Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks at her victory rally in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, after she won a second term. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
Mark Hohn knew of no such concept as a quick phone call. And if you were on the phone with him, it was likely he’d be chatting about the farm. Hohn, of Ethan, was injured in a farming accident on Dec. 20, 2021, and succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. He was 56 years old. Hohn’s family and friends remember a devoted family man that, when not working on the farm, was likely to be found watching his children play football or basketball for Ethan, driving around to wave to the neighbors or stopping into his parents’ house — no matter the time of day. “He always told us growing up ‘My goal is to take care of my kids,’” said Samantha Carmody, the oldest of Hohn’s four children. “He always said, ‘When it’s my time, it’s my time’ and to live life to the fullest.” Nothing can stop Hugh Holmes from supporting his community and the long list of local organizations that mean the world to him. Not even prostate cancer. “You don’t really remember you have cancer when you are helping others,” said Holmes, Mitchell Republic’s person of
the year for 2021. Holmes spends more time helping others on a yearly basis than most do in an entire lifetime, but he doesn’t do it for recognition, social media shout-outs or the hope of getting something in return. He does it for perhaps the purest reason of all: helping improve the lives of fellow community members.
The Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in Mitchell closed its doors for good on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022. For more than five decades since the building was constructed as a Holiday Inn in 1968, the hotel has served as one of the most popular local venues for wedding events, banquets and birthday parties. As Ramada manager Dan Sabers put it, the closure of the Ramada was a “huge loss for the Mitchell area.”
Changes to the Name, Image and Likeness rules have opened the door for college athletes to use and profit from their own representation, and former Chamberlain football standout Nash Hutmacher is among them. The University of Nebraska defensive lineman partnered with a lodge near Kennebec to offer six hunters the opportunity to go on a pheasant hunt with Hutmacher and four of his Husker teammates. “It’s just cool because it allows you to do what you love and actually make a little bit of money from it,” Hutmacher said. “It makes it that much better. I would still be out here doing the same thing even if I wasn’t getting paid for it.”
On Jan. 18, John Daily, a long-time instructor of crash reconstruction in all 50 states and four countries, appeared before the House Select Committee on Investigation in response to a subpoena to testify in impeachment proceedings surrounding the conduct of Jason Ravnsborg. Daily testified that following his review of the crash reconstruction reports prepared by the South Dakota Highway Patrol — which the state contracted him for — he almost certainly concurs that Ravnsborg was driving entirely on the shoulder when he struck and killed Joe Boever.
Kristin Rotert, of Salem, and Macy Miller, of Mitchell, — two of the most iconic figures in recent South Dakota basketball history — joined forces in a new adventure. Rotert took over the head coaching position at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, prior to the 2021-22 season and added Miller to her coaching staff, with the pair guiding a program with proud tradition to a successful season. “Anyone who’s watched them play knows they’re going to approach coaching the same way they played,” said Mike
Jewett, who spent nine years on SDSU women’s basketball coaching staff. “With a certain intensity, tenacity and effort that not a lot of coaches will match.”
From the Hanson Classic girl’s basketball event at the Corn Palace to the Jerry Opbroek Wrestling tournament, Mitchell was the place to be over the Jan. 15-16 weekend for South Dakota sports enthusiasts, providing a welcomed boost to the city’s sales tax revenue. The busy weekend of sports drew thousands of spectators from across the state, which has historically had a major impact. According to the city’s monthly sales tax reports January was the highest revenue-generating month in 2020, with the weekend sporting schedule playing a role.
Dale Brondel hadn’t been painting long. And at first, he wasn’t really interested in taking up the hobby, but he’s glad he did. Brondel, 65, is one of several participants in the art program at 401 Create by LifeQuest, where he completed a painting titled “Hope.” The work of art was auctioned off through Emily’s Hope, an organization that raises awareness about the dangers of opioids. “We talked about it before he decided to do the painting, about what opioid addiction was, and use that as an educational platform. He loves to help kids, and that’s a way to help kids,” said Jennifer Haddon, director for 401 Create.
South Dakota has a shortage of sports officials, but the Mitchell School District took action in hopes of reversing the trend, starting off the playing field. Mitchell announced a partnership with Officially Human, an organization whose mission is “to restore respect to game officials and recognize them as authorities on the fields and courts.” In doing so, Mitchell became the first South Dakota Class AA school to engage in a public campaign centered around the official shortage, according to activities director Cory Aadland.
A pair of Minnesota juveniles stole a Ford F-150 pickup truck in Luverne, Minnesota, on the night of Jan. 20, and headed west on Interstate 90, making a stop in Sioux Falls, where they broke into a vape shop. The following day, the Davison County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a stolen Ford F-150 with Minnesota plates traveling westbound on I-90, which resulted in a three-county pursuit involving authorities from Aurora and Brule County that ended in a vehicle rollover near Kimball, where the juveniles were taken into custody.
After more than five decades without an FFA program at the high schools in Burke and Gregory, the 2021-22 school year marked the inaugural year of the Gregory County FFA Chapter. The revival began with the chapter’s advisor, Mollie Andrews, teaching an Intro to Ag course for eighth-graders in Burke in the spring semester of 2019 and has since blossomed to a county-wide FFA program shared between the schools in Burke and Gregory. “When I went to college, and I started going different places, I realized how big (FFA) was. And I realized what we were missing out here,” Andrews said. “...We’re in a rural community, ag is what makes things go.”
Mitchell High School gymnastics was the center of attention in the leadup to the Class AA state gymnastics meet. For the first time since 1983, Mitchell hosted the Eastern South Dakota Conference meet, as well as the Class AA state meet, at the
Corn Palace. The Kernels also entered the competition with the state’s top overall qualifying score (150.475) and placed second at state to O’Gorman. In the individual competition, Joslin Sommerville was Mitchell’s top performer with a fifth palace finish. Winner Area’s Kaden Keiser capped one of, if not the, best prep wrestling career in state history at the 2022 state wrestling championships, winning his fourth career state title and helping the Warriors to the team dual title, as well. Keiser took over as the state’s all-time match wins leader on the first day of the three-day championships, finishing his career with a record of 286-22 and on a 120-match win streak as one of only 23 South Dakota athletes all-time to claim four individual state wrestling crowns. He was named Mitchell Republic wrestler of the year for the second-straight season.
Jalyn Bender, a second-grader at Sanborn Central School, was diagnosed
with a brain tumor that required two surgeries. So family, friends, the school and community members rallied around the Bender family to support any way they could. Members within the community started multiple fundraisers, including a fundraiser at the Sanborn Central/Woonsocket girls and boys basketball doubleheader against James Valley Christian, which raised $5,800. “Everything has been amazing. The outpouring of love has been overwhelming,” Jalyn’s mother Jenica Bender said.
Parkston chief of police Corrinna Wagner resigned for what she said was due to superiority and personnel issues. Having held the position for seven years, Wagner declined to divulge specific details as to the events that led to her sudden, voluntary resignation but said that it is “very heartbreaking for me to walk away.” “I would still be there today if this would have been resolved,” Wagner said. “But you have to draw a line in the sand and pound it and you have to walk away.”
Questions began rolling in after a South Dakota company unveiled its plans to build a large soybean processing plant on the south edge of Mitchell. Tom Kersting, CEO of South Dakota Soybean Processors, said the close proximity of the BNSF railroad and Interstate 90 were major factors that drew the company to the south edge of Mitchell in Davison County. Kersting also said the facility would be capable of processing about 35 million bushels of soybeans per year and would be “very similar” in size to the Volga plant, which is 6,344 square feet and sits on 45 acres.
Mitchell High School wrestler Jagger Tyler punctuated one of the best seasons in school history with an individual state championship at Class A 145 pounds. On his way to the title, the first by an MHS wrestler since 2018 and only the second since 2012, Tyler compiled a
37-2 match record, the last victory coming with a third-period pin of Spearfish’s Oakley Blakeman.
Plans to renovate one of downtown Mitchell’s most unique buildings were first considered by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission in February. The former Enchanted Doll Museum and its medieval castle-looking exterior marked Mitchell’s Main Street for more than four decades, but has since been transformed into the Main Street Mercantile by Christie and Jeremy Gunkel, the former owners and operators of 2nd and Lawler Co., also in Mitchell.
Memories of a 1985 grain elevator explosion in Marion are still fresh in the minds of Duane and Marlys Tieszen. Duane, the mayor of the town at the time who also served as an emergency medical technician and firefighter, and Maryls, also an EMT, were in their kitchen when a series of three explosions, all in quick succession, had thundered through the community, forcing the couple and several other emergency responders to spring into action. Out of all the darkness of the event, some light did emerge. “The training totally changed after that. They could see that this can happen. That was a plus that came out of it,” Duane said.
Johnathon Velazquez, 20, of Mitchell, was sentenced to serve 12 years in prison for firing multiple rounds at a driver in retaliation to a separate incident. Velazquez apologized for his role in the incident that did not cause any fatalities. “I just want to apologize for what I did. I know I’m not a person out there looking to hurt people,” Velazquez said. “I have to man up and take responsibility for it.” While Judge Chris Giles recognized Velazquez’s clean criminal record, he said the serious nature of the charges warranted prison time. “This was just stupid to go out and take matters into your own hands,” Giles said.
One of the most decorated players to ever play basketball at Mitchell, ended his Kernels’ career. Caden Hinker was tabbed the Mitchell Republic boys player of the year, the Class AA player of the year and led the Kernels to the state tournament, where they won two games to finish as the de facto fifth-place team after falling in the first round by one point to Harrisburg.
Hinker finished his career second all-time in scoring in Kernels history behind only Mike Miller, and sits atop the all-time assist leaderboard for MHS.
When Mount Vernon school district supporter Deb Stoltz was diagnosed with stage 4 uterine cancer, the community rallied around her. K-12 principal Eric Denning set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for Stoltz, with a goal of $15,000 to help with expenses her family was incurring. All told, the fundraiser raised over $20,000 for the Stoltz family.
Christian Jones, 22, of Sioux Falls, was charged with two counts of abuse or cruelty to a minor under 7 years of age, one count of aggravated eluding,
one count of reckless driving and a host of other traffic violations in connection with the pursuit.
Shortly before 3:30 p.m., South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper Shane Johnson was parked in the Interstate 90 median near mile marker 346 when he observed a BMW that appeared to be traveling over 80 mph. Using radar, he confirmed the vehicle was traveling at 86 mph.
As Johnson pulled onto the road, the BMW, later known to be driven by Jones, had accelerated to 126 mph. When Johnson caught up and activated his emergency lights, the vehicle failed to pull over and then exited the interstate onto South Dakota Highway 25, heading southbound. Authorities discovered Jones’ vehicle was also occupied by a 6-month-old girl.
The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation was called in after an officer-involved shooting in Hanson County, near Farmer.
Police responded to a call of shots fired, and had a roughly three-hour-long standoff.
“While response efforts were ongoing, initial reports indicate an involved male subject fired at on-scene law enforcement officers, resulting in law enforcement returning fire and fatally wounding the involved male subject,” the DCI announced in a statement.
According to Mitchell Mayor Bob Everson, the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe had plans to transform the former Shopko building into a medical marijuana cultivation facility.
Davison County property records show the Flandreau Santee Sioux tribe recently purchased the large building, located at 1900 N Main St., for $1.6 million, marking about a $400,000 decrease from the initial $2 million listing price.
One individual was arrested after a reportedly stolen railroad truck collided with another vehicle in west Mitchell.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m., authorities in Mitchell received a report of a t-bone crash near the intersection of Ohlman St. and Norway Ave, where two vehicles had exited the roadway and rolled to the edge of a pond in the ditch.
The Mitchell boys qualified for the state basketball tournament in Class AA, but fell to Harrisburg by one point in the first round of the state
tournament. The Kernels went on to win their next two games, finishing as the de facto fifth-place team. The Corsica-Stickney girls placed third in the Class B state tournament, while the Winner boys and Wagner girls also made the Class A field. De Smet, Dakota Valley and Sioux Falls Roosevelt walked away with boys state titles, with St. Thomas More, Viborg-Hurley and O’Gorman winning the girls championships.
Shadow Jensen, 32, and Frank Milk, 44, both of Wanblee; Beau Imitates Dog, 40, and Richard Bettelyoun, both of Martin; Paul Moore, 38, of Kyle; and Brett Schrum, 41, of Fort Morgan, Colorado, were all convicted as a result of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota.
During the course of the conspiracy, pounds of methamphetamine were trafficked into South Dakota, primarily from Colorado. Jensen and Imitates Dog were each sentenced to 10 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. Milk was sentenced 13 years in federal prison, while Moore was sentenced to 14 years. Milk and Moore will both have their sentences followed by five years of supervised release.
A host of area basketball players were named to the first-team all-state list for their respective classes. Boys players include, Mitchell’s Caden Hiker (first team, Class AA), Winner’s Blake Volmer (first team, Class A). Girls selections include MVP’s Emilee Fox (first team, Class A), Winner’s Bella Swedlund (first team, Class A), Corsica-Stickney’s Avery Broughton (first team, Class B), Ethan’s Hannah Bartscher (first team, Class B).
Stephen Fallis, 29, of Mission, S.D., and Sativa Looking Cloud, 20, of Mellette County, are facing life in prison after authorities say they used firearms to assault two individuals during a home burglary.
Fallis and Looking Cloud were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 8 each on one count of first-degree burglary, assault with a dangerous weapon and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The charges allege that on Feb. 16, 2022, in Mellette County, Fallis and Looking Cloud unlawfully entered and remained in a residence, and assaulted two victims with handguns.
One of the biggest stories of the entire year, Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg became the first constitutional officer to be impeached in all of South Dakota’s history on April 12, after the state’s House of Representatives voted 36-31 in favor of two articles of impeachment. He was impeached on one article for crimes in office and another article for malfeasance in office. The impeachment stems from a Sep. 12, 2020, crash in which Ravnsborg, while driving outside of his lane, struck and killed Joe Boever, a pedestrian walking down a highway at night, near Highmore, South Dakota. Since the crash, Ravnsborg’s driving history has revealed a multitude of tickets across jurisdictional lines, plus the fact that he has identified himself as the Attorney General, leading to warnings instead of citations.
With the National Walleye Tour being held in Chamberlain, Brookings native Austin Earley reeled in a 31-inch Walleye. The 31-inch catch was one of five Walleyes he caught on the day, which combined to weigh just over 18 pounds and put him at the top of the leaderboard of the National Walleye Tour.
Custom Genetic Solutions (CGS), a Mitchell-based business, is facing a wrongful death lawsuit and fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after an employee died of hypothermia due to liquid nitrogen exposure that attorneys say was a result of the company putting profits over safety.
The wrongful death suit, filed in Davison County, alleges that CGS, of rural Mitchell, negligently failed to train employees or provide adequate safety equipment as well as willfully opted not to install proper ventilation systems, resulting in the Nov. 20, 2019 death of Molly Schladweiler. The body of Kay Flittie, 60, was located in McCook County by a search party Saturday approximately three miles east of her last known location.
According to Hanson County Sheriff Brandon Wingert, the body was discovered by a volunteer and reported to their squad leader, who informed a command post that was set up at Fuel Mart.
Flittie was last seen alive at 7 p.m. on April 5 near mile marker 352 in Hanson County, or just west of the Spencer exit, according to the Hanson County Sheriff’s Office.
Winner Area’s Kaden Keiser put an end to one of the greatest wrestling careers in the history of South Dakota by earning the Mitchell Republic’s wrestler of the year. He ended his prep wrestling career with a state-record 286, including a 120-match winning streak, as well as four state championships across three different weight classes.
Screenshots from a video call tipped off investigators about a Mitchell man’s possession of child pornography.
Robert Gerstenecker, 43, of Mitchell was charged with one count of rape of a victim under 13-years-old, 10 counts of possessing child pornography, one count of sexual contact with a child under 16-years-old and possession of a controlled substance.
The reporting party said they held a video call with Gerstenecker on April 10 when the believed they saw child pornography in the background of Gerstenecker’s feed.
Joshua Whiteman, 25, of Mitchell was charged with five counts of threatening law enforcement or their families and two counts of permitting threatening or harassing phone calls in connection with the incident.
On April 10, police in Mitchell responded to an address in Mitchell after a woman reported that her boyfriend wouldn’t stop calling her at work, despite her telling him to stop.
After authorities told him to stop, Whiteman allegedly continued contacting the victim via text and call while she was at work. He also called 911 at least a dozen times without reporting an emergency.
Somehow, Whiteman had obtained an officer’s duty phone number, which he allegedly called 34 times in a 45-minute period.
Officers eventually returned to Whiteman’s residence, and attempted to place him under arrest. During the arrest, Whiteman allegedly threatened to harm three officers and their families.
Corrinna Wagner, the former police chief in Parkston who suddenly resigned in February over personnel issues including a dispute with town officials, won a city council election seat Tuesday.
Wagner earned 73 votes for the Ward 1 seat to defeat Tim Semmler, who got 64 votes. The election results are unofficial but will be certified during the 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, council meeting.
Following the retirement of longtime coach Mike Tuschen, former Corsica-Stickney and Dakota Wesleyan basketball player Luke Bamberg was tabbed as Corsica-Stickney’s next head boys basketball coach.
Bamberg spent the previous two years away from the bench after serving as an assistant coach for two seasons under Tuschen. He played under Tuschen in 2009-10 and 2010-11 after Corsica and Stickney began co-opting.
The Mitchell Board of Education made a move, which was passed by unanimous vote, at a meeting at the Mitchell Career & Technical Education Academy to pave the way for bringing Mitchell Technical College’s full diesel training program to its main campus on the south side of Mitchell..
The board approved the surplusing of the Mitchell Technical College diesel training center, which is located at 115 W. Pepsi Street.
The property, which was originally purchased by Mitchell Technical College in 2016 for $380,000, is intended to be sold as the school prepares for construction on a new facility to house the program at its main campus on the south side of Mitchell.
The technical college is planning for the construction of a facility to replace the surplused building, which would consolidate the program on its main campus on Spruce Street on the south side of Interstate 90.
A derecho, a widespread straightline wind storm tore through the region Thursday, May 12, causing severe damage in communities throughout the Midwest and marked the biggest story of the month for May of 2022.
The storm brought with it multiple tornado warnings, wind speeds over 100 miles per hour and heavy rain. The storm system pounded eastern South Dakota from Nebraska to the North Dakota border. The town of Tripp saw wind guts as high as 107 miles per hour and uprooted trees, toppled outbuildings and imploded grain bins. Salem saw an assisted living center destroyed in winds in the 90 mile per hour range, and power was knocked out to many areas in the storm’s path.
Though no serious injuries were reported, an estimated $100 million in damage
was tallied in McCook County alone. “With the amount of damage we’ve seen, I don’t know how somebody didn’t die through that event,” said B.J. Stiefvater, emergency manager for McCook County, told the Mitchell Republic following the storm. A month later, federal disaster funds would be approved for the counties of Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Clay, Codington, Day, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, Hanson, Hutchinson, Kingsbury, Lake, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Roberts and Turner, as well as the Flandreau Indian Reservation and Lake Traverse Reservation.
The final phase of the Lake Mitchell dredging design was beginning to take shape when the Mitchell City Council approved the $767,500 final design that was to provide a blueprint for the project,
slated for the fall of 2023. The council made the move by unanimous vote at its meeting Monday, May 16.
Voters in the Tripp-Delmont School District approved an $600,000 per year property tax out-out that was expected to help the rural district’s budget and financial stability. The opt-out passed by a vote of 272 to 114, or 70% of the vote with an approximately 40% voter turnout throughout the district.
Christie and Jeremy Gunkel planned to bring a new look to a longtime downtown building known for its castle-resembling medieval architectural style. The couple purchased the building for $270,000 and announced intentions to move their toy and candy store into the building as well as add a cafe and dining area, kitchen and party room, along with a mini beer and wine bar.
The city of Mitchell announced it was bringing in an engineering firm to design new traffic signals on the Main Street intersections with First Avenue and Seventh Avenue in downtown Mitchell. The lights at the intersections date back to the 1990s and had sustained damage over the years from vehicles running into them. Plans included moving the signals to avoid collisions as well as upgrading ADA accessible sidewalk ramps.
The Mitchell Career & Technical Education Academy secured a $111,467 Workforce Education Grant from the state of South Dakota. The funds were expected to go toward the purchase of upgraded equipment that should benefit about 200 students, allowing them to continue to learn on bleeding-edge industrial machinery. Nine total Workforce education grants were awarded to public schools in 2022, totalling $1,418,942.
The timeframe of a redistricting map that would change the way candidates are elected to the Lyman County Commission came under fire after the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe filed a lawsuit alleging a delay to the implementation would dilute Native American votes.
Filed May 18, the lawsuit alleges the delay leaves Native Americans without representation in county government for two years and underrepresented for another two years after that.
After two decades of fishing for walleye on the waters of Lake Francis Case in Chamberlain, it was Dustin Kjelden’s turn to win a National Walleye Tour tournament on the river he knows best. The Brookings angler claimed the tournament title Friday, May 1, combining with the competitors he was paired with to haul in 10 walleye with a combined weight of just over 31 pounds.
Two Mesa, Arizona residents, Jamie Bosone, 37, and Daniel Smythe, 38, pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of fentanyl and keeping a space for use or sale of controlled substances. The pleas stemmed from an April 10 disturbance at Bett’s Campground involving the couple, leading police to obtain a search warrant to search the couple’s RV and discover the drugs.
After sitting vacant for more than a decade, the property at 1300 S. Burr Street was announced to potentially be the future home for a new 9,000 square feet facility that would house the offices for the Orthopedic Institute. Officials with the Orthopedic Institute said that plans were officially still in development and a timeline for the building was not yet in place, but if the project moved forward they hoped to be underway with work in June.
The U.S. Supreme Court took the dramatic step of overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion and legalized it nationwide, handing a momentous victory to Republicans and religious conservatives who wanted to limit or ban the procedure. It was the biggest news event of June of 2022.
In doing so, the court effectively made abortion illegal in South Dakota with the exception of in the case the procedure is necessary to save the life of the mother. The rule took effect due to a state “trigger law” passed in 2005 that initiated the law when Roe vs. Wade was overturned.
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling powered by its conservative majority, upheld a Republican-backed Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The vote was 5-4 to overturn Roe, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing separately to say he would have upheld the Mississippi law but not taken the additional step of erasing the Roe precedent altogether.
The justices, in the ruling written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, held that the Roe decision that allowed abortions performed before a fetus would be viable outside the womb - between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy - was wrongly decided because the U.S. Constitution makes no specific mention of abortion rights.
The South Dakota Senate voted to impeach Jason Ravnsborg as state attorney general June 21.The decision came after the South Dakota Senate voted 24-9 to convict Ravnsborg on articles of impeachment for crimes committed in office. A second vote on a separate article, alleging malfeasance committed in office, passed the Senate by a much larger majority with a 31-2 vote.
When the initial plans for the proposed new Mitchell High School building the cost was far higher than expected. The comments came during a presentation from architects and building contractors at the Monday, June 13 meeting of the Mitchell Board of Education. The cost estimated with the project came in at $62,175,562, well above the roughly $42 million budget the district has set aside for the project.
A $1.5 million offer to buy the former Kelley house received the Mitchell City Council’s approval on Monday on June 27. Brian Eliason, a local realtor representing the buyer, told the Mitchell Republic that the individual who made the offer is a “solid local person with a huge interest in the lake and Mitchell.”
Mitchell Board of Education candidates Deb Olson and Terry Aslesen won the two open seats on the board Tuesday, June 7. The pair, who garnered 1,674 and 1,613 votes, respectively, beat out a field of six total candidates for a pair of three-year seats on the board. The two will fill the seats currently held by Olson and Kevin Kenkel.
Thank
Two of Dakota Wesleyan University’s oldest buildings on campus were approved for demolition after the Mitchell City Council approved the college’s plans on June 6. Hughes Hall and Prather Hall have been staples on DWU’s campus, but years of aging have drastically deteriorated the historic buildings and left them unoccupied. Rather than taking on multi-million-dollar renovation projects, DWU officials determined demolishing the properties was the most feasible option.
High winds whipped through the community of Delmont Monday, June 20, uprooting trees, ripping off shingles and roofs and knocking down branches and trees throughout the community. The winds also damaged the historic Delmont Public School school building. The building, constructed in 1923, is approaching 100 years old and is a survivor of the 2015 Mother’s Day tornado that struck the community, wiping half of it off the map.
As her college graduation approached, Kimberly Meyer wasn’t even aware there was such a thing as the 147th Army Band. But in June of 2022, she was set to become its first female commander after her promotion to Warrant Officer 1 in April. “It was one of those things that took a lot of time and consideration. But I’m the type of person who embraces challenges,” Meyer said.
VFW members attended the 92nd Annual South Dakota VFW and Auxiliary Convention June 10, which was hosted by the Mitchell community for the first time in history. The event has attracted about 150 registered members and guests from many VFW posts around the state, all here to remember and discuss important issues related to veterans and the issues that affect them.
Joe VanOverschelde, who graduated from Mitchell High School in 2022, was named South Dakota’s recipient of the 2022 Billy Michal Student Leadership Award, given to one student from each state whose actions exemplify that service to country and community helps create active, engaged citizens. VanOverschelde will travel to New Orleans to be recognized as the American Spirit Awards program at the National World War II Museum.
The Davison County Commission paved the way for a $500 million soybean processing plant to be built along the south edge of Mitchell during an early July meeting that saw mixed support for the new business.
While the South Dakota Soybean Processors’ plan to build a massive facility in the Mitchell area brought plenty of excitement for many city leaders over the roughly 75 full-time jobs it’s estimated to bring to the area, some nearby residents had concerns about the influx of truck traffic it would create on the two-lane Highway 37 road and environmental questions of the plant.
Among the supporters of the soybean processing facility were some area farmers, including Chet Edinger, who touted the plant as a way to “keep those farming dollars here.”
The plant will be able to process soybeans or high oilseeds but not at the same time, with the expectation of processing 35 million bushels of soybeans annually, along with 850,000 tons of sunflowers, which will each be crushed for meal and extracted for oil.
The South Dakota Soybean Processors organization is run by 2,200 member-owners in South Dakota and part of Minnesota,
and already has processing plants in Volga and St. Lawrence.
While there were plenty of divided opinions on the proposed soybean processing plant, the Davison County Commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit for the facility to be built along Highway 37, a couple miles south of Mitchell.
A groundbreaking event is scheduled to take place in 2023. Leaders of the soybean organization are eyeing an opening date sometime in 2025.
Two months after a historic “derecho” storm wreaked havoc on the region, a second derecho storm swept through the Mitchell area on July 5 and brought strong winds gusting as high as 75 mph and an inch of heavy rain during the peak of the storm, according to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls. Portions of the city experienced power outages, including a large stretch of Main Street where some businesses closed due to the storm.
A Wessington Springs man pleaded guilty to manslaughter during a July hearing for his role in a shooting that left his wife’s 90-year-old grandmother dead. Mitch Caffee’s guilty plea set the stage for a sentencing hearing, where a Jerauld County judge sentenced Caffee, 39, to life in prison.
Nearly two years into a lawsuit between the volunteer organization that puts on the Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo and its landlord, Mitchell’s popular July rodeo took place on time and at the Horsemen’s Sports Arena. Despite the ongoing lawsuit, a judge ordered a truce during the summer that allowed the 51st annual rodeo to go on at the arena.
Woonsocket native turned professional angler, Duane Hjelm, claimed first place at the National Walleye tour tournament in July. Hjelm took home a $102,000 check and a new Ranger fishing boat for his performance on Lake Michigan.
Hjelm went on to become the National Walleye tour’s Angler of Year, cementing himself as one of the nation’s top pro anglers.
For the first time in over four decades, the small town of Gregory hosted the Class B Legion baseball tournament in July. Gregory baseball leaders had been aiming to host the tournament for years.
Friends and family gathered around a pink stretch limousine to watch Addie Schmit’s reaction as her wish of getting a unicorn came true at her Alexandria home.
The 6-year-old’s wish came true after battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia cancer for over a year. Make-a-Wish Foundation and Mitchell-based Reclamation Ranch were the key organizations that made Schmit’s wish come true.
Dr. Mandi Greenway Bietz, 36, was awarded the South Dakota State Medical Association’s Outstanding Young Physician award. The honor goes to a physician under age 40 or within the first eight years of professional practice after residency and fellowship training, which is recognized for outstanding achievements, dedication and service to the community and the SDSMA at the local, state and national levels.
The city of Mitchell unveiled its plans to sell public land along Lake Mitchell to help fund a multimillion-dollar lake dredging project. It was explained that selling city-owned land along the lake would require a public vote, which sparked mixed feelings among Mitchell residents.
The Mitchell community ushered in the $3.5 million expansion of Avera Brady Health and Rehabilitation during a July ribbon cutting ceremony. The nursing home’s expansion brought hospice suites and additional private rooms.
A new era was ushered in at Dakota Wesleyan University on Aug. 25 with the inauguration of the Mitchell college’s 21st president, Dan Kittle.
“It is the work of preparing students for professional lives and ethical leadership and service and for lives dedicated to the broader ideals of contributing to the public good which motivate me to dedicate my life – my professional life – to Dakota Wesleyan University,” Kittle said during the inauguration ceremony on DWU’s campus.
After former DWU President Amy Novak resigned in 2022, a presidential search committee began its quest to find the next top administrator to lead DWU.
The committee — made up of university faculty, staff, administrators and students, as well as
members of the school board of trustees — ultimately found Kittle to be the choice to move DWU into its next chapter.
“Early last spring, we embarked on a search for somebody to lead the university into a new era,” said Doug Powers, president of the DWU board of trustees and a member of the presidential search committee. “I can tell you we found that person. He comes from another small private university in the Midwest, and he has built a career serving students, community and the greater good through academic instruction, creative leadership and a foundation in faith and service.”
Kittle, 45, left his role as vice president for student life and dean of students at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. He worked for Wartburg in several capacities for over 16 years.
Kittle said there were several factors about DWU that appealed to him, including the strong commitment to student success and the school’s sense of community.
“One of the questions people have asked me is why I was drawn to this place at this time. I’m really drawn here because of the people and because of their deep commitment to the students,” Kittle said. “That became clear throughout all the processes that I’ve been a part of and that my wife has been a part of. It’s the deep commitment to students and the deep commitment to each other and the sense of community.”
Revised plans for the proposed Mitchell High School building project were unveiled to the school board in August, which included a recommendation of leaving out the athletic facilities in the first phase of the project. Due to soaring inflation sending construction costs up, the cost estimates of the new high school project came in at $62 million – well over what the school budgeted.
Gov. Kristi Noem presented Audra Scheel with The Woman Farmer/Rancher of the Year award in August during the annual Dakotafest in Mitchell. Scheel was awarded for the sacrifices and dedication she makes in agricultural business and farm operations. Scheel and her husband, Jim, have run a livestock business and multi-crop farm near Alpena since 2004.
After two years of courtroom battles that saw multiple trials filled with lengthy, fiery testimony, a South Dakota judge convicted a Mitchell man for trespassing due to his refusal to leave a school building
after refusing to wear a face mask at a Mitchell School Board meeting during the 2020 pandemic. Judge Kasey Sorensen’s ruling in early August to convict Reed Bender of trespassing, a Class 2 misdemeanor offense, brought an end to the long mask debacle.
South Dakota legend and longtime Kennebec Fire Chief, Rod Bowar, died of a heart attack in late August. Bowar was known for his successful entrepreneurial ventures and dedication to the small town of Kennebec in central South Dakota. Bowar’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to become the owner of PowerCom Electric, Charley’s Welding and Auto, Kennebec Telephone Construction, Chamberlain NAPA, Technology & Communications Specialists and Main Street Office Plaza in Kennebec.
Mitchell played host to the 90th annual South Dakota state Amatuer Baseball tournament that featured many teams from the surrounding Mitchell area. In the end, it was Garretson that came on top of the Class B division and Dell Rapids in Class A.
Armour’s long- and short-term care nursing home facility announced its plan to permanently close in August, adding to a growing list of nursing home closures in South Dakota.
Biofuel industry giant, POET, led the charge in supporting a ballot measure that would have prevented new “slaughterhouses” from opening in Sioux Falls. The opposition on the pork slaughterhouse from the South Dakota-based ethanol producer sent shockwaves around the state’s agriculture community, as the company has been known for its agriculture industry support. The initiative failed in November after Sioux Falls voted to allow new slaughterhouses in the city.
South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds introduced a farm bill to block businesses from China and a handful of other countries from purchasing American farmland and agricultural businesses.
Lake Mitchell played host to a catfish tournament that saw 19 teams compete from around the region. Event officials deemed the inaugural Mitchell Locker Catfish tournament a “huge success.” It was Mitchell anglers James Gilchrist and Joey Muntefering who claimed first place in the tournament by reeling in a whopping 52-pound bag of catfish during the one-day event.
The corn kid in Mitchell? Yep.
After going viral on Tiktok, Tariq (a.k.a. Corn Kid), made a quick visit with his family to tour Mitchell’s Corn Palace and try some of South Dakota’s home-grown corn. During his tour, Tariq was officiated as South Dakota’s “corn-bassador” by none other than Gov. Kristi Noem. Mayor Bob Everson also prepared a proclamation that declared Sept. 3 a holiday
called “Tariq ‘Corn Kid’ Day” in the city of Mitchell. Corn Palace Director Doug Greenway presented Tariq with a small statue of Cornelius – the mascot for the Mitchell Kernels – while highlighting notable accomplishments of the Corn Palace.
“Over 130 years, millions of travelers have come to see what this palace of corn is all about, and now you, too, know all about the World’s Only Corn
Palace,” Greenway said in his speech. “We certainly appreciate you coming to see us and know you’ll enjoy Mitchell.”
Tariq went viral on Tiktok and Instagram after appearing on Recess Therapy, an on-the-street style interview show. Tariq quickly rose to fame for his interview, where he told the host, “ever since I was told that corn was real, it tasted good.”
“I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing,” Tariq said at the time.
Wild Bill Hickok’s Deadwood gun gets a buyer, nearly 150 years after the legendary gunslinger was slain. Wild Bill Hickok’s Smith & Wesson Model Army revolver was sold at auction by Rock Island Auction Co. in Illinois on Aug. 27 for $235,000.
Longtime Mitchell Republic columnist Roger Wiltz had his final outdoors column written by his daughters. For almost 50 years, Roger Wiltz used his column as a way to connect with a larger audience and share his passions for the outdoors with others. His daughters joined forces to write a loving tribute for his final column before his death on Sept. 5, 2022.
Owners of a former Mitchell hotel plan to ‘breathe new life’ into property with 90-unit apartment complex. On Monday, Sept. 12, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the conditional use permit and Tax Increment Financing district for the former Ramada Hotel; its owners plan to transform the hotel into a 90-unit apartment complex, dubbed Flats on Havens.
Luis Javier Perez-Melendez, 29, was sentenced for first-degree manslaughter to 75 years in prison after he shot 38-year-old Adalberto Ferrer-Machado seven times on Jan. 9,
2021 inside of his downtown Mitchell apartment.
Dakota Riptide’s leaders asked the Mitchell Parks and Recreation Board this month for a reduction or suspension of practice fees to use the pool, or to have its $200,000 annual pledge halted, citing lack of funds and coaches, as well as the lack of an indoor-practice space, as “a perfect storm” for financial hardship.
The 22,635-square-foot Mitchell Aquatic Center is in its fourth year of existence, and there have already been a handful of structural issues that have prompted city officials to close the pair of pools for repair work. Considering the pool project came with an $8 million price tag, Everson said the ongoing problems with the Indoor Aquatic Center are frustrating.
Corey Frankenstein, 33, of Wagner, was sentenced on Aug. 24 to serve 120 days in jail, as well as eight years probation after leading authorities on a high-speed pursuit for nearly 70 miles and pleading guilty to his sixth DUI in a decade.
Pickstown announced its plan to host the town’s first Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops National Walleye Tour tournament in June of 2023. The twoday tournament is expected to bring around 300 anglers, including some of the nation’s top pro walleye anglers. Could Lake Mitchell dredging be dead in the water? City council divided on project as council members debated on if the proper solution to Lake Mitchell’s water quality problem was to dredge the lake or to focus on getting the Firesteel watershed off the impaired watershed list.
On Thursday, Oct. 13, Mitchell was one of at least five school districts in South Dakota to receive a fatal school shooting hoax call. The Mitchell Police Division received a call stating that there was an active shooter at the high school with several fatalities and that the individual believed that the shooter was still in the school. However, at all schools that were called into authorities, there never was a shooter
or danger to students or staff. Mitchell High School did not go into an actual lockdown because of how quickly it was determined that the shooting report was false, Principal Joe Childs said.
Mitchell Superintendent Joe Graves said Thursday morning he couldn’t have been more impressed with Mitchell emergency personnel and that the district’s contingency plans for an active shooting situation worked correctly.
“Their response was incredible,” Graves said.
Childs noted that it’s disappointing that there are people in the world that would want to spread fear at a place of learning through false reports, but is overall thankful for the response from law enforcement.
“It’s certainly disheartening that this is the world we are living in right now and that someone would do this and that it can be a believable threat. But we do have plans and procedures in place for these situations, and we follow them,” Childs said. “And it was nice, that if there is a silver lining, before I was even off the phone we had a very strong police presence of police officials and public safety officials on our campus. And that was before I was even off the phone to get that 20-second report I was getting. It was a very swift response.”
Gov. Kristi Noem and Democratic candidate Jamie Smith, clashed styles during the hour-long gubernatorial debate held in Rapid City on Friday, Sept. 26.
POET, the Sioux Falls-based biofuels company, opposed the plans to build a pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, adding to tension and growing the debate field in the agricultural community.
What happens when your dog catches a hen? While chasing down rooster pheasants, Luke Hagen stumbled into a hunting conundrum – what to do when your hunting dog has superspeed and catches a hen pheasant. Circuit court session at the Davison County Public Safety Center with presiding Judge Chris Giles resulted in over 30 cases being presented to
the court. Among these cases, Darrell Hallman, 54 of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
The Lake House restaurant shut down during its sixth year of operating in Mitchell. The lone restaurant overlooking Lake Mitchell closed its doors after being in business for roughly six years. The Lake House restaurant announced it will be closing Wednesday through a social media post.
Aurora County deputy was arrested and charged for allegedly shooting and killing a dog as a juvenile stood near. An Aurora County sheriff’s deputy, Anthony Aronov, 27, of Plankinton, faced one count of reckless discharge of a firearm after allegedly firing his gun four times in a Hanson County residence, killing a dog and striking fear into the minor. He was later released of all charges.
Renovation of this red barn south of Mitchell has been a perfect place for produce sales. Lee’s Red Barn, owned by the Lee family, allows shoppers to browse a wide selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, all made possible by the simple idea to renovate their vintage barn.
A Vault case detailing the mysterious disappearance of two Vermillion teens, Cheryl Miller and Pamela Jackson, and how it was solved nearly 43 years later.
Mark Mickelson and his family detailed the generational tradition of their family’s pheasant-hunting shenanigans held on their farm in Alpena, noting that, “the best (hunting) is right here in South Dakota.”
With a governor’s race, a statewide vote on legalizing marijuana and Medicaid expansion all on the ballot in November, it was a huge month for South Dakota politics.
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem decisively won a second term as South Dakota governor, taking down state legislator Jamie Smith by earning 63% of the vote, extending her tenure as the state’s first
female governor while continuing to raise her national profile.
Two ballot measures also got a lot of attention with varying results. A constitutional amendment to expand Medicaid was approved with 56% of the vote. The expansion will pertain to adults between ages 18 and 65 with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level beginning July 1, 2023, a measure that was endorsed by a number of civic and medical organizations prior to the election.
A vote to approve the legalization of marijuana for individuals age 21 and older was defeated, with nearly 53% of the voters voting against the measure, which would have allowed individuals to possess or distribute up to one ounce of marijuana. The result was a flip from the 2020 ballot measure approved by voters as a constitutional amendment, which was later overturned by the state’s court system for violating the state’s single-subject rule.
U.S. Sen. John Thune and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, both Republicans, cruised to new terms in Washington, with Thune voted to a fourth, six-year term and Johnson supported for another two-year term, his third. In the state legislature races, Republicans maintained commanding supermajorities in both chambers.
Kristi Noem said she’s banning TikTok on South Dakota-owned devices. She has subsequently ordered reviews of foreign investments in stateheld accounts and to restrict foreign purchases of ag land.
The city of Mitchell has advanced a plan to build a publicly accessible gun range, which would have rifle areas and pistol bays. Advocates said there is enough demand in the region for such a facility.
The month brought on the onset of the avian influenza in South Dakota, which caused the death of more than 2.4 million birds and poultry, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Joel Koskan, a Wood resident running as a Republican to represent District 26 in the South Dakota Senate, was charged Thursday, Nov. 3, with one count of felony child abuse. He was accused of repeatedly molesting a family member over five years. Koskan later lost the election.
Despite rising inflation and a volatile economy, Mitchell saw strong growth in sales tax revenue and was on pace to surpass 2021’s sales tax collections.
It was a good month for local nonprofits. The Mitchell Lions Club celebrated 100 years of service to the community with a special event at the Moose Lodge in Mitchell. Meanwhile, a “team effort” helped the Mitchell United Way surpass its fundraising goal with $421,000
For the first time since 2017, Gregory won a nine-man football title, while Elk Point-Jefferson stunned Winner in the Class 11B title game, denying the Warriors a third consecutive state title.
Mitchell School District Board of Education approved bids for a $10 million Mitchell Technical College diesel technology lab. The project is expected to begin in spring 2023.
In a hotly discussed project, the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission clarified that it doesn’t have jurisdiction in a planned hydropower project at Lake Francis Case in Gregory County. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has the authority in the project.
For the second time in three seasons, the South Dakota State football team is headed to the national championship game in Texas. By winning its Football Championship Subdivision semifinal playoff game over Montana State on Dec. 17 by a 38-19 score, the Jackrabbits (12-1) will go the national championship game in Frisco,
Texas to face archrival North Dakota State on Jan. 8, 2023. SDSU seeks its first national title in school history, while NDSU is seeking its 10th title in the last 12 seasons.
It is the premier rivalry game in FCS football, with SDSU winning its third consecutive Dakota Marker game in the series in October. That win sent
SDSU to No. 1 in the national polls for the first time and the victory marked SDSU’s third in a row in the Dakota Marker series and fifth in the last seven seasons.
“I think it’s kind of cool,” said SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier. “... The fact that it’s a rival and it’s for the national championship. I think it’s a good storyline. I can’t wait to have it happen.”
The Jacks were not afraid to acknowledge their national championship aspirations in the preseason and have since then looked the part, going 12-0 against teams from the FCS, with the only loss being a 7-3 contest at Iowa on Sept. 3. SDSU made the FCS championship in the spring 2021 season but fell 23-21 at the hands of Sam Houston.
This season, the Jackrabbits were the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, defeating Delaware (42-6), Holy Cross (42-21) and Montana State on the way back to Texas, led by Stiegelmeier, 65, who was named the Eddie Robinson FCS coach of the year in 2022 in his 26th season at SDSU.
The former police chief of the Yankton Sioux Tribe’s law enforcement division is facing hundreds of years in federal prison after prosecutors allege he knowingly falsified his working hours on more than 100 occasions and otherwise stole or embezzled a vehicle and other goods from the tribe. Chris Saunsoci, 42, of Lake Andes, pleaded not guilty on Nov. 18 in federal court to 18 counts of wire fraud and two counts of theft from an Indian Tribal Organization.
Downtown Mitchell is moving away from traffic lights at key intersections along Main Street, as city officials say stop signs at four key intersections will remain to help make the area safer for pedestrians.
For the first time in school history, DWU volleyball made the national quarterfinals, finishing the season with a 25-8 record. Ady Dwight and Madeline Else were both selected as All-Americans and Lindsay Wilber was named the South Dakota college women’s coach of the year.
A years-long battle over how the main highway through Wagner should be rebuilt went to a public vote on Dec. 6, with two-thirds of voters disapproving of the plan. But the vote is non-binding for the South Dakota Department of Transportation, which can do as it pleases.
A Wagner man faces two felony charges after faxing threats to a Sioux Falls television station earlier this year, threatening to assassinate Gov. Kristi Noem and a circuit court judge.
A Washington state couple is facing homicide by abuse charges in their home state and faces felony charges in South Dakota for failing to report the September death of a nine-year-old girl, driving more than 1,100 miles to Mitchell and transporting the body in a storage trailer.
The first girls wrestlers in Mitchell High School history took the mat since the sport was sanctioned for the Kernels on Dec. 3. Five MHS girls make up the inaugural squad.
The nearly nine-month, $37.5 million I-90 construction project in McCook County comes to an end on Dec. 1. It substantially completes two years of extensive reconstruction of the interstate between Salem and Humboldt.
Dakota Wesleyan football player Adam DeJong became the first All-American first team defensive selection in school history for his play as a defensive back.
