THOUGHT FOR TODAY

The first week of August is motionless and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons and sunsets smeared with too much color. Often at night there is lightning, but it quivers all alone. There is no thunder, no relieving rain. These are strange and breathless days, the dog days, when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for.
— Natalie Babbitt

BASEBALL UPDATE

Little League: At the state tournament, Capital City Little League lost to Sioux Falls, 9-0; defeated Rapid City Timberline, 11-3, and lost to Rapid City Harney, 13-6. The Sioux Falls team won the tournament and advanced to the Midwest Regional in Indianapolis starting this weekend. Sioux Falls’ first game is against Davenport at noon Saturday on ESPN+.

Post 8 regional: After beating Aberdeen, 11-1, in seven innings in the last regular-season game and finishing with a 22-17 record, Post 8, in the regional play-in best-of-3 series, swept Yankton, 10-0 in six innings and 14-3. Bennett Dean hit a two-run homer and a two-run single that ended the first game. Jack Van Camp threw a complete game one-hitter, striking out six and walking four. In the clinches Lincoln Kienholz had five hits in six at-bats, Jayden Wiebe was 3-for-3 and Andy Gordon drove in four runs. Maguire Raske was winning pitcher in relief, striking out seven and allowing only one hit.

Post 8 state tournament: On opening day of the tournament in Brandon, Pierre lost to the Renner Royals, 2-1, making every subsequent game an elimination contest. Against Watertown Cade Hinkle hit an early 3-run homer, then Bennett Dean, with the score tied 3-3, hit a three-run walkoff homer in the final inning of a 6-3 win. On the third day Pierre ousted Harrisburg, 6-0, as Raske threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and striking out 12, then Aaron Booth finished up in the final 1 2/3 innings, fanning three. One day away from reaching Championship Day, Post 8 had a 6-1 lead over the Renner Royals in the middle of the fifth inning. But three straight walks to start the inning, compounded with a pair of errors later in the inning, helped Renner tie the game at 6-6. Then in the seventh, the Royals got a cheap run on a wild pitch play that included two more errors. That was enough for a 7-6 win that ended the Pierre season at 26-19. The win assured Renner of going to the Central Plains Regional since Sioux Falls East was already assured of being there as the host team. Renner won the championship with a 6-5 win over East. Pierre’s Maguire Raske was named to the all-tournament team.

Central Plains Regional: The regional began in Sioux Falls yesterday, and this year the region involves only four states with two teams each present from South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Teams are West Fargo and Fargo, Renner and Sioux Falls East, DePere and LaCrosse from Wisconsin, and Osseo and Hopkins from Minnesota. In 2022 and 2023 this regional will be held in Rapid City.

Four Corners: The regular season ended with a 10-6 record as Four Corners defeated Miller, 7-6; beat Wessington Springs, 12-1, and lost to South Central, 5-3. Then at the district tournament hosted at the Four Corners field west of Hayes, Four Corners survived, concluding with a 9-2 win over Kimball-White Lake that clinched a state tourney berth. At the state amateur tourney in Mitchell, which is starting this week, Four Corners begins play against Wynot, Neb., at 5:30 p.m. Friday. (Wynot plays in a league that is a member of the South Dakota association, thus the two teams in that league that are based on the Nebraska side of the river are really part of South Dakota amateur baseball.) If Four Corners wins Friday, the next game would be Tuesday against the winner between the Dell Rapids Mudcats and Lake Norden.

Pierre Trappers: The Trappers’ record through Tuesday was 8-23 in the second-half standings and 17-43 overall for the summer. They remain in sixth place. The season is at an end with the team home tonight (Thursday) vs. Spearfish and home Friday and Saturday vs. Souris Valley to end the year.

Sioux Falls Canaries: The Birds through Tuesday had a record of 26-43 and remained in fifth place in the South Division of the American Association. They were 10 1/2 games out of fourth place but 16 1/2 games ahead of sixth place, so they aren’t going up or down. The Canaries are at Gary-South Shore tonight, at Chicago Friday through Sunday, then home vs. Cleburne next Tuesday through Thursday.

Minnesota Twins: The Twins through Tuesday were 45-63 and in fifth (last) place in the A.L. Central, one game behind Kansas City. The coming week’s schedule:
Thursday, at Houston, 7:10 (BSN).
Friday, at Houston, 7:10 (BSN).
Saturday, at Houston, 6:10 (BSN).
Sunday, at Houston, 1:10 (BSN).
Monday, Chicago White Sox, 7:10 (BSN).
Tuesday, Chicago White Sox, 7:10 (BSN).
Wednesday, Chicago White Sox, 12:10 (YouTube).

COUNTDOWN

1 day: Sturgis motorcycle rally (Aug. 6-15).
7 days: Sully County Fair, Onida (Aug. 12-15).
7 days: American Legion World Series, Shelby, N.C. (Aug. 12-17).
8 days: Pierre girls/boys soccer openers at Douglas (Aug. 13).
8 days: Field of Dreams baseball, Yankees vs. White Sox, Dyersville, Iowa (Aug. 13).
11 days: Pierre boys golf opener at Sioux Falls Washington (Aug. 16).
15 days: Class 11B and all 9-man football openers (Aug. 20).
19 days: Pierre volleyball opener at Watertown (Aug. 24).
21 days: Corn Palace Festival, Mitchell (Aug. 26-28).
22 days: Pierre Invitational boys/girls cross-country meet (Aug. 27).
22 days: Pierre football opener at Harrisburg (Aug. 27).
22 days: Class 11AAA, 11AA and 11A football openers (Aug. 27-28).
28 days: State Fair, Huron (Sept. 2-6).
32 days: Labor Day (Sept. 6).
35 days: NFL season opener, Dallas at Tampa Bay (Sept. 9).
36 days: S.D. Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, Chamberlain (Sept. 10-11).
43 days: Sanford International golf tournament, Sioux Falls (Sept. 17-19).
57 days: South Dakota Festival of Books, Deadwood (Oct. 1-3).

WEDDING DAYS

Sept. 25: Nick Jung/Natalie Nagle.
Oct. 2: Jordan Lamb/Abbey Fjeldheim.

PIERRE GOVERNORS EARLY ATHLETICS DATES

Boys golf:
— Aug. 16, at Sioux Falls Washington.
— Aug. 17, at Brandon Valley.
— Aug. 24, Pierre Invitational.
Girls tennis:
— Aug. 20, vs. Harrisburg and Lincoln (at Sioux Falls).
— Aug. 21, vs. Washington and Roosevelt (at Sioux Falls).
— Aug. 26, vs. Brandon Valley (at Rapid City).
Cheer/dance:
— Aug. 28, at Aberdeen Central invitational.
— Aug. 31, at Watertown invitational.
— Sept. 4, Pierre Invitational.
Volleyball:
— Aug. 24, at Watertown.
— Aug. 27, at Rapid City Stevens.
— Aug. 28, at Rapid City Central.
Cross country:
— Aug. 27, Pierre Invitational.
— Sept. 3, at Augustana twilight meet.
— Sept. 7, at Aberdeen Central invitational.
Football:
— Aug. 27, at Harrisburg.
— Sept. 3, Mitchell.
— Sept. 11, Sturgis.
Boys/girls soccer:
— Aug. 13, at Douglas.
— Aug. 14, at Spearfish.
— Aug. 19, Sioux Falls Roosevelt.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES EARLY ATHLETICS DATES

Football:
— Aug. 20: at Timber Lake.
— Aug. 27: Parkston.
— Sept. 3: at Bon Homme.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS EARLY ATHLETICS DATES

Football:
— Aug. 20: Colome.
— Aug. 27: at Corsica-Stickney.
— Sept. 3: Lyman.

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Thursday: key lime.
Friday-Sunday: strawberry cheesecake.
Monday-Tuesday: coconut.
Wednesday-Thursday: apricot.

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons haven’t lost since last month. They beat Seattle, 1-0; beat Portland, 2-1, and tied Vancouver, 2-2. In the latter game the Loons led until the very last seconds of stoppage time when a penalty kick was given to Vancouver, and they converted it for a tie. The Loons, now 6-4-6, host Houston Saturday on BSN+.

SUNDAYS AT THE LEGION SCHEDULE

Music begins at 5 p.m. Sundays at the American Legion cabin deck.

* Aug. 8: Hank Harris.
* Aug. 15: The Barstool Boys.
* Aug. 22: No Worries Band.

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): Tom didn’t play in the Senior British Open. Next on the Champions Tour slate is the Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary Aug. 13-15.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

* NFL television schedule:
— Thursday, Hall of Fame Game, Dallas vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m., Fox.
— Aug. 12, Washington at New England, 6:30 p.m., NFL Network.

* Minnesota Vikings preseason schedule:
— Aug. 14, Denver, 3 p.m., NFL Network.
— Aug. 21, Indianapolis, 7 p.m.
— Aug. 27, at Kansas City, 7 p.m.

Sioux Falls Storm: The Storm, who traditionally are always assured of a playoff spot, are teetering on the brink of elimination. They beat Green Bay, 31-21, but then lost to Arizona, 59-33, and to Frisco, 37-33. Now 5-6, Sioux Falls has only two regular-season games remaining, including a game at Iowa Aug. 14 for their next contest.

BLACK HILLS PLAYHOUSE SCHEDULE

* “Altar Boyz,” now through Aug. 15. (Call 605/255-4141 or go to blackhillsplayhouse.com/shows-tickets for reservations.

WORDS OF WISDOM

With the prospect of the pandemic worsening again and unpleasant but necessary restrictions and mandates very possible, these timely words come from the president of France, Emmanuel Macron:

“I no longer have any intention of sacrificing my life, my time, my freedom and the adolescence of my daughters, as well as their right to study properly, for those who refuse to be vaccinated. This time YOU stay at home, not us. We cannot make those who have the civic sense to get vaccinated bear the burden of inconvenience. The restrictions will weigh on others, those who for reasons incomprehensible in the country of Louis Pasteur, science and The Enlightenment still hesitate to use the only weapon available against the pandemic, the vaccine.”

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

As countless numbers of South Dakotans refuse to get vaccinated or accept any kind of restrictions or sacrifice upon themselves for the greater good of the community, the pandemic some said was over this past spring continues to ramp up as the contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus spreads across the country. And now we again see thousands of motorcyclists and tourists from all over the country bringing lots of money and who-knows-what diseases with them to South Dakota where we’re open and free!

Some recent developments:
— Yesterday’s Department of Health report showed 657 active cases in the state, up from 424 since last Wednesday. The death toll stands at 2,050, up seven since last Wednesday. Fully vaccinated are 54.24% of the state’s population while 59% age 12 and older have received at least one shot.
— Add this new word to your vocabulary: spreadnecks—people who refuse to get vaccinated.
— Pierre school superintendent Dr. Kelly Glodt said hand sanitizers will be available in every classroom, and water fixtures like toilets and faucets have been converted to touchless operation.
— Walmart, Sam’s Club and Target stores will resume requiring masks for employees in COVID hot spots.
— The Sioux Falls school district for the time being says masks will be optional for students and teachers when the new year begins this month.
— At a nursing home in Clear Lake, only 61% of the employees have been vaccinated. Two residents who tested positive died, and six residents have quarantined with positive tests.
— Sanford Health decreed that all employees will be required to be vaccinated by Nov. 1. A protest march against this decision took place outside the Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls. News reports said most of the protesters were not Sanford employees but rather people supporting them or those defiant against mandates in general.
— Governor Noem had an opinion on the Sanford decision and freely shared it. “Workers whose employers are mandating a vaccination for continued employment have the power to say no. Our robust economy and job market give them the option to find a new employer that values personal choice and responsibility and doesn’t force mandates on their employees.”
— President Biden said that federal employees, including military personnel, must be fully vaccinated or undergo regular testing for COVID and wear masks.
— Ellsworth Air Force Base has issued new protocols. Masks must be worn at all indoor Department of Defense facilities, and on-base personnel when they go off-base, such as into Rapid City or into the Black Hills, must be masked outdoors and indoors when social distancing can’t be maintained.
— Broadway shows in New York will reopen, but audiences must be vaccinated and masked. Performers, crews and staffs must be vaccinated.
— The National Football League rules that teams who can’t play games due to COVID outbreaks will forfeit those games, rather than get to make them up at the end of the season.
— Disney is requiring all of its thousands of U.S. employees to be fully vaccinated, and they have 60 days in which to get it done.
— Health experts say that rare infections among vaccinated people are not a sign that vaccines are failing but rather a warning of how the unvaccinated are endangering even those who are vaccinated.
— The CDC said that vaccinated people with breakthrough infections of the Delta variant may spread the virus to others just as easily as unvaccinated people.
— The vast majority of COVID hospitalizations are among unvaccinated people, according to news reports.
— Data shows you are far less likely to be infected with the virus if you are vaccinated, and it is even less likely if you are wearing a mask and social distancing.
— From the state Department of Health: “South Dakota, at least not right now, is not in that higher level of transmission. We’re actually in that lower scale. It’s important to keep an eye on that every week because it does change.”
— Governor Noem lifted the mask mandates in the South Dakota state prisons in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Springfield.
— The Washington Post is requiring vaccinations as a condition of employment.
— Uber and Lyft are requiring vaccinations for returning employees.
— In North Carolina employees in state government cabinet agencies must show proof of vaccinations or undergo regular testing, wear masks and social distance at work. Governor Roy Cooper says, “Being a good citizen means getting your people vaccinated.”
— Meanwhile, Governor Noem said she has no plans to urge people to get vaccinations. Less than 0.001% of those fully vaccinated have had a fatal breakthrough case. Less than 0.004% of those fully vaccinated have been hospitalized. The vaccines work. They are your best protection from the virus.
— The governor of Louisiana reinstated an indoor mask mandate for anyone age 5 and older.
— South Dakota is not alone in gleefully hosting super-spreader events. In Chicago last weekend an estimated 100,000 people attended each day of the four-day Lollapalooza music festival at Grant Park on the waterfront.
— The Giant Eagle chain of supermarkets in the area around Pittsburgh now requires all employees and customers to wear masks, regardless of their vaccination status.
— The Tyson plants now will require vaccinations for all workers.
— Home Depot stores will now require workers to wear masks.
— San Francisco’s cable cars began operating Monday for the first time since they shut down in March 2020. Masks are required of all passengers on the cable cars.
— New York City is instituting a policy under which proof of vaccinations will be required to attend all indoor performances and to patronize restaurants, bars, night clubs and gyms.
— Governor DeSantis of Florida has prohibited mask mandates in all schools in his state. Earlier he blocked local governments—cities and counties—from requiring masks. Florida reported 11,515 hospitalized COVID patients Tuesday.

A COVID-19 THOUGHT

What the whiners say: “But I don’t want to get a vaccination because the CDC keeps changing its opinions and advice!”

The reality of it all: “Science is not the truth. Science is finding the truth. When science changes its opinion, it didn’t lie to you. It learned more.”

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• While attending the funeral of Dale Clement, long-time dean of the USD business school, in Rapid City recently, it was good to see former Pierre school administrator Dan Leikvold there. Dan retired June 30 as superintendent of the Lead-Deadwood School District where he spent 16 years after leaving Pierre. Dan has been elected to the Kiwanis International board of trustees for 2021-22. He is a member of the Lead-Deadwood Kiwanis Club, and in his Kiwanis work he has served as club president, Division 4 lieutenant governor and Minnesota-Dakotas governor. For now at least, Dan and his wife, Tracy, plan to continue to live in the Lead-Deadwood community.
• Next December’s recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors will be entertainer Bette Midler, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels, bass-baritone Justino Diaz and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. The celebration will be televised next year on CBS-TV on a date to be determined.
• Unless you are one who chops down his own Christmas tree up in the Black Hills somewhere, you might pay more than usual for your tree this coming holiday season. According to The Seattle Times last week, the extreme heat and drought of this summer have taken their toll on potential Christmas trees in the Pacific Northwest. One Oregon farmer was quoted as saying he saw a quarter million trees go from green to brown in one day’s time.
• Recently while rummaging through a box of old photos and clippings, I ran across a clipping from my Watchword column in The Onida Watchman from 36 years ago in the fall of 1985:
  “This is a happy week in our family. For my wife and me, a deliriously happy week! The kids are ALL in school for ALL day for the next 12 years! The first day of school did not come without pangs of anxiety. The kids took longer—MUCH longer—to get to sleep Monday night. ‘I’m so anxious,’ said No. 2 son Ryan, now a fourth grader. ‘Are you nervous about school?’ I asked him. ‘No, but I’m just so anxious!’ By Tuesday morning his stomach hurt from all of that anxiousness. I recall my wife saying two years ago that on the first day all the kids were in school for all day she was going to spend the whole day in the bar. I suspect she went to work instead Tuesday morning, but at this writing I haven’t checked to see. As hot and humid as it was Monday night, we didn’t sleep very well either. Maybe she’s just home taking a nap. Oh, I know, you parents of teen-agers are saying, ‘Just you wait.’ But with Diaper Years and the Terrible Twos and Pre-School all behind us now, what could be worse? Saturday afternoon I took our three youngest to the Big Bird movie to celebrate the girls’ sixth birthday. I offered to take No. 1 son Jason, the sixth grader, too, but he said, ‘Come on, Dad. I’m not going to go to a G-rated movie!’ I see what you mean.
• Since last Thursday when the Cubs’ franchise died with the trading of its superstars, I’ve been listening to the radio broadcasts of the teams to whom they were sent. I despise the Yankees and am angry that they got Anthony Rizzo in one of the trades, but I must say that their broadcast team of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman is quite entertaining.
• For you who regularly participate in our fall football contests—and you who don’t are welcome to join us!—our football contests will start in the Update two weeks from today in the Aug. 19 issue. For that first week we will have to have only high school games, adding college games the following week. As for when you can expect The Midweek Update from now on, we will be here every Thursday. The weeks off this summer have been great, but back to the grindstone we go.
• Two weeks ago I was fortunate to get to tag along as my daughter, Holly, and her two daughters went to Seattle for five days. None of us had ever been there, and we needed to get away from here for awhile. In short, we enjoyed ourselves immensely and found out we love Seattle and that area. Some observations:
  • Seattle admittedly has some of the worst traffic in the country, but it also has a terrific public transportation system—buses, underground light rail and even water taxis. We commuted to downtown via a 10-minute water taxi ride from West Seattle where our Airbnb was located. Had we had to drive in a car, it would have been a very long drive to get downtown since the direct route via the West Seattle Bridge was closed for repairs.
  • The cool ocean air blowing in through the bedroom windows was delightful. It was quite a shock to return to South Dakota just in time for that streak of 100-plus temperatures early last week.
  • I have found it to be true in the past, but how amazing it is that, in the midst of crowds of hundreds and hundreds of people such as those at the Pike Place Market, you will see the same people numerous times during a day’s time.
  • I was the first customer of the day for a vendor selling home-made candles at the Market. Hearing we are from South Dakota, he revealed he knows our state rather well since he had a girlfriend from Fargo. “South Dakota is prettier than North Dakota,” he said. He added, “I like your governor.” Oh well.
  • At another shop in the Market a salesgirl said she attended Mines and lived in Black Hawk but left South Dakota because she “can’t stand the brutal winters.”
  • At a Simply Seattle store down on the waterfront, Holly ran into a former nursing colleague who used to live in Rapid City and Olivia saw that lady’s daughter with whom she attended Central High.
  • I hope the guy on the 27th floor of The Westin hotel is no longer out there on his room’s balcony, leaning against a four-foot fence, the only thing keeping him from falling to the street below. Just looking up there at him made me queasy.
  • Speaking of heights, Holly ventured to the top of the Space Needle with her girls because, as she said, “I guess we have to!” I was happy to remain at ground level. From the ground the top of that structure looks to be much farther up in the air than it does from a distance.
  • I already miss the guy on his third-floor balcony at the corner of 59th Ave. SW and Caroll St., just two houses down from our Airbnb. Each morning as I went for a brief walk to the beach and around the neighborhood, he waved and hollered “Good morning.”
  • At the Chihuly Garden and Glass art museum next to the Space Needle, the kind message posted to visitors read, “Don’t touch anything you don’t want to buy.” I can understand that. I saw one glass piece that had a price tag of $8,000.
  • While the girls were up on the Space Needle, I wandered across the grounds to Climate Pledge Arena where Seattle’s new NHL hockey team, the Kraken, will begin play this fall. I couldn’t get in because reconstruction is still in progress. I see the Kraken organization is suggesting people attending their games don’t try to drive their cars because parking in that area is limited. They recommend taking the light rail to downtown, then the monorail to the Space Needle, then walk a block to the arena or grab a city bus. Game nights should be very interesting in that part of the city.
  • One of our favorite days was the day we rode the ferry on its 36-minute ride out to Bainbridge Island. There we wandered among the shops and eating establishments and found numerous things we didn’t need but bought anyway.
  • The seafood was exquisite. We had dinner one night at Salty’s on the east-side beachfront in West Seattle with a spectacular view of the downtown skyline on the other side of Elliot Bay. Three times we enjoyed halibut baskets at a place on the waterfront. And then there was the Piroshky Piroshky bakery, the smoothies place, the mini-donuts place, the Three Sisters bakery, Starbucks everywhere, and on and on, all in the Pike Place Market area. Mouth-watering. We ate well while in Seattle!
  • Walking shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of people at the Market, it was fascinating to hear different languages being spoken from people of every color and nationality, something South Dakota misses except perhaps in Sioux Falls.
  • On our return trip home, at the Denver airport we boarded our plane bound for Rapid City, then sat there for an hour. They couldn’t get one of the toilets to flush, so mechanical folks were at work. I thought it ironic that, while the toilet wouldn’t flush, the flight attendants were passing out free-of-charge water and sodas!
  • It certainly is true that people are traveling this summer. The Denver airport was jammed both times we went through there, and all four of our flights were full.
• The Twins can’t possibly be this bad next year, right? The 2022 schedules are out, so if you already are looking at possible dates for baseball trips to Minneapolis, here are the home games for the Twins:
  * April 7-9-10-11: Seattle.
  * April 22-23-24: Chicago White Sox.
  * April 26-27-28: Detroit.
  * May 6-7-8: Oakland.
  * May 10-11-12: Houston.
  * May 13-14-15: Cleveland.
  * May 23-24-25: Detroit.
  * May 26-27-28-29: Kansas City.
  * June 7-8-9: New York Yankees.
  * June 10-11-12: Tampa Bay.
  * June 21-22-23: Cleveland.
  * June 24-25-26: Colorado.
  * July 1-2-3: Baltimore.
  * July 12-13: Milwaukee.
  * July 14-15-16-17: Chicago White Sox.
  * August 1-2-3: Detroit.
  * August 4-5-6-7: Toronto.
  * August 15-16-17: Kansas City.
  * August 19-20-21-22: Texas.
  * August 26-27-28: San Francisco.
  * August 29-30-31; Boston.
  * September 9-10-11: Cleveland.
  * September 13-14-15: Kansas City.
  * September 23-24-25: Los Angeles Angels.
  * September 27-28-29: Chicago White Sox.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, Aug. 5:
Lukas Erlenbusch, Sara (Schneider) Odden, Gabe Vogt, Rachel Guthmiller, Derik Wright, Jerry Jarvis, Tanner Steele, Shirley Doyle.
— 43rd anniversary, Jerry/Myra Duba.
— 48th anniversary, Milt/Dawn Morris.
— 16th anniversary, Hunter/Stephanie Roberts.
— 15th anniversary, Ross/Anna (Van Duzer) Yost.
— 4th anniversary, Travis/Nicole Rinehart.
— 4th anniversary, Brian/Tara (Hyde) White.

Friday, Aug. 6:
Janet (Schuh) Fulk, Patti (Mercer) Jordre, Tenley Fitzke, Nick Bengs, Boston Bryant, Samantha Flynn, Justin Williams, Lynette McCarty, Matthew Booth, Chris Brinkman, Kipp Stahl, Greg Byrum, Michelle Dvorak, Ryan Yackley, Lincoln Schoenhard, David Perry, Lois Byrum.
— 5th anniversary, Scott/Bailey (Armstrong) Wagner.
— 16th anniversary, Travis/Becky Lindekugel.
— 44th anniversary, John/Mary (Junkman) Hoover.
— 55th anniversary, Jim/Judy Ulmen.
— Anniversary, Rod/Terry Fisher.
— 16th anniversary, Mike/Corinna (Bevers) Christopher.
— 10th anniversary, Jacob/Chezarae Shoup.

Saturday, Aug. 7:
Rylan Lindemann, Reese Fisher, Sylvia Jo Imsland, Sam Fjelstad, Jeremy Hamm, Judi West, Jane Naylor, Leighton Hoover, Suzanne Stahl, Tate Rinehart, Bob Tobin, Chev Hackett, Rick Swanson.
— 45th anniversary, Myron/Deb Bryant.
— 38th anniversary, Geoff/Beth (Pospisil) Simon.
— 17th anniversary, Roby/Krista Bass.
— 17th anniversary, Benjamin/Shannon (Dykstra) Herbert.
— 56th anniversary, Ken/Diane Stofferahn.
— 17th anniversary, Josh/Jessica (Wilson) Bosma.
— Anniversary, John/Jan Artz.
— 45th anniversary, Myron/Anita Rau.
— 11th anniversary, Garrett/Kelsey (Bartel) Glynn.
— 11th anniversary, Chad/Winter (Nicholas) Hendrickson.
— 11th anniversary, Wayne/Melissa (Stewart) Crawford.
— 11th anniversary, Lucas/Mary (Holm) Keahey.
— 12th anniversary, Justin/Stacey Briese.
— 12th anniversary, John/Laura Williams.

Sunday, Aug. 8:
Roger Johnson, Molly Kreycik, Kristen Job, Dylan Dowling, Dantae Dvorak, Sam Holden, Daniel Timmons, Declan Pope, Patrick Gengler, Jayce Tetzlaff, Korina Deal, Drew White, Mike Herman, Brody Mullett, Marla Willard.
— 6th anniversary, Ryan/Cassie Blake.
— 6th anniversary, Ali/Rachel (LeBeau) Hachem.
— 23rd anniversary, Jonathan/Andrea (Viken) Urbach.
— 23rd anniversary, Nathan/Jill (Storsteen) Weber.
— 12th anniversary, Max/Lisa Huber.

Monday, Aug. 9:
Collin Liverkmont, Rebecca (Zebroski) Neises, Jenny Hallenbeck-Orr, Megan (Joachim) Jaeger, Mary (Sutera) Sieck, Remington Reilly, Brynn Sogaard.
— 35th anniversary, Jeff/Lisa Mammenga.
— 7th anniversary, Ryan/Kelly (Lingle) Royer.
— 24th anniversary, Chuck/Hope (Hoover) Brenny.
— 13th anniversary, Justin/Stephanie (Mutschler) Pierson.
— 18th anniversary, Nick/Brittany (Bailey) Jarecke.
— 46th anniversary, Terry/Janet (Stahl) Hofer.
— 57th anniversary, John/Linda Knox.
— 18th anniversary, Chris/Jenny Derry.

Tuesday, Aug. 10:
Gracie Weinheimer, Kyndal Van Zee, Christopher Nath, Stella Lindbloom, Sue Light, Stephanie Bengs, Ron Lutz, Laynee Brandt, Kaydee Hewlett, Liv Smith.
— 19th anniversary, Toby/Amber Bryant.
— 52nd anniversary, John/Margaret Ellefson.
— 19th anniversary, Brett/Stacy Anderson.
— 19th anniversary, Joseph/Michelle (Maskovich) Soulek.
— 19th anniversary, Thomas/Dulcie (Bellander) Stotts.
— 9th anniversary, Dustin/Cidna Pitlick.

Wednesday, Aug. 11:
Susan Quinn, Tom Opoien, JoAnn Nelsen, Scott Lamb, Alex Ludemann, Mike Snyder, Archie Haag, Terry Becker, Courtney Sheffield.
— 3rd anniversary, Nick/Sasha (Kean) Bishop.
— 3rd anniversary, Steve/Cassie Long.
— 21st anniversary, Mark/Meghann (O’Day) Kjolsrud.
— 9th anniversary, Jim/Lindsey (Jungwirth) Costello.
— 36th anniversary, Dave/Denette (Eisnach) Becker.
— 15th anniversary, A.J./Amanda (Huck) Stoeser.
— 14th anniversary, Clinton/Missy (Drew) Figland.
— 14th anniversary, Austin/Lindsey Schneider.
— 14th anniversary, Jonathan/Sarah (Yackley) Ploeger.

Thursday, Aug. 12:
Courtney Zander, Molly (Wilbur) Budmayr, Taylor Murtland, Cooper Hogan, Lindsey Ambur, Kari Anderson, Bo Rosane, Mary (Holm) Keahey.
— 4th anniversary, Chris/Ashlee Voller.
— 42nd anniversary, Dave/Marcia Mack.
— 15th anniversary, Tim/Lindsey (Simons) Ferber.
— 21st anniversary, Christopher/Jessica (Yost) Cox.
— 21st anniversary, Kevin/Julie Lors.
— 15th anniversary, Jeff/Jamie (Stokke) Lemire.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“There are some who express outrage when someone kneels while calling for social justice. Where are those same people expressing outrage to condemn the violent attack on law enforcement, the Capitol, and our American democracy? I’m still waiting for them.”
— Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, U.S. Capitol Police, testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Veryl Huisman, 72, died July 5 at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital. Services were held July 20 at Faith Lutheran Church and July 21 in his hometown of Sioux Center, Iowa. He married Patricia Deets in 1995. He worked for the Hughes County Highway Department for 21 years. He was also an usher captain and a board of trustees member at Faith Lutheran. Veryl is survived by his wife; two stepchildren, Kurt (Elissa) Wiegart of Denver and Anette Deets of St. Louis; three grandchildren, and six siblings, all of them out-of-state residents.

Michelle (Ulmen) Baack, M.D., was named chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the USD Sanford School of Medicine. Michelle graduated there in 1995 and served her residency in pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center-Creighton joint residency program. Then she returned home to Pierre as a pediatrician from 1999 to 2008. Dr. Baack accepted a fellowship in neonatal and perinatal medicine at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. Since 2011 she has worked as a neonatalogist at Sanford Children’s Specialty Clinic and as a physician at Sanford Research. She also has been an associate professor pediatrics at the School of Medicine’s Division of Neonatalogy.

When the Sioux Falls Argus Leader presented its annual sports awards for 2020-21, Steve Steele, Pierre Governor football coach, was deemed Coach of the Year. Among the other major winners—team of the year, O’Gorman volleyball; male athlete of the year, Paul Bruns of Dakota Valley; female athlete of the year, Caelyn Valandra-Prue of White River.

Marilyn Hofer, 88, Fort Pierre, died July 20. A celebration of her life was held July 26 at the Fort Pierre Congregational Church. The daughter of the late Leslie and Ruth Stroup lived her entire life in the Fort Pierre area. Marilyn graduated from Fort Pierre High School in 1951 and married Harris (Blackie) Hofer that same year. They raised their two children in Fort Pierre. She worked two years as a bookkeeper at Fort Pierre Livestock and 33 years at the USDA’s ASCS office until retiring in 1988. She is survived by her son, Jerry (Sharyl) Hofer; her daughter, Jody (Cody) Williams; five grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her brother Donald Stroup and a grandson.

Steven and Jessica Cronin and their daughter, who live in Rapid City, revealed on Facebook a baby will be joining their family in January.

Chris Maxwell is the incoming president of the Pierre-Fort Pierre Rotary Club, succeeding Ann (Schroyer) Schwartz.

Glenn Jorgenson, 91, who with his wife Phyllis transformed thousands of lives through their River Park alcohol and drug treatment programs and facilities in Pierre, Rapid City and Sioux Falls, died July 23 at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls. A celebration of his life took place July 31 at Abiding Savior Free Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, followed by burial at Riverside Cemetery in Pierre Aug. 2. Mr. Jorgenson, a member of the South Dakota Hall of Fame, graduated from Hayti High School in 1948, earned a teaching certificate at General Beadle State Teachers College, married Phyllis Anderson in 1951 and moved to Pierre where they spent 40 years. Glenn operated credit bureaus in Pierre and Rapid City, was part-owner of the Statesman restaurant in Fort Pierre, managed a Pierre motel and served as state director of employment during the administration of Gov. Nils Boe before the Jorgensons, once Glenn had become addiction-free, began their River Park programs. He is survived by his wife; three daughters, Jennifer (Thomas) Burns of Lincoln, Neb., Julieanne (Mark) Rilling of Pierre and Ellen (Jack) Cann of St. Paul; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; a brother, Larry Jorgenson of Jackson Wyo., and two sisters, Mary Ann Boeger of Gridley, Calif., and Nancy Tipton of Belle Fourche.

Ben Gloe had visions of retiring from the U.S. Army in 2024 by remaining in Kansas where he has been stationed for several years, but the Army had other ideas, so Ben, his wife Alyssa and their daughter will be moving from the Fort Riley area to Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina where he will be working with U.S. Army Control.

Jane Naylor plans to retire from her position as Hughes County auditor after eight years in that office and a total of 23 years with the county. Naylor will retire at the end of September. (News courtesy of KCCR Radio.)

Tyler Bonnett, who is stationed at Naval Air Station Yuma in Arizona, flew from his base to Fargo for an air show there. He spoke to many people about his life as a F35 pilot and showed his plane. He also was able to visit many family members from around the Dakotas who went to Fargo to see Tyler and the show.

Mitch and Stephanier (Dvorak) Delvo of Bismarck are the parents of a son, August Mitchell Delvo, who was born July 15. He weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces, and joins sister Ruby, 5, and brother Fletcher, 2, in their family.

Charles Serbousek, 70, died of a heart attack July 21 while fishing with his grandson at Farm Island. His funeral service was held July 28 at First United Methodist Church. He grew up on a farm in Sully County and graduated from Agar High School in 1969. He attended Southern State College and Augustana before moving back to the family farm. He also worked for LaFave Electric in Onida. After moving to Pierre, he worked at Century Manufacturing and Walmart in maintenance for more than 25 years. Survivors include his son Eric (Sarah) Serbousek; five siblings, Mary (Rich) Pease of Pierre, Lawrence (Tammy) Serbousek of Denver, Bob (Margie) Serbousek of Gastonia, N.C., Janette (Keith) Byer of Pierre, and Colleen (Craig) Sandal of Flower Mount, Tenn., and a brother-in-law, John Faz of Lincoln, Neb. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Ardeth Serbousek, and his sister, Pamela Faz.

Joseph Serbousek, 6, died July 21 at Farm Island in an accidental drowning while trying to save his grandfather who had suffered a heart attack and fallen into the water. Services were held July 28 at First United Methodist Church. Joseph was the son of Eric and Sarah (Sullivan) Serbousek. He is also survived by his sister, Karleen, and his grandparents, Linda Sullivan of Vivian, Marianne Heib of Sioux Falls, Charles Sullivan of Pierre, and Jay and Beaula Tjeerdsma of Springfield.

Carter Jockheck, son of Pierre natives Tony and Joie (Schuetzle) Jockheck, receives the Spirit of Canfield award at Canfield Middle School in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, at the end of the spring semester. The award is presented to a student who exemplifies leadership and character qualities expected and encouraged in the school. Carter will begin high school this fall.

Nick Burke was married to Jantina Donaldson in Sioux Falls on July 17.

Janice Farnham, 82, died March 21 at Longview, Wash. Services were held July 23 at the George Boom Funeral Home in Sioux Falls. She is survived by two sons, five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, two brothers and two sisters, including Donna Runge of Fort Pierre.

The South Dakota United Dynamo U15 soccer team went 3-0 in pool play, then defeated a Pittsburgh team, 4-1, in the national championship game in Commerce City, Colo. They outscored their opponents 15-4 in their games there. Pierre was represented on the team by Brianna Sargent, Ryan Barry, Ireland Templeton, Gracelyn Taylor and Coach Matt DeBoer.

At the eighth annual Kiwanis/Delta Dental golf tournament, 21 teams competed. Cone Ag placed first with its players Cody Stoeser, Kyle Hollingsworth, Josh Schwartzkopf and Derek McTighe. They carded a 17-under-par 55 score.

Julie (Nelson) Sutton, 88, Onida, died July 21. A celebration of her life took place July 26 at the Sully Buttes High School gymnasium. The daughter of Wayne and Sady Nelson grew up in various places while her dad served in the U.S. Navy. AFter the war, the family returned to South Dakota to begin a farming/ranching operation with his family. Julie married Jim Sutton in June 1953. They lived first in Brookings while Jim attended South Dakota State College. Faced with a choice of a basketball career with the Minneapolis Lakers and a rodeo career, they chose to return to Sully County to be close to their families. In 1969 they moved into Onida to live on the Nelson farm at the edge of town. Julie was active in the Sutton rodeo business, their ranching operation, their Quarter Horse business while raising their family. Julie is survived by her husband of 68 years, Jim Sutton; her son, Steve (Kim) Sutton; her daughter Tanya (Todd) Yackley; six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Among those who preceded her in death were her parents, Jim’s parents and her daughter, Teri.

Katherine (Van Gerpen) Cedeno-Torres has taken a new job as nursing supervisor at the Avera Women’s Specialty Clinic. She had been working at Avera Orthopedics. Kat and her husband, Will, live in Sioux Falls.

Two Pierre natives teamed up to win the championship of the 2021 Red Rock Member/Guest Championship at the Golf Club at Red Rock in Rapid City. Club member Chris Stout of Rapid City and his guest teammate, Eric Sibson of the Colorado Springs area, won the title. Both grew up playing their golf at Hillsview Golf Course in Pierre.

Matt and Taryn (Wolf) Blaseg, who live in Memphis, Tenn., where Matt is completing optometry school, revealed on Facebook that the baby they are expecting will be a daughter.

Placerville Camp in the Black Hills will celebrate its 101st birthday over Labor Day weekend Sept. 3-5 since they had to cancel last year due to the pandemic. Families and camp friends are invited for all or part of that holiday weekend. For information on costs, arrangements, etc., go to the Placerville Camp page on Facebook or contact camp director Kerry Steever at uccplace@hotmail.com.

The spring semester Honors List at Dakota State University in Madison included these local students: Felicia Alspach, Danielle Anderson, Evan Becker, Bridgette Fanger, Joshua Goeden, Brett Goodwin, Morgan Metzinger, Carson McClelland, Jose Magana, Angela Hupf, Blaine Humann, Stephanie Riggle, Nicole Sarringar.

Peyton Zabel, who spent the past two years on the baseball team at Iowa Western Community College, was named to the NJCAA All-Academic first team with a 4.0 grade-point average. Peyton will continue his education beginning this fall at Louisiana-Lafayette where he will also play baseball.

Raymond Rathbun, 91, died July 23. Services were held July 29 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Fort Pierre. He was the eighth of nine children of the late Elzie and Agnes Rathbun and attended Fort Pierre High School. He served with the Marine Corps during the Korean War. Raymond married Abbie Soesbe, and they were together for nearly 65 years. Raymond worked for an airline and ran a Standard gas station in Fort Pierre before going to work for more than three decades with the state Department of Transportation. He is survived by his wife, Abbie; four children, Brad (Mindy) Rathbun, Carla (Tom Winter) Bruning, Carl (Lorri) Rathbun and Anne Rathbun; 13 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. Among those who preceded him in death were his parents, eight siblings and a grandchild.

A celebration of the life of Bob Nystrom, who passed away in April 2020, was held July 26 at Redrossa Italian Grille in Pierre.

These local students graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University at spring commencement:
— Bradley Dean, B.S. business administration.
— Kathryn Hardwick, B.S. biochemistry.
— Paige Miller, B.S. nursing LPN, cum laude.
— Elena Svingen, B.S. nursing, summa cum laude.

USD student-athletes who earned recognition on the Summit League Academic Honor Roll for the past school year included senior Chloe Lamb of women’s basketball; freshman Max Burchill of men’s basketball; and sophomore Emily Mikkelsen, junior Joana Zanin and freshman Janaina Zanin, all of the women’s soccer team.

Jim Russell, who served as CEO and administrator of St. Mary’s Hospital from 1978 to 2006, died July 22 at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls. His funeral was held July 30 at Faith Lutheran Church. He grew up in Madison, Wis., and earned degrees at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Iowa. After serving in the Army in 1957-58 in Korea, Jim went to Eau Claire, Wis., where he worked on the administration staff at Luther Hospital from 1960 to 1978, then came to St. Mary’s in Pierre. During his years in Pierre Jim served on numerous community organizations, committees and projects. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Charlotte Russell; his son, Douglas (Carolyn) Russell of Laramie, Wyo.; his sister, Mary (Bill) Hull of Columbus, Ohio; his stepson, Michael of Bakersville, N.C.; six step-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren. He was preceded by his first wife, Judith; his parents, and a brother, Roger.

Riggs High alumnus and Pierre native Calvin Jones will present “An Evening of World-Class Piano” at the Riggs theater at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18. Short Grass Arts Council is sponsoring the event. Tickets will cost $20. For information go to www.shortgrassarts.com.

The spring semester Dean’s List at South Dakota State University included these local students: Clay Feller, JD Carter, Marinda Archer, Cade Currier, Audrey Johnson, Grant Johnson, Veronica Kinkler, Shalie Weinheimer, Samuel Adams, Clayton Alban, Clayu Ambach, Kaylee Becker, Marshall Brown, Marlee Dravland, Addison Eisenbeisz, Daniel Ellenbecker, Meg Erwin, Adam Forman, Halie Gronlund, Adam Goeden, Anne Haberman, Jonathon Herman, Ruth Howard, Alyssa Iedema, Allison Johnson, Jennifer Jones, William Kessler, Kyla Keyes, Abbigail Kitts, Joel Lancaster, Olivia Larson, Sawyer Lee, Jordan Lutmer, Nicholas Mahowald, Alexis Morris, Tate Mueller, Stephanie Nelson, Ty Paulsen, Reece Poppen, Sarah Rinehart, Madelyn Reinke, Selah Rilling, Joshua Rounds, Matthew Rounds, Brett Samuelson, Timica Schuetzle, Kailee Schultz, Ariana Schumacher, Hattie Shaffer, Addy Smith, James Speck, Erika Stout, Moina Syed, Jordan Thompson, Kylee Thorpe, Kenzie Trujillo, Emily Urban, Shay Van Den Hemel, Ryan Warne, Deni Zeeb.

The summer-long South Dakota Golf Association Junior Tour ended with the championship round at Brandon, and Pierre Governor golfers sparkled on the course there. Nick Bothum and Sawyer Sonnenschein finished first and second in the 14-15 age division with only one stroke separating them. Bothum had a 77-77=154 12-over-par scorecard, and Sonnenschein carded a 155. Luke Olson placed eighth, Jack Bartlett 17th and Lincoln Houska 19th.

The dates of the next Blunt High School all-school reunion are June 24-25 next summer. For further information contact reunion chairman Carol (Marshall) Crain in Blunt.

The Houdek band based in Pierre (Patrick Baker, Jen Baker, Jack Baker, Tom Valentine, Molly Valentine, Patrick Valentine) will perform at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, at Levitt Sioux Falls as the opener before Shayna Steele. Houdek will also perform Saturday, Aug. 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Last Stop CD Shop in Sioux Falls.

These local students earned recognition on the spring semester Dean’s List at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology: Kara Huse, Kole Pickner, Erick Colman, Caleb Ehrisman, Tanner Farnsworth, Nicholas Gregg, Shelby Guthrie, Aaron Hoelscher, Chloe Jungwirth, Dillon Muntefering, Matthew Pugh, Samuel Ryckman.

A celebration of the life of Pam (Backous) Steece is being held at 10 a.m. this (Thursday) morning at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Pierre. Pam passed away in Mount Juliet, Tenn., June 28 at the age of 70. She attended elementary school in Aberdeen and Edison Junior High and O’Gorman High School in Sioux Falls. She married Rick Steece in 1972 and graduated from SDSU in 1974. The Steeces lived in Brookings, Minneapolis, Albuquerque and Minneapolis again before moving to Pierre in 1993. She worked as a pre-school teacher at St. Joseph Elementary School. Rick and Pam moved to Mount Juliet, Tenn., in 2014. She is survived by her husband; two sons, Luke (Jennifer) Steece of Long Beach, Calif., and Tim (Rachel) Steece of Minneapolis; grandchildren Dylan, Taylor and Jack Steece and Jude Steece; two sisters, Mary Bandimere and Linda Foster of Minneapolis, and three brothers, Father Tim Backous of Collegeville, Minn., Randy Backous of Minneapolis and Brad Backous of Kansas City. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Mark, and an infant daughter Molly.

Parker and Maddy (Keeler) McKittrick of Fargo are the parents of a son, Ellis Ray McKittrick. He was born July 28, weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and mesuring 21 inches.

Sports director Jon Winkler of KCCR Radio had a story last week on the extraordinarily large number of new coaches joining the staff of Riggs High athletics for the coming school year. New head coaches for their respective sports include Megan Bauck in girls tennis, Emily Williamson in boys tennis, Matt Thorson in girls wrestling, Brianna Kusler in boys basketball, Tiffany Stoeser in volleyball, Kiera Swenson in girls soccer and Manuel Manriquez in boys soccer.

Former Pierre resident Dyann Miller of Sioux Falls passed away at the age of 68 on July 30 at Avera McKennan Hospital. A memorial service was held Aug. 4 at George Boom Funeral Home there. Dyann’s husband, Craig Miller, passed away in July 2020. She is survived by her daughters, Jenny (Tyson) Goehring of Bennington, Neb., and Andrea (Adam) Baker of Sioux Falls; four grandchildren, and two brothers, Jay (Elizabeth) Vogt of Pierre and Jon (Lisa) Vogt of Erie, Colo.

The spring semester Dean’s List at Northern State University included these area students: Witnie Weinheimer, Jocelyn Gray, Reid Wieczorek, Jacob Howard, Foster Berry, Ashley Even, Carly Handcock, Judah McKinley, Abigail Miller, Spencer Sarringar, Hailey Switzer, Tori Thorpe.

Darin and Leah Ries of Pierre are the parents of a daughter, Finley Magdalene, who was born July 26. She joins a brother, Deacon, and a sister, Ainsley, in the Ries family.

Pierre native Leesa Johnson was married to Jack Carpenter on July 31 on a picture-perfect summer day in Spearfish Canyon. They live in Denver where Leesa is a registered nurse at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Legion baseball player Jack Van Camp, who will be beginning his second year of college, has signed to attend Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge and play baseball there this coming school year.

Pierre Players has scheduled auditions for its fall show, “A Little Piece of Heaven,” at the Grand Opera House at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16. There are roles for seven men, eight women and one character that could be either male or female. To get questions answered, contact director Kathy Riedy.

Mike Fanger, 63, Blunt, died July 28. His funeral took place Aug. 4 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blunt. The son of Joe Fanger and the late Shirley (Joachim) Fanger graduated from Sully Buttes High School in 1976, then continued to work on the family farm and ranch. He is survived by his father; two brothers, Dan (Alice) Fanger and Ken Fanger; a sister, Crystal (Kent) Kinkler, and seven nephews and nieces.

A Pierre institution, the Donut Shop at the north end of Euclid Avenue, has closed temporarily again, due to staffing shortages. We can’t let the Donut Shop go out of existence! Job application forms are available just south of the Donut Shop at All-Around Graphix.

Down in Kansas, Jordan Holsteen and Brianna Powell have become parents. Their son, Beau Timothy Holsteen, was born July 30, weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and measuring 21 inches. Beau’s paternal grandparents are Pierre natives Chad and Marcie (Fuhrer) Holsteen of Wichita.

Matt McCarty, son of Bob and Lynette McCarty of Pierre, has been promoted to the rank of corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. Matt is currently stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Graveside services for Mavis (Bren) Olson, 80, Chula Vista, Calif., who passed away in October of 2019, were held July 30 at Riverside Cemetery in Pierre where her parents are buried. She was the first of 10 children of the late Adolph and Loveda Bren. Mavis graduated from Stanley County High School in 1957. She and her husband, Lenny, moved to southern California in the late 1960s. Survivors include two sons, Ron and Bryan Olson; a brother, Gary Bren, and sisters Pam Dockter and Joyce Leafgreen.

PONDER THIS

“Every square inch of life seems polluted now. Nothing about this place feels untouched by the ugliness.

” And the question becomes: How do we transform this near paralyzing sense of sadness into something redemptive?

“As with all grief, eventually there must be movement. When there is profound loss of any kind, the only real path is forward. To craft something beautiful and meaningful and life-affirming in response to what has been taken away, you learn to walk again, even if it is with a limp. You begin the painful, laborious act of living in direct opposition to grief.

” It is the same in these days for those of us who feel cheated out of a kinder, more diverse, more decent America than the one we now have. Individually and collectively we will have to be the daily, bold, defiant pushback against all that feels wrong here.

“This pushback will come in the small things, in the art we create and the conversations we have and the quiet gestures of compassion that are barely visible.

“It will come in the way we fully celebrate daily life, having dinner with friends, driving through the countryside, playing in the yard with our children, laughing at a movie we love.

“It will come as we loudly and unapologetically speak truth where truth is welcome.

“It will come as we connect with one another on social media and in faith communities and in our neighborhoods, and as we work together to demand accountability from our elected officials and our neighbors.

“It will come as we use the shared resources of our experiences and our talents and our numbers to ensure that our children inherit a world worth being here for.

“It will come as we transform our grief into goodness.

“Yes, friends, there is a good deal to grieve in these days, and there will be more ahead, but there is even more worth fighting for. So yes, grieve, but then move. Be fueled by your sadness, strengthened by your anger, fortified by your discontent, and do something in these days that moves the needle toward beauty and justice.

“And find a way to keep moving forward, even if it is with a limp.”
— John Pavlovitz