Year In Review 2018

A Special Supplement to The Daily Republic

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December 29, 2018

2018 May the Holidays bring happiness to your home!

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December 29, 2018

2018

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December 29, 2018

January 2018

By The Daily Republic

Matt Gade / Republic

Brent O’Brien shovels his sidewalk following a snow storm that passed through Mitchell back in January.

New Year’s weekend 2018 will be remembered throughout South Dakota for its bone-chilling cold temperatures.

In Mitchell, a 90-yearold record fell, as the actual high temperature topped out at minus-10. That set a record cold high for Dec. 31 and beat the previous record from 1927, when the cold high was minus-9.

The coldest actual temperature the weekend saw in Mitchell was 23 degrees below zero, which tied a record low for Jan. 1 from 1924, according to according to Mike Fuhs, of the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls. A wind chill advisory was issued for New Year’s weekend, with wind chills of 40 below zero recorded.

The cold temps continued throughout the month. A snowstorm hit the Mitchell area in the second week of January, with single-digit temperatures and wind gusts between 20 and 30 mph blowing across the region.

The bone-chilling weather remained a trend the rest of the month.

Mitchell was hit with another minor snowstorm, including 15-to-25 mph winds and even gusts of 35 mph the area.

The strong gusts caused a semi-truck traveling west on Interstate 90 to slide on ice and enter the ditch, causing the interstate to be closed for 45 minutes.

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No. 2: While the teardown wouldn’t occur for months, the Mitchell City Council approved the demolition of a Mitchell Main Street building constructed in 1916, known as the Jitters Building. The building had been determined unsafe by city officials, and restoration of the building was estimated to cost around $560,000. The building was located between the longtime Mitchell home to NorthWestern Energy and a city parking lot.

No. 3: Dakota Wesleyan University revealed its plans to build a $5 million residence hall facility on the western side of campus. The three-story building features 114 beds to accommodate the university’s growing enrollment and opened in August.

No. 4: Bonnie London, the mother of the Kimball man who shot a Highway Patrol trooper and engaged authorities in a 24-hour standoff in 2015, filed suit against officers from Brule and Buffalo county sheriff’s office and state agencies.

No. 5: The parents of victim Quinn Patrick Schleuning decided to not seek the death penalty against Anthony Lewis, who faced firstand second-degree murder charges.

No. 6: Alvin Andersen was indicted by a grand jury on four felony charges, including conspiracy to commit arson and aiding and abetting arson.

The charges come 10 months after Brian Good was sentenced to six years in prison for firstdegree arson for setting a Delmont apartment building on fire in Feb. 2016.

No. 7: The Mitchell Parks and Recreation Department announced the Northwoods League, a college wood-bat summer league, will not play in Mitchell in 2018.

No. 8: The Woonsocket School Board approved the construction of a 5,000-square-foot addition to the elementary school. The project, anticipated to cost approximately $849,000, will add two large classrooms, a special education classroom, individual sensory rooms and offices.

No. 9: Mitchell’s Sean Mason broke his own three-game house record at Village Bowl.

Mason shattered his previous record of 851 with scores of 298, 255 and 298 by rolling an 867 (299, 289 and 279). That series, which totalled 32 strikes and only two spares, was 13 pins shy of the state record of 880, held by Josh Hepp of Sioux Falls.

No. 10: The Jones County Invitational basketball tournament tipped off its 50th annual event.

The invite is the longest running tournament in South Dakota, with eight West River communities packing Murdo’s tiny Harold Thune Auditorium for three days every January.

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Other top stories from the coverage region in January:

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December 29, 2018

February 2018

No. 2: Dakota Wesleyan University announced a partnership with Apple for a digital learning initiative, allowing all students to receive an iPad beginning the first day of the fall 2018 semester.

No. 3: The Mitchell High School gymnastics team

captured

the

Class

AA

state

championship for the fourth time in five seasons.

No. 4: Mitchell approves its first ride-sharing service, with Thomas Schaffner getting a taxicab license to drive for Lyft.

No.

5:

In

a

highly

anticipated

match,

Chamberlain sophomore Nash Hutmacher defeats

Beresford/Alcester-Hudson’s

Nick

Casperson in a battle of unbeatens for the Class A state wrestling championship at 285 pounds. Both wrestlers were undefeated prior to the match, and Casperson went two weight classes above his usual 195 pounds for the match.

No. 6: For the first time in 35 years, a Miss Mitchell was crowned. Tessa Dee, who was Miss South Dakota in 2013, helped to revive the event.

No. 7: Ethan High School principal Tim Hawkins was named the Ivan Dixon Administrator of the Year for enhancing extracurricular activities in the district.

No. 8: Hanson School District industrial technology teacher Bryce Holter applied for and received a $30,000 grant from the South Dakota Department of Education to purchase new equipment for welding and design classes.

No. 9: After nearly 50 years in health care, Gaea Blue, the CEO and administrator at Avera Weskota Memorial Hospital in Wessington Springs retired.

No. 10: The Mitchell School District hires Eric Witte to be the school’s first strength and conditioning coach, one of only a few in all of South Dakota at the high school level.

By The Daily Republic

Anything related to pheasant hunting is sure to draw big interest from South Dakotans, but February’s National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic was even bigger than some imagined.

Held from Feb. 16 to Feb. 18, the three-day event hosted by Pheasants Forever saw 28,868 people descend upon the Premier Center in Sioux Falls, which was a significantly greater turnout than the projected 20,000.

Booth space on the floor of the Premier Center was sold out for the open-to-the-public event, while the Saturday night banquet -- which featured Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever president Howard Vincent and keynote speaker “The MeatEater” Steven Rinella -- sold out 1,380 seats for the first time in the classic’s history.

One of the highlights of the weekend was then-Republican gubernatorial candidates Kristi Noem and Marty Jackley offering up initiatives to enhance the pheasant population in South Dakota as part of their campaigns before the June primary election.

There was also a presentation of the Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition, which spawned several similar organizations, including the Community Based Habitat Access Program in Mitchell. Another highlight of the event was a bird dog parade that featured more than 45 sporting dog breeds and 100 dogs total.

Luke Hagen / Republic

The three-day 2018 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic was held Friday, Feb. 16 through Sunday, Feb. 18 in Sioux Falls.

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Other top stories from the coverage region in February:

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December 29, 2018

March 2018

Matt Gade/ Republic

The Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball team celebrates on stage with the students following the trophy presentation during the NAIA Division II National Championship on Tuesday, March 13 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

By The Daily Republic For the first time in school history, the Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball team was national champions.

The Tigers women’s basketball team cut down the nets on March 13 as it upset No. 2 Concordia University, 82-59, in Sioux City, Iowa at the NAIA Division II women’s basketball tournament. The victory capped five wins at the national tournament in six days, and allowed DWU to finish 32-6 on the season. The Tigers won every game by double digits and is the first team to win its quarterfinals, semifinal and championship games by defeating a No. 1 seed in all three games.

Eighth-year head coach and Mitchell native Jason Christensen was named national coach of the year and senior forward Ashley Bray was a first-team All-American.

“Everything seems like a dream,” Christensen said in a welcome home ceremony on campus the next day. “We knocked off three No. 1 seeds throughout this. Not only did we knock them off, we didn’t just beat them, we beat them (good). We owned the tournament and I thought we made a statement.”

The championship game between two burgeoning rivals was not close, which was the largest margin of victory in a women’s title game since 2001. DWU drilled 15 3-pointers in the win, in which the Tigers led by as many as 30 points at one stage.

“I don’t think it’s quite hit all of us yet, and definitely not us seniors,” guard Chesney Nagel said the next day. “It’s a surreal moment. We’re all tired right now and we didn’t sleep any last night.”

Alexandria native Kynedi Cheeseman was the tournament MVP. She averaged 21.6 points per contest, including a game-high 26 points in the title game.

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2019

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Other top stories from the coverage region in March: No. 2: A 15-year-old juvenile was taken into custody for threats of gun violence at Corsica-Stickney High School on March 12.

Threatening messages and pictures were found on social media, resulting in a late start for classes.

No. 3: A three-person car crash south of Parkston March 10 devastated the Tyndall and Bon Homme school communities. Tina and Dan Johnson, and their son Zach, were killed in a collision on State Highway 37 while traveling to a wrestling tournament in Mitchell.

No. 4: The warning policy for Lake Mitchell’s water quality was altered to avoid scaring the public into not going in the lake. New rules required chlorophyll tests have to fail in three testing locations instead of only one for the city of Mitchell to discourage contact with the lake.

No. 5: A two-day blizzard blasted the Mitchell area on March 5-6, with nearly 8 to 10 inches of snow closing schools and shutting down 200 miles of Interstate 90. Winds gusted to nearly 60 mph in some parts of the state.

No. 6: Macy Miller became the second South Dakota State University women’s basketball player to be named the Summit League Player of the Year. The Mitchell native and redshirt junior was also the conference tournament MVP, leading SDSU back to the NCAA Tournament again.

No. 7: Upgrades for a new synthetic turf surface and running track at Joe Quintal Field were finalized in order to be ready for the fall sports season. The total cost was $1.2 million.

No. 8: The Mitchell School District selected Chad Lentsch as teacher of the year and Laurie Kent as the district’s classified staff member of the year. Both work at L.B. Williams Elementary, with Lentsch teaching fifth grade for the past three years and Kent being a 28-year veteran paraprofessional.

No. 9: South Dakota juvenile arrests for drugs, narcotics or drug paraphernalia climbed to more than 1,000 in 2017 and nearly twice as many as there were 10 years ago. Overall, drug arrests were also at a 10-year high in the state, with more than 8,000 arrests, the attorney general’s office announced.

No. 10: Mitchell High School students Brittany Robinson, Bailey Kahler, Regan Waddell and Kelsey Dahme launched a project to look into the effects of human trafficking and ways to help victims. The students sold bracelets with plans to donate the profits to a human trafficking organization and invited a nationally known speaker to Dakota Wesleyan University.

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December 29, 2018

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Diana Johnson and other members of the Mitchell High School Show Choir sing their way to first place in the South Dakota State Show Choir Championship at the Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 7.

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No. 2: The Sanborn Boulevard bridge over Dry Run Creek closed, and the estimated $966,000 project was the first of three phases of construction along the street.

Phases II and III will take place in 2019.

No. 3: Mitchell receives more than 16 inches of snow over a two-day span, breaking the record for an April day with 12.5 inches of snow on April 14. The previous high was 12 inches on April 27, 1907.

No. 4: For the second time in three years, the Davison County Commission said no to a plan to build wind turbines in the county.

They unanimously denied a permit for a nine-turbine wind farm from Con Edison Development.

No. 5: Mitchell native Mike Miller makes his move into coaching college basketball.

He signed on as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis, where fellow former NBA star Penny Hardaway was hired as the head coach. The move resulted in a change of the name of the annual December basketball event Miller started, now called the Hoop City Classic.

No. 6: Davison County had 5,805 cases of influenza during the 2017-18 winter season, a striking number with about 20,000 residents in the county.

No. 7: Mount Vernon’s Ron Wieczorek filed more than 4,000 signatures with the South Dakota Secretary of State’s office to run for Congress. A farmer who supported President Donald Trump, it marked the fourth time Wieczorek ran for Congress.

No. 8: Mitchell robbery suspect Montez McClain was arrested in Davenport, Iowa, nearly two weeks after a robbery attempt at a local convenience store.

No. 9: In area elections, Hutchinson County voters supported building a new $4.5 million courthouse in Olivet, with more than 65 percent support. In Winner, voters also decided to keep the city’s Main Street as a one-way route.

No. 10: The Mitchell Public Library, seeking to engage more possible library users, ends its fine system for overdue books. Previously, the library had assessed a fine of 10 cents per day for every day a book was overdue, capped at $5.

By The Daily Republic Maybe it was being on its home stage. Maybe it was something in the water, Director Jen Randall joked.

Regardless, the Mitchell High School Show Choir “Friend de Coup” cruised to a third state championship in the Class AA competition April 7 at the school’s Performing Arts Center.

There might have been some pressure to repeat but the team was bolstered by a large, boisterous home crowd.

“Especially as a senior, we feel an immense responsibility,” said dance captain Sarah Moore prior to the competition. “We don’t want to let the alumni, along with our current members, down.”

Randall attributed the ongoing success to the program’s longstanding tradition of excellence as dominance was built upon the foundation, created by Jeff Gemar more than 30 years ago, and relies upon an ongoing collaboration with choir alum and choreographer Stephen Todd, she said.

“Todd is a lot of the heartbeat of the organization,” Randall said. “He and I have worked together a long time.” It was Todd who chose the elaborate bird costumes for the group’s finale; “Beautiful Creatures.”

Mitchell also claimed the honor of Class AA best show band, which is under the direction of Vicki Hyder. Placing second and third in Class AA show choir, respectively, were Sioux Falls Roosevelt and Sioux Falls Washington. In Class A, Vermillion won top show choir and top show band. Groton grabbed second place and Elk Point-Jefferson took third.

This year, Mitchell felt added pressure from being the reigning state champion, Randall said, but the group peaked at the state championship. “It was their most meaningful performance this year,” she said, “and they performed with a perfect level of control, grace and musicianship.”

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Other top stories from the coverage region in April:

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Chief Warrant Officer 3 Wayne Lambert, left, and First Sgt. Chuck Eilts fold an American flag during the dedication ceremony at Veterans Park on Saturday, May 26 in Mitchell.

May 2018

By The Daily Republic On a hot Memorial Day weekend Saturday, hundreds gathered at the corner of First Avenue and Main Street to celebrate the official dedication of Mitchell’s Veterans Park.

“By creating this Veterans Memorial Park, the Mitchell community honors those brave men and women who gave their lives to earn and preserve many rights and freedoms,” said Maj. Gen. Timothy Reisch, who serves as the adjutant general of the South Dakota National Guard. “And to help our allies in foreign nations to secure peace and democracy as well.”

Mitchell native and World War II hero Jack Thurman, at age 93, returned to his hometown for the event.

Thurman grew up on a dairy farm in the Mitchell area and joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 18. He fought at the Battle of Iwo Jima at Mount Suribachi and was pictured in the famous “Gung Ho” photo taken in February 1945. Thurman held a book signing following the dedication ceremony.

The event also included distinguished guests Mike Fitzmaurice, of Hartford, and Blondie Wagner, of Alexandria. Fitzmaurice is the state’s last surviving Congressional Medal of Honor recipient for his service in the Vietnam War in 1971, while Wagner is the Gold Star Mother of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Greg Wagner, who was killed in action in 2006 in Iraq.

The park, which had been about seven years in the making following the tear down of a pair of buildings at that street corner, includes a black granite wall honoring those killed in action, along with a donor wall recognizing the contributions to the park, which also includes ceremonial bricks to honor veterans, granite benches, a star-shaped fountain area, and the insignias of the five primary branches of the military. The official project began to take shape in early 2016 and cost about $400,000 to construct.

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Republic file photo

December 29, 2018

Other top stories from the coverage region in May: No. 2: The Mitchell City Council approved creating a business district along eight blocks of Main Street. The plan was opposed by 42 percent of the downtown property owners, falling short of the 50 percent threshold needed to stop the project.

About $44,000 is expected to be raised each year for seven years.

No. 3: State Rep. Jim Schaefer, of Kennebec, was one of two people killed in a utility vehicle crash with a passenger car in Lyman County. Schaefer, 79, had represented District 26B for eight years.

No. 4: Jacob Hubbs, a former Mitchell man, was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

He had more than 1,000 fentanyl pills in his possession, and Mitchell police officials said it’s one of the largest opioid cases in the city’s recent history.

No. 5: At the state track and field meet, Mitchell’s Carly Haring won her third Class AA state championship in the girls high jump. Earlier in the season, she broke the school record in the high jump with a high of 5 feet, 8 inches. In Class B, Freeman rode its relay success to a boys team state title in Rapid City.

No. 6: For the first time since 2011, Bon Homme/ Scotland won the Class B high school baseball title, winning three games in two days in Sioux Falls. A 7-5 win over West Central clinched the title.

No. 7: Poet’s Mitchell location broke ground on a $5 million expansion for its pellet business, which uses distillers grains in the ethanol-making process and forms it into pellets that are easily consumed by animals.

No. 8: Mitchell Technical Institute was named to The Aspen Institute’s list of top-10 community and technical colleges nationally, a first for the institution.

No. 9: Dr. Christine Arnold, who works at Sanford Health in Mitchell, was named one of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Child Immunization Champions” for 2018.

No. 10: The Mitchell Community Scholarship Fund, in existence since 2002, surpasses more than $1 million in scholarships distributed to more than 2,400 students.

December 29, 2018

June 2018

No. 2: In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that South Dakota has a right to charge sales tax to online shoppers. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley argued the case, and said the case would bring tax fairness to South Dakota’s Main Street businesses.

No. 3: Dredging — either mechanically or hydraulically — is identified by officials from Fyra Engineering as the primary option for Lake Mitchell’s water issues. Both of those were identified to cost more than $10 million.

An estimated 1 million dry cubic yards of soft sediment needs to be removed from the lake.

No. 4: Embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt visited Reliance, meeting privately with South Dakota farmers for about two hours on June 13. A counter-protest about Pruitt’s resistance to allowing E15 ethanol took place in Sioux Falls. Pruitt was out of his EPA leadership post less than a month later.

No. 5: Nicholas Yellow Lodge, 19, of Chamberlain, is charged with first-degree murder following the death of David Hart in Chamberlain. Yellow Lodge is awaiting trial; police said he hit Hart over the head with “a large glass liquor bottle.”

No. 6: After 20 years with the fire and EMS departments, Mitchell’s assistant fire chief Paul Morris announced his retirement.

No. 7: Following a convincing win in the Bon Homme County sheriff’s race with 73 percent of the vote, Deputy Sheriff Mark Maggs, of Springfield, was fired by the outgoing Sheriff Lenny Gramkow. The county commission backed Gramkow’s right to fire Maggs, but Maggs will take over as the new sheriff in 2019.

No. 8: The South Dakota High School Activities Association votes to add six-man football, starting with the 2019 season.

No. 9: Joshua Brenden, of Mitchell, was named the South Dakota Outstanding Warrant Officer of the Year from the South Dakota National Guard. He is a member of the 139th Brigade Support Battalion.

No. 10: Top local coaches were honored at the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s convention in Sioux Falls.

Former Howard wrestling coach Ken Ruml and Parkston girls basketball coach Rob VanLaecken were each selected to the association’s Hall of Fame. For the annual awards, Mitchell High School gymnastics coach Audra Rew was named a national coach of the year after helping the Kernels to their fifth state team title in February.

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By The Daily Republic

In a race with four candidates, longtime Mitchell resident Bob Everson was elected mayor of the city on June 5.

Everson claimed 46 percent of the ballots, or 1,365 votes. Mel Olson took 1,154 votes, or 38 percent in the race. Tara Volesky (10 percent) and Steven Larson (6 percent) also were on the ballot.

Everson, who graduated from Mitchell High School, served in the Army for four years and earned a degree in mechanical engineering from South Dakota State University. His previous community leadership roles included the Mitchell Board of Education, Parks and Recreation Board and Mitchell Planning Commission, the last of which he spent nearly 20 years serving.

He replaced Jerry Toomey, who did not seek re-election. Everson’s term will expire in 2021.

In the city’s other June elections, Dan Sabers won a three-way race for the Ward 1 seat on the Mitchell City Council, while Ward 2 voters returned Kevin McCardle to a second term.

Lake Mitchell and the continued development of downtown Mitchell were among the top topics of the election. Everson also emphasized developing a better procurement policy for city purchases, so that citizens understand what the city is getting in return for its money. He also added that his engineering background helps him understand budgeting and large projects, and would help shape his view of the city.

“I’m an engineer,” he said prior to the election. “There’s not a lot of gray. There’s a lot of black and white. If it isn’t black and white, there needs to be more research.”

Happy

2019

Matt Gade / Republic

Bob Everson receives a hug while celebrating his win for the Mitchell mayoral race defeating other candidates Mel Olson, Tara Volesky and Steve Larson on Tuesday, June 5 while celebrating at the OverTime Steakhouse and Sports Bar in Mitchell.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope your New Year is a blast, from the first day until the last!

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Other top stories from the coverage region in June:

YEAR IN REVIEW 9

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YEAR IN REVIEW

10

December 29, 2018

July 2018

By The Daily Republic

Matt Gade / Republic

At center, Mitchell Aquatic Club President Mark Wilson speaks during the Mitchell Indoor Aquatic Center grand opening/ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 3 in Mitchell.

After a four-year journey from conversations among Mitchell City Council members to water slides getting up and running, the Mitchell Indoor Aquatic Center was finally opened.

While a group of kids were the first to jump in the pool in late-June, the grand opening of the $8 million facility included a ribbon cutting ceremony, demonstrations, tours, prizes and more on July 3. Even newly elected Mayor Bob Everson jumped in the pool fully clothed.

City Administrator Stephanie Ellwein was among the attendees at the ceremony.

“We’ve had three mayors work on the project, 11 city council members, two city planning committees, parks and recreation board members, city staff and countless other input from community members,” Ellwein said.

The new aquatic center is a far cry from the middle school’s pool, the closing of which prompted the Mitchell Aquatic Club to find a replacement. There also was a temporary pool that failed and flooded the North Star building.

In addition to a leisure pool and a competition pool that’s now home to the Mitchell Aquatic Club, it has slides, play structures, a vortex area, diving boards and more, putting it somewhere in between the former pool and a full-blown water park in terms of scale and features.

Even setting aside the amount of time it took to plan and build the aquatic center, finding funding for the project was in itself no small feat, especially from the aquatic club, which pledged $1 million to bolster the city’s funds.

After four years, numerous city council meetings, a city vote and more than 72,000 man hours, the city of Mitchell has an indoor aquatic center for years to come.

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No. 2: About 15 weeks after first being blocked for construction, work on what was once called “one of Mitchell’s worst streets” was completed. The substantial completion of the first phase of Sanborn Boulevard’s three-phase project was reached on July 19.

No. 3: More than 7,000 people flocked to Freeman on July 28 to celebrate the firstever Chislic Festival. Chislic is the official nosh of South Dakota. The event was presented by community developer and marketing coordinator Joshua Hofer after the state legislature passed Senate Bill 96, which made chislic the state’s nosh.

No. 4: Mark Vaux, of Fargo, N.D., was selected as the new executive director of the Mitchell Area Development Corporation and Chamber of Commerce. Vaux is a native of South Dakota with 14 years’ experience in economic development. The announcement came on July 27, and he assumed his position in September following the retirement of Bryan Hisel.

No. 5: After making and selling its products for 87 years, Dimock Cheese broke ground on a $1 million facility. The project, expected to be completed over the winter, is an effort to make the business easier to find and more convenient for customers.

No. 6: Vantage Point Solutions celebrated a new addition to its building with a $3 million addition, nearly doubling its Mitchell headquarters. Its 150 Mitchell employees now have a 55,000-square foot workplace, up from 30,000 square feet previously.

No. 7: Mitchell’s longtime Fire Marshal Marius Laursen was promoted to assistant fire chief, meaning he’s in charge of the city’s fire department. Laursen has worked with the city’s emergency and medical services division for 21 years.

No. 8: A 29-year-old woman died when her car veered off the road northeast of Mitchell on 413th Avenue, aka Riverside Road.

The car landed upside-down and partially submerged in Rock Creek.

No. 9: A husband and wife were arrested on July 11 after an early-morning car chase in Mitchell during which shots were fired.

Thomas Garmong was driving the car that was chasing Malissa Garmong.

No. 10: In the Class B state Legion baseball semifinal game, McCook/Miner got a walk-off balk on July 30 to advance to the championship round. Cade Schmitt scored the game winning run for McCook/Miner, which eventually lost in the title game to finish as state runner-up.

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Other top stories from the coverage region in July:

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December 29, 2018

YEAR IN REVIEW 11

August 2018

No. 2: On Aug. 6, the Lake Mitchell Advisory Committee made its recommendation to city officials about upgrades to the maligned lake, recommending a $20 million improvement plan conducted in three parts including dredging, a dam drawdown, retention ponds, wetland work and watershed improvements.

No. 3: The three cities in Davison County — Ethan, Mitchell and Mount Vernon — along with the county government discussed plans to partner on a comprehensive planning process in 2019. It will be the first time all of the governmental bodies in the county have gathered in such a way.

No. 4: Dakota Wesleyan University begins the school year on Aug. 21 with the debut of the newly-built Dakota Hall, which houses up to 114, and a renovated dining area in the Rollins Campus Center.

No. 5: White Lake began the school year by opening a new $5 million school facility on Aug. 20 to house all of its students, moving out of a building that was originally constructed in 1939.

No. 6: Getting hot for the second straight season at the Class A tournament, the Mitchell Post 18 Legion team finished second at the state tournament on Aug. 5.

Post 18 finished at 30-26 with a 9-0 loss to Rapid City Post 22 in the championship round.

No. 7: Four years after being diagnosed with a rare disease that affected the muscles of her heart, Mitchell native Kadie Neuharth underwent a successful heart transplant in Phoenix, Arizona, on Aug. 15.

No. 8: After laying off 27 employees in 2017, Enertech — a geothermal heat pump manufacturer — is back to 40 employees and looking to hire more. The employer was lauded in a visit by U.S. Sen. John Thune on Aug. 9.

No. 9: Jared Indahl, a native of Burke and previously the assistant athletic director at Dakota State University, is named as the new executive director of Mitchell Main Street and Beyond, starting the job on Aug. 20.

No. 10: A winner of more than 60 state titles and seven national titles, Mitchell resident Fred Nagel was inducted into National Trapshooting Hall of Fame on Aug. 7.

By The Daily Republic

For the fifth time ever and the first time since 2009, Canova’s Gang seized the fifth Class B state amateur baseball tournament championship win on Aug. 12.

The 10-2 win against the Flandreau Cardinals was a Cornbelt League win not just for the Gang, but for the town of Canova, where baseball is of more than a little importance to a significant proportion of the approximately 100 residents.

Their dedication to the team led many of Canova’s fans to make the 120-mile round trip to and from Sioux Falls to cheer on the Gang during each of the five games at Augustana University’s Ronken Field.

Canova went into the eighth inning with a 5-2 lead, but sealed the win with an RBI single from Justin Miller and a grand slam from Garrett Gassman.

The championship victory came a year after the team failed to qualify for the state tournament that was held in Mitchell.

The Gang also won championships in 1966, 1971, 1979 and 2009, and this year’s was the team’s 13th appearance in a state title game.

Three of Canova’s players — Miller, Gassman and Trey Krier — went on to make on the Class B amateur baseball all-tournament team.

Happy New Year Iseman Homes • Sioux Falls, SD (605) 336-3276 www.isemanhomes.com

Matt Gade / Republic

The Canova Gang celebrate after their final out to win the Class B amateur baseball state trophy on Sunday, August 12 in Sioux Falls.

Happy Holidays Looking forward to serving you in 2019

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Other top stories from the coverage region in August:

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December 29, 2018

September 2018

Other top stories from the coverage region in September:

By The Daily Republic

Matt Gade / Republic

People make their way through the food line including Lois and Ron Hornstra, of Prevailing Wind, LLC, center, while attending Mitchell Technical Institute’s 50th anniversary event on Tuesday, September 18 behind the campus center.

In September, Mitchell Technical Institute celebrated its semicentarian anniversary, marking 50 years of innovation in technical education.

On Sept. 20, those connected to MTI in one way or another gathered on campus to celebrate the school -- and not for the first time this year.

Since 1968, more than 18,000 people have graduated from MTI’s now more than 30 programs. From students who studied precision ag technology to those who earned accounting degrees, MTI’s five decades of existence have proven that the school can churn out well-trained professionals who have the potential to make an impact in South Dakota and elsewhere.

The 50th anniversary took place just months after MTI was named as one of the country’s 10 technical and community college finalists for the 2019 Aspen Prize, putting it in the running to receive a $1 million award in April. That list of 10 is one that was filtered down from an original pool of almost 1,000 schools nationwide.

MTI was the only college in the Midwest to be named as a finalist, with the remaining nine schools on the list located in Florida, Texas, New York and Washington.

No. 2: A suicidal male shot himself prior to a Chamberlain football game on Sept. 28, bringing to end a police chase from the Lower Brule area. The man drove onto a nearby practice field and shot himself, causing minor injuries to himself, and forcing players and fans to seek cover and delaying the contest.

No. 3: Christopher Kindle, of Mitchell, was sentenced to 16 years in the state prison after attempting to rob four people at two businesses in Mitchell in May. He was convicted of one count of first-degree robbery and one count of attempted firstdegree robbery.

No. 4: Former Mid-Central Educational Cooperative Director Dan Guericke pleaded guilty to falsifying evidence as part of a plea bargain. The state, in turn, dropped five additional felony charges.

No. 5: Kennebec’s Rod Bowar and Mitchell’s Roger Musick — each of them innovative businessmen — were inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame.

No. 6: A scary situation ended well on Sept.

13 when Davison County authorities found a 9-year-old Letcher boy with autism who was reported missing. Law enforcement groups from three counties were looking for the boy through the night before he was found unharmed.

No. 7: Citing the city’s workforce, education and technological assets, Mitchell ranked fourth on a global list of intelligent communities under 50,000 in population.

The announcement continued a history of high praise from the Intelligent Community Forum which had ranked Mitchell among its top 21 cities three other times since 2013.

No. 8: More than 18,000 square feet was added to the Burke Community Memorial Hospital, which opened its expansion project on Sept. 29. It was the hospital’s first addition in 30 years.

No. 9: In a Q-and-A at the South Dakota State Fair, deer hunters expressed their concerns about a deer license proposal from the state’s Department of Game, Fish & Parks, which was intended to increase the number of hunters drawing a preferred license but required hunters to choose a single season they prefer.

No. 10: Citing stresses and a need to spend more time with her family, Davison County Treasurer Christie Gunkel announced her resignation after five years on the job.

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December 29, 2018

October 2018

No. 2: Gerald Brink, of Vivian, agreed to a plea bargain and admitted to manslaughter of his 7-week-old daughter. Court documents state Brink admitted to throwing the child, causing her to hit her head on a dresser.

No. 3: After 10 years at its Main Street location, the American Legion in Mitchell shut its doors and began the process of relocation. On Oct. 30, The Daily Republic reported that the Legion cited costs and overhead expenses.

No. 4: The U.S. Department of Education named Armour High School and Kimball Elementary to this year’s National Blue Ribbon Schools list. The story was reported in the Oct. 2 edition.

No. 5: Mitchell Aquatic Club in mid-October hosted the first-ever competitive swim meet at Mitchell’s new Indoor Aquatic Center on North Main Street. The event drew a strong attendance and went rather smooth, meet officials said.

No. 6: Police on Oct. 11 said a Mitchell man was arrested for setting fire to his own apartment in attempt to frame his neighbor.

Harry Kirkvold, a tenant in the Corn Palace Inn apartments, allegedly used gasoline to start a fire in hopes of making it look like his next-door neighbor started it.

No. 7: After nearly 80 years of service to White Lake, the former high school in the small town was put up for auction on Oct. 13. The White Lake School District sold the brick school building, the elementary school, three other buildings and hundreds of surplus items.

No. 8: Chamberlain High School senior Ella Byers won the Class A state cross country title. It was her second state title in cross country, this time coming Oct. 20 in Sioux Falls.

No. 9: U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue visited South Dakota on Oct. 25. Perdue toured southeastern South Dakota and met with farmers and producers who wanted to see the ethanol business in the state grow.

No. 10: The Davison County commissioners appointed Dave Beintema as interim deputy treasurer on Oct. 16. The decision was made following the September resignation of Christie Gunkel. Beintema previously served the public as a Mitchell police officer.

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By The Daily Republic More than 150 people gathered in front of the Corn Palace for a late-October afternoon to watch the murals on the historic building dedicated for the first time ever.

The 2019 murals, themed “Salute to the Military,” were a special tribute to all branches of the armed services. The event was held on Friday, Oct. 26.

The event included Mitchell Mayor Bob Everson proclaiming the day as USS South Dakota Day in Mitchell. After the ceremony, veterans lined up to place ears of corn in the mural that showcases the USS South Dakota.

National Guard Adjutant Maj. Gen. Tim Reisch was one of the featured speakers during the ceremony.

“I commend the community of Mitchell and the Corn Palace committee for what they have done by dedicating this year’s murals to the members of the military,” he said. “South Dakotans have punched above their weight in military service for years.”

More than a half-million tourists from around the nation visit the Corn Palace each year to see the city-owned facility’s main attraction. The murals have had a wide variety of themes, including war themes in the mid-1940s. The city of Mitchell made a great decision this year to honor veterans with the murals for the first time, as as varying themes date back to the original Corn Palace in 1893.

Earlier in October, it was discussed at a Mitchell City Council meeting that cold weather and rain slowed the installation of the murals.

“We just need some manpower, more than anything else,” said Mayor Bob Everson.

While the majority of the murals were completed by early October, some citizens questioned why they weren’t finished sooner.

Happy New Year to all of our customers!

Matt Gade / Republic

South Dakota National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Tim Reisch speaks to an audience of approximately 150 people during a special dedication ceremony for the 2019 Corn Palace murals on Friday, October 26 in front of the Corn Palace.

Thank you to our customers for a great 2018.

We wish you all a healthy, prosperous Happy New Year!!

Thank-you for your patronage in 2018!

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Other top stories from the coverage region in October:

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December 29, 2018

November 2018

Matt Gade / Republic

Congresswoman Kristi Noem speaks to the crowd after winning the vacant Governor seat during the Republican Election Party on Tuesday, November 6 at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown in Sioux Falls.

Thank-you for a prosperous 2018 and Wishes for a Happy New Year!

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New Year

No. 2: Bon Homme, Canistota/Freeman and Colome each won nine-man football championships. Bon Homme defeated Kimball/ White Lake for the 9AA championship, Canistota/Freeman won the 9A title over Howard and Colome was crowned in 9B with an overtime win over Sully Buttes.

No. 3: Anthony Lewis, a Mitchell resident who was previously charged with first-degree murder charges, took a plea deal to firstdegree manslaughter. He faces up to 18 years in prison for the death of Quinn Schleuning, which occurred in August 2017. The sentencing hearing is planned for Jan. 14.

No. 4: The disappearance of Rachel Cyriacks, age 30 at the time of her disappearance, marked the five-year anniversary on Nov. 13. Cyriacks, of Woonsocket, went missing in 2013. Local and state law enforcement officials continue to work leads and tips on the case.

No. 5: The Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball team watched its national championship banner unveiled in front of a large crowd at the Corn Palace on Nov. 14. The Tigers celebrated their March national championship victory as 2,367 people packed the Palace.

No. 6: The Mitchell United Way raised $446,259, which exceeded its $444,000 goal. It is the 38th straight year the goal was met. The campaign awards and recognition luncheon was held on Nov. 16.

No. 7: The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved on Nov. 20 an application for a large wind farm to be located in Bon Homme, Charles Mix and Hutchinson Counties, with up to 61 wind turbines to be built.

Participating residents in the area will be able to house the turbines in exchange for payments from Prevailing Wind Park LLC. No. 8: Dan Guericke, of White Lake, received a suspended imposition of sentence for his role in backdating a contract several years ago.

The former director of Mid-Central Educational Cooperative was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and $104 in court costs for falsifying evidence, which was a contract between Mid-Central and the American Indian Institute for Innovation.

No. 9: A plaque was rededicated at a ceremony on Nov. 11 at the Mitchell High School Performing Arts Center to honor the names of the Mitchell High School students who went to fight in World War I. The dedication was held 100 years to the day after WWI ended with a truce.

No. 10: For a one-year trial, the Mitchell City Council agreed to move the Corn Palace Festival carnival further north on Main Street.

Mayor Bob Everson cast the deciding vote after the Council was split in a 4-4 tie. On the same day, Mitchell’s Main Street watched as the former Jitters building was demolished.

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Other top stories from the coverage region in November:

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By The Daily Republic Kristi Noem became South Dakota’s governor when she defeated Democrat Billie Sutton, of Burke, in a tightly contested race on Election Day. Noem, a Republican, succeeds two-term governor Dennis Daugaard after she defeated Sutton on a 51-48 margin. The race gained national attention in the weeks leading up to Election Day. That included visits of support for Noem from President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

Prior to her election as governor, Noem served as South Dakota’s lone representative to the U.S. House. Noem, who will serve a four-year term, made history by becoming South Dakota’s first elected female governor.

“In my family, there were no boy chores or girl chores.

There’s just things to get done,” Noem told the crowd at her Sioux Falls election party. “So that’s what we’re going to do. I have some big plans for this state.”

Also on election night, Mitchell resident Dusty Johnson was elected by a wide margin to take Noem’s spot in the U.S. House of Representatives. Johnson defeated Canistota’s Tim Bjorkman, a retired South Dakota judge.

After Bjorkman conceded, Johnson said he plans to work to get on the House Committee on Agriculture and get a finished farm bill, though, Trump signed a new farm bill into law on Dec. 20, before Johnson officially took office.

“I’m anxious to get to work,” Johnson said. “I didn’t run for the job because I want an office in D.C. I ran for the job because I wanted to make our country better.”

Nov. 6 finished off a heated midterm election cycle, as Davison County had a 65 percent turnout from registered voters. Statewide estimated turnout was 64 percent, which was well above the 54.2 percent in the 2014 election.

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December 29, 2018

YEAR IN REVIEW 15

December 2018

Other top stories from the coverage region in December: No. 2: Gerald Brink, 38, was sentenced Dec. 14 in Kennebec to 40 years in prison for killing his seven-week-old daughter Niveah Brink in May 2017.

No. 3: The Mitchell City Council unanimously voted to approve tearing down the dilapidated building at 301 and 303 N. Main St. after 18 months of inaction on Dec. 3.

The building has had a gaping hole in the side of the building and resulted in the closure of West Third Avenue for a block between Main and Rowley Streets.

No. 4: Corn Palace visitor numbers were down 9 percent for the primary threemonth summer tourism season. It was the first two full summers that the Corn Palace could compare visitor numbers since the building’s renovation.

No. 5: In his final budget address on Dec. 4, Gov. Dennis Daugaard touted his responsible nature of handling state finances and projected increased revenues should be handled with conservative discipline in 2020.

No. 6: Jose Sanchez, 40, of Mitchell was arrested Dec. 3 after crashing into vehicles outside the city’s public safety building and threatening police officers and bystanders with a knife. He was eventually tased and taken into custody.

No. 7: Gov.-elect Kristi Noem selected Idealarea farmer Kim Vanneman as the state’s next Secretary of Agriculture on Dec. 19.

A Chamberlain native and former state legislator, Vanneman would be the first female to hold that job.

No. 8: Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball coach Jason Christensen said he was doing well after taking a short leave from his team. He had surgery and was checked for cancer at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., but doctors gave him a clean bill of health.

No. 9: Corsica-Stickney coach Mike Tuschen won his 500th game as a head basketball coach on Dec. 14. He became the eighth coach in South Dakota boys basketball history to reach the milestone.

No. 10: The Rosedale Colony School, which educates members of the Rosedale Hutterite Colony near Mitchell, was named to the list of top 100 National ESEA Distinguished Schools for 2018, which lists the top low-income schools in the country.

By The Daily Republic

Mitchell native Macy Miller is putting the finishing touches on her basketball career at South Dakota State University.

And she’s made some history in the process, becoming the Jackrabbits’ all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball. Miller climbed across the 1,900-point mark and broke Jackrabbit legend Shannon Schlagel’s record of 1,887 points, set in 2004. Miller broke the record with a 3-pointer early in a 97-49 pounding of visiting Savannah State at Frost Arena on Dec. 14.

“I didn’t think about it; the shots just came. I was open and my teammates found me,” Miller said following breaking the record. “As an athlete, you always set goals you want to accomplish. I’m blessed and thankful for the opportunity and it’s special to do it in front of your fans and in front of your family.”

Miller is also closing in on 2,000 career points, and has a chance to become the Summit League’s all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball. As of Dec. 21, Miller had 1,936 points and was leading the team in scoring (16.8 per game), rebounding (6.0 per game) and 3-point percentage (48.7 pct.).

Miller also ranked in the top-10 among active NCAA women’s basketball players in games played (121), free throws (397) and total points.

Along with fellow senior guard Madison Guebert, they comprise the best 3-point shooting duo in school history, with more than 440 made 3-pointers in their career.

Matt Gade / Republic

South Dakota State’s Macy Miller drives to the basket against Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu (20) during a game on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at Frost Arena in Brookings.

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YEAR IN REVIEW

December 29, 2018