THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“What we need are critical lovers of America—patriots who express their faith in their country by working to improve it.”
— Sen. Hubert Humphrey

ELECTION RESULTS—MORE OF THE SAME

Three of South Dakota’s big four of Republican office-holders swept away token opposition in Tuesday’s Republican primary election. The fourth of them, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, is safely in office until his seat is up for election in 2026.

U.S. Senator John Thune advanced to the general election with 72% of the vote while challengers Bruce Whalen (27%) and Mark Mowry (7%) trailed far behind. Thune’s opponent in November will be Democratic candidate Brian Bengs.

U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson had a slightly tougher challenge from state legislator Taffy Howard, but Johnson won the nomination with a 59% to 41% advantage. He has no Democratic opposition so holds on to his seat in the House.

Governor Kristi Noem polled 76% of the vote in her race against legislative leader Steven Haugaard, who had 24%. Noem will face Democratic candidate Jamie Smith in November.

Amendment C to the state constitution, which would have raised to 60% the threshold required for measures raising taxes, was soundly defeated, 67% to 33%. Republican leadership had scheduled this vote in the primary when fewer people tend to vote so that it would be in effect when Medicaid expansion is voted on in November, but the plan failed them.

Other election highlights from Tuesday:

• District 24 (Hughes-Sully-Hyde-Stanley-Haakon counties): State senator Mary Duvall lost her bid for re-election to Jim Mehlhaff in a close race. Mehlhaff polled 3,157 votes (51%) to Duvall’s 3,000 votes (49%). Mehlhaff has no Democratic opposition in November. In a four-person race for the district’s two seats in the House of Representatives, the two incumbents survived and face no Democratic opposition in November. Will Mortenson with 3,879 votes (34%) and Mike Weisgram with 3,420 (30%) won the nominations, defeating Mary (Morris) Weinheimer with 2,786 (25%) and Jim Sheehan with 1,166 (10%).
• Pierre School Board: Joan Adam won a new term on the school board, and Jessica Lewis earned a seat on the board for the first time. Adam received 2,822 votes (40%), Lewis 1,993 (28%), Bree Oatman 1, 382 (20%) and Sandra Douvier 830 (12%).
• Hughes County Commission: Connie Hohn and Rob Fines were the winners among four candidates in Tuesday’s primary election and have no Democratic opposition in the fall. The vote totals: Hohn 2,169 (28%), Fines 2,115 (27%), Bill Abernathy 1,956 (25%), Travis Dovre 1,452 (19%).
• Stanley County: The sheriff’s race was won by Brad Rathbun with 515 votes compared to Gary Nickerson’s 301 and Brandon Fleagle’s 106. Craig Heller won a seat on the county commission, defeating Bill Shrader by 131 to 53. He has no Democratic candidate in November. Dana Iversen and Gary Grittner had no opposition in seeking county commission seats.
• Sully County: In a contest for county commissioner from a western part of the county, incumbent Bill Floyd defeated Ajaye Williams by 78 to 47. Greg Yackley and Joe Fanger had no opposition as they sought commission seats from other parts of the county. In a decision which would have imposed a tax levy, the “no” votes were 358 to 212 for “yes.”

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Boys track/field: The Governors placed 14th at the state ‘AA’ meet, earning 22 points. Tucker Putzier accounted for four team points with his fifth-place medal in the 200 in :22.83. Jared Lutmer acquired five team points for placing fourth in the 3200 in 9:38.26. Jack Merkwan’s fourth in the 300-meter hurdles in :40.63 gained Pierre five more points. Canyon Jones tied for fifth in the pole vault at 13’0″ for three points. Putzier placed sixth in the 100 in :11.39 for three points. Aaron Campbell gave Pierre two points with a seventh in the javelin throw at 154’7″. Pierre placers not earning team points: Blake Wagner, 22nd in the discus; Hayden Shaffer, 11th in the 3200; Shaffer 20th and Lutmer 21st in the 800; Spencer Skjonsberg, tied for 14th in the high jump; Lutmer 12th and Shaffer 21st in the 1600. Harrisburg won the ‘AA’ boys team championship by four points over Rapid City Stevens. Stevens could have won it all with a fifth-place or better finish in the final relay, but its lead runner was disqualified for jumping the gun, handing Harrisburg the title.

Girls track/field: The Pierre girls placed 14th at the state meet, also with 22 team points. The discus event accounted for 14 of those points, eight from Maya Shorter for second place at 124’11” and six from Hannah Lemieux for third place at 118’0″. Shorter placed sixth in the javelin at 116’0″ for three points. Reese Terwilliger added two points with a seventh in the shot put at 37’1/4″, and Shorter was eighth in that event at 36’9 1/4″ for one team point. Danielle Beck tied for sixth in the high jump at 5’0″ for two points. O’Gorman won the team title with Brandon Valley second. Other Pierre placers not earning team points: Aleise Christopherson, 19th in the long jump and 3th in the triple jump; MaKayla Sherwood, 19th in the triple jump.

Girls golf: The Governors placed a strong fourth at the state tournament with a 90-over 666 team score. Pierre was only four shots off the lead after the first day. Harrisburg was team champion, followed by Mitchell and Rapid City Stevens. Madilyn Brakke tied for ninth place at 79-84=163, 19 over. Morgan Lisburg and Haley Nadeau tied for 17th at 83-84=167, 23 over. Ellie Jo Simpson was 25th at 84-86=170, 26 over. Andrea Mosteller tied for 35th at 93-85=178, 34 over. Hadley Hart tied for 53rd at 97-89=186, 42 over.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

Track/field: At the state ‘A’ meets in Sioux Falls, Cormac Duffy finished 12th in the triple jump and 19th in the long jump, and Kaysen Magee placed 23rd in the 800.

Golf: Daysen Titze tied for third place at the state “B” boys tournament in Rapid City. Plagued by thunderstorms, the tournament was reduced to an 18-hole event. Daysen played the course in 5-over-par 77 and ended up only one shot behind the two boys who tied for first.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Boys track/field: The Charger boys placed 45th in Class ‘B’ ranks with three points earned by Griffin Petersen with a sixth in the 800 in 2:04.49. He also was 20th in the 1600. In the shot put Jesse Schall placed ninth and Jordan Schall 20th.

Girls track/field: Sully Buttes girls placed 15th with 18 team points. Lydia Hill’s third in the shot put at 38’2 3/4″ for six points and third in the discus at 119’9″ for six more team points. The 4×100 relay team placed seventh in :53.00 for two points. Those runners were Stevie Wittler, Tahnie Yellow Hawk, Olivia Olson and Courtnie Weinheimer. Olson placed seventh in the 300-meter hurdles in :48.52 for two team points. Wittler was seventh in the 100-meter hurdles in :17.47 for two points. Addison Chicoine was 19th in the shot put and 19th in the discus.

Boys golf: At the state “B” tournament, which became an 18-hole event rather than 36 holes because of weather interruptions, Gavin Colson tied for 27th with an 11-over-par 83. Wesley Wittler tied for 77th with a 93, and Thomas Farries tied for 88th with a 96. As a team Sully Buttes placed 15th with a 56-ver score. Gregory was the team champion.

Girls golf: At the state “B” tournament, which stayed as a 36-hole tournament by missing the Black HIlls rains, Olivia Olson tied for 24th place with a 51-over-par 89-106=195. Berkley Birney placed 66th with a 76-over 103-117=220.

WORDS OF WISDOM

“Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.”
— William Butler Yeats

IF YOU’RE GOING OUT TO THE PLAYHOUSE

The Black Hills Playhouse has been thrown a curveball by the Department of Transportation, which decided that, instead of starting a project in August after the theater season ends, it would begin work on Playhouse Road this month, thereby screwing up almost everyone’s principal
route to get to the Playhouse. Playhouse Road is closed to all traffic. Therefore, to get to the Playhouse from Rapid City, try these options:

— Option 1: Take S.D. Highway 79 (Campbell Street) south to Hermosa and one mile farther. Then take S.D. Highway 36 west toward and through Custer State Park. You will run into U.S. 16A as you continue west. Take S.D. Highway 87 north to the Playhouse sign and turn right.

— Option 2: Take U.S. 16 all the way to the city of Custer. Turn left at the stoplight and take U.S. 16A east to S.D. Highway 87. Turn north (left) there to the Playhouse sign and turn right.

A reminder on the Playhouse shows:
— “The Mountaintop” concludes this weekend with Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening shows and a Sunday matinee.
— “The Odd Couple” opens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 18, and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 19, and continues with evening shows June 21-22-23-24-25 and matinees Wednesday, June 22, and Sunday, June 26. That show runs through July 3.

COUNTDOWN

3 days: Tony awards, CBS-TV (June 12).
7 days: Oahe Days (June 16-19).
7 days: S.D. Shakespeare Festival, Vermillion (June 16-19).
8 days: Riggs High Class of 1997 reunion (June 17-18).
8 days: College World Series, Omaha (June 17-27).
9 days: Black Hills Playhouse’s “The Odd Couple” (June 18-July 3).
10 days: Fathers Day (June 19).
15 days: Fort Pierre all-school reunion (June 24-26).
15 days: Blunt all-school reunion (June 24-25).
25 days: Independence Day (July 4).
34 days: Black Hills Playhouse’s “Cinderella” (July 13-31).
37 days: Hills Alive music festival, Rapid City (July 16-17).
38 days: Expedition League all-star game, Hyde Stadium (July 17).
40 days: Major league all-star game, Los Angeles (July 19).
48 days: Legion baseball ‘A’ state tournament, Rapid City (July 27-31).

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons lost to New York City FC, 1-0. They will play a non-league game against European team Paderborn this Saturday.

Sioux Falls City FC (Anna Bondy, Molly Knoblauch): The first-year Sioux Falls team won both of its games last week, 2-1 over Mankato United and 2-0 over Manitou FC. The team will be home Friday vs. Maplebrook Fury and on the road to Rochester United FC June 19.

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Thursday: coffee.
Friday-Sunday: tutti fruitti.
Monday-Tuesday: blue mood.
Wednesday-Thursday: pina colada.
June 17-19: strawberry.
June 20-21: lemon.
June 22-23: watermelon.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

Rapid City Marshals: The Marshals finished their inaugural season with a 2-8 record after losing to Omaha, 37-20, and to Sioux City, 77-7.

Sioux Falls Storm: Two more wins have the Storm in the running for a playoff berth. Sioux Falls defeated Quad City, 62-55, and won over Iowa, 42-34. The Storm is home Saturday vs. Bismarck, then plays at Green Bay June 17.

BASEBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Twins schedule:
— Thursday: New York Yankees, 6:40.
— Friday: Tampa Bay, 7:10.
— Saturday: Tampa Bay, 1:10.
— Sunday: Tampa Bay, 1:10.
— Monday: at Seattle, 9:10.
— Tuesday: at Seattle, 9:10.
— Wednesday: at Seattle, 3:10.
June 17-18-19: at Arizona.
June 21-22-23: home vs. Cleveland.
June 24-25-26: home vs. Colorado.

Four Corners: The Four Corners team of the Pony Hills League stands at 1-2 after a few defeats at the hand of Mother Nature. The team lost to Kimball-White Lake on May 26, but games against the Plankinton Bankers and the Plankinton Gold Sox were postponed. After making up the game against the Bankers last night, Four Corners plays at South Central tonight (Thursday), at home vs. Wessington Springs this Sunday, at home vs. Colome on Fathers Day and at Chamberlain on June 21.

Pierre Trappers: The Trappers stood at 4-6 for the new season through Sunday with all four wins coming over the new North Iowa team. The Trappers are home tonight (Thursday) vs. Souris Valley, then go back to North Iowa Friday through Sunday. Upcoming home games: June 15-16 vs. Red River; June 23 vs. Souris Valley; June 24-26 vs. Red River; June 287-29 vs. North Iowa.

Pierre Post 8: The Legion boys’ record was 3-5 through Tuesday. Pierre opened the season with a doubleheader loss at Brookings. At the Veterans Classic in Rapid City the Eights lost to Laramie and Cheyenne and defeated Fargo and Bellevue, Neb., in pool play, then dominated Sturgis, 16-3, in Sunday’s placing game. On Tuesday Pierre lost a single game to Mandan, 15-8, with the nightcap rained out. After playing Sioux Falls West and Spearfish last night, Post 8 has this schedule for the next two weeks: Friday, Rapid City Post 22, one game at 7 p.m.; Saturday, at Rapid City vs. Casper and Rapid City Post 22, two games at 3 p.m.; Tuesday, at Watertown, two games at 5 p.m.; June 16-19, at Sioux Falls Dakota Classic. The next home games are June 21 vs. Bsmarck and June 22 vs. Sioux Falls East.

Sioux Falls Canaries: The Birds’ record was 7-16 through Tuesday. Sioux Falls plays at Fargo-Moorhead tonight and at Lincoln Friday through Sunday. They will be home June 14-15-16 vs. Gary-South Shore, at Kane County June 17-19 and home vs. Lincoln June 21-22-23.

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): At the Senior PGA Championship Tom missed the cut with opening rounds of 73 and 75 for a six-over-par 148. He did not play in last weekend’s Principal Charity Classic. The Champions Tour goes to Madison, Wis., for the American Family Insurance Championship this weekend.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• Big-time college basketball is coming back to the Sanford Pentagon this coming winter. Gonzaga and Baylor will play a game there on Dec. 2.
• According to a reliable news source, last Memorial Day COVID was vanishing. The number of cases is five times higher now. I wonder if our precious self-centered “freedoms” around here would have anything to do with that.
• I recently was summoned for potential jury duty during July in Pennington County. But, without asking to be excused, I received word that I have been excused from jury duty due to my age. What???!!! I feel like a victim of age discrimination!
• I saw an article in which somebody with knowledge of such things ranked the 130 FCS college football teams as to strength of their schedules for this coming fall. Cal Poly is #1 with supposedly the toughest schedule among all those teams. USD is tied for sixth toughest. UND is tied for 14th, SDSU is 23rd, Northern Iowa 34th and Illinois State 37th. As for the defending national champs, NDSU, their schedule ranks them 104th; in other words, the Bison have the 21st easiest schedule among 130 teams. NDSU does have an opener at Arizona of the PAC-12, SDSU opens at Iowa of the Big 10, and USD opens at Kansas State of the Big 12.
• It’s a sad day at our house. We had to put down Macy, the huge black and white Newfoundland who for the past nine years since I came back to Rapid City has been my constant companion and shadow. Her hind legs no longer could support her, climbing up stairs was becoming increasingly difficult, she in recent days lost control of some of her bodily functions, and she was partially blind and mostly deaf. She was a dear dog. I’m not left alone exactly; there are still two dogs and three cats in this house.
• So many of you young things weren’t alive to watch the Watergate hearings on live TV in the early 1970s leading up to President Nixon’s resignation. Now come the live reports to the people by the House committee that has been investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. All of the major networks and news channels except one will be broadcasting the committee reports live. That one channel is Fox News Channel. (Why in the world would they not want to broadcast this? You know the answer to that.) The schedule of broadcasts: tonight (Thursday) at 7 p.m. CDT; June 12, 15, 16 and 21 at 9 a.m.; June 23 at 7 p.m.
• Now that the Republican leadership’s ploy to put Amendment C on the primary election ballot (when traditionally fewer people vote) has failed them miserably, you can plan on hearing from them on why Amendment D on the November ballot needs to be defeated. If passed by a majority at the general election, Amendment D would allow South Dakota to join in on the expansion of Medicaid. So far we have been one of only 12 states which have refused to accept the hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds that would come with that expansion. Expansion of Medicaid, which will allow an estimated 45,000 to 50,000 more citizens to become eligible for Medicaid, will cost the state more than $30 million per year in general fund revenues, so that will probably be the Republicans’ campaign story, but remember those funds will be more than offset by the federal funds coming in, plus so many more South Dakotans will get insurance coverage. So get ready for a barrage of campaign messages about Amendment D, and a few of them may actually tell you the truth.
• In every community there are the no-no’s who are against everything. In Brookings, however, they were in the minority Tuesday when a school district bond issue passed by approximately a 65% to 35% margin. The bond issue among other things calls for renovation and construction of new facilities, including Medary and Hillcrest elementary schools.
• Dates to keep in mind regarding the general election: advance voting begins Sept. 23; the voter registration deadline is Oct. 24; election day is Nov. 8.
• The next Midweek Update will show up two weeks from today on Thursday, June 23.
• Did one of our esteemed members of Congress really say out loud that South Dakotans need AR-15 assault rifles to kill prairie dogs? What???!!! One bullet isn’t fun enough? We have to blow the little critters to smithereens?
• The Rapid City school board candidate who, in one of her campaign ads called teachers “the tyrants of the teachers’ lounge,” was soundly defeated in Tuesday’s election.

SUNDAYS AT THE LEGION

Music on the deck at the Legion cabin starts each Sunday about 5 p.m. Upcoming performers:
— June 12: No Worries Band.
— June 19: You Guys.
— June 26: Dead End Friends.
— July 3: In & Out.
— July 4: The Sidehackers.

MUSIC ON THE RIVER

At the new Missouri River Events Center on W. Missouri Ave., there is music each Friday evening. Upcoming performers after Oahe Days:
— June 24: K.C. Hughes and the Wayward Travelers.
— July 1: Riverbank.

CAPITAL CITY BAND

Wednesday night concerts at the Steamboat Park Amphitheater began last night. Upcoming concerts are at 8 p.m. on June 15, June 22 and June 29 and at 9 p.m. July 4.

TALES ON THE RIVER

The Tales on the River program series sponsored by Short Grass Arts Council is back this summer every Thursday night in June, July and August at the Moose Lodge in Fort Pierre. Optional dinner for $6 is available at 6:15 p.m. each Thursday, and the program itself, free to everyone, starts at 7:00.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“How much more carnage are we willing to accept?”
— President Biden in an address to the nation after 20 mass shootings in the U.S. in the first week after the Uvalde, Texas, school massacre.

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Texas State baseball (Peyton Zabel): At their Sun Belt Conference tournament the Bobcats won their quarterfinal over Louisiana-Monroe, 8-2, but were knocked out in the semifinal with a 3-2 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. Assured of being selected for the NCAA Tournament, Texas State was sent to the regional hosted by #2 national seed Stanford in California. Texas State won its opener over UC-Santa Barbara, 7-3, then stunned Stanford, 5-2, to become the remaining unbeaten team. That meant Stanford would have to beat Texas State twice to win the regional, and that is what they did, 8-4 and 4-3. In the deciding game Monday night Texas State scored two in the top of the ninth for a 3-1 lead, but unbelievably the first two Stanford batters in the bottom of the ninth both hit home runs to tie the game. Two hits later, Stanford had the winning run and a spot in this weekend’s super-regionals. Texas State ends its outstanding season with a 47-14 record.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, June 9:
Chris DeJabet, Peggy (Huse) Hyde, Justin Hipple, Alan LaFave, Ethan Lors, Isaac Lors, Jon Stahl, Layney Arbach, Katie (Shoup) Nebelsick, Jed Hillestad, Dane Hagen, Bart Pullman, Peter Townsend, Sivage Schuetzle.
— 5th anniversary, Uriah/Emily (Zarecky) Steber.
— 38th anniversary, Bill/Suzanne (Hertel) Stahl.
— 10th anniversary, Bobby/Sarah (Ramirez) Ramler.
— 21st anniversary, Ryan/Trish Murphy.
— 15th anniversary, Will/Molly (Tillman) Gengler.
— 10th anniversary, Bret/Caitie (Wagner) Graves.
— 10th anniversary, Chris/Mallory (Petersen) Dekker.
— 10th anniversary, Jeff/Stacy (Huss) Hegge.

Friday, June 10:
Derek Smith, Kelly Tobin, Cory Noordermeer, Matt Riter, Woody Stahl, Chris Hipple, Kelli Nutter, Harry Kumpala, Lincoln Jordre.
— 22nd anniversary, Jon/Cathy (Hansen) Stahl.
— 16th anniversary, Travis/Amber (Ness) Stout.
— Anniversary, Scott/Amy (Kirkpatrick) Harris.
— 16th anniversary, Greg/Nancy (Dewell) Lemieux.

Saturday, June 11:
Tripp Lindekugel, Adam Wyly, Samantha (Hestdalen) Van Zee, Andrew Kightlinger, Aaron Roubideaux, Sara Weischedel, Dawn Langley, Lindsay (Peitz) Rounds, Jim Protexter, Francis Bies, Kim DiBenedetto.
— 6th anniversary, Justin/Michelle (Kopecky) O’Daniel.
— 61st anniversary, Dale/Donna Gohl.
— 18th anniversary, Robert/Kay (Ricketts) Hanten.
— 17th anniversary, Michael/April Hobert.
— 12th anniversary, Greg/Amanda (Ford) DeMeritt.
— We fondly remember Mike Kelley on his birthday.

Sunday, June 12:
Annie Heath, Lois Sivage, Steve Cass, Blake Hyde, Stacy Jo Johnson, Angela (Hall) Slaughter, Kathy Heiss, Jeff Marshall, Lindsey (Luers) Hyde, Jackie (Christenson) Jessup, Sean Roemen, Jory (Drayer) Rogers, Trey Livermont, Jesse Gates, Kalen Hight, Rolly Kemink.
— 40th anniversary, Bernie/Julie Linn.
— 7th anniversary, Kreighton/Brittany (Kirkpatrick) Baxter.
— 35th anniversary, Dave/Joni (Welch) Lingle.
— 46th anniversary, Dave/De (Welch) Knudson.
— 18th anniversary, Michael/Amy (Kenzy) Strobbe.
— 18th anniversary, Brady/Sheri Douglas.
— 18th anniversary, Darrin/Brenda Dykstra.
— 18th anniversary, Waylon/Katie (Thompson) Rochelle.

Monday, June 13:
Nathan Zimmerman, Rocco Huber, Brittany Kenzy, Mitchell Hansen, Mark King, Luke Zellmer, Jeremy Joel, Bob Holloway, Charlie Shives, Jamison Rounds, Renee Osterkamp.
— 7th anniversary, Drew/April White.
— 7th anniversary, Jesse/Whitney Martin.
— 4th anniversary, Jack/Dianne (Bickett) Nielsen.
— 19th anniversary, Brian/Amy (Ripperger) Grunewaldt.
— 58th anniversary, Greg/Karen Schaefer.
— 13th anniversary, Jon/Torri (Ice) Lechtenberg.
— 13th anniversary, Yohance/Ann (Schaack) Humphery.

Tuesday, June 14:
Elouise Hanson, Larry Lyngstad, Katie Stager, Patrecia Nicholas, Jake Rysdon, Presley Jo Martin, Dana Houdek, Troy Kuszmaul, Travis Hull, Blaine Eagle Boy, Adriana Dvorak.
— 14th anniversary, Ben/Alyssa Gloe.
— 19th anniversary, Matt/Amy (Haase) Eldridge.
— 19th anniversary, Jeremy/Renee Hamm.
— 25th anniversary, Scott/Stacy (Alt) Decker.
— 19th anniversary, Ryan/Sheri (Elenbaum) Doolittle.
— 20th anniversary, Aaron/Lindsay Weaver.
— 13th anniversary, Scott/Anne (Eichstadt) Saniuk.
— 19th anniversary, Collin/Danae (Darrington) Gregerson.
— 19th anniversary, Clark/Nicole (Roseland) Vold.

Wednesday, June 15:
Nash Willard, Lennon Husman, Landon Van Zee, Tobie Jo Welch, Kyle Tobin, Ray Smart, Molly Beck, Lou Manus, Tyler Pruess, Holly (Vosberg) Nemec, Stephanie Vietor, DeVante Miller, Kandi Hovis, Lucas Scheibe, Daniel Etzkorn.
— 9th anniversary, Josh/Tessa (Bollinger) Hartmann.
— 49th anniversary, Tom/Peggy Huber.
— 9th anniversary, Radley/Kelcie (Cross) Hohenberger.
— 10th anniversary, Jesse/Timmi (Lunsford) Hutrchison.
— 9th anniversary, Kody/Blaire (Dryden) Bridger.
— 10th anniversary, Jon/Jenna (Wickersham) Morin.
— 9th anniversary, Jhett/Jennifer Schuetzle.
— 15th anniversary, Derek/Brittney (Lamb) Schiefelbein.
— 10th anniversary, Alan/Courtney (Hackett) Freng.

Thursday, June 16:
Caleb Gilkerson, Chelsey Severson, Ken Shelbourn, Jenna Schiefelbein, Van Stewart, Nancy Hanson, Tanner Fitzke, Monica (Currier) Robbins, James Blackmore, Katie Eberlein, August Stofferahn, Matthew Schlosser, Chad Holsteen, Dustin Jordan.
— 16th anniversary, Dallas/Mindy Cronin.
— 4th anniversary, Matt/Taryn (Wolf) Blaseg.
— 4th anniversary, Brandon/Kayla Vockrodt.
— 15th anniversary, Justin/Krista (Schmidt) Sarvis.
— 10th anniversary, Chris/Becky (Barringer) Hoffman.
— 10th anniversary, Dominic/Abby (Pitlick) Bottenfield.
— 38th anniversary, Brian/Lisa Bondy.
— 46th anniversary, Ed/Julie (Stahl) Welch.
— 2nd anniversary, Brandon/Amy (Breitag) Bonlay.

Friday, June 17:
Katie Lingle, Kim (Hill) Burge, Logan Costello, Lisa (Ripley) Trenhaile, Cathy (Wood) Georgis, Brittany Hedman.
— 33rd anniversary, Karl/Joan Adam.
— 17th anniversary, Kirby/Brooke (Hall) Cronin.
— 16th anniversary, Aric/Tracy (Stoeser) Frost.
— 16th anniversary, Jamie/Kasey Liudahl.
— 16th anniversary, John/Kendra (Jensen) Kallemeyn.

Saturday, June 18:
Lacey (Boehmer) Hogan, Dana Darger, Rob Hall, Rex Craven, Charmaine Gardner, Patti Stolp, Julene Yackley, Oliver Gordon, Tiffany Light, Tucker Light, Kylie Light, Kasey Light, Don Dahlin, Chad Jungman, Terrance Waters.
— 6th anniversary, Allen/Sadie (Fitzke) Goodman.
— 3rd anniversary, Seamus/McKayla (Marso) McDonough.
— 1st anniversary, Curtis/Kelly Egan.
— 1st anniversary, Chris/Katya Rumrill.
— 1st anniversary, Shaun/Brittany Keller.
— 34th anniversary, Brad/Tammy (Helgeson) Cruse.
— 17th anniversary, Matt/Allison Jahraus.
— 10th anniversary, Johnnie/Ami (Hanson) Kennell.

Sunday, June 19:
Ellie Fox, Kea (Boyd) Warne, Staci Holden, Tom Lehmkuhl, Jeremy Mikkelsen, Alexa Ruydland, Susan (Olson) West.
— 12th anniversary, Michael/Nicole (McComsey) Lewis.
— 12th anniversary, Kody/Lindsey (Friez) Karschnik.
— 18th anniversary, Jody/Christy (Maskovich) Ryland.
— 18th anniversary, Jason/JoAan Fuhrer.
— 18th anniversary, Casey/Amanda (Wood) Krog.
— 18th anniversary, Erin/Susanne Harmon.
— 40th anniversary, Monte/Tami Carda.

Monday, June 20:
Megan Sutley, Judy Foth, Beth (Weischedel) Henrichsen, Gillian (Woodburn) Hanson, Mary Fredrichs, Amos Hauck.
— 7th anniversary, Riley/Rachel (Hanten) Haag.
— 35th anniversary, Michael/Marcie (Lyngstad) Long.
— 8th anniversary, Tanner/Sarah (Poganhy) Wald.
— 41st anniversary, Dave/Mary Voeltz.
— 24th anniversary, Kyle/Tammy Richards.
— 13th anniversary, Nick/Chelsey (Roberts) Renemans.

Tuesday, June 21:
Deann (Martin) Rausch, Eli Jun Welch Okawa, Wanda McKittrick, Becky Sjerven, T.J. McCauley, Sawyer Antholz, Stacy (Alt) Decker, Andy Hanson, Andrew Eickbush, Erin (Richter) Jerke, Austin Brown, Ami (Hanson) Kennell.
— 8th anniversary, George/Paige Sperry.
— 8th anniversary, Graham/Sam Schuetzle.
— 20th anniversary, Tim/Kimberly Melvin.

Wednesday, June 22:
Brian Englund, Matt Englund, Vada Thielen, Bridgert Dowling-Stoeser, Tane Owens, Kyle Englehart, Ed Welch, Andrew Pietrus, Rainer Westall, Caitlin (Wagner) Graves, Portia (Hurney) Corbin, Stephanie (Farries) Judson.
— 9th anniversary, Sam/Kelli (Livermont) Olson.
— 31st anniversary, Bob/Lori Sutton.
— 20th anniversary, Dustin/Regan (Schanzenbach) Byrum.
— 9th anniversary, Willie/Sue (Kindopp) Gloe.

Thursday, June 23:
Deb (Sorenson) Neilan, Kirsten Marshall, Leanne Neuhauser, Ty Hardwick, Cleo Hilding, Summer (Pitlick) Mersinger, Taylor Brock, Luke Shoup, Beckett Reilly, Brianne (Barnett) Roby, Kevin Lors, Diane Smith, Kila Vogel, A. Jay Heiss, Trevor DeSchepper, Shawn Flottmeyer, Cathy Barringer.
— 10th anniversary, Broy/Andi (Pond) Andresen.
— 16th anniversary, Aaron/Amanda (Wharton) Brown.
— 15th anniversary, David/Emily (Naylor) Franks.
— 22nd anniversary Elton/Karla (Richards) Blemaster.
— 21st anniversary, Mark/Kelly (Larson) Anawski.
— 10th anniversary, Jerid.Jeanine (Van Ash) Maskovich.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Shelby Guthrie, now that she has graduated from the School of Mines with her bachelor’s degree, will be attending the University of Massachusetts-Lowell to begin work toward her master’s in energy engineering, focusing on renewable energy. Shelby also received a research assistant’s position there.

Mary Hiller, 85, died May 28 at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital. Services were held June 3 at Faith Lutheran Church. The former Mary Auch graduated from Harrold High School in 1955 and married Chet Hiller in 1957. They made their home in Onida. After son Allen’s high school graduation, Mary moved to Pierre where she spent the rest of her life. Survivors include her son, Allen (Zoe) Hiller; two granddaughters; three “bonus” grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; two sisters, Charlotte Hiller and Marsha Priebe, and a sister-in-law, Lorraine Auch.

Some Riggs High graduating class reunion information:
— Class of 2002: 20-year reunion at The Fieldhouse Saturday night, June 18. Contact Megan (Linn) Bertsch or Aaron Bumann for details.
— Class of 1977: 45-year reunion at the Legion cabin, July 29-31. Contact Rick Maas at Rick@Maas.org for information.
— Class of 1962: 60-year reunion at the Legion cabin, Sept. 23, 2 p.m. to close. Contact Linda (Schooler) Bettison at linbet@charter.net.
— Class of 1997: 25-year reunion, Friday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. at the St. Charles and Saturday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m. at Richie Z’s. Contact riggsclassof1997@gmail.com.
— Class of 1960: 62-year reunion, Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m. at Drifters. Contact Dianne (Newlon) Roisum at dianneroi@sio.midco.net.

Jim Hyde was honored by the Department of Transportation for 35 years of service there. He is currently Pierre Region operations engineer.

Henry “Hank” Hansen, son of Ryan and Melissa (Luers) Hansen of Rapid City, received the “Top Hawk” award at Southwest Middle School where he just finished seventh grade.

Blunt native and Sully Buttes alumnus Shawn Hostler advances to the general election as a candidate for the Brookings County Commission. He finished second among four candidates in the Republican primary with three of them advancing to the general election where there will also be two independent candidates.

Elenore “Elly” Mills, 72, passed away at home Sunday. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church, and the funeral will be there at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. She grew up with her family in Mesa and Phoenix, Ariz., and Pickstown and Pierre in South Dakota. She graduated from Riggs High School and attended Northern State College for a secretarial/business degree. She married Larry Mills in 1971, and they lived in Aberdeen, Pierre and Yankton before settling back in Pierre in 1981. Elly worked for the Department of Revenue in Pierre, for Dale Electronics in Yankton, and for Easter Seals and Dakota Claims Services back in Pierre. She is survived by her husband, Larry Mills; four children, Kevin (Angie) Mills, Gretchen Pinto, Brian (Shauna Cunningham) Mills, and Julie Ann (Andrew) Coppersmith, all of Pierre; three grandchildren, and a brother, Eugene (Dorothy) Collett.

Connie Pierce’s last day of nursing before retirement was yesterday. She has served in the field of nursing for 45 years.

Derk Campbell has announced he is retiring from coaching the Pierre high school baseball team after 10 years. He helped start high school baseball in Pierre in 2013.

Kelsey (Wilson) Trimble, who lives in Rapid City with her husband, Aaron, is retiring from teaching after nine years in the Rapid City district. In a Facebook post Kelsey said she has taught at four different schools and has had 340 students. Two weeks ago she was invited to attend several high school graduation parties honoring former students. “It was reaffirming to see that, even though they are on to adult lives, I made enough impact on them to be remembered at one of their most exciting celebrations,” she said. Kelsey is moving to a new job as a learning and performance specialist at Black Hills Federal Credit Union. Kelsey and Aaron both graduated from Riggs High School in 2008.

The Colorado Springs community held a candlelight vigil May 30 remembering the victims of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting massacre and their families. One of the speakers at the vigil was Dr. Wendy Birhanzel, superintendent of Harrison School District 2.

The farm where Ryan and Stephanie (Collison) Thier and their family make their home near Rushmore, Minn., sustained considerable damage in one of the severe storms that moved out of South Dakota into their area May 29. The Thiers were assisted by several friends who showed up to spend their Memorial Day helping clean up the mess.

Sonny Reed, 87, died May 28. Services were held June 2 at Lutheran Memorial Church. A native of Oklahoma, Sonny married Bonnie Strothers, and they had three sons. He worked for Z Bar Ranch there before coming to South Dakota. Sonny started work at the Capital Journal in 1959 and spent 37 years with the newspaper and the Hipple family before retiring in 1996. He and Charlene (Hansen) Scott were married in 1976. Fishing and gardening were his passions while he was still working and especially after retiring. Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Charlene Reed; his sons, Stan Reed and Cam (Denise) Reed; his daughter, Val (Paul) White; eight grandchildren; two great-grandchildren, and a sister, Margie King.

Kelsey Collier-Wise, who spent some of her childhood years in Pierre, lost her bid to gain a new four-year term as mayor of Vermillion, an office she now holds. By 25 votes she was defeated in Tuesday’s election by Jon Cole by 1060 to 1035. Due to the closeness of the result, a recount is possible.

Regardless of the outcome of his impeachment trial, state attorney general Jason Ravnsborg announced he will not seek the Republican state convention’s nomination for another term.

At Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown these local students earned recognition on the spring semester President’s List: Molly Ades, Annie Bowden, Jason Carroll (4.0), Kamden Carter (4.0), Wyatt Deal, Abigail Dieters, Brianna Fanger (4.0), Nicole Johnson, Ladd Kramme, Lane Kramme, Zach Letellier (4.0), Samantha Longbrake, Michael Merriman, Gabrielle McQuirk, Cari Miller, Eric Paxton, Timothy Todd, Shyanne Uhrig (4.0), Jace Wernsmann (4.0), Dusty Yellow Thunder.

A Destination Imagination team from St. Elizabeth Seton elementary school in Rapid City became the first-ever South Dakota team to win first place at the Global Finals, either in the current Destination Imagination (DI) organization or its predecessor, Odyssey of the Mind (OM). One of the team members was Soraya Karim, daughter of Pierre native Jafar Karim and his wife Jessica.

Lincoln Jordre of Onida earned recognition on the spring semester Dean’s List at Mount Marty College.

Part-time USD students who achieved the Academic Honors list for the spring semester included Kieran Quinn and Halli Drewes.

Jerry Thielen passed away March 26. His family will greet visitors during a coffee-and-donuts hour at 9:30 a.m. July 5 at Feigum Funeral Home, followed by inurnment at Riverside Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Jerry graduated from Riggs High School in 1978. To accommodate his illnesses, he lived in assisted living facilities throughout his adult life. He is survived by his brothers, Bob (Roxie) Thielen of Pierre, Bill Thielen (Bob Cerchio) of Carbondale, Ill., Mark (Michelle) Thielen of Springfield, Ill., and Dave (Nancy) Thielen of Atlanta, and six nephews and nieces, including Damon (Jessica) Thielen of Sioux Falls.

The spring semester Dean’s List at USD included all of these local students: Mark Abernathy, Alexandria Allison, Andie Allison, Carter Karst, Jack Maher, Paul Adam, Phil Adam, Miles Amende, Taylor Davis, Taylor Evans, Abigail Foster, Tyler Gere, Ajaye Hicks, Mary Howard, Hanna Jerome, Caleb Lusk, Morgan Magdanz, Emily Mikkelsen, Cassidy Miller, Madison Miller, Jordan Morley, Morkeia Mutchelknaus, Dawson Puepke, Tessa Putzier, Macahl Raske, Ellie Richards, Levi Stoltenburg, Raegan Wiebe, Casey Williams, Joana Zanin.

The South Dakota Hall of Fame at Chamberlain announced its class of 2022 inductees, who will be part of ceremonies in September. The inductees:
— Randell Beck, Sioux Falls (professional): Long-time executive editor and president/publisher of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.
— Dennis Daiugaard, Garretson (political): Governor from 2011 through 2018; legislator and lieutenant governor; executive director of Children’s Home Society of South Dakota.
— Paul Gmirk, Rapid City (business): Founding member of RESPEC, Inc. a global leader in geoscience engineering, data and integrated technology solutions, and its president from 1969 to 1991.
— Charles Hart, Rapid City (medical): Family practice and emergency medicine doctor, then CEO of Regional Health.
— Shantel Krebs, Canton (political): Former legislator; creator of Avera Academy; former Miss South Dakota and now CEO of Miss America.
— Grace Martin Highley (deceased), Hot Springs (professional): For 21 years director of South Dakota Child Welfare, mentor and adviser to agencies and individuals in social work.
— Tad Perry, Fort Pierre (education): 15 years as executive director of South Dakota Board of Regents; 40-year career in higher education.
— Ronald Reed, Rapid City (education): Advocate for South Dakota special-needs citizens; led South Dakota’s implementation of disability civil rights laws.
— Mark Shlanta (deceased), Sioux Falls (business): 23 years at SDN Communications; led South Dakota becoming first state where every school district had internet connectivity.
— Beverly Stabber Warne, Rapid City (medical): Career in 20 positions in the field of nursing, leader in advancement of that profession, now mentor/coordinator of the Native American Nursing Education Center.

The Dean’s List for the spring semester at Dakota Wesleyan University includes Noah Miller, Cameron Ahartz, Davis Anderson, Cobey Carr, Abbigail Ferris, Jacey Iedema, Morgan Oedekoven and Brenda Valezquez Padilla.

Dorathy Hansen passed away May 31 at Centerville Care & Rehab. Her funeral took place Monday at Scandia Lutheran Church in Centerville. Mrs. Hansen was known as the lunch lady at the Centerville school cafeteria for 26 years. Among her survivors are her sons, Roger Hansen of Centerville and Douglas (Lynne) Hansen of Webster, formerly of Pierre; her daughter, Susan (Dan) Royle of Centerville; nine grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

Hunter Widvey of Rapid City was crowned Miss South Dakota 2022 at the pageant finale in Brookings last weekend. She is the daughter of Brett and Cami Widvey, both of whom are Riggs High School alumni, and Hunter has grandparents still living in Pierre. She graduated from Augustana University and has been accepted to attend medical school at Des Moines University. She entered the Miss South Dakota competition wearing the title of Miss Huron. Annie Woodmansey of Pierre, who attended Northern State University, was second runner-up at the state pageant.

The spring semester honors list at Dakota State University in Madison included these local students: Blaine Humann, Collin Brueggeman, Houston Lunde, Dohrion Eisterhold, Joseph Fischer, Joshua Goeden, Angela Guthmiller, Jacob Page.

Jeff Mammenga has retired after 27 years with the South Dakota State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center. Prior to his work with state government, he spent 10 years as sports editor of the Capital Journal.

Ronald Krogman, 86, who has spent winters in Pierre since his wife passed away in 2006, died at his daughter’s home June 3. Services are being held at 3:30 today (Thursday) at the barn on the Louie Krogman ranch near White River. Ronald graduated from high school in White River in 1955 and married Janet Jensen that summer. He spent decades raising quarter horses and ranching. After moving to Pierre for part of each year, he spent summers living in his camper parked on the ranch. He is survived by three children, Janel Krogrman (Robert Echols) of Pierre, Todd (Aimee) Krogman of Grandview, Texas, and Dana Krogman of Freeman; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; three sisters, Dorothy Krogman, Barbetta Krogman and Lorena (Gene) Hight, all of White River; and four brothers, Stanley Krogman, Casey (Ida) Krogman, Steve (Leigh) Krogman and Neil (Kristi) Krogman, all of White River.

Madie Brink, daughter of Colby and Marquette (Spaid) Brink, has completed her master of education degree in intercollegiate athletics leadership from the University of Washington.

Pierre native Kerry Steever has begun his 26th season as director of Placerville Camp in the Black Hills. Kerry’s wife, the former Sharla Cass, is also a native of Pierre.

These local students graduated last month from Mitchell Technical Institute (Note: “AAS” stands for associate of applied science):
— Amy Gilkerson, AAS degree, accounting.
— Jaden Jessop, AAS degree, architectural design and building construction.
— Miriam Thompson, AAS degree, business management.
— Tristan Fuerst, AAS degree, electrical utilities and substation technology.
— Daniel Tafoya, diploma, heating and cooling technology.
— Amanda Nelson, AAS degree, human services technician.
— Ashlee Hiller, AAS degree, information systems technology.
— Taylor Christ, AAS degree, medical office professional.
— Karson Nieman, diploma, power line construction and maintenance.
— Samuel Mercer, AAS degree, precision ag technology and agronomy.
— Klarssa Gorham, AAS degree, radiologic technology.
— Kaitlyn Huebner, AAS degree, radiologic technology.

Justin Briese, who graduated from Riggs High School in 1999, has been named as the new head football coach at Aberdeen Central High School. Justin most recently was an assistant coach there for eight years. His previous coaching experience was at Northern State University and Aberdeen Roncalli High School.

At South Dakota School of Mines and Technology the spring semester Dean’s List included these local students: Kara Huse, Samuel Ryckman, Dillon Muntefering, Aaron Hoelscher, Adeline Abernathy, Chloe Jungwirth.

Among the graduated high school seniors from this area who will be playing in the state all-star football game in Vermillion this Saturday are Matt Hanson of Pierre and Jordan Schall and Jesse Schall of Sully Buttes.

Oahe Days 2022 is only a week away on June 17-18. For a complete schedule of events and other information go to www.oahedays.com.

“The Thanksgiving Play,” written by noted playwright and Pierre native Larissa FastHorse, is headed to Broadway in the spring 2023 season at the Helen Hayes Theatre in New York. Rachel Chavkin, who is currently directing the musical “Hadestown” on Broadway, will direct Larissa’s play. “The Thanksgiving Play” has become one of the top 10 most-produced plays in the country. Larissa will be the first female Native American playwright ever produced on Broadway.

The spring semester Dean’s List at Northern State University includes these local students: Jacob Howard, Paige Brandt, Grace Campbell, Ashley Even, Carly Handcock, Hailee Like, Judah McKinley, Spencer Sarringar, Hailey Switzer.

Belated golden wedding anniversary congratulations to Mike and Sandy Durick, who just celebrated their 50th.

The spring semester Dean’s List at South Dakota State University includes the following area students: J.D. Carter, Trey Frost, Reid Wieczorek, Marinda Archer (4.0), Cade Currier (4.0), Grant Johnson (4.0), Samuel Adams (4.0), Kaylee Becker (4.0), Jessica Buntrock (4.0), Bennett Dean, Marlee Dravland (4.0), Addison Eisenbeisz (4.0), Daniel Ellenbecker, RyLee Fischer, Kelsey Garber, Adam Goeden (4.0), Samantha Gortmaker (4.0), Talon Griese (4.0), Halle Gronlund (4.0), Ruth Howard (4.0), Allison Johnson, William Kessler (4.0), Kyla Keyes (4.0), Abbigail Kitts (4.0), Sawyer Lee, Emma Lusk (4.0), Daniel Magee, Levi McKinley, Tate Mueller, Catie Natvig, Selah Rilling (4.0), Hudson Rohrbach, Joshua Rounds, Matthew Rounds (4.0), Kailee Schultz, Hattie Shaffer (4.0), Nathan Shoup, Addy Smth (4.0), James Speck, Erika Stout, Garrett Stout (4.0), Jordan Thompson (4.0), Kenzie Trujillo (4.0), Emily Urban (4.0), Shay Van Den Hemel, Ryan Warne (4.0), Deni Zeeb (4.0).

Molly Knoblauch, granddaughter of former Pierre residents Juanita McKeever and the late Judge Patrick McKeever, graduated from Coon Rapids High School in the Minneapolis suburbs. She will attend the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul this fall and continue to play soccer. This summer Molly, whose mother is the former Cristin McKeever, is playing with the new Sioux Falls City FC team in their women’s soccer league.

Mason White of Pierre earned a spot on the spring semester President’s List at Southeast Technical Institute in Sioux Falls.

Riggs High alumnus Adam Chick has been a resident of Colorado for 21 years and has been in the restaurant business for 24 years. He and his wife CariRuth are co-managing partners at Torchy’s Tacos, which is opening a new location at 63 N. Quebec St. in the Lowry area on the east side of Denver. The Chicks are the parents of a daughter, Rory, and a son, Ayden.

Two elementary education majors, Shantay Waldron of Fort Pierre and Jessica Lutmer of Pierre, earned recognition on the University of Sioux Falls spring semester Dean’s List.

Jordan (“Jordie”) Billet died of a brain aneurysm Sunday at Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls. A celebration of her life is being planned for Saturday of next week, June 18. Watch for details at the website of George Boom Funeral Home. Jordan attended Washington Elementary, Georgia Morse Middle School and Riggs High School, graduating with the Class of 2007. After she moved to Sioux Falls, Jordan had a long career in the hospitality industry, including at the Buffalo Wild Wings location near the Premier Center and later at Buffalo Wild Wings’ newer location on S. Louise Ave. She was working as a bartender there at the time of her death. Jordan was briefly married to Adam Miller, starting in 2013. Survivors include her parents, Sean (Lori) Billet and Gina Billet; her sister, Josie Billet, and her grandparents, Sandee Smith, Gloria Hanson (Ron Schreiner) and Dennis (Bernie) Hanson. Among those who preceded her in death were her grandfathers, Fred Smith and Douglas Billet.

Sunday’s service at Sunnycrest United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls was especially meaningful for the pastor, Charlie Moore, and his wife, Stephanie. Their son, Rudy Randall Moore, was baptized by his dad with several family members present for the occasion.

Twenty-five years ago last night on June 8, 1997, Christian Hess, who graduated from Riggs High in 1992, pitched a no-hitter for the Richmond Roosters in Richmond, Ind. It was the first no-hitter in Frontier League history. In that game Hess held the Kalamazoo Kodiaks hitless in a game at Kalamazoo, Mich. He had tied for the team lead in wins for Evansville in the same league in 1996 before moving to the Richmond team for the 1997 season. To mark the 25th anniversary of his no-hitter, Hess will be inducted tonight (Thursday) into the Frontier League Hall of Fame in a ceremony during a game at Evansville, Ind. Christian now is a regional manager based in the Twin Cities for the Kurita water services firm, overseeing a team of 10.

PONDER THIS

“We look forward to the time when the power to love will replace the love of power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace.”
— William E. Gladstone