

The Mitchell-based telecommunications engineering and consulting business that started 19 years ago has grown at a rapid pace, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

No. 7: A condemned

show choir claimed the Grand Champion award in early April, capping off the group’s first-ever undefeated season.

downtown Mitchell building began getting torn down in late April, marking another step towards the city’s goal of cleaning up Main Street. The 124 E. First Ave. building was cording and filled with asbestos, prompting the City Council to abate the property and tear it down.

No. 5: Neil Putnam

No. 8: The housing

No. 4: Friend De Coup

announced he was ending his reign on the Mitchell Board of Education after serving on the board for over two decades. Putnam, 55, was first elected to the board in 2000, and was the only member of

market in Mitchell was surging like never before in April. As more people moved to Mitchell, homes were selling quickly, with the average number of days on the market for homes in Mitchell having dropped

to under 80 in March and April after being just over 120 in December, according to the Mitchell Board of Realtors.

No. 9: Plans for

on-campus COVID-19 vaccination clinics for students at Dakota Wesleyan University and Mitchell Technical College were put on hold in early April after federal and state officials instructed health care providers to pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for safety precautions. The vaccine was eventually cleared to be administered shortly after the pause.

No. 10: A Mitchell

neighborhood rallied around the Kirkpatrick family in the spring to help them build a new home in the same neighborhood. The Kirkpatrick family’s home on the east side of Mitchell was destroyed by a fire. As the family mulled over moving to a new location, the neighborhood came together and pitched into to help them build a new home where the family’s previous house was destroyed.

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2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

>>MAY top stories >>>>>>>>>>>>

No. 2: After 75 years of doing business in Winner, Schramm Furniture closed its doors. The store was founded by Tom and Jeff Schramm’s father, Walter Schramm, in 1946, the furniture store has been a staple of the Winner business community for more than seven decades. Walter began the business with $4,000 and opened the new store.

No. 3: Kyle Croce

Matt Gade / Republic

Students applaud one of their speakers during the Mitchell High School commencement on May 23 in the Corn Palace.

No. 1: After missing out on

graduations in 2020 at the behest of COVID-19, seniors at Mitchell High School and Mitchell Technical College were able to reunite for a memorable commencement ceremony.

While the pandemic forced MHS and MTC’s 2020 graduation ceremonies to take place virtually and through the mail, leaders of the Mitchell School District were determined to provide students with a traditional commencement celebration in May at the Corn Palace.

Joe Graves, superintendent of the Mitchell School District, said a year of navigating the waters of a school in the midst of a once-in-a-century disease outbreak helped prepare faculty, staff and students to bring back the yearly

tradition in a way that more closely resembled what Mitchell students have experienced for decades.

To host the academic ceremonies in person this spring, some restrictions were implemented. Among the safety precautions the school turned to for the commencement ceremonies to take place were face mask requirements and restricting the number of spectators.

The ceremonies were also live streamed for spectators who were unable to attend due to the crowd restrictions.

Despite the tumultuous year students endured in 2020, the graduation ceremonies gave them a sense of much needed normalcy back.

Both MHS and MTC managed to finish the 2020-2021 school year in person after a half-year of virtual learning the previous year.

stepped down as Mitchell’s Public Works Director in early May. Croce had led a handful of key projects in his time with the city. Some of the biggest projects Croce helped oversee included the completion of Sanborn Boulevard reconstruction, the ongoing East Central Drainage project and rolling out the city’s new recycling program roughly a year ago.

No. 4: The Mitchell Area Development Corporation and Chamber of Commerce found their new leader in Geri Beck, who was tabbed as the CEO of the organization in May. Beck filled the vacant position after Mark Vaux’s resignation in 2020.

No. 5: Efforts by the

Parkston Commercial Club and numerous other entities and individuals upgraded the town’s park to new levels, raising its appeal and inviting members of the community to enjoy private, public and social events through the addition of a recentlybuilt amphitheater and renovations to existing historic structures.

No. 6: The Mitchell Area Safehouse unveiled its goal to build a new $4 million facility to keep with the demand of sheltering domestic violence victims. The Safehouse gained a critical partner in their big dreams of building a new 17,000-square-foot facility. The Mitchell City Council approved the city to apply for a $2 million grant that would help cover nearly half of the costs of the Safehouse’s proposed $4 million new facility.

No. 7: A crowd of 1,650

was at the Corn Palace in late May for the Frank Rally, which was set to be the rollout of conservative personality Mike Lindell’s much-hyped social media platform. Lindell is the owner of MyPillow and became a political

figure during the 2020 presidential election.

No. 8: After 25 years in

law enforcement, Davison County Sheriff Steve Brink called it a career.

Laughter rose from the group, made up of family, friends and colleagues who worked with or for Brink during his years in law enforcement. The early May retirement gathering saw Brink make his way around the room, shaking hands, sharing the occasional hug and more than a few smiles, laughs and memories.

No. 9: The Corn Palace selected the 2022 mural theme to be dubbed “Under the Big Top” in late May. As part of the Circus-inspired corn mural theme, Mitchell’s own Troy Magnuson was chosen to have a mural depicting him in his clown costume.

No. 10: Longtime pool great, Steve Schoenfelder was inducted into the South Dakota Billiards Hall of Fame in May, while battling for his life. Schoenfelder was inducted amid a battle with pancreatic cancer that recently took his life.

He said being inducted was an honor that ranks up there with his wife and kids.

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2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

>>JUNE top stories >>>>>>

File photo

No. 1: Mitchell became one of the first cities in the state to roll out its medical marijuana regulations in early June, clearing the way for the industry to operate.

The Mitchell City Council’s approval to establish zoning codes and licensing regulations was a proactive move that positioned the city to welcome the medical cannabis industry. After South Dakota voters approved legalizing medical marijuana in the state during the November 2020 election, cities across the state were tasked with implementing regulatory measures.

City Attorney Justin Johnson highlighted the importance of the city establishing its own regulation measures prior to the July 1 legalization date, adding if the city didn’t set regulations “it is essentially the Wild West.”

Since the council approved the regulatory measures, the city has seen a total of five dispensary applications submitted.

No 2: Mitchell voters

reelected Bob Everson to lead the city as mayor in early June. As the incumbent competing in a field of three mayoral candidates, Everson convincingly defeated challengers Jason Bates and Giovanni Lanier. Everson topped Bates and Lanier, who both entered the race with no prior experience in city government, with Everson receiving 1,883 votes, while Bates and Lanier followed with 422 and 150 votes, respectively. Turnout in the election was 22.6 percent, with 2,699 total votes cast.

No 3: The search for two abducted children and their noncustodial parent ended north of Mitchell after authorities pursued the suspects for 280 miles across the state in early June.

Davison County Sheriff’s officers were among the authorities who brought the statewide chase to a safe conclusion. After the two children in the Amber Alert were recovered safely in northern Davison County, Davison County Sheriff Steve Harr said “it couldn’t have ended any better.” Both suspects were apprehended.

No. 4: Among the large field of candidates vying to become the two newest members of the Mitchell Board of Education during the June

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 | 9

elections, Shawn Ruml and Brittany Flood emerged as the top vote getters. The school board election saw hotly contested debates over the Mitchell School District’s mask mandate that was in effect for the 2020-2021 school year.

No. 5: After two years of court proceedings, the city of Mitchell reached a settlement agreement with the owners of the former Crafty Fox building on Main Street. The owners filed a lawsuit against the city in 2019 due to allegations of conspiracy and threats to sell their building.

No. 6: Joe Schroeder was tabbed as the city of Mitchell’s new Public Works Director in June, ending a search for the vital position.

Schroeder previously spent several years as the city’s engineer working alongside former Public Works Director Kyle Croce.

Mayor Bob Everson pointed to Schroeder’s extensive experience as a key reason he was “great” for the role.

No. 7: Muth Electric

celebrated 50 years of business in late June.

Community members and state and city officials gathered to help the electrical business celebrate five decades of service in the Mitchell area.

No. 8: In a first, the Mitchell Heart and Sole Cancer Walk changed locations in early June to Hitchcock Park.

After hosting the event at the Mitchell Middle School for decades, event organizers said Hitchcock Park was a “perfect” place to host the annual cancer walk.

No. 9: Mitchell doctor, Lucio Margallo, was tabbed as president of the future president of the South Dakota Medical Association. The SDSMA Board of Directors, which the president-elect is a part of, serves as the legislative and business body of the association, dedicated to protecting the health care interests of patients and enhancing the effectiveness of physicians throughout South Dakota.

No. 10: Spring planting was a wild one, as some implement dealers and farmers were navigating a supply shortage of parts, equipment and other materials that has thrown a wrench into producer plans and had dealerships canvassing their own supply sources to get their customers the products they need to get into and stay in the fields.

The supply chain issues were driven by the pandemic, but farmers marched on through the struggles.

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>> JULY top stories >>>>>>>>>

No. 2: One year after COVID-19 wiped out Mitchell’s annual four-day event, the Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo was back.

After serving as a summer staple in Mitchell for 49 straight years, the 2020 event fell victim to the coronavirus, leading to a decision by the board of directors to cancel the rodeo for the first time since its inception in 1971.

No. 3: The remains of

File photo

No. 1: An 18-year-old man was found dead on the north side of

Mitchell and authorities believe the death was caused by the man being thrown from a moving vehicle. At approximately 3:15 a.m.

Monday, July 26, Mitchell Police Division officers responded to an incident involving several individuals “breaking out windows” of a vehicle near the 800 block of West Ash Avenue. According to a statement by the Mitchell Police Division, officers learned that the incident near the 800 block of West Ash Avenue stemmed from a disturbance that occurred earlier in the morning. Officers searched the area around the soccer complex near the airport. During the search, officers came upon the missing 18-year-old male, who was found lying in the ditch near the 5700 block of Airport Road. Authorities say it is “believed that the male was ejected from the back of a moving pickup.”

The man was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of his injuries.

nine Lakota children who died at a boarding school in Carlisle, Penn., were returned after 140 years to their home on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota on Friday, July 16. On Friday morning, a tribal delegation crossed the Missouri River from Nebraska into South Dakota with the children, arriving on the Yankton Sioux tribal lands.

No. 4: After nearly 60

years of service to the public education system in Mitchell, the current Mitchell High School building is finally ready for retirement and district officials and the Mitchell Board of Education are deep into planning a new high school building that will serve the educational needs of students for decades to come.

No. 5: Anglers hit the waters of Lake Oahe on the Missouri River for the fourth tournament of the National Walleye Tour in July, and nearly $100,000 and a new boat were at stake. The twoday tournament in Mobridge will mark the fourth and final regular season outing of the 2021 National Walleye Tour.

No. 6: Joseph Gebel was elected as governor at the 2021 South Dakota Boys State conference in Aberdeen in late May and early June. Gebel, who will be a senior at Mitchell High School this fall, is the first representative from Mitchell to be elected as governor of the annual gathering of high school students from around South Dakota.

for persons un-buckled, following only a year after it led the nation in the increase of roadway fatalities. DPS provided data showing a 30% increase in fatalities compared to the same point last year. But in 2021, South Dakota’s roads are even deadlier. And in 47% of the deaths, the person was not wearing a seatbelt.

No. 9: The U.S. Drought

No. 7: Joe Pekas spent

Monitor showed drought was expanding in South Dakota, with nearly 100% of the state in some level of drought. “In all the four categories now shown in South Dakota, all of them expanded in area - the worst being the D3 extreme drought area,” said Laura Edwards, South Dakota State University Extension State Climatologist.

No. 8: South Dakota saw a dramatic upswing in traffic deaths, particularly

No. 10: The Platte-Winner bridge reconstruction will be “the largest project” the South Dakota Department of Transportation has ever organized. It was one of many upcoming projects discussed during the public Statewide Transportation Improvement Program meeting in Sioux Falls. The Platte-Winner Bridge is the only Missouri River crossing between I-90 in Chamberlain and the Fort Randall Dam near Pickstown.

nearly 60 years playing, teaching and directing music in the Mitchell area, and in July he marked the end of his 55-year span as director of the Mitchell Municipal Band. Pekas’ involvement in the municipal band stemmed from encouragement

by Harold Grant, who conducted the South Dakota National Guard band that Pekas played in for 43 years.

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>>AUGUST top stories >>>

Erik Kaufman / Republic

The Mitchell Board of Education voted 5-0 Monday, Aug. 30 to enact a mask requirement for all K-12 buildings in the Mitchell School District.

No. 1: The Mitchell Board of Education voted 5-0 to enact a mandate

that requires everyone in Mitchell School District K-12 buildings wear a mask. The decision, which followed more than an hour of oftencontentious public input, came at a special meeting of the board at the district’s Performing Arts Center. The meeting, previously scheduled to be held at the Mitchell Career and Technical Education Academy, was moved to the larger facility due to the large crowd of about 300 people. The motion, pushed forward by Deb Olson, president of the board, and seconded by Kevin Kenkel, will require masks in all K-12 district buildings from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Masks will also be required on school buses at all times students are present.

The mandate will take effect Sept. 1. Several people spoke on both sides of the issue during the public input portion of the meeting.

No. 2: Davison County

selected Steve Harr as the county’s acting sheriff to replace Steve Brink, who would soon retire. He took over sheriff duties May 1, while the Davison County Commission continued to vet candidates and conduct interviews for the full-time position.

No. 3: Mitchell Police had a 15-year-old suspect in custody after a 17-year-old was stabbed in northern Mitchell. Shortly after 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Mitchell Police and EMS responded to the 1500 block of north Kimball Street to multiple reports of a stabbing. Police said the victim was stabbed by a 15-year-old suspect in the 1300 block of north Kimball Street No. 4: Thousands of people desperate to flee Afghanistan thronged Kabul’s airport after the Taliban seized the capital, prompting the United States to pause evacuations, as President Joe Biden confronted mounting criticism over the U.S. withdrawal. Chaotic scenes at the airport included a group clinging to a U.S. military transport plane as it taxied on the single runway.

No. 5: Reed Bender, who was charged with obstructing a

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 | 11

law officer roughly a year ago after refusing to wear a mask during a Mitchell Board of Education meeting, had his motion to dismiss the case denied Thursday during a hearing. Bender was seeking to have the case dismissed based on what his attorney argued was the court failing to comply with the 180-day rule for a speedy trial.

was coming up against some challenges that could jeopardize the plan. From maintaining the historical nature of the building to meeting the city’s building codes, John Adamo’s plans of remodeling the 223 N. Main St. building into a mixture of loft apartments and a restaurant won’t be easy.

No. 6: Colorful carnival

was one of the thousands of United States Army soldiers and Marines who died on the island of Okinawa in the Pacific Theater of operations as part of the planned invasion of Japan during World War II. The Colome native was honored in August in his hometown of Colome, when American Legion Post 146 held a state bridge dedication ceremony in his honor.

rides and food vendor booths set up on Main Street in Mitchell in preparation for an influx of visitors to the 2021 Corn Palace Festival in August. It’s a lot of work, but organizers said they were energized by the return to a more normal festival after the 2020 event was impacted by the COVID19 pandemic.

No. 7: Jason Ravnsborg,

South Dakota’s top law enforcement official, will pay thousands in fines but serve no jail time for striking and killing a pedestrian in 2020. Ravnsborg, the state attorney general, pleaded no contest Thursday morning, Aug. 26, to two, low-level misdemeanors.

No. 8: A California developer’s plan to remodel the former Crafty Fox building sparked excitement among city officials, but

No. 9: Richard Bertram

No. 10: Brian Patrick used

to believe that the only good spider is a dead spider, but as he grew up, he found value in the role spiders play in the world’s ecosystem.

Now he has his own species.

A new article outlines a new genus and multiple new species of spiders, including Mesiotelus patricki, which was named after Mitchell arachnologist and Dakota Wesleyan University biology professor Dr. Brian Patrick.

Wishing you and yours a

6 0 0 S B U R R , M I T C H E L L • 6 0 5 - 9 9 6 - 5 6 8 3 • I VE R S O N A U T O . C O M

2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

12 | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021

>>SEPTEMBER top stories

Matt Gade / Republic

Over 130 people take part in a protest outside of Mitchell High School on Wednesday, Sept. 1 in Mitchell.

No. 1: A group of more than 130 Mitchell students and parents

held signs and stood in front of Mitchell High School in early September. They gathered to peacefully protest the newly enacted mask mandate. After the Mitchell Board of Education unanimously approved bringing back another mask mandate to the Mitchell School District on Monday, which includes MHS, Wednesday was the first day students were required to wear face masks on school grounds. The school board reacted in what members considered an emergency response to rising COVID-19 numbers. As of Wednesday morning, the South Dakota Department of Health’s website cited a total of 65 active COVID-19 in Davison County with two hospitalized at Avera Queen of Peace. Mitchell School District said there are four active cases of COVID in the district, three of which are at Mitchell Middle School and one at the high school.

No. 2: A changing landscape was on display Thursday morning as school leaders, students, faculty and members of the public gathered to dedicate the School of Business, Innovation and Leadership, a new campus building that will house the Ron and Sheilah Gates College of Business, Education and Social Sciences as well as the Musick Family Department of Business.

No. 3: As part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in March, $2.8 million has been allocated to the city of Mitchell. The Mitchell City Council approved an agreement that outlines some of the guidelines the city must follow to utilize the $2.8 million, positioning the city to receive the local fiscal coronavirus funds in the future.

No. 4: An architectural engineering firm was tabbed on Tuesday to study the interior of the Corn Palace to provide the city with key information for its goal to expand seating. The Mitchell City Council approved selecting Schemmer, a Sioux Falls-based architectural engineering firm, to take on the roughly $120,000 study on the interior of Mitchell’s biggest tourist attraction.

No. 5: After the Mitchell City Council approved an agreement

to lease 20 acres of land west of the airport, it will become the home of a new rodeo arena for future events. Jim Miskimins, the leader of the newly formed Mitchell Rodeo Foundation, said the group plans to build “one of the very best” rodeo facilities in the region.

No. 6: A Mitchell woman was present when a juvenile shot another teen in the head, but did not report it to police or seek medical care for the victim, a police investigation found. Court documents say Evangeline Deloria, 31, of Mitchell, was aware that five children, ages 13 to 17, were present in her home with alcohol when the shooting happened.

No. 7: According to Finance

Officer Michelle Bathke, a total of $24,579 has been collected this year from the special assessment tax that’s known as the Business Improvement District (BID) No. 3, marking a $12,453 decrease from the 2019-2020 collections. The BID tax was created three years ago by Mitchell Main Street and Beyond to help property owners in the downtown Mitchell area fund aesthetic improvements to their buildings.

No. 8: The last of the biggest three health systems in South Dakota will require its employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the health

system announced Thursday, Sept. 16. Monument Health said it made the decision to mandate employee vaccinations by Dec. 1 due to rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in western South Dakota, the system’s footprint, and because the Food and Drug Administration has fully approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

No. 9: Gov. Kristi Noem drew scrutiny for calling a meeting in July 2020 with a state official, days after the agency head rejected Noem’s adult daughter’s application to be a certified realtor appraiser.

According to the Associated Press, longtime state realty agency employee Sherry Bren received $200,000 in payment from the state in March to withdraw a wrongful termination complaint she’d filed against the State of South Dakota.

No. 10: Officials with the

South Dakota Department of Transportation said the SD Highway 42 Bridge near Ethan was originally slated to be completed by August, but work will now likely be ongoing through June of 2022. The most recent delay stems from unexpected subsoil conditions at the construction site which caused a safety structure to collapse. That will prevent contractors from completing the surface on time.

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Happy Holiday Season !!

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2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

>> OCTOBER top stories >>>>>>>>>>>>

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 | 13

No. 2: The Mitchell High School girls tennis team won its third consecutive state championship. The Kernels had three singles champions and two doubles champion teams.

No. 3: Mitch Caffee, was

arrested and charged with the murder of his wife’s 90-year-old grandmother in a fatal shooting during an alleged break-in and domestic assault on Sunday, Oct. 24.

No. 4: Robert

Ladenburger, 60, of Mitchell, who stabbed a person to death during an altercation was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Matt Gade / Republic

Mitchell resident Reed Bender, left, listens as his attorney R. Shawn Tornow makes comments after Reed turned himself in for an indictment of obstruction of police in October of 2020.

No. 1: After a three-day trial that included five

hours of jury deliberations, a Davison County jury could not agree on a verdict in a case of a Mitchell man facing a charge of obstructing a law officer after refusing to wear a mask during a 2020 school board meeting.

The decision brought to a close the Class 1 misdemeanor that Reed Bender, of Mitchell, faced. As both sides made their final closing arguments, the jury began deliberating Reed Bender’s case that stemmed from a Sept. 14, 2020, Mitchell Board of Education meeting in which Bender refused to wear a mask that

resulted in an altercation between him and police officers.

The Mitchell Republic covered the case and published the story online at 4 p.m. on Oct. 20.

Since the 12-person jury couldn’t unanimously decide on a verdict, the trial was deemed a “hung jury,” deadlocking the case. After being asked

by Judge Donna Bucher, State’s Attorney Jim Miskimins said they are seeking a re-trial in January 2022, which would require a new jury selection. In December, Miskimins agreed to dismiss the obstruction charge. Bender now faces a trespassing charge.

No. 5: Mitchell held a

new fall festival on its Main Street. Mitchell Main Street & Beyond hosted Oktoberfest, a gathering for beer drinkers and weiner dog races on the south end of Main Street.

No. 6: U.S. Army Air

Force combat veteran Sgt. William Christensen was honored posthumously during a state bridge dedication ceremony at American Legion Post 194 in Parkston. Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden was in attendance at the ceremony.

No. 7: Officials at the

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village discovered a stand of rare Kentucky coffeetrees on site grounds.

No. 8: Platte-Geddes School District was given national recognition when its elementary school was recognized as a 2021 National ESEA Distinguished School. It was recognized specifically for exceptional student performance and academic growth of two or more years.

No. 9: South Dakota

Department of Education Secretary Tiffany Sanderson visited Mitchell to give a presentation on the challenges of teaching during a pandemic, along with other relevant topics, at the Dakota Wesleyan University McGovern Library as a part of the Mitchell Lions Club luncheon.

No. 10: The Mitchell

High School football team stopped Huron short of the goal line on a twopoint conversion attempt in overtime to preserve a 21-20 win. The victory propelled Mitchell into the playoffs in the final game of the year.

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>> NOVEMBER top stories >>>>>>>>>>

No. 2: TA Scotland

man was accused of murdering three people and seriously injuring two others at his ex-girlfriend’s house after authorities responded to a shooting at 710 Second St. in Scotland.

No. 3: The University

of South Dakota defeated South Dakota State University in a FCS rivalry college football game on a Hail Mary pass as time expired.

No. 4: The Dakota

Matt Gade / Republic

The Howard TIgers hoist the Class 9A State Championship trophy following their 55-18 win over Herried/Selby Area on Thursday, Nov. 11 at the Dakota Dome in Vermillion.

No. 1: What a storied way to end a season.

Three regional football teams capped off stellar seasons with state high school championships in November with trips to the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

Howard claimed the Class 9A championship, Platte-Geddes won in 9AA and Winner finished atop of 11B. The Mitchell Republic, which published the game recaps in the Nov. 13 edition, recognizes all three teams are in its

Residential. Acreages. Commerical.

coverage region.

Winner and Platte-Geddes were each repeat champions. Winner defeated Bridgewater-Emery/ Ethan 40-8 in the title game, while Platte-Geddes knocked off Canistota/Freeman 14-8 on a late touchdown to finish as champion. Howard had an unbeaten season after it defeated Herried/ Selby 55-18 in the final game of its season.

Congratulations to all the players and coaches this season.

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Wesleyan University volleyball team defeated St. Xavier, of Illinois, at the Corn Palace in the opening round of the NAIA tournament.

It was the first NAIA tournament berth for DWU’s volleyball program since 1990.

No. 5: About 500

people gathered at Hanson High School to honor and recognize the late Greg Wagner during a bridge dedication ceremony on Veterans Day. Wagner was killed during the war in Iraq in May 2006.

With the count down to the New Year, I count friends and clients like you among the blessings I appreciate most.

Thank You to all of my clients this year and throughout the years and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year for all!

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No. 6: The Mitchell

Board of Education on Nov. 8 voted 3-2 to repeal its mask mandate for students and district faculty.

No. 7: Chamberlain’s

city commission enacted a ban on all shortterm vacation rental homes due to a housing shortage for potential employers hoping to move to the central South Dakota town.

No. 8: South Dakota’s

voter-approved recreational marijuana amendment was struck down by the state’s Supreme Court on Nov. 24.

No. 9: Johnathon

Velazquez, 20, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty for his role in an attempted retaliatory shooting response.

He pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting an aggravated assault.

No. 10: The Mitchell

Food Pantry gave out 150 turkeys to local families as prices of the featured Thanksgiving meal increased with inflation.

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2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

>>DECEMBER top stories

Matt Gade / Republic

Daniel R. Kittle was named the 21st president of Dakota Wesleyan University during an announcement in the Rollins Campus Center on Tuesday morning on DWU’s campus. Kittle replaces Amy Novak who stepped down in June.

No. 1: Daniel Kittle was on the campus of Dakota Wesleyan University to introduce himself to faculty, staff, alumni, students and members of the media. It was part of his first official duties as incoming president of the university — a role he will assume in March of 2022. He was introduced as the school’s new president on Nov. 30, and the Mitchell Republic published the story in the Dec. 1 edition.

“Like many folks, I came through to see the Corn Palace. My family and I have, what I guess you could call, a vintage motorhome. It is not shiny and new. But it got us across the country and

we stopped in Mitchell and visited the university at that time,” Kittle told the audience gathered at the Rollins Campus Center. “And I was impressed.”

Kittle serves as the vice president for student life and dean of students at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.

He has worked for Wartburg in several capacities for over 16 years, but come March he will take on the position of top administrator for Dakota Wesleyan University, becoming its 21st president.

He succeeds former president Amy Novak, who left DWU for the same position at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 | 15

No. 2: South Dakota

State University lost to Montana State in the FCS semifinal football round, ending a successful 2021 calendar year for the Jackrabbits. SDSU earlier in the year played in the FCS championship game in a season that was moved to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

No. 3: After nearly five decades as a clothing shop on Mitchell’s Main Street, Michael’s Toggery announced its closure. The Mitchell Republic reported the news and spoke to the owners in the Dec. 1 edition.

No. 4: Julia Carter,

of Mitchell, who was charged in the killing of a 5-year-old boy, pleaded guilty to firstdegree manslaughter as part of a plea agreement that would sentence her to serve 22 years in prison.

No. 4: Mitchell’s Reed Bender was charged with a new misdemeanor, refusing to leave property after notice, nearly 14 months after Mitchell

police were called requesting to remove him from a school board meeting. The Davison County State’s Attorney’s Office filed the complaint.

No. 5: Tristan Scott, a

22-year-old rail worker and Mitchell Technical College alum, decided to assemble a short railroad track and an authentic passenger car that’s over 100 years old near the town of Ethan. Scott purchased the train car for $1 from Prairie Village in Madison, a historical preservation site that depicts what life was like in the 1900s for pioneers homesteading in South Dakota.

No. 6: Chuck

Mauszycki, a longtime local real estate developer, discussed his plans to build 120 lots on a piece of land that’s a little over 40 acres along North Ohlman Street in Mitchell to make way for a residential housing development.

No. 7: Two Missouri

men who were charged for possessing 164 pounds of marijuana near Mitchell in March

had their charges dismissed after a judge agreed the officer’s search was unlawful.

Judge Chris Giles has decided to suppress the evidence — 164 pounds of marijuana — that a South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper uncovered during the vehicle search, in part due to the search taking place after the trooper had already issued a warning ticket to the driver for a separate traffic violation.

No. 8: Mitchell High

School boys basketball coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt picked up his first win in his varsity coaching debut.

No. 9: South Dakota

went viral on social media platform Twitter when a semiprofessional hockey team had teachers scramble for dollar bills.

No. 10: As the COVID-

19 pandemic continues for nearly two years, Mitchell health care workers explained they are stretching resources and staff members to the limit. It was a part of a call to the public to remain vigilant during the holiday seasons.

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