THOUGHT FOR TODAY

On Palm Sunday Jesus had the bigger picture in mind. He looked beyond the present and thought about the world’s future.
— Unknown

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— FRIDAY
Track/field: at Huron invitational, 2 p.m.
Baseball: at Sioux Falls (vs. Brandon Valley, 5 p.m.; at O’Gorman, 7 p.m.).
— SATURDAY
Boys tennis: at Huron quadrangular, 10 a.m.
Baseball: at Sioux Falls (vs. Harrisburg, noon; vs. Jefferson, 4 p.m.).
— MONDAY
Boys tennis: at Huron quadrangular, 10 a.m.
— TUESDAY
Track/field: at Miller quadrangular, 4 p.m.

Boys track/field: The Governors placed sixth in boys events at the ESD indoor invitational at Brookings. Among Pierre placers who finished between first and eighth in their events, Jared Lutmer had a pair of seconds—in the 1600 at 4:30.58 and in the 3200 at 10:07.69. Cole Peterson was fourth in the 200 in :23.32. Hayden Shaffer ended up fourth in the 1600 in 4:35.98. Andrew Campea placed second in the high jump at 5’10”, and Spencer Skjonsberg was fifth in that event at 5’6″. Carson Stoeser was eighth in the 300 in :38.81. Jack Merkwan placed in both hurdles events—fourth in the 300s in :42.59 and fifth in the 60s in :08.93. Josh Strand was seventh in the 300 in :38.51. The 4×100 relay team of Peterson, Nathan Ehrisman, Levi Letellier and Tucker Putzier was eighth in :46.80. In the 4×300 relay the foursome of Strand, Brady Gere, Putzier and Skjonsberg was seventh in 2:36.87.

Girls track/field: The Governor girls were seventh at the ESD indoor invitational. Aleise Christopherson placed second in the long jump at 16’4″ and fourth in the triple jump at 33’4″. Grace Richter was fourth in the 200 in :27.06, Kali Ringstmeyer fourth in the 100 in :13.11 and Reese Terwilliger fourth in the shot put at 35’1/2″. Makayla Sherwood was eighth in the triple jump at 31’6″. Addison Cumbow was third in the 60-meter hurdles in :09.91 and eighth in the 300-meter hurdles in :53.33. The 4×300 relay team of Nevaeh Baade, Richter, Ringstmeyer and Sydney Uhrig placed fifth in 3:02.89.

Boys track/field: At the Bob Judson Invitational on Tuesday, the Governors were joined by athletes from Stanley County, Sully Buttes, Potter County, Sunshine Bible and Lower Brule. Pierre won 13 of the boys events. Jack Merkwan captured the 110- and 300-meter hurdles events. Tucker Putzier won the 100, Cole Peterson the 200, Hayden Shaffer the 800, Canyon Jones the pole vault, Andrew Campea the high jump, Braedon Foster the discus and Aaron Campbell the javelin. Governor runners won the 4×100, 4×200, 4×400 and 4×800 relay events.

Girls track/field: Pierre’s female athletes won 12 events at the Bob Judson Invitational. Aleise Christopherson was first in the long jump and triple jump, and Kali Ringstmeyer won the 100 and 200. Single-event winners included Autumn Iverson in the 400, Addison Cumbow in the 100-meter hurdles, Danielle Beck in the 300-meter hurdles, Jenna Bucholz the javelin, Lily Sanchez in the high jump and Marissa Matthews in the pole vault. Governor girls also won the 4×100 and 4×400 relay events.

Baseball: The Governors, ranked third in Class “A” in the first Midco Sports Network poll, rolled to three wins in the Black Hills to open the season. Pierre whipped Sturgis, 12-2, in five innings, scoring five unearned runs in the top of the first and six runs in the fifth. Gary Nedved slugged two doubles and a triple, and Jett Zabel had two hits. Lincoln Kienholz and Spencer Letellier each drove home two runs. Brady Getz gave up four hits and struck out three in pitching all five innings. In the doubleheader’s nightcap the Govs won 9-7. Grayson Hunsley drove in three runs and Kienholz two, and Brecken Krueger had a two-run double. Spencer Kelly, who threw nine pitches in the first inning, all of them strikes, pitched two innings, Christian Busch three and Jackson Edman two. On Saturday the Governors went down to Rapid City and destroyed Central, 19-2, in five innings. Among the team’s 18 hits, Zabel had three of them along with three RBIs. Kienholz also drove in three. Zabel was winning pitcher, throwing 2 2/3 innings, striking out three and allowing three hits and two walks. Jonathan Lyons pitched 1 1/3 innings and Jayden Wiebe one inning. Pierre takes its 3-0 record to four games in Sioux Falls this weekend.

Boys tennis: In the season-opening triangular Tuesday, Pierre swept Rapid City Central, 9-0, but lost to Mitchell, 8-1. Matt Hanson in singles was the only Pierre winner against the Kernels. Against the Cobblers Hanson, Blake Judson, Matyus Pribal, Luke Leingang, Spencer Kelly and Carter Schulz won in singles, and the Hanson/Judson duo, the PribalLeingang pair, and the Kelly/Crew Heier team won their doubles matches.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— TUESDAY
Track/field: at Potter County meet, Gettysburg.

Track/field: At the Bob Judson Invitational meet in Pierre Tuesday, the Buffaloes won three events. Cormac Duffy was first in the triple jump and long jump events, and Andrew Fredericksen won the 400-meter run.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Track/field: At the Bob Judson Invitational in Pierre Tuesday, Jesse Schall earned a first-place medal for SBHS in the shot put event. Lydia Hill won the shot put and discus on the girls’ side.

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Thursday: blueberry.
Friday-Sunday: watermelon.
Monday-Tuesday: cinnamon.
Wednesday-Thursday: coconut.

ELECTION INFORMATION

Absentee voting—or call it “early voting” or whatever you choose—begins two weeks from now on Friday, April 22, for the June primary elections and other elections taking place that day in some locations.

IMPORTANT: A word to those voters who are registered as Democrats or Independents, even if you do not have candidates seeking offices on your primary election ballots, you DO INDEED have an important reason to vote either in advance or at the polls on June 7. That is because the Republicans who control everything in this state decided to put on the primary election ballots (rather than the general election ballot when many more people actually vote) Constitutional Amendment C. If this amendment to the state constitution passes, it will be next to impossible to ever get it OFF the state constitution. If passed, Amendment C would require a 3/5 majority (60%) instead of a majority for any constitutional amendment or Legislature-referred measures to pass. One reason the Republican power group wants this to pass (and assumes it will with primarily only Republicans voting on June 7) is so that, in November, when the expansion of Medicaid will likely be on the ballot, that issue will then require 60% approval rather than 51% approval. Don’t let them get away with this. Vote in your primary even if this constitutional amendment is the only thing on your ballot.

U.S. HOUSE: As of this week, only Republicans will vote for a U.S. House of Representatives candidate between incumbent U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and his challenger, legislator Taffy Howard. There is no Democratic candidate, so whoever wins in the primary—Johnson or Howard—will be elected unless an independent candidate for the U.S. House materializes later in the summer.

U.S. SENATE: Sen. John Thune’s term ends at the end of this year. On the Republican ballot for the primary will be incumbent Thune and challengers Bruce Whalen and Mark Mowry. The winner of the Republican primary will face Brian Bengs, the Democratic candidate, at the general election in November.

GOVERNOR: Republicans will have a race to decide in the primary election between incumbent Gov. Kristi Noem and a challenger, legislative leader Steven Haugaard. The winner in the primary will face a Democratic candidate, legislative leader Jamie Smith, in November.

DISTRICT 24 SENATE: District 24 now includes Hyde County as well as Hughes, Stanley and Sully. Incumbent Sen. Mary Duvall is being challenged by Jim Mehlhaff, and they will oppose each other in the June primary election. There is no Democratic candidate, so the June winner will be elected unless an independent candidate materializes.

DISTRICT 24 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: The district’s two incumbents, Rep. Mike Weisgram and Rep. Will Mortenson, are being challenged in the primary by Mary Weinheimer and Jim Sheehan. The two winners of the June primary will be elected unless an independent candidate materializes later, which would force a general election contest.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Rapid City Rush: The Rush completed the Utah series with a 5-2 loss and a 4-3 win. Rapid City plays Thursday, Friday and Sunday at Greenville, S.C., then home vs. Tulsa next Wednesday.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings split with Bismarck, winning 3-2 and losing 7-4. Aberdeen goes to Austin for Friday and Saturday games.

Sioux Falls Stampede: The Stampede, eighth of the eight teams in the Western Conference with a 16-33-3-3 record, lost twice to Tri-City in Kearney, 4-0 and 5-4. Sioux Falls is home Friday vs. Des Moines and Saturday vs. Waterloo.

NCAA Division I Frozen Four: The national semifinals will be played tonight (Thursday) in Boston with Michigan facing Denver at 4 p.m. CDT and Minnesota taking on Minnesota State-Mankato at 7:30. The championship game will be at 7 p.m. Saturday. All three games will be on ESPN.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild lost in overtime to Pittsburgh, 4-3; defeated Carolina 3-1 and Washington 5-1, and lost to Nashville, 5-2. As the playoff push continues, Minnesota goes to St. Louis Friday and plays at home vs. Los Angeles Sunday and Edmonton Tuesday.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

Rapid City Marshals: The new indoor football team won its regular-season opener at home over Topeka, 46-25. Rapid City plays at home again Saturday vs. Sioux City at 7:05 p.m.

Sioux Falls Storm: Idle last week, the Storm will play at Quad City Friday as the indoor season resumes.

Missouri Valley Football Conference: Not this coming fall but beginning in the fall of 2023, the MVFC will have 12 members. The newest will be Murray State, located in the city of Murray in far southwestern Kentucky near the Missouri and Illinois borders. The Valley does not play a schedule of 11 conference games, so member teams such as USD, SDSU, UND and NDSU will not play Murray State every season.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Sioux Falls Skyforce: The Force lost to South Bay twice, 139-126 and 128-125. With the regular season over, the Skyforce finished 12th among the 13 teams in the G League’s Western Division.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The NBA’s regular season ends Sunday, and the Wolves host San Antonio Thursday and Chicago Sunday. Minnesota is almost assured of being the seventh seed in the Western Conference, meaning the Wolves will host #8 Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in tournament where a win assures them of becoming the seventh seed in the playoff lineup. If they were to lose that game, the Wolves would play the winner of the 9-10 play-in game between New Orleans and San Antonio with that winner becoming the #8 seed in the final playoff schedule. This past week the Wolves beat Denver and Houston on the road, then lost to Washington at home.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.
— Anatole France

BASEBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Twins schedule:
Thursday—Seattle, 3:10 p.m.
Saturday—Seattle, 1:10 p.m.
Sunday—Seattle, 1:10 p.m.
Monday—Seattle, 6:40 p.m.
Tuesday—Los Angeles Dodgers, 6:40 p.m.
Wednesday—Los Angeles Dodgers, 12:10 p.m.

Pierre Trappers: The Trappers announced their new general manager is John Hunt, who has experience in marketing, business and minor league baseball.

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons lost to Seattle, 2-1. Minnesota plays at Austin at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): At the Champions Tour’s stop in Biloxi, Miss., Tom tied for 75th place with a weekend scorecard of 75-80-76=731, 15 over par. He earned $960. The next tour stop is April 22-24 at the ClubCorp Classic in Irving, Texas.

COUNTDOWN

2 days: Riggs High jazz night (April 9).
2 days: NCAA Div. I men’s hockey championship game, Boston (April 9).
3 days: Palm Sunday (April 10).
5 days: Fort Pierre city election (April 12).
7 days: Pierre girls golf opening meet (April 14).
8 days: Good Friday (April 15).
10 days: Easter (April 17).
15 days: Pierre Legion Relays (April 22).
19 days: Riggs High spring band concert (April 26).
23 days: Riggs High prom (April 30).
26 days: Riggs High awards night (May 3).
28 days: Pierre Educational Foundation’s Evening of Excellence (May 5).
31 days: Mothers Day (May 8).
32 days: Riggs High spring choral concert (May 9).
33 days: Georgia Morse Middle School band/choir concert (May 10).
35 days: NSIC outdoor track/field championships, Aberdeen (May 12-14).
37 days: Ellsworth AF=B air show (May 14-15).
39 days: State ‘A’ boys tennis tournament, Rapid City (May 16-17).
42 days: State ‘AA’ boys tennis tournament, Rapid City (May 19-20).
44 days: High school baseball regional tournaments (May 21).
45 days: Riggs High graduation (May 22).

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• The soccer people made the drawing of teams for the men’s World Cup, which starts in late November in the Middle East country of Qatar. Which brings up the question, “How do you pronounce ‘Qatar’? It seems to me that there should be one correct way to say the name and any number of wrong ways. But no. The modern-day dictionaries and even the online information sources now say that either “Cotter” or “Ka-TAR” is permissible. I wonder if the people who live over there feel that way.
• While I am grumbling about how dumb some people are, there is the matter of objects of prepositions. That may not be a critical issue to you, but it is to me because, way back in an earlier life, I was a grammar teacher among other things. A preposition—you know, one of those little words like “in,” “from,” “to,” “by,” “like” (sometimes), “between,” “at,” “behind,” “against,” and dozens of others—requires an objective-case pronoun as its object. You can’t use a nominative-case pronoun as the object of a preposition. But some people who should know better continue to drive me nuts by doing so, thinking they are sounding oh-so-very-proper-and-correct by saying something like “between he and the victim” (on the KELO-TV noon newscast the other day) or “between he and the quarterback” (on Fox Sports Radio last week) or “from she and her family” (on the Women’s Final Four telecasts). “From she”? You should say “from her,” you numbskull. “Between he”? It is correct to say “between him,” you idiot.
• I see that several people from our area went in to Minneapolis for the NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four. Wouldn’t that have been something if the USD team had made it rather than falling two wins short of that goal! You remember that the Coyotes, after winning two games at their first- and second-round site of Waco, Texas, went to the four-team Wichita Region. Next year, however, the women’s tournament will change drastically in that there will be TWO regions of eight teams each instead of four four-team regions. Next year those tournaments will be in Seattle and Greenville, S.C. (no 5-hour drives from South Dakota to a regional next year!!!). The first- and second-round games will be on campus sites as usual. The Final Four will be in Dallas.
• Let’s talk about the Division I men’s tournament for next year, just in case a miracle happens and either USD or SDSU makes it and advances. The first- and second-round sites (eight teams at each location) will be Birmingham, Des Moines, Orlando, Sacramento, Albany, Columbus, Denver and Greensboro, so there are a couple within driving distance of where we live! The four regionals will be in Las Vegas, New York (Madison Square Garden), Kansas City (want to bet KU will get to play there?) and Louisville. The men’s Final Four will be in Houston.
• One of the four Division I men’s hockey regionals next year will be in Fargo. We’re still three years away from when Sioux Falls will host a hockey regional again.

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

South Dakota State women’s basketball: Just as USD did in 2016, SDSU completed a spectacular six home-game run by winning the championship of the Women’s NIT. In the semifinal the Jackrabbits took down UCLA, 62-59, and in the finals it was a no-contest situation as SDSU blitzed Seton Hall, 82-50. The game was 5-4 at one point, and moments later it was 25-5, and the contest was never close after that. The halftime score was 40-18. The Jacks’ final record was 29-9.

University of Sioux Falls track/field (Jessica Lutmer): At the USD early-bird meet Jessica placed 17th in the 1500-meter run in 4:50.78. The Cougars run Friday and Saturday at the Sioux City Relays.

South Dakota State track/field (Addy Eisenbeisz): At the USD early-bird meet Addy placed fifth in the high jump at 5’5″. The Jacks compete Friday and Saturday at the Sioux City Relays and the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville.

Dakota State track/field (Houston Lunde): At the USD early-bird meet Houston placed 31st in the shot put at 37’6″ and 49th in the hammer throw at 114’0″. DSU goes to the Sioux City Relays Friday and Saturday.

Northern State track/field (Rachel Guthmiller): Rachel placed 42nd in the discus at 113’4″ and 36th in the hammer throw at 130’9″. Northern sends athletes to the Jo Mealor Classic at Canyon, Texas, this weekend.

Black Hills State track/field (Frank Becker): The Yellowjackets went to MSU-Billings for their meet, but it was rained out after eight events. BHSU competes at the School of Mines’ Bauer Invitational this Saturday.

South Dakota Mines track/field (Erick Colman): At the MSU-Billings meet before rain caused it to be canceled, Erick placed fourth in the shot put at 47’2″ and second in the hammer throw at 167’12”. The Hardrockers host their own Bauer Invitational this Saturday.

Iowa Central Community College baseball (Jack Van Camp): ICCC took two of three from Ellsworth CC, winning 14-4 and 15-2 and losing 18-7. Jack did not play in those games. Now 25-6, the Tritons play two Saturday and one Sunday against Des Moines Area Community College.

Northern State baseball (Spencer Sarringar): The Wolves split a pair against Sioux Falls, losing 3-2 in eight innings and winning by the same score. In the loss Spencer went 0-for-3 and walked once. However, in the win he accounted for all three Northern runs with a first-inning single, a third-inning single and a fifth-inning double as part of his 3-for-4 day. This week’s doubleheader against Wayne State was canceled and will not be rescheduled. The first game did start, and Northern scored seven runs in the first inning, but weather prevented the game from reaching legal length. Now 9-11 overall and 4-3 in the NSIC, the Wolves play Minnesota State in three games this weekend and Augustana in a twinbill next Tuesday.

Texas State baseball (Peyton Zabel): The Bobcats, ranked 15th in the country in this week’s poll, swept a three-game weekend series at Appalachian State by scores of 7-4, 6-2 and 7-2, then lost at Texas A&M Tuesday, 8-4. Peyton did not pitch in any of the four games. Texas State, now 23-7, is home for three vs. Georgia Southern this weekend and a single game vs. Baylor Tuesday.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Even if it was safe to go back to Ukraine, what’s there to go back to?”
— Calvin Jones, formerly of Pierre, who with his wife fled from the war in Ukraine

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, April 7:
Brian Hosman, Eric Unkenholz, Crystal (Boehmer) Lindekugel, Brian Mills, BryAnn (Becker) Knecht, Vivian Asmussen, Anthony Johnson, Adam Chick, Jayden Madden, Sandee Smith, Judith Smith.
— 38th anniversary, Kevin/JoAnne Hipple.
— 43rd anniversary, Bob/Kris Schneider.

Friday, April 8:
Greg Axtman, Ruth Kilber, Lexi Anderson, Wilson Jordre, Linsey (Peterson) Robbins, Eric Bresee, Katie Larson.
— 5th anniversary, Josh/Aimee Parsons.

Saturday, April 9:
Spencer Eich, Arthur Olson, Wesley Joy, Aaron Comer, Kai Segrud, Matt Brakke, Rob Nill, Kellie Weinheimer, Kellie (Sutton) Yackley.
— Anniversary, Shaun/Sara (Sperry) Thomas.

Sunday, April 10:
Brady Smith, Brandon Louder, Lucas Oehlerking, Ken Fanger, Katherine (Van Gerpen) Cedeno-Torres, Kory McKay, Nolan Nielsen, John Jordre, Jason Livermont.
— 12th anniversary, Tyson/Jenny (Miller) Goehring.

Monday, April 11:
Mike Haas, Lillian Campbell, Teresa (Sprinkel) Gillaspie, Austin Lucas, Mason Fisher, Amy Burger, Eric Hillestad, James Bobby, Terry Barber, Chase DeJong, Jessica Kost, Sheena Carlisle, Amber (LeFaive) Larsen.

Tuesday, April 12:
Nathan Bishop, Darby (Warne) Boyd, April (Thompson) Schroeder, Austin Neilan, Brandt Becker, Amanda (Stewart) Shindle, Colton Carter, Mike Eaton, Frank Turner, Luke Nelson, Terry Nelson, Stacie Suedkamp, Brian Grunewaldt, McKenna Yach, Lee Fosheim, Trent Withers, Cheri Bartlett, David Volk, Melete DeJong.
— 19th anniversary, Aaron/Laura Scheibe.

Wednesday, April 13:
Clara Miller, Michala Huse, Brenna Mikkelsen, Tanner Pruess, Austin Van Houten, Wynne (Nafus) Sayer, Maggie Brindza, Raina Christenson, Sara (Sperry) Thomas, Carol Garry, Sarah (Adam) Axtman, Emily (Bloomberg) Meier, Derek Schiefelbein, George Hollingsworth.
— 10th anniversary, Justin/Theresa (Frick) Jones.
— We fondly remember Josh Hove on his birthday.

Thursday, April 14:
Dee Lundeen, Lola Schreiber, Carolyn Elwood, Evan Zuercher, Sadie (Fitzke) Goodman, Mark Menning, Matt Bump
— 10th anniversary, Erc/Niki (Cowan) Jaworski.
— 4th anniversary, Kai/Kayla Hanson.
— We fondly remember Musette Huse on her birthday.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

After 43 years of service there Lee Calkins spent her last day of work at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital last Friday.

The Rev. Jeff Lathrop will be the new lead pastor at First United Methodist Church beginning this summer, succeeding the Rev. Greg Kroger. Lathrop, who is currently pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church in Grand Forks, and his wife Holly are the parents of two sons, Noah and Izaiah, and a daughter, Jordyn.

In last week’s Update when we mentioned the birth of Chance and Erika (Rounds) Stoeser’s seventh child, Tarrent John, we did not mention the siblings whom he joins in the family. They are Regina, 14; Tristan, 12; Georgiana, 10; Layla, 7, Alissandra, 5, and Melania, 2. The Stoesers live in Sioux Falls.

Pierre native Larissa FastHorse was in New York City on Monday night as part of the Guggenheim Works in Process series of programs at the Guggenheim Museum. She and colleagues Michael R. Jackson and Bruce Norris represented the full group, which also includes Tanya Banfield, Lisa D’Amour and Melissa James Gibson. Their “Federal Hall: The Democracy Project” will some day reside at Federal Hall in New York City for tourists to learn more about America’s first capital from several different perspectives. When completed, their play will premiere later this year at Federal Hall National Memorial. “Federal Hall: The Democracy Project” is an odyssey through the 527 days when New York City was the first capital of the United States, the presidency was new, the slave trade was in debate, and the U.S. Constitution and the rights of all this country’s inhabitants hung in the balance.

Steve Barnett, the current South Dakota secretary of state, announced this week he will seek a second term in that office. The Republican candidate will be nominated at the party’s state convention in June.

Michael and Kimmie Bumann have a second daughter in their family. Brynn Hope Bumann was born March 28, weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces. She was born in Chicago. Michael and Kimmie and their first daughter, Annika, who will be 2 in June, have been in the United States during the pandemic, but they hope to return overseas. Michael and Kimmie teach at a university in Beijing, China.

Luke Venner in his “day job” is head chef at the elm restaurant in New Canaan, Conn. But he is riding 200 miles as part of the 2022 Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry on May 17-18 in the Santa Rosa, Calif., area. Luke’s personal fund-raising goal in the event is $10,000. You can find his page at p2p.onecause.com or go to his mom Kris Venner’s Facebook page to find a link.

Calvin Jones and his wife Inga, who escaped from Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of other residents of that country when Russia invaded and began its attacks, were the subjects of a story in the Watertown Public Opinion this week. The Joneses, who are in the southern European nation of Montenegro now, can’t return to the United States because she can’t get a visa despite the fact that they are legally married. According to the news story, President Biden pledged to allow 100,000 Ukrainians into this country, whereas Poland has taken in more than two million refugees, Romania 600,000 and Moldova 400,000. “How are they going to get there?” Calvin Jones asks. “They can’t get a visa.” In European Union countries, Jones said, the process has been much more seamless. People can simply go online and obtain one year of protection right away.

The 90th birthday of Clara Shelbourn on Saturday, April 23, will be celebrated that day at an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church. Friends can send greetings to Clara at 400 ParkWood Dr., #204, Pierre SD 57501. Clara is the mother of Nancy Shoup and Ken Shelbourn.

Shawn and Sara Ludemann of Rapid City are expecting their second child in August. The Ludemanns have a daughter, Rylan.

Carter Sanderson, who was one of the outstanding players on the Oahe Capitals boys varsity hockey team this past winter, was selected to play with Team South Dakota at the U14 national tournament in Kalamazoo, Mich. The South Dakota team won the championship Monday, beating Team Alaska in the finals, 6-3. Carter had six goal and six assists in the team’s six tournament games. Team South Dakota finished with a +18 goal differential, 11 better than the closest team.

Laura (Pottratz) Waack fought a brain tumor two years ago and survived the treatments despite losing the hearing in one of her ears. Now, however, a tumor has been found, and Laura will be undergoing treatments yet again. The Waacks can use the help of the community, and one of Laura’s sisters has initiated a GoFundMe page on their behalf to help cover the enormous medical expenses that will be forthcoming. Go to gofundme.com to find the proper page.

Joe and Brittanie (Blaseg) Rezac became parents on March 31. Their daughter, Addie Marie Rezac, weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces. Joe is a utility analyst with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, and Brittanie is a teacher at Riggs High School.

Janelle Toman is retiring after 20 years on the staff of the South Dakota Board of Regents. She was honored at a reception last week.

Anna Jane “A.J.” Mickelson, 95, Philip, formerly of Mobridge, died March 30 at Hans P. Peterson Memorial Hospital in Philip. Her funeral was held April 4 at the Philip United Church, followed by interment alongside her husband at Black Hills National Cemetery. Anna Jane and her husband, Albert “Brick” Mickelson, raised three children first on the Missouri River bottom in northern South Dakota, then at the Oak Creek Ranch near McLaughlin and Mahto. Caring for others was a prime quality of her personality, and she was the ultimate hostess for holiday dinners and branding parties for dozens of guests. Until recently Anna Jane carried on correspondence all over the world, confirming a Mickelson commitment to world understanding. For 45 years she milked cows and every Thursday was ring clerk at Mobridge Livestock Auction. After her husband’s death in 2000, she continued to manage the ranch assisted first by a friend and later by a grandson. Family members were frequent visitors and helpers. Mrs. Mickelson is survived by her children, Jay (Beverly) Mickelson, Ken (Barb) Mickelson and Barbie (Ky) Bowen; seven grandchildren, including Allison Mickelson and Drew (Nicole) Mickelson; 18 great-grandchildren; a sister, June Darling, and many nephews and nieces.

Lane and Anne Marie (Holter) Severyn, who live right now in Clemson, S.C., became parents on April 1. Their son, Blaine Luke Wilder Severyn, weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces, and measured 21 inches.

Pierre native Brandon Louder, who has lived for many years in the Denver area, is currently in Rome, Italy. He revealed on Facebook this week that he joined an Israeli security startup. They do cybersecurity focused on defending critical infrastructure such as power plants and oil pipelines.

Bruce “Wicker Bill” Crist died at home March 29 after a long illness, but he lived several years beyond his original prognosis. A celebration of his life is being planned for Saturday, June 11, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Ramkota RiverCentre. As a young man he developed a great affinity for the outdoors, which led to a successful career as a hunting and fishing guide. He came to Pierre permanently in 1985 and also worked as a taxidermist, falconer and dog trainer. He was responsible for the establishment of the Central South Dakota Youth Goose Hunt. Wicker Bill married Robin Testerman in 2010. He is survived by his wife; his mother, Pat Roberts of Gilman, Ill.; his mother-in-law, Carrie Testerman of Colton; his brothers, Brian (Jill) Crist and Byron (Maria) Crist of Virginia Beach, Va.; his sisters, Valerie Roberts of Champaign, Ill., and Deanna (John) Woodard of Tuscola, Ill., and his brother, Mark (Karyn) Roberts of Orland Park, Ill.

Dan Duffy, a 1979 graduate of Stanley County High School, has been named one of the first inductees into the new South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Hall of Fame. The SDIC was a college athletics conference that included Northern, Huron College, General Beadle (now Dakota State), Dakota Wesleyan, Sioux Falls College, Yankton College, Southern State, Black HIlls State and the School of Mines. Duffy, who helped Ron Lawrence’s Stanley County team earn third place in the 1978 state “B” tournament his junior year, went on to Dakota Wesleyan where he was a four-year starter and earned all-conference honors for three seasons. In 1983 he received the national NAIA Student Athlete of the Year recognition.

James and Audra (Meyer) Cardwell are the parents of a son, Jonaphin Winston Cardwell, who was born in Sioux Falls April 4, weighing 9 pounds and measuring 21 1/2 inches. He joins two sisters in the Cardwell family—Izabella, 13, and Morrigan, 8. The baby boy will be known as “Phin.”

Onida native Dr. Kathie (Demery) Courtney of Aberdeen, who is retired from Northern State University, is one of the 22 inductees into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame. Kathie graduated from Onida High School in 1970. The induction ceremony will take place in Sioux Falls on Sept. 25.

Wendy Birhanzel, who is superintendent of Harrison School District Two on the southeast side of Colorado Springs, this week told a delightful story. She received a message from a student in her district, urging a “no homework” policy. It turns out the writer of the letter is 7 years old. Dr. Birhanzel maintained correspondence with the young boy, asking him questions such as how he expects to practice what he learns without doing it at home. This week she took lunch to the boy at his school and had a face-to-face conversation.

PONDER THIS

Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind and start over again. That’s the way life is with a new game every day, and that’s the way baseball is.
— Bob Feller