DATES FOR YOUR 2020 CALENDARS

May 7: Pierre Educational Foundation’s Evening of Excellence.
June 2: South Dakota primary election.
June 26-28: Blunt all-school reunion.
June 26-28: Fort Pierre all-school reunion.
June 26-27: Oahe Days.
July 4-5: Let Freedom Fly air show.
July 13-16: Democratic National Convention, Milwaukee.
July 14: Baseball all-star game.
July 24-Aug. 9: Summer Olympics, Tokyo.
July 25-26: Ellsworth AFB air and space show.
Aug. 7-16: Sturgis motorcycle rally.
Aug. 21-23: BluntFest.
Aug. 24-27: Republican National Convention, Charlotte.
Sept. 3-7: State Fair, Huron.
Sept. 7-13: Sanford International golf tournament, Sioux Falls.
Sept. 25: Custer State Park buffalo roundup.
Sept. 29, Oct. 15, Oct. 22: Presidential candidates debates.
Oct. 3: Dakota Day, USD.
Oct. 7: Vice presidential candidates debate.
Oct. 31: Hobo Day, SDSU.
Nov. 3: General election.

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
Gymnastics—Thursday, home triangular (with Stanley County and Aberdeen Central), 5 p.m.; Saturday, at Brookings invitational, noon.
Wrestling—Friday/Saturday, at Mid-Dakota Monster, Presho, 11 a.m./9 a.m.
Girls basketball—Friday, at Rapid City Stevens, 7 p.m.; Saturday, at Rapid City Central, 1:30 p.m.
Boys basketball—Friday, home vs. Rapid City Stevens, 7 p.m.; Saturday, home vs. Rapid City Central, 3:30 p.m.; Tuesday, at Sturgis, 7 p.m.

Gymnastics: At Pierre’s home invitational with the Rapid City schools, the Governor gymnasts came out on top with a 136.7 score, ahead of 124.95 for Stevens and 124.7 for Central.

Wrestling: In their first dual of the new year, the Governors faced Brookings Tuesday, but the Bobcats didn’t put up much of a fight. In fact, they forfeited seven weight classes in a 69-9 Pierre win. In matches actually wrestled, the Govs still won 27-9. Blake Judson, Cade Hinkle, Jack Van Camp and Regan Bollweg all won by falls, and Tyson Johnson won a sudden-victory 6-4 decision.

Girls basketball: The Governor girls had a winning weekend, taking down Watertown, 57-47, and Brookings, 34-23, but returned to reality Tuesday when they took a 69-34 beating from O’Gorman. Remi Price was high scorer with 18 in the Watertown game, and Kodi Severyn had 10 against Brookings. In the O’Gorman game the girls were down 19-3 after the first quarter. Pierre’s record is 4-3.

Boys basketball: The Govs continued their string of close losses when they lost to Watertown, 55-49. and to Brookings, 52-50, but they were dealt a real defeat Tuesday when they lost to O’Gorman, 69-33. In the Watertown game the Governors rallied from 22 points down to take the lead after three quarters. Grey Zabel had 23 points. In the Brookings game Lincoln Kienholz was high man with 18 points, and Zabel had 12. Pierre had a chance to tie at the buzzer, but a three-point shot to win the game missed. Against O’Gorman Pierre was down by 16 after the first period and at the half by 37-9. Zabel scored 14 and Kienholz seven. Pierre’s record is 0-6.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“You think I’ve gotten too loud.
I believe you’ve grown frighteningly quiet.
You believe I’m too opinionated.
I think you’re still trying to straddle the fence.
You say I’ve gotten too political.
I say I’ve become more human.”

— JohnPavlovitz.com

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
Gymnastics—Thursday, at Pierre triangular (with Aberdeen Central), 5 p.m.; Saturday, home for Stanley County invitational, noon.
Wrestling—Friday/Saturday, at Mid-Dakota Monster, Presho, 11 a.m./9 a.m.
Girls basketball—Thursday, home vs. McLaughlin, 2:30 p.m.; Saturday, at Redfield Classic; Tuesday, home vs. Potter County, 6:30 p.m.
Boys basketball—Thursday, home vs. McLaughlin, 6 p.m.

Wrestling: The Buffaloes lost a dual to Winner, 69-9. Stanley County gave up five pins, six forfeits and a decision.

Gymnastics: At the four-school Hot Springs meet the SCHS girls placed fourth with a score of 80.10. Hot Springs was first, Chamberlain second and Wall/Kadoka/Philip third.

Girls basketball: The Buffaloes had a four-loss week, losing to Jones County, 48-24; to Kadoka, 54-35; to Herreid-Selby Area, 76-20, and to Highmore-Harrold, 51-19. The girls are 0-7 for the season so far.

Boys basketball: SCHS won three of four games in the past week, beating Jones County, 64-61; Potter County, 67-63, and Highmore-Harrold, 65-62. They lost to Herreid-Selby Area, 61-55. The team’s record is 4-3.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
Wrestling—Saturday, at Miller invitational, 10 a.m.
Girls basketball—Friday, at Highmore-Harrold, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, home vs. James Valley Christian, 2 p.m.
Boys basketball—Thursday, home vs. Highmore-Harrold, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, home vs. James Valley Christian, 2 p.m.

Girls basketball: The Chargers are 2-2 after a 55-38 trouncing of Mobridge-Pollock. Kendra Kleven had 17 points and Stevie Wittler 15 for SBHS.

Boys basketball: The Charger boys had a winning weekend and now stand at 3-1. They whipped Wall on the road, 60-40, then returned home for a 54-53 win over Mobridge-Pollock, dealing the Tigers their first loss after five wins. Nick Wittler scored 24 points, including two free throws with seven-tenths of a second left to win the game. Jett Lamb had 15 points and nine assists.

WEDDING DAYS

July 18: Jace Anderson/Hannah Lorenz.

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Mary wrestling (Lincoln Turman): The Marauders sent a team Friday and Saturday to the Division II national duals at Louisville, Ky.

Lindenwood men’s hockey (Coleman Varty): The Lions return to the ice against Missouri State Friday and Saturday.

Black Hills State track/field (Kelsey Van Den Hemel, Frank Becker, Allan Mc’Donnell): The Yellow Jackets have another week off before the indoor season resumts at Chadron State’s meet Jan. 18.

S.D. Mines track/field (Erik Colman, Theron Singleton): The Hardrockers resume their indoor season at Chadron State’s meet Jan. 18.

South Dakota track/field (Maddy McClure): The Coyotes’ indoor season resumes Jan. 18 at the NDSU meet.

South Dakota State track/field (Addy Eisenbeisz): The next stop on the indoor season for the Jacks will be NDSU’s meet Jan. 18.

South Dakota State swimming (Ashley Theobald, Caleb Huizenga): The Jacks resume the season at St. Cloud State Jan. 18.

South Dakota State wrestling (Aric Williams): The Jacks, idle last week, go to Northern Iowa for a dual Friday.

Colorado Mines women’s basketball (Liz Holter): Liz, daughter of Julie Morris-Holter and her husband of Gilbert, Ariz., and granddaughter of Milt and Dawn Morris, is a junior transfer from Incarnate Word in San Antonio. The Orediggers are 7-5. LIz has started all 12 games and is averaging 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Mines is home in Golden this weekend against Adams State and Fort Lewis.

Augustana track/field (Elizabeth Schaefer): The Vikings resume the indoor season at Minnesota State-Mankato Jan. 17.

Tennessee women’s basketball (Caleb Currier): The Lady Vols defeated Missouri, 77-66, and lost to Kentucky, 80-76. Now 11-3 overall and 1-1 in the SEC, Tennessee goes to Mississippi Thursday and hosts Georgia Sunday.

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Bradley Dean): The Tigers defeated Dakota State in non-conference play, 88-59, as Brad got in the game for eight minutes. He didn’t score but had one assist. In a 74-60 loss to Morningside, Brad played for four minutes and had one rebound. Now 14-3, DWU played Northwestern (Iowa) last night and now is off until a home game vs. Dordt next Wednesday.

Northern track/field (Rachel Guthmiller): The Wolves resume the indoor season at Jamestown Jan. 18.

South Dakota women’s basketball (Ciara Duffy, Chloe Lamb): The Coyote women improved to 14-2 overall and 3-0 in the Summit by throttling Denver, 104-61. Ciara was 8-of-18 in field goals (2-of-3 in threes) and 1-of-2 in free shots for 19 points with 11 rebounds, six assists and a blocked shot. Chloe was 4-of-9 (2-of-6 in threes) and 1-of-2 for 11 points with one rebound, two assists, a steal and a block. USD is home Saturday at 1 p.m. against Omaha on Midco Sports Network.

Augustana women’s basketball (Aislinn Duffy, Katie Bourk): The Viking women had a tough weekend, losing to Southwest Minnesota State, 60-55, and to USF, 76-72. Against the Mustangs Aislinn was 5-of-9 (1-of-3 in threes) and 1-of-1 for 12 points with eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal. In the USF game Aislinn was 6-of-11 (0-for-2 in threes) for 12 points with five rebounds and three blocks. Now 6-6, Augie goes to Upper Iowa Friday and to Winona State Saturday.

Augustana wrestling (Jebben Keyes): The Vikings wrestled at the Fremont, Neb., tournament Saturday, but Jebben did not wrestle there. Augie hosts Northern in a conference dual Thursday.

Northern men’s basketball (Lincoln Jordre): The Wolves lost a 95-86 game to Upper Iowa, but rebounded to beat Winona State, 82-68. Now 10-4, Northern goes to Minnesota-Crookston Friday and to Bemidji State Saturday.

Black Hills State women’s basketball (Racquel Wientjes): BHSU defeated Western Colorado, 49-47, and Racquel was 2-of-8 (0-for-2 in threes) and 4-of-5 for eight points with two steals. In a 65-64 loss to Colorado Mesa, she was 8-of-12 (1-of-3) and 8-of-9 for 25 points with six boards, a steal, a block and an assist. Now 7-5, BHSU goes to Colorado Christian and Regis this weekend.

Texas A&M-International women’s basketball (Nate Vogel): The Dustdevils lost to Texas Woman’s, 70-50, and lost to Tarleton, 72-69. Now 7-6, his team is home vs. Texas A&M-Commerce tonight and UT-Tyler Saturday.

COUNTDOWN

4 days: College football national championship game (Jan. 13).
17 days: Grammy awards, CBS (Jan. 26).
24 days: Super Bowl LIV (Feb. 2).
25 days: Iowa caucuses (Feb. 3).
26 days: State of the Union address (Feb. 4).
28 days: State one-act play festival, Sioux Falls (Feb. 6-8).
33 days: New Hampshire primary (Feb. 11).
36 days: State gymnastics meet, Aberdeen (Feb. 14-15).
44 days: Nevada caucuses (Feb. 22).
49 days: State wrestling tournaments, Sioux Falls (Feb. 27-29).
51 days: South Carolina primary (Feb. 29).
51 days: NSIC basketball tournaments, Sioux Falls (Feb. 29-March 3).
54 days: Super Tuesday primaries (March 3).
57 days: State girls hockey tournament, Fort Pierre (March 6-8).
58 days: Summit League basketball tournaments, Sioux Falls (March 7-10).
59 days: Daylight Saving Time begins (March 8).
62 days: NAIA Div. II men’s national basketball tournament, Sioux Falls (March 11-17).

HOCKEY UPDATE

Oahe Capitals girls varsity: The Capital girls lost to Watertown, 4-1. Madison Evje scored the Oahe goal, and Abigail Stewart-Fromm made 30 saves. The girls play at Aberdeen at noon Saturday.

Oahe Capitals boys varsity: The Caps lost two close league games over the weekend. In a 6-4 loss to Watertown, Spencer Wedin scored twice and Elliot Leif and Jaden Flor once each. Riley Briggs had eight saves in goal and Kieran Duffy nine saves. On Sunday in Brookings the Caps lost, 5-4. Leif scored twice, and Cole Nelson and Andrew Gordon each scored a goal. Duffy made 24 saves. The Caps are home Friday at 8 p.m. vs. Huron, then go to Aberdeen for a 6 p.m. Saturday face-off.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings won two more games, sweeping Minnesota, 4-2 and 2-1. Aberdeen and Bismarck play in Aberdeen Friday and in Bismarck Saturday, then the Wings go to Minot Tuesday.

Rapid City Rush: The Rush took two of three from Utah, losing 6-1, winning 3-2 in a shootout and winning 5-2. Rapid City is hosting Cincinnati for three games—last night, Friday and Saturday—then hosts Wichita next Wednesday.

Sioux Falls Stampede: Sioux Falls took two games from the United States U17 team in Michigan, 7-3 and 2-1. Now 11-14-3, the Herd goes to Lincoln Friday and Saturday.

Minnesota Wild: Minnesota defeated Winnipeg in overtime, 3-2, and lost a shootout game 5-4 to Calgary. Minnesota plays at Calgary tonight, hosts Vancouver Sunday and goes to Pittsburgh Tuesday.

North Dakota: The nation’s top-rated Fighting Hawks swept Alabama-Huntsville, 5-2 and 5-2. Now 16-1-2, UND has won 13 straight home games and is on a 15-game unbeaten string. UND hosts Omaha Friday and Saturday.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Sioux Falls Skyforce: Sioux Falls defeated South Bay, 107-94, and defeated Stockton, 129-115. Sioux Falls plays Saturday at Capital City in Washington, D.C.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves had a 2-2 week, losing to Milwaukee 106-104 and to Memphis 119-112 and beating Golden State 99-84 and Cleveland 118-103. Minnesota is home tonight vs. Portland, at Houston Saturday, home vs. Oklahoma City Monday and home vs. Indiana next Wednesday.

MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK LIVE GAMES SCHEDULE

Thursday, 6:30 p.m.—Girls basketball, Sioux Falls Roosevelt vs. Sioux Falls O’Gorman.
Thursday, 7 p.m.–Women’s basketball, Omaha at UND.
Thursday, 8 p.m.—Boys basketball, Sioux Falls Roosevelt vs. Sioux Falls O’Gorman.
Friday, 5:30 p.m.—Women’s basketball, Concordia-St. Paul vs. Southwest Minnesota State.
Friday, 7:30 p.m.—Men’s basketball, Concordia-St. Paul vs. Southwest Minnesota State.
Friday, 7:30 p.m.—Men’s hockey, Omaha at UND.
Saturday, 1 p.m.—Women’s basketball, Omaha at USD.
Saturday, 3:30 p.m.—Men’s basketball, Omaha at USD.
Saturday, 3:30 p.m.—Girls basketball, Yankton vs. Sioux Falls Lincoln (MSN2).
Saturday, 5 p.m.—Boys basketball, Yankton vs. Sioux Falls Lincoln (MSN2).
Saturday, 7 p.m.—Men’s hockey, Omaha at UND.
Wednesday, 7 p.m.—Men’s basketball, UND at SDSU.
Wednesday, 7 p.m.—Men’s basketball, USD at NDSU (MSN2).

FOOTBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Vikings: In their wild-card game at New Orleans, the Vikings led 20-10 heading into the fourth quarter. With a 20-17 lead they forced a Drew Brees fumble and had the ball with 4:18 to go. Minnesota got another first down with 3:27 left, but could they hold the ball and win? Of course not. They punted it away with 2:07 left. The Saints got a pass, a pass, a pass, and a pass against a pretty soft Viking defense and a tying field goal with 0:02 left. In O.T. the Vikings won the toss. A stunning 46-yard pass from Kirk Cousins to Adam Thielen put the Vikings at the 2-yard line with a chance to win it. First down? No gain. Second down? Loss of three yards. Third down from the 4-yard line? Touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph! A 26-20 win? After they did not review it, it was confirmed. Take that one, Saints! It was the Vikings’ first win on the road against a team with a winning record, but it came at the best possible time. How about the Saints’ final game each of the last three seasons! (They didn’t get their hands on the ball in overtime. Better make another rule change because of New Orleans’ hurt feelings!)

College football update:
— NDSU 15-0: Plays James Madison in FCS national championship game Saturday at 11 a.m. on ABC.

NFL playoffs on TV this weekend:
— Saturday, 3:25 p.m., NBC: Minnesota at San Francisco.
— Saturday, 7:15 p.m., CBS: Tennessee at Baltimore.
— Sunday, 2:05 p.m., CBS: Houston at Kansas City.
— Sunday. 5:40 p.m., Fox: Seattle at Green Bay.

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): The tour resumes in Hawaii at the Mitsubishi Electric Championships Jan. 16-18.

BASEBALL UPDATE

Pierre Trappers: Three more players have recently signed with the Trappers for the team’s third season in the Expedition League. Tyler Ranel, junior outfielder from Tusculum University, will be back for his second year with the Trappers. His hometown is Lawrenceville, Ga. New to the roster will be Pierre native Peyton Zabel, sophomore pitcher from Iowa Western Community College. Nolan Guidry, a sophomore pitcher from Spokane Falls Community College and Huntington Beach, Calif., will be with Pierre this summer after playing at Fremont in the Expedition League last year.

FOOTBALL CONTEST #25

Contest #25: Send your six winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by early Saturday morning:
(1) FCS national championship: NDSU vs. James Madison
(2) FBS national championship: LSU vs. Clemson
(3) NFL: Minnesota at San Francisco
(4) NFL: Houston at Baltimore
(5) NFL: Houston at Kansas City
(6) NFL: Seattle at Green Bay
(6 correct = 10 points; 5 correct = 9 points; 4 correct = 8 points)

In Contest #24, which included last weekend’s four NFL playoff games and the last group of bowl games, Mikal Kern and Nathan Vetter had 7-3 marks for 10 points each. At 6-4 for 9 points each were Laurie Johnson, Brian Hunhoff, Jeff Adel, Beth Rinehart, David Ludwig and Chuck Libby. At 5-5 for 8 points each were Jon Boer and Debra Bollinger. Of the 15 contestants only Mikal had as many as three of the four NFL playoff games right. Picking New Orleans, New England and Buffalo spoiled a lot of people’s entries.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, Jan. 9:
Mabel Kusler (#85), Dan Rounds, Phil Howard, Aaron Chittum, Dan Rasmussen, Amy (Tate) Mancuso, Jamie (Jaeger) Spaid, Barry LeBeau, Earl Lindell, Gavin Picchietti, Melissa Foss, Katie Douglas, Cheri (McComsey) Wittler, Susan Pietrus, Deb (Marshall) Harkless, Carol Uecker, Chiles Heien.
— 4th anniversary, Max/Kylie (Mundt) Erickson.
— 10th anniversary, Merlin/Nicole (Mikkelsen) Schwinler.

Friday, Jan. 10:
Evelyn Rounds, Landon Russell, Jason Irion, Ryan Fowler, Kelli Koll, Tara (Dieken) Mangan, David Johnson, Rich Zabel, McLean (Thompson) Kerver, Ben Gloe, Mallory (Petersen) Dekker.

Saturday, Jan. 11:
Lowell Gordon, Kyle Kurth, Chris Mangan, Terri Disburg, Ben Kramer, Kristie (Hallock) Moore, Susie Rilling, Mitch Foth, Laura Truax, Michelle Rose, Nolan Bisbee, Naomi Lors, Beverly Mickelson.

Sunday, Jan. 12:
Trey Owens, Ripley Joy, Sheila (Beougher) Lee, Lane Kozel, Meaghan (Anderson) Neuberger, Terry Woster, Lyndsey Ring, Nicole Mosiman, Randy Sprenkle.
— 2nd anniversary, Stuart/Heather Stofferahn.

Monday, Jan. 13:
Jill (Borth) Sweetman, Chris Hull, Alex Thorson, Carrie (Schlaak) Barnes, Tyler Boe, Brenda (Crandell) Carroll.

Tuesday, Jan. 14:
Jim Keyes, Christina Lusk, Guy Erlenbusch, Anne (Burchill) Williams, Breckan Shindle, Mike Ludwig, Rachelle (Reeves) Daniels.
— 3rd anniversary, Shawn/Sara Ludemann.
We fondly remember Colt Gunderson, who passed away 14 years ago today.

Wednesday, Jan. 15:
Nic Hogan, Eli Stoeser, Easton Dozark, Madison Sutton, Anajoy Schmitgen, Barb Hillestad, Harrison Jennings.

Thursday, Jan. 16:
Ashley Denton, Cheryl (Wire) Stierna, John Hamilton, Andrew Tople, Helen Dutt, Anne Denton, Kate (Wylie) Berreth, Tennile (Asmussen) Lindskov, Brad Wedeking, Jacki (Parlin) Wicker, Kelli (Snow) Rohrer, Samuel Lechtenberg, Wendy Carroll, Tristan Bryant.
— 4th anniversary, Derrick/Jenny (Hallenbeck) Orr.
We fondly remember John Stengle on his birthday.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• Grammar prude that I admit I am, I noticed on Facebook last week, just after the beginning of the new year, that the correct way to describe this new decade is ’20s. It is absolutely wrong to call them the 20’s, but knowing how people love the apostrophe, I’m sure I will spend what I have left of the next 100 years correcting people who use 20’s. Such is the life of a grammar prude.
• Once more, a note to our readers in Lincoln: Last week I mentioned Rapid City musician Paul Robinson, who has begun work as a church musician down there. I was incorrect as to the church where he is. It is not First UMC but rather St. Paul United Methodist Church at 1144 M St.
• Because I have Sunday morning commitments away from home, I record the CBS “Sunday Morning” program. During the holidays I have been catching up on my recorded TV shows, and I have come to a conclusion that I suspect some of you share with me. That is that “Sunday Morning” is the best program on television. When I try to do other things, such as typing on The Midweek Update, while “Sunday Morning” is on the TV screen, I find that sometimes some of that program’s segments are so enthralling and captivating that I have to stop doing what I’m doing and just watch. That probably is every TV show’s goal but one achieved by very few of them. “Sunday Morning” is one.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Joie (Schuetzle) Jockheck and her family were in what she called “a burger joint” last week on New Year’s Day in Hayden, Idaho, when, as a total surprise to Joie, her mother and stepfather, Kory and Andy McKay from Pierre, walked into the cafe. Joie learned that everybody else in her family, including her husband. Andy Jockheck, and their boys knew about the McKays’ planned visit. Joie is a middle school teacher in Post Falls, and her husband is a banker at Wells Fargo in Coeur d’Alene.

Kurt Neyhart, 80, died Dec. 31 at the V.A. Hospital in Sioux Falls. His funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 10, at First United Methodist Church in Pierre. Kurt grew up at Gettysburg and served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War years. After military service he moved to Pierre and worked for the Department of Transportation for more than 40 years. He married Mary Schmidt in 1969, and they were married for 50 years. Kurt was part of Boy Scout Troop 127 for 42 years. He is survived by his wife Mary in Pierre; their sons, Tony Neyhart and his wife Melissa of Pierre and Troy Neyhart and his wife Leann of Cambridge, Minn.; five grandchildren; one great-grandchild; brothers, Dale, Bruce and Arne Neyhart, and sisters Veda Cass, Nota Berg and Ruth Murray.

Kristie Maher has resigned as executive director of the South Dakota Discovery Center, effective Feb. 1. She has been with the Discovery Center for nearly 24 years and has been executive director since 1999. Until a permanent executive director is named, Kristie’s position will be filled on an interim basis by the Discovery Center’s current education director, Dr. Rhea Waldman.

The Christmas letter from former First United Methodist Church associate pastor Genie Butler and her husband, Gary Kistner, was “written” through the eyes of their pup, Little Bit. The pooch said Genie and Gary, who is now retired, traveled in 2019 to Cavalier, N.D., when a church Genie once served closed, and on to Winnipeg, then later in the year to Arkansas and southwestern Texas, and Genie attended a 50-year college reunion.

Lloyd Bren, 78, died Jan. 1. A celebration of his life was held Monday at First United Methodist Church. A 1961 graduate of Riggs High School, he met the former Danna Dahlgren during high school. They were married for 50 years. Lloyd worked for Neil Cruse Construction, the Department of Game Fish & Parks, for 14 years with United Parcel Service, and Wegner Auto Company. His latest job was as groundskeeper for St. Mary’s Hospital. He is survived by his wife Danna; his sons, Troy Bren and his wife Sharon of Arvada, Colo., and Daniel Bren of Parshall, N.D., and his daughter, Teresa Bren of Sioux Falls. Among those who preceded him in death was his son, Danny Bren.

A homemade soup supper with homemade bread on the side will be served at the Pierre Senior Center from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11. The cost is only $5 per person with kids five and younger served free.

The family photo on Jim and Jeanne Goodman’s Christmas card this year showed the whole family at a summertime Twins game in Minneapolis, celebrating Jim’s 70th birthday as well as those of two of his grandchildren. The fall was big for Jim, too, as he and his 1969-70 School of Mines cross country team were inducted into the SDSM&T Hall of Fame. The Goodmans’ family includes son Greg, his wife Wanda, and their Jackson, 10, and Allison, 7, and son Allen, his wife Sadie (Fitzke), and their Piper, 3, and Emmett, 1.

Laurie Johnson (Riggs High ’97) will be married on Saturday in Cancun, Mexico, to Cody Tibbs. Actually they were officially married last weekend back home in Austin, Texas, to make it official since Mexican weddings are somewhat symbolic only. Laurie is a registered nurse at Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin.

Steve Harding announced this week he will seek re-election to the position of mayor of Pierre in the municipal election later this spring. Harding was first elected to the mayor’s chair in 2017.

Alicia (Ripley) Schoenhard, a graduate of Riggs High who is now teaching back in her home district, has earned national board certification, one of eight South Dakota teachers and school counselors to do so this year. Alicia, who is an exceptional needs specialist/early childhood through young adulthood teacher at Georgia Morse Middle School, went through a rigorous, performance-based, peer-reviewed assessment of her teaching skills and content knowledge. (News courtesy of Dakota Radio Group’s “My Daily News.”)

A new nonprofit organization in Rapid City is stressing the importance of music. Anyone can learn how to play an instrument or how to become a better musician through the new Black Hills Studio of the Arts. Mallory (Petersen) Dekker is the executive director of the organization as well as a music teacher there. Money from lessons goes back into the studio for things like books, pianos and musical instruments. (News courtesy of KELO-TV)

Cliff Carter, 94, Onida, died Jan. 3 at Avera Oahe Manor in Gettysburg. His funeral was held Tuesday at the Onida United Methodist Church. He grew up at Huron, then married Darlene Tennant. They made their home in Onida where he worked first for several farmers, then for the Sully County Highway Department and finally for the state Department of Transportation. He is survived by his wife Darlene of Onida; his son, Jim Carter and his wife Jo of Onida; his daughters, Carol Peterson and her husband Errol of Pierre, Wanda Hauser and her husband Ed of Onida, Mary Hauser and her husband Hime of Nashville, Kan., and Kim Christ and her husband Steve of Onida; 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Among those who preceded him in death was a daughter, Linda Carter.

Sully Buttes High alumnus Kole Pickner, a student at the School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, has been selected for an internship with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He left Jan. 7 for the NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia. Kole learned of his selection during finals week at the end of the fall semester. Taking the internship will delay his graduation from Mines until May 2022. Last summer he held a position in Gillette, Wyo., with L&H Industrial. In an interview Kole told The Onida Watchman his ultimate goal is to work for NASA or a private aerospace company. (News courtesy of The Onida Watchman)

Dana and Jeanne Hess of Brookings, former Pierre residents when Dana was editor at the Capital Journal and Jeanne was a pharmacist, said in their Christmas letter what many of us know—“grandkids are the best invention ever.” Their son Alan and his family live in Brookings where Alan’s wife, Ann, is editor of the American Hog Farmer Magazine and Alan is president of the regional realtors association. They have two boys—Dylan, an eighth grader, and 4-year-old Benson. Meanwhile, Paul Hess’ business, UP Supply Company in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, made headlines in 2019 when it called out Mountain Dew’s state map promotion for putting the UP in Wisconsin. When Mountain Dew unveiled a corrected Michigan map on its bottles, they even hired Paul to print some special T-shirts! Jeanne is working as a part-time associate at the SDSU Bookstore and still makes dolls and sells them through her Etsy shop. Dana continues as a free-lance writer, and his work includes coverage of the high school activities association and the Legislature. Dana and Jeanne’s highlight of 2019 was a pilgrimage to Israel.

Kyle Richards (Riggs High ’92) is coming home to South Dakota after several years as a health-care administrator in Fergus Falls, Minn., and in fact returning to Rapid City where he once worked for Regional Health He will become the executive director of Good Samaritan Society’s facilities in the Rapid City area, including the St. Martin’s Village campus, the Echo Ridge senior-citizen retirement home and a nursing home in New Underwood. His wife, Tammy, and their children will remain in Fergus Falls until the end of the school year.

Ted and Sheryl Hall had plans for an October trip all the way to Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean east of the African continent, to visit their daughter, Jenna, but they had to postpone. Fortunately for the Halls Jenna was able to come home for a month-long break between school terms, so all the Halls celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas together the last week of November. Matt and his family live at Neenah, Wis., and Kevin and his family live in Omaha.

Catherine (Spaid) Sulzle, 76, died Jan. 4 at Colorado City, Colo., after multiple health issues. Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 10, at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Pierre. She grew up on the Spaid family farm in Sully County and moved in 1954 to Pierre where she graduated from Riggs High School. She married Warren Sulzle in 1960, and they were married for 55 years. Catherine worked for the Division of Criminal Investigation, the attorney general’s office and for Gov. William Janklow. She retired in 1999 and moved to Colorado. She is survived by three daughters, Dawn Kilburn of Kiana, Alaska, Pam Iverson of Louisville, Colo., and Angela Neumann of Alexandria, Minn.; a son, Brian Sulzle of Aurora, Colo.; seven grandchildren; one great-grandchild; half-brothers Dwayne Nelson and Sam Bowles; a sister, Erma Magee, and brothers Leroy Spaid and Thomas Spaid.

Tom and Peggy Huber’s Christmas letter revealed that Peggy took a bad tumble off a ladder last May and fractured her shoulder, an incident for which she is still undergoing physical therapy. Dr. Tom is director of the Pierre Rural Family Medicine Residency Program with two resident doctors in Pierre, two in Sioux Falls and two more to start in July of this year. The Hubers are looking forward to spending three weeks in Florida in March and April when their three children and spouses—Jessi and Eric Herrscher, Molly and Darin Hausmann, and Max and Lisa Huber—and their kids will be going down at different times. The Herrschers have Sam in the fourth grade and Maya in the third grade. The Hausmanns have Riley in fourth grade and Cailyn in kindergarten. Max and Lisa have Dakota, 3 1/2, and Rocco, 1 1/2.

Zach Clark of Clark Insurance and Prakash Saripalli of My ITech and I-Stop Travel Plaza are new members of the board of Pierre Economic Development Corporation (PEDCO). Another new member is Meredith Lee of Lee Real Estate, serving as a liaison with the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce of which she is the new president.

Dale and Eileen Bertsch keep busy in retirement with various projects and don’t leave Pierre much, but, according to their Christmas letter, they took a trip to Kentucky last fall, staying with friends in Iowa along the way and with more friends in Louisville. They toured bourbon distilleries, a Corvette museum and the Louisville Slugger baseball bat factory and museum. Back home the Bertsch sons, Todd and Adam, still have their roofing business but have scaled back into a two-man operation. Adam and his wife, the former Megan Linn, celebrated the first-year anniversary of their sports bar, The Fieldhouse, during 2019. Their kids are Elliot, 10 1/2, and Oskar, 6. Todd and Shantel (Kocer) have August, 8, and Ashlyn, 6 1/2.

This year is your chance to run for office on the Fort Pierre city council. Councilmen whose terms are expiring are Larry Cronin, David LaRoche and Mike Weisgram as well as Mayor Gloria Hanson. The city election will be April 14. Each term is for two years. (News courtesy of “Today’s KCCR News.”)

It didn’t take long for Lisa Blake to get from Pierre to Des Moines where her first grandchild was born Sunday, Jan. 5. Saxon Delton Blake is the son of Matt and Alaina Blake of Urbandale, Iowa. He weighed 7 pounds, 13.7 ounces, and measured 19 inches.

Allison Mickelson begins a run in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” at Oregon Contemporary Theatre in Eugene Jan. 17. The show runs through Feb. 2. Allison plays Siobhan, the teacher who most understands Christopher, the 15-year-old with an extraordinary brain.

At The Rogue Theatre in Tucson, Ariz., Ryan Parker Knox and fellow cast members begin their run of Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” tonight (Thursday). The show runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and Saturday and Sunday afternoons through Jan. 26.

The board members of the Pierre/Fort Pierre Rotary Club for the new year include Ann (Schroyer) Schwartz, president; Chris Maxwell, president-elect; Day Breitag, president-elect designee; Brian Hemmelman, past president; Mike Smith, secretary; Lori Sampson, treasurer; Lisa Stanley, Tom LeFaive and Alan Swanson, board members.

Gladys “Hap” (Rilling) Dodge, 90, died Jan. 4. A native of Sully County and a graduate of Onida High School, she married Bill Dodge in 1947, and they were married for 70 years until his death. She is survived by three children, Connie Brown and her husband Ron, Pat Dodge and his wife Rosie, and Bill Dodge Jr. and his wife Julie; six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

PARKER’S COLUMN

My own sports highlights of 2019

Last week I promised (threatened actually) to use this column to print my sports highlights of the past year, in lieu of awarding the Parkie Awards. They are MY highlights, not yours, so when my grandson is mentioned a couple of times, keep that in mind. It was an interesting and entertaining sports year, most of which kept my attention away from politics and the rest of what’s going on. So here we go. Remember these days?

Jan. 6: The Eagles scored a TD with a minute to go to take the lead and presumably beat the Bears in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs. But Mitch Trubisky passed the Bears into field-goal range. Cody Parkey’s kick hit the upright, then the crossbar with his try for the winning field goal, and the Eagles won 16-15 to advance again. The double-doink, typical for an NFL year in which kickers were awful everywhere, was the next day declared to be a blocked field goal, saying somebody on the Eagles deflected the ball.

Jan. 7: Mighty Alabama was destroyed by Clemson (15-0), 44-16, for the national championship. True freshman Trevor Lawrence was masterful, true freshman Justyn Ross (an Alabama native) made spectacular NFL-worthy receptions, and the Tiger defense buried ‘Bama. especially in the red zone. Clemson scored 31 consecutive points and shut out Alabama in the second half.

Jan. 13: The Patriots had 20 first downs before the Chargers had run 20 plays in the AFC divisional playoff game. New England led at halftime by 35-7 and won by 41-28 to move on to the AFC championship game for the eighth straight year.

Jan. 14: Duke freshman point guard Tre Jones sustained a separated shoulder injury while diving for a ball vs. Syracuse. His departure changed the game dramatically, and Syracuse won over #1 Duke in overtime. Five days later, with Jones sitting on the bench, Duke surprised unbeaten #4 Virginia, 72-70, in a win dedicated to Jones. He returned later in the season.

Jan. 20: On a fun football day, first in New Orleans a no-call on a late pass play created a firestorm for the rest of the year. But in the moment the Saints and the Rams went into O.T., and the Saints, still crying over the no-call, couldn’t keep the Rams from advancing to the Super Bowl.

Jan. 20: In the AFC championship game at Kansas City, the Patriots led 17-7 after the third quarter. Then came a 38-point fourth quarter—the Patriots led 17-14, trailed 17-21 with 7:45 left, led 24-21 with 3:32 left, trailed 24-28 with 2:03 left, led 31-28 with 39 seconds left, and saw the Chiefs tie the game at 31-31 with eight seconds left. The Pats won the coin toss, and Tom Brady drove the field for the winning touchdown. Among the 13 plays covering 75 yards were three 3rd-and-10 conversions, twice to Julian Edelman and once to Rob Gronkowski, then the TD scored by Rex Burkhead. The Chiefs cried foul because they didn’t get to touch the ball instead of crying over their lack of a defense.

Jan. 26: Oahe Capitals alumnus Coleman Varty, playing junior hockey with Gillette, Wyo., had a Friday hat trick and a Saturday hat trick and also had four assists on four other goals in the Saturday game as the Wild hammered Butte in back-to-back games.

Feb. 3: CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz, where there was a 65-yard punt in the Super Bowl, exclaimed, “It’s getting exciting now.” Up to then, there had been no touchdowns, only three points scored, and numerous punts. In Super Bowl LIII the vaunted Rams offense had these 12 drives: punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, field goal, punt, interception, missed field goal. The Patriots cashed in on a long Brady-to-Gronkowski pass to set up a clinching touchdown as they won their sixth Super Bowl, 13-3. And America’s haters whined and cried yet again.

Feb. 12: Down by 23 points at Louisville with just over nine minutes left, Duke went on a 35-10 run and forced nine turnovers on the way to a 71-69 comeback win for the ages.

March 15: A last-split-second shot by O’Gorman was ruled by an over-eager referee to be good when photos later showed the shot to be obviously late. “Human element” fans leaped to the defense of the incorrect referee while others clamored immediately for instant replay to be instituted (and now it has!). The shot won the game for O’Gorman over defending champion Yankton in the “AA” state semifinals. Fortunately O’Gorman then lost to Brandon Valley in the championship game.

March 24: UCF, a team with a 7’6″ center, pressured No. 1 national seed Duke to the limit and led by three in the final minute. But Zion Williamson scored a field goal and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but J.R. Barrett grabbed the offensive rebound and scored to give Duke a 77-76 led with eight seconds left. UCF missed a shot plus a rebound shot off the rim as Duke survived into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

April 6: Virginia’s Kyle Guy, fouled on a three-point attempt with six-tenths of a second left and his team down by two points, hit all three free throws to give his team a one-point win over Auburn in the national semifinals in Minneapolis. Seconds earlier, a double-dribble by a Virginia player bringing the ball upcourt was not called.

April 8: Matt Mooney, graduate transfer from USD, scored 22 in a heroic national semifinal win over Michigan State for Texas Tech on April 6. Then in the national championship game vs. Virginia, he hit two shots—a ‘3’ and a ‘2’—to give Tech a lead of 73-70 in overtime, but Virginia scored 11 straight points, most of them on 12-of-12 clutch free throws, to win the NCAA title, 85-77. Virginia had won a miracle win over Purdue in the regional and the above-mentioned miracle win over Auburn in the semifinals, a year after being embarrassed as the first-ever No. 1 seed to lose to a #16 seed.

April 14: I wasn’t cheering, but a lot of America seemed to be as Tiger Woods won his fifth Masters tournament, his first win in a “major” since 2008.

April 23: On a spectacular night of sports, in the NBA playoffs first round, Portland at home was down by 11 with six minutes left in trying to eliminate Oklahoma City. The Trail Blazers rallied and tied the game in the final minute. A takeaway under the Thunders’ basket gave Portland a chance. Damion Lillard kept the ball out near center court until the final seconds of regulation time. He fired a 37-foot three-pointer to win the game and the series. At the same time in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs’ first round, Las Vegas led San Jose, 3-0, midway through the final period. But a five-minute major penalty cost the Golden Knights their season. During that power play the Sharks scored four goals. Las Vegas later tied the game, but San Jose won in O.T., 5-4, to win the series and advance.

May 10: Down three games to two but back home and with the Warriors missing Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins, two starters, due to injuries, the Houston Rockets finally had their chance to put an end to the Golden State dynasty. But 10 players scored, and Steph Curry, who had zero points in the first half, had 23 in the fourth quarter alone, and the Warriors embarrassed Houston, 118-113, to end the semifinal series. The Beard (James Harden) and the Flopper (Chris Paul) and the Rockets, who complained about the officiating at the beginning of the series, limped into the postseason defeated again, eliminated by the Warriors for the fourth time in five seasons.

May 12: In Game of the NBA’s Eastern Conference semifinal, Philadelphia tied the game with four seconds left. Toronto got a high arching desperation shot from the corner by Kawhi Leonard to beat the buzzer. The bal bounced once, twice, three times, four times on all sides of the rim and fell in for a series-winning basket, 92-90. Talk about a shooter’s bounce!

June 13: Having won twice in Toronto stay alive for an NBA title repeat, the Warriors were home for Game 6 and gave the Raptors a nip-and-tuck battle throughout. Still missing Kevin Durant, who had been injured in his return from a long injury absence in Game 5, and losing Klay Thompson in the third quarter to an ACL injury as he was leading the team in scoring with 30 points, the Warriors still had a chance to tie the series when Toronto turned the ball over with 8.6 seconds left, but they could not, and Toronto won the NBA finals with a 114-110 win. With Durant and Thompson likely to miss most if not all of the next season, the experts were saying the Warriors’ dynasty was over.

July 6: With “experts” saying he was going to the Lakers or staying with the Raptors, Kawhi Leonard, MVP of the NBA finals, announced he as well as Paul George was going to the Clippers. And on the same day Los Angeles had another earthquake!

July 7: The USA women’s national team won its fourth straight soccer World Cup, beating The Netherlands, 2-0. Megan Rapinoe scored on a penalty kick, and Rose Lavelle added an insurance goal eight minutes later.

July 23: In a game so reflective of the Twins’ season, they blew an 8-2 lead over the Yankees, blew a 8-5 lead after seven innings, blew a 9-8 lead in the eighth, blew an 11-10 lead with one strike to go in the game and blew a 12-12 tie in the 10th. With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, down only 12-11, the Twins scored only once as the next three batters went fly-out, fly-out, pop-out. In the bottom of the 10th with the bases loaded and two outs, down 14-12, a gapper to win the game by Max Kepler was caught in a spectacular game-saving, game-winning catch by center-fielder Aaron Hicks. The Yanks won, 14-12, as the Twins’ lead held at three games because Cleveland also lost.

July 27: Grandson Dylan’s Black Hills Nationals all-star team trailed Sturgis, 10-3, with two at-bats remaining in the BH Junior League tournament but scored four in the top of the sixth and six in the top of the seventh to win 13-10 and move into the championship game against the BH Americans. Dylan’s great running catch in left field in the bottom of the seventh helped get the opponents retired in the final inning. Earlier in the tourney, playing right field, he had thrown a laser to third base to cut down an advancing Belle Fourche runner.

Sept. 5: With Cleveland having already lost, the Twins had a chance to gain a full game on the Indians and lead by 6 1/2 games. With two out in the bottom of the ninth at Boston, the Twins led by a run. With a Red Sox man at first base, a ball was hit off the Green Monster. Left-fielder Eddie Rosario played the carom perfectly, threw a one-bounce strike to the catcher to nail the runner trying to score the tying run. Out! Game over!

Sept. 13: On Friday the 13th under a full moon, Pierre’s homecoming game started with touchdowns on the Govs’ first three plays—a 78-yard pass Garrett Stout to Regan Bollweg, a 50-yard run by Stout and a 76-yard run by Stout. It was 21-0 after 3:16 had elapsed vs. Yankton.

Sept. 21: With the Cubs on the brink of elimination after four straight losses, two of them by one run to St. Louis, the Cubs led St. Louis by a run into the ninth inning. Reliever Craig Kimbrel entered the game, threw home-run balls on his first two pitches, and the Cardinals won 9-8. The Cubs would lose the next day, again by one run, to be eliminated from the Central Division race and put themselves on the brink of losing out in the wild-card race, too. They went on a horrendous losing streak that reached nine and were eliminated from the postseason.

Sept. 23: The Stevens and Central freshmen were tied 6-6 with under three minutes left. The Stevens quarterback threw a desperation heave under pressure from his own 40. Grandson Dylan caught the ball at the Central 40 and ran the rest of the way for the winning TD in a 13-6 Raider win. The team went on to complete an unbeaten season.

Sept. 25: The Twins clinched the A.L. Central Division championship with a win at Detroit and, an hour later, a Cleveland loss to the White Sox.

Oct. 1: In the N.L. wild-card game, Milwaukee got three early runs on two homers off Matt Scherzer and held a 3-1 lead with two out in the bottom of the eighth at Washington. Ace reliever Josh Hader hit one batter, gave up a single and walked another to load the bases. Twenty-year-old Juan Soto slammed a hit to right field to score the tying runs, and the ball skipped past the Brewer right-fielder to let in the lead run for the Nats. Daniel Hudson in relief shut down Milwaukee in the top of the ninth to win a stunner for the Nats, who had been 1-8 in elimination postseason games in the past. The game set the stage for a dramatic October run.

Oct. 7: The Twins completed a three-game ALDS series against the Yanks with their 14th, 15th and 16th consecutive postseason losses, 13 of them to the Yankees. Great regular season; lousy postseason as usual.

Oct. 10: The mighty Dodgers, at home for the fifth and deciding game of the NLDS, led Washington, 3-0. It was 3-1 when Clayton Kershaw in relief gave up solo homers on consecutive pitches in the top of the eighth, tying the game at 3-3. In the top of the 10th Howie Kendrick, a former Dodger, slugged a grand slam to straight-away center field for a 7-3 lead. The Dodgers, who won 106 games in the regular season, were retired in order in the bottom of the 10th as the Nats advanced to the NLCS.

Oct. 15: The Nationals, leading the NLCS three games to none, scored seven in the first inning vs. St. Louis. In the top of the eighth, the Cardinals were retired by Daniel Hudson with the bases loaded and the score at 7-4. In the top of the ninth, the first two Cards were retired by Hudson. An easy fly ball to center sent the Nats to the pennant, having eliminated the Brewers, Dodgers and Cardinals on the way to the World Series.

Oct. 19: With the Astros two outs away from the pennant, D.J. LeMahieu of the Yanks hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to tie Game 6 of the ALCS at 4-4. But in the bottom of the ninth Jose Altuve hit a walkoff two-run homer to win the game, 6-4; win the series, 4-2, and win the A.L. pennant.

Oct. 30: Thankfully for the Nationals, Houston had home-field advantage in the World Series because the visiting team won each of the seven games. The never-say-die Nats, who were one of the greatest late-inning and two-out-rally teams ever, went back to Houson after three straight losses at home and beat the Astros in Games 6 and 7 to win the Series. The Nats were 5-0 in elimination games, having trailed in all five of those games. Washington was 19-31 in mid-May, but after that they were the winningest team in baseball. In their postseason elimination games, the Nationals outscored their opponents 19-0 from the seventh inning on.

Nov. 8: The unbeaten Minnesota Golden Gophers, in their biggest game in decades, beat No. 4 Penn State at home. Unfortunately, Minnesota lost three weeks later to Wisconsin in the battle for the Big 10 West title but still earned their best bowl berth in many years, a January date with Auburn.

Nov. 14: Pierre won its third straight 11AA championship, but the Govs were too good for their own class. The margin of some of their victories created firestorms of protest from the big-city media on both sides of the state, guaranteeing that discussion would almost immediately begin on changing the classifications for football yet again and instituting a mercy rule.

Nov. 23: USD beat SDSU in football, 24-21, but the Jackrabbits still received a home game in the FCS playoffs opening round where they lost to Northern Iowa.

Nov. 30: Auburn knocked off once-beaten Alabama and kayoed the Tide’s playoff chances with a thrilling 48-45 win. Alabama committed 13 penalties and gave up 45 points.

Dec. 14: On the seventh anniversary of the 26-death massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., with the score tied, the Newtown High School football team scored on a 36-yard touchdown pass (Jack Street to Riley Ward) on the last play of the game to win the Class LL state championship over Darien. It was reminiscent of the state championship win by Columbine High School in Colorado a few years after their school shooting.