Vol. 22, No. 11; Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021

Nov 11, 2021 | Parker's Midweek Update | 0 comments

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“The soldier above all others prays for peace for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
— Gen. Douglas MacArthur

FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

All games televised live on South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
Thursday, 10 a.m.: 9B, Dell Rapids St. Mary vs. Potter County.
Thursday, 1 p.m.: 9A, Herreid-Selby Area vs. Howard.
Thursday, 7:30 p.m.: 9AA, Platte-Geddes vs. Canistota-Freeman.
Friday, 11 a.m.: 11B, Winner vs. Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan.
Friday, 2 p.m.: 11A, Milbank vs. Madison.
Friday, 7:30 p.m.: 11AA, Pierre vs. Tea Area.
Saturday, 7:30 p.m.: 11AAA, Harrisburg vs. Brandon Valley.

VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS

CLASS AA
The top 16 teams in the final standings set up the SoDak 16 matchups to be played tonight (Thursday) with the eight winners advancing to the state tournament next week in Rapid City. These are tonight’s pairings:
— State tournament game 1: #16 Sturgis at #1 S.F. Washington and #9 S.F. Jefferson at #8 Huron.
— State tournament game 2: #13 R.C. Stevens at #4 Brandon Valley and #12 Yankton at #5 Pierre.
— State tournament game 3: #15 Brookings at #2 S.F. O’Gorman and #10 Aberdeen Central at #7 S.F. Lincoln.
— State tournament game 4: #14 Watertown at #3 S.F. Roosevelt and #11 Mitchell at #6 Harrisburg.

CLASS A
State tournament quarterfinals next Thursday:
#1 Sioux Falls Christian vs. #8 Parkston
#4 Wagner vs. #5 Hill City
#2 Garretson vs. #7 Elkton-Lake Benton
#3 Dakota Valley vs. #6 Hamlin

CLASS B
State tournament quarterfinals next Thursday:
#1 Platte-Geddes vs. #8 Burke
#4 Chester Area vs. #5 Colman-Egan
#2 Warner vs. #7 Aberdeen Christian
#3 Arlington vs. #6 Faulkton Area

COUNTDOWN

7 days: State volleyball tournaments, Rapid City (Nov. 18-20).
12 days: Capitol Christmas trees lighting ceremony (Nov. 23).
14 days: Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25).
15 days: Oahe Capitals boys hockey league opener, Mitchell (Nov. 26).
15 days: Oahe Capitals girls hockey home openers (Nov. 26-28).
19 days: South Dakota Gives Day (Nov. 30).
21 days: Pierre gymnastics opener, Huron (Dec. 2).
21 days: “Annie” live, NBC-TV (Dec. 2).
22 days: Pierre wrestling opener, Mandan (Dec. 3-4).
22 days: State oral interpretation festival, Huron (Dec. 3-4).
22 days: “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” events, Onida (Dec. 3).
29 days: Pierre boys basketball opener, Rapid City Stevens (Dec. 10).
29 days: Pierre girls basketball home opener (Dec. 10).
32 days: Riggs High band/choir concert (Dec. 13).

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Volleyball: home vs. Yankton in SoDak 16 game, 6 p.m.
— FRIDAY
Football: vs. Tea Area at state 11AA championship game, Vermillion, 7:30 p.m.

Football: The drive for five is still alive! Pierre edged Aberdeen Central, 28-21, in a thrilling Class 11AA semifinal game at Hollister Field Friday, keeping alive the Governor program’s attempt to win a fifth straight state championship. The expected opponent, unbeaten Tea Area, the defending champion in Class 11A but now an 11AA school, was taken to the very last play of the game by Yankton before escaping, so this Friday’s title tilt in the DakotaDome may be anybody’s ballgame.

The Governors were tested by seventh-seed Aberdeen and never held a lead until 5:01 remained in the game when Pierre finally went ahead 28-21. To begin the game, the Golden Eagles made a strong drive but faced a fourth-and-10 at the Pierre 21. After taking two timeouts to discuss their play, the Eagles scored on a 21-yard touchdown pass, completing a drive that took more than half of the first quarter. Pierre’s first possession featured a key third-and-10 pass completion from Lincoln Kienholz to Jett Zabel down to the Aberdeen 23-yard line. Soon thereafter Trey Lewis scored from five yards out at the 2:17 mark of the first period, tying the game at 7-7.

Following an Aberdeen punt, Pierre drove determinedly down the field. Among the ke plays were a 13-yard gain by Kienholz on third-and-10 and a 21-yard scamper by Lewis down to the 11. But the push to take the lead failed the Governors when a fumble was lost at the 4-yard line. Facing a 96-yard drive going the other way, the Eagles accomplished it, ending with a 55-yard touchdown run to take a 14-7 lead with 6:12 left in the second.

On Pierre’s next possession the Eagles intercepted a Kienholz pass and faced only a 52-yard field. On third-and-8 from the 34 they scored on a touchdown pass at the 3:20 mark, and Aberdeen had a stunning 21-7 lead. Moving from their own 42 with time a factor, Pierre got another 5-yard touchdown run by Lewis with 1:27 left in the half, and the Govs were back within 21-14.

Pierre opened the second half with a 19-play, 83-yard drive that included an 11-yard Kienholz run on a risky fourth-and-1 from the Govs’ own 26-yard line. Two 13-yard passes from Kienholz to Jack Merkwan, a 17-yard Lewis run and an Eagle facemask violation put the Govs at the 8-yard line. From there Jayden Wiebe scored, and the score was tied at 21-21 with 8:50 left in the third.

On Aberdeen’s subsequent possession Jacob Mayer intercepted a pass to temporarily stymie the Golden Eagles. But Pierre’s offense went three and out, and Aberdeen began another march toward taking the lead back. They reached the 8-yard line and had a third-and-4 situation when Chase Carda scored a key sack, forcing Aberdeen into a fourth-and-16 from 19 yards out. They threw into the end zone, but Mayer intercepted, turning Aberdeen away without scoring.

With 8:40 left in a tied game, Pierre faced an 80-yard drive, and they did it in 10 plays. It started with Lewis running for 16 yards and later runs of 32 and nine yards. From first-and-goal at the 9, Kienholz gained five yards, and from there Lewis went in from four yards away, and Pierre had its first lead of the game with 5:01 remaining. The final five minutes were hair-raising.

Aberdeen needed a measurement to gain a first down to keep its desperation drive moving. Two incompletions set up a fourth-and-18 from their own 42 with 2:35 left, and Zabel disrupted the pass play. Pierre took over on downs and advanced the ball to the Eagles’ 29-yard line in the final minute. The Governors came up a yard short on a fourth-and-7 pass, giving Aberdeen one final possession. A 12-yard run, a spike, a 15-yard run, another spike, and with 16 seconds left, the Eagles were at the 50-yard line, needing a Hail Mary or two to tie the game. Zabel put an end to that with a sack, and time expired.

Lewis finished the game with 97 yards on the ground in 16 carries. Kienholz ran 15 times for 83 yards and passed for 124 yards, completing 12 of 20 passes. Aberdeen outgained Pierre 392-317 in total offense.

Football: Five members of the Governors team were named to the ESD Conference’s all-conference team—quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, wide receiver Jack Merkwan, offensive lineman Christian Busch, defensive back Jacob Mayer and defensive lineman Jaden Flor.

WORDS OF WISDOM

“I am not afraid of lions led by a sheep. I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”
— Alexander the Great

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

South Dakota men’s basketball: The Coyotes dominated Simpson College (Iowa), 98-47. Max was 2-of-4 for four points with two rebounds and a steal. USD plays Air Force at the Sanford Pentagon at 1:30 p.m. this (Thursday) afternoon on Midco Sports, then goes to Drake Sunday.

South Dakota women’s basketball (Chloe Lamb): The Coyote women lost their season opener at home Tuesday to Oklahoma, 73-71. USD fought back from second-half nine-point deficits and tied the game at 71-71 on a three-pointer with 13 seconds left, but the Sooners scored with five seconds left to win. The Coyotes hit on only six of 19 three-point attempts and made only 13 of 22 free throws. Chloe was 7-of-16 in field goals (2-of-7 in threes) and 2-of-2 in free throws for 18 points with three rebounds and a steal. USD plays the nation’s #1 team, South Carolina, Friday night at the Sanford Pentagon, and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNews. USD then plays at Drake Monday.

Dakota State volleyball (Nicole Sarringar): The Trojans defeated Waldorf, 3-1, as Nicole had a kill, 15 assists and two digs. The other game on their eastern trip was a 3-1 loss at Viterbo as Nicole had 18 assists and six digs. Now 20-7 at the end of the regular season, DSU plays Presentation at 10 a.m. Friday in the quarterfinal round of the NSAA tournament at Watertown. The winner of that match faces Bellevue in the semifinals.

Dakota State football (Collin Brueggeman, Nathan Cook): The Trojans lost to Valley City State, 33-7. Now 5-4, DSU plays at Presentation Saturday.

South Dakota football: The Coyotes scored a must-win victory at Western Illinois, 42-21. Now 4-2 and 6-3 in the playoff hunt, USD faces two huge hurdles to finish the regular season—SDSU at home Saturday at 1 p.m. on Midco Sports and NDSU on the road the following weekend.

Dakota Wesleyan cross country (Morgan Oedekoven): The DWU women finished 11th of 12 teams in the GPAC conference meet, and the men were ninth. Morgan was DWU’s best in the women’s race, placing 54th in 22:25.18.

North Dakota State football (Grey Zabel): The Bison lost for the first time this season, 27-19, at South Dakota State. Now 8-1, NDSU goes east to Youngstown State Saturday.

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Nick Wittler): The Tigers lost in overtime to Valley City State, 88-86, as Nick was 0-for-2 in field-goal shots and had two rebounds in 14 minutes of play. DWU also lost its other game at the Sanford Pentagon to Presentation, 64-55. Nick played 24 minutes and was 5-of-11 (3-of-9 in threes) for 13 points with two rebounds and an assist. Now 2-2, DWU plays at Morningside Saturday and at Jamestown next Wednesday.

St. Joseph’s (Pa.) men’s soccer (John Axtman): The Hawks’ season ended in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament when Duquesne scored twice in the closing minutes to win by 2-1. St. Joe’s finishes the season at 8-9-1.

Northwestern (Iowa) football (Morris Hofer): The Red Raiders lost the GPAC conference title to Morningside, 55-49. tt was the first loss of the season for Northwestern, which plays at Briar Cliff at 1 p.m. Saturday in the regular-season finale.

Dakota Wesleyan football (Josh Rowse): The Tigers defeated Jamestown, 31-25, and are now 4-6. This Saturday they host #1 Morningside.

Northern State football (Joe King, Jacob Howard): The Wolves scored a touchdown with 1:41 left to crawl to within two points but missed the two-point conversion try which would have tied the game. Bemidji State thus won by 36-34. Joe had two receptions, one for 37 yards and one for 23 yards. Now 7-3, NSU plays at Minnesota-Duluth Saturday.

Augustana football (Jett Lamb, Colton Hartford): The Vikings were humbled at Minnesota-Duluth, 41-15. Now 8-2, Augie ends the regular season at home at 1 p.m. Saturday vs. Southwest Minnesota State.

South Dakota volleyball (Brooklyn Bollweg): The Coyotes swept an eastern road trip, winning 3-0 at Western Illinois and 3-1 at St. Thomas. Now 15-8 overall and 12-2 in the Summit, USD is home Thursday vs. Denver and Sunday vs. Omaha. Both games will be live on Midco Sports.

Morningside bowling (Alex Badger): The Mustangs placed fourth of 10 teams Saturday and second of 10 teams Sunday at Hastings College’s invitational. The Morningside website continues to not list individual bowling scores. Morningside bowls Saturday and Sunday at Western Illinois’ tournament.

Black Hills State football (Josh Breske): The Yellowjackets lost at Colorado Mesa, 52-9. Now 4-6, BHSU ends the regular season at home at 1 p.m. Saturday against Chadron State.

South Dakota women’s soccer (Joana Zanin, Janaina Zanin): USD tied top-seeded Denver, 1-1, after two overtimes but lost 4-2 on penalty kicks in the semifinals of the Summit League tournament. The season ended with a 10-4-4 record. Joana scored on her penalty kick.

South Dakota State football (Regan Bollweg): The Jackrabbits led unbeaten NDSU, 27-7, at one point, and held on to beat the Bison, 27-19. It was the fourth time in six years that SDSU had beaten NDSU. Now 4-2 in the Valley and 6-3 overall, SDSU plays at USD at 1 p.m. Saturday on Midco Sports.

Mount Marty men’s basketball (Lincoln Jordre): The Lancers lost twice at the Sanford Pentagon last weekend. In a 77-50 loss to Presentation Lincoln was 0-for-2 in field-goal shots and had one block. In a 69-67 loss to Valley City State, he was 5-of-10 (0-for-1 in three-point tries) and 2-of-2 in free throws for 12 points with six rebounds and a block. Now 3-3, MMC plays at Doane Saturday, then hosts Briar Cliff next Wednesday, both in GPAC play.

South Dakota State swimming (Morgan Nelson): The SDSU women lost two duals to USD, 124.5-98.5 and 121-102. Morgan swam on the 200 medley relay “B” team, placing 14th in 1:54.36. She placed 22nd in the 100 individual medley in 1:05.93 and 10th in the 200-meter breast stroke event in 2:33.83. SDSU swims a Summit League dual at Omaha Saturday.

Augustana women’s basketball (Katie Bourk): Katie’s ninth season as an assistant for the Augie women begins Monday when the Vikings play Peru State.

Dakota Wesleyan wrestling (Tyson Johnson): The Tigers opened their season at the Jamestown Open, but the DWU athletic website listed only two wrestlers’ individual results. DWU hosts its DWU Open this Saturday.

Mary wrestling (Lincoln Turman): The Marauders opened their season at Concordia’s Cobber Open, but the school website lists no individual results. Mary wrestles Saturday at the Bison Open in Fargo.

South Dakota State women’s basketball: After a 71-46 exhibition win over Concordia-St. Paul, the Jackrabbit women opened their official season at home Tuesday with a 70-49 win over Green Bay. Now 1-0, the Jacks will see the opposition get much tougher immediately when they play at perennial national power Mississippi State Friday and at Iowa State Monday.

South Dakota State men’s basketball: The Jacks opened their season with a home win over Bradley of the Missouri Valley Conference, 81-65, hitting nine three-pointers in the first half and sinking 28 of 29 free throws. Now 1-0, SDSU plays at Alabama Friday, at Stephen F. Austin Sunday and at home vs. Montana State next Wednesday.

Missouri Valley Football Conference roundup:
Conference standings: NDSU 5-1, Missouri State 5-2, USD 4-2, SDSU 4-2, Southern Illinois 4-2, Northern Iowa 3-3, Indiana State 2-4, Illinois State 2-4, UND 2-4, Western Illinois 2-5, Youngstown State 1-5.
Overall records: NDSU 8-1, USD 6-3, SDSU 6-3, Southern Illinois 6-3, Missouri State 6-3, Northern Iowa 5-4, UND 4-5, Illinois State 4-5, Indiana State 3-5,
Youngstown State 2-6, Western Illinois 2-8.
Last week’s scores:
SDSU 27, NDSU 19
USD 42, Western Illinois 21
UND 24, Youngstown State 21
Illinois State 17, Northern Iowa 10 (OT)
Missouri State 38, Southern Illinois 28
This week’s games:
SDSU at USD, 1 p.m.
NDSU at Youngstown State, 11 a.m.
Southern Illinois at Indiana State, noon.
Northern Iowa at Missouri State, 2 p.m.
Illinois State at UND, 2 p.m.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Are we still making his kind? I believe the answer to that question is up to us. To honor his legacy, I hope we do more than consign him to the history books. I hope we recommit ourselves to being a nation where we are still making his kind.”
— MIchael Powell, eulogizing his father, Gen. Colin Powell.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Oahe Capitals boys varsity: The Caps stand at 5-2-1 in preseason games, according to KCCR Sports. The Oahe Hockey website shows no information or schedule of preseason games. Last weekend Oahe went 3-0 in beating Aberdeen by 4-1 and 4-0 scores and beating Mitchell 8-0. In the shutout win over Aberdeen, Carter Schulz in goal made 19 saves. Against Mitchell Colin Lee was perfect in the nets, making 19 saves. Carter Sanderson had a hat trick on offense. The Capitals’ SDAHA league opener is at Mitchell Nov. 26. The first home league openers don’t happen until Dec. 18-19.

Oahe Capitals girls varsity: The Capital girls went 3-0-1 over the weekend in a tournament, beating Brookings 2-1, beating Ninja 2-0, tying Sioux Center 2-2 and winning the title game over Aberdeen 2-1. The SDAHA regular season for the girls begins at home against Huron Nov. 26.

Badlands Sabres (Mason Martin): The Sabres swept Butte in a weekend series, 4-2 and 6-2. The Rapid City-based Sabres are now 6-7-1-0 and in fifth place among the eight teams in their division with 13 points. The Sabres play at Sheridan Friday and Saturday.

Rapid City Rush: The Rush lost twice at Utah, 5-2 and 4-3. The team was home against Idaho last night and stays at home against the same team Friday and Saturday.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings split with Minot, winning 5-3 and losing 4-3. Now 8-8, Aberdeen goes to Bismarck Friday and hosts Bismarck Saturday.

Sioux Falls Stampede: Sioux Falls lost to Lincoln, 5-2, and lost to Waterloo, 3-0. Now 4-7-0, the Stampede plays at Omaha Friday and hosts Omaha Saturday.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild won in Pittsburgh, 5-4, in a shootout and defeated the New York Islanders, 5-2. Hosting Arizona last night, Minnesota goes to Las Vegas Thursday and to Seattle Saturday, then is home vs. San Jose Tuesday.

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons tied Los Angeles, 3-3, in the last regular-season match and in the process earned a playoff spot. Minnesota as the #5 seed will play at #4 Portland in the opening playoff round Nov. 20. The team ended the regular season with a record of 13-11-10, tied for fifth in the Western Conference.

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): AT the TimberTech Championships Tom placed 46th with a 13-over 75-79-75=229, earning 15,600 Schwab Cup points. On the schedule this weekend is the Charles Schwab Cup championship in Phoenix.

DAY BY DAY

Friday
A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.
— Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Saturday
There’s no such thing as the “new normal.” There is only constant change. It’s time to adjust our expectations and language.
— Bruce Feiler

Sunday
We are not all in the same boat. We are in the same storm. Some have yachts, some have canoes, and some are drowning. Just be kind and help whomever you can.

Monday
Science is difficult. Conspiracy theories are easy.
Governing is difficult. Avoidance is easy.
Working together is difficult. Being mad all the time is easy.

Tuesday
The arts lift our eyes above the fray and heal the fractures of our heart, reminding us that our differences are precious and our similarities infinite.
— Dr. Jill Biden

Wednesday
Some people need to be told they are worthy and that they are loved, not because no one told them before but because someone told them they weren’t.
— ContemplativeMonk.com

Thursday
On this Veterans Day let us remember the service of our veterans and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free.
— Dan Lipinski

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves lost to the Clippers, 104-84, and lost in overtime to Memphis, 125-118. After hosting Golden State last night, the Wolves go to Los Angeles to play the Lakers and the Clippers Friday and Saturday, then will be home vs. Phoenix Monday and Sacramento Wednesday.

Sioux Falls Skyforce: The Force lost to Iowa twice, 115-100 and 128-125. Sioux Falls hosts Grand Rapids Thursday and Saturday.

BONUS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Even as we contemplate the magnitude of our loss, we can almost hear a familiar voice asking us—no, commanding us—to stop feeling sad and to turn our gaze once again from the past to the future and to get on with the nation’s business.”
— Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, eulogizing Gen. Colin Powell

FOOTBALL UPDATE

NFL games on local TV this weekend (subject to change by the networks):
— Thursday: Baltimore at Miami, 7:20 p.m., Fox and NFL Network.
— Sunday: Cleveland at New England, noon, CBS.
— Sunday: Minnesota at Los Angeles Chargers, 3:05 p.m., Fox.
— Sunday: Seattle at Green Bay, 3:30 p.m., CBS.
— Sunday: Kansas City at Las Vegas, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
— Monday: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco, 7:15 p.m., ESPN.

Minnesota Vikings: In the closing seconds of an overtime period,. the Vikings lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 34-31. Minnesota plays at the Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday at 3:05 p.m.

MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK LIVE GAMES

Thursday: Men’s basketball, USD vs. Air Force, 1:30 p.m.
Thursday: College volleyball, Denver at USD, 6 p.m.
Saturday: College football, SDSU at USD, 1 p.m.
Saturday: College football, Illinois State at UND, 2 p.m. (MS2)
Saturday: College volleyball, NDSU at UND, 7 p.m.
Sunday: College volleyball, Omaha at USD, 3 p.m.
Monday: Men’s basketball, Montana at UND, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Men’s basketball, Montana State at SDSU, 7 p.m.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

  • We don’t need to pay any attention to the Wisconsin men’s team this season after all. Matthew Mors, freshman from Yankton who was a star for five years in South Dakota high school basketball, will redshirt this freshman year with the Badgers.
  • If I were in the Brookings area tonight (Thursday), I’d be at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex where the Pride of the Dakotas marching band will perform its annual indoor concert at 7:30 p.m. And it’s free except for a free-will offering.
  • The All-State Chorus/Orchestra concert that took place in Rapid City two weeks ago will be rebroadcast on South Dakota Public Broadcasting at 2 p.m. CST on Thanksgiving Day.
  • The Summit League beat the Big 10 this week when the Western Illinois men came out to Lincoln and beat the Huskers in basketball, 75-74. It should be an interesting winter in the Summit on both the men’s and women’s sides.

FOOTBALL CONTEST #13

Last week Levi Neuharth survived a rash of surprising results to post a 7-3 record for 10 points. At 6-4 for nine points each were Kyle Richards, Randy Pool, David Ludwig and Jason Noyes. At 5-5 for eight points apiece were Eric Lusk, Jon Boer and Nathan Vetter.

This week’s games (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Saturday morning):
(1) SDSU at USD
(2) Michigan at Penn State
(3) Purdue at Ohio State
(4) Notre Dame at Virginia
(5) Texas A&M at Mississippi
(6) TCU at Oklahoma State
(7) Minnesota at Iowa
(8) Oklahoma at Baylor
(9) NFL: Minnesota at Los Angeles Chargers
(10) NFL: Cleveland at New England

CORONAVIRUS ROUNDUP

At the Pierre school board meeting Monday night Dr. Kelly Glodt, superintendent, reported the number of active COVID-19 cases in the district had risen in the past week to 36 active cases among students and five among staff. Eighteen of the 36 student cases are at Kennedy Elementary, seven at the middle school and eight at Riggs High. He reminded all parents and students in the district to continue to monitor closely for symptoms and to keep students home if they are sick. He said the home tests provided by the district have been instrumental in detecting COVID cases.

In South Dakota the number of new infections reported between Friday noon and Monday noon was a whopping 871. Yesterday’s report showed 555 new cases since the previous day’s report. Seven additional deaths since Tuesday raised the state’s toll among people with COVID-19 to 2,277. As of yesterday there were 6,290 active cases in the state.

Other developments in the past week:

  • The O’Gorman school board in Sioux Falls filed a lawsuit against OSHA over its vaccination mandate.
  • South Dakota via the attorney general is using more of your money to join 10 other states to file suit against the Biden administration, challenging a new vaccination requirement for all workers in companies with more than 100 employees.
  • Nearly 98% of the over-65 population in the United States have received at least one vaccination against COVID-19, and more than 25% have already gotten their booster shots. Meanwhile, in Canada 85% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated. In South Dakota, however, only 58.57% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated, and that figure continues to rise but very slowly.
  • South Dakota dipped to only eight COVID-related deaths in July, but the total went up to 26 in August, 76 in September and 93 in October.
  • The Mitchell school board Monday night repealed the mask mandate that has been in effect since the beginning of the school year. Masks are still recommended but not required.
  • In Pennsylvania a statewide school mask mandate instituted by Gov. Tom Wolf was immediately struck down by the state’s supreme court on the grounds that the official who issued it lacked the authority to do so.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, Nov. 11:
Danielle Trujillo, Carson Wyly, Rosa Iverson, Sam Molseed, Ellie Ripley, Scott Gibson, Vicki Warne, Jennifer Finley.
— 10th anniversary, Lee/Jessica (Schultz) Rausch.
— 4th anniversary, Jim/Michelle (Wattier) Kezar.

Friday, Nov. 12:
Grady Johnson, Mike Fouts, Andy Jockheck, Melissa (Van Duzer) Edeburn, Bergen Murphy, Anita NIcholas.
— We fondly remember Greg Vogel on his birthday.

Saturday, Nov. 13:
Kris Hewlett, Jay Carroll, Casey Buechler, Shanna Peterson, Tanner Foth, Clark Kraemer, Ann (Sutera) Hepker, Shelli Ness, Langston Noyes, Colin Alexander, Courtney (Donnan) Vanden Berg.

Sunday, Nov. 14:
Brandon Brown, Josh Boyle, Emma Aadland, Dakota Bixler, Alison (Drewes) Haas, Brody Kelley, Addisyn Norman, Sandy Spencer, Hana (Bloomberg) Fretta.
— 41st anniversary, Randy/Colleen Pool.

Monday, Nov. 15:
Rik Drewes, Therese (Blake) Schutz, Robert Nagle, Scott Schuetzle, Chance Stoeser, Lorlee (Day) Steever, Molly Ryan, Ivy Rollinger, Lisa (Ries) Kramer, Shane Hollingsworth, Max Fjelstad.

Tuesday, Nov. 16:
Jack Merkwan, Daniel Magee, Wes Spencer, LaTonya Andersonm, Chad Uhrig, Hollie (Stutesman) Stoeser, Brian Shekleton, Colby Williams, Tristan Voller, Kris Schaffer.

Wednesday, Nov. 17:
Carol Axtman, Joseph Merriam, Aaron Goehring, Claire Taylor, Tessa (Bollinger) Hartmann, Jessica West.

Thursday, Nov. 18:
Joe Jungman, Tom Hindman, Chris Voller, Brendan Whitebird, Cobey Carr, Linda Burchill, Denise (Marshall) Kjer.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Liberty Family Medicine in Columbia, Mo., announced the addition of Dr. Stephen Bollinger to their staff. Pierre native Stephen graduated as an honors scholar at USD, then completed Sanford School of Medicine at USD. In 2018 he and his family moved to Columbia to continue medical training at the University of Missouri. Stephen and his wife Katie have three young children.

The Pierre Athletic Hall of Fame will induct three individuals in a ceremony at halftime of the boys basketball game vs. Spearfish at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18. The honored former athletes will be Melissa (Luers) Hansen, Travis Lindekugel and Kirk Van Roekel. A social hour will take place in the Riggs lunchroom after the game.

The Pierre Athletic Hall of Fame will induct four teams from the school’s history in a ceremony at halftime of the boys basketball game vs. Brandon Valley at 7 p.m. Jan. 21. Players, managers, cheerleaders, coaches and cheer coaches from the honored teams are all invited to be in attendance and to attend a social hour at Lariat Lanes after the game. The honored teams are the 1945 and 1947 track teams and the 1982 girls and boys state championship basketball teams.

The fountain at Capitol Lake has been anything but a “flaming” fountain for several years, but the three-person District 24 delegation in the Legislature hopes to make it flame permanently. Reps. Will Mortenson and Mike Weisgram and Sen. Mary Duvall plan during the upcoming legislative session to push for funding to repair the fountain. A detailed report from a School of Mines investigation of the fountain showed what had caused the flame to be inconsistent since 2008. The study by Mines came about as the result of a bill brought to the Legislature by then-Sen. Tim Rounds. The current legislators hope substantial one-time funding will bring the flame and make it consistent.

The date of the funeral for Kay Swenson has been changed to 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 22, at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Pierre.

Bob Casanova, 68, Ramona, died Nov. 6 at Ava’s House in Sioux Falls. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Madison. Among his survivors are his son and daughter-in-law, Brett and Connie (Rislov) Casanova of Yankton.

The official state Christmas tree that will be the focal point of the display in the Capitol Rotunda was removed from an alley area in the 600 block of N. Huron Ave. in Pierre this week. Another tree from that yard will serve as Fort Pierre’s downtown community Christmas tree. (News courtesy of “Today’s KCCR News.”)

Owen Nill, oldest son of Rob and Bethany Nill of Beaver Dam, Wis., plays the role of the rabbi’s son, Mendel, in Beaver Dam High School’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” this weekend.

Seb and Carol Axtman are headed to Pennsylvania, hoping their grandson Eric Axtman’s soccer team has advanced in the state playoffs so they can see a game or two. His Central Dauphin team won their district championship, 2-1, over Dallastown, tying the game with two minutes left and winning it two minutes into overtime. On Tuesday night the CD boys won their opening playoff game, advancing them to the PIAA quarterfinals. It was the last home game for one of Greg and Sarah Axtman’s three boys. There has been an Axtman playing for the Central Dauphin Rams on that home field every season since 2012.

PONDER THIS

“God loves the world. That includes the planet, the climate around it, the resources within it, the disparate humanity and expansive life upon it. No “America First.” No “Go back where you came from” nationalistic bluster. No “Don’t Tread on Me” middle-finger defiance. If you so love the world as God does, you fight for diversity, you welcome immigrants and foreigners, you demand environmental responsibility, you want more people to have voices, not fewer. When America becomes your world, you’re opposing God.”
— John Pavlovitz

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Send Parker your news!

Come Teach in SD

SOUTH DAKOTA TEACHER PLACEMENT CENTER SPONSORED BY ASBSD

Shop Lund Valley Farm

Lund Valley Farm

Midweek Update Archives

Noah’s Lantern

Noah’s Lantern

Website Design and Hosting

Pine-Clad Candle Co.

Pine-Clad Candle Co.