THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“Everyone talks about peace, but no one teaches peace. In this world you are educated for competition, and competition is the beginning of every war. When he will educate himself for cooperation and to offer each other solidarity, that day man will be educating himself for peace.”
— Maria Montessori

STATE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENTS

Class “AA”: The quarterfinal pairings for the state tournament to be held in Rapid City next week will be determined tonight (Thursday) in the SoDak 16 games across the state. The matchups:
— Game 1 of the state tournament:
#16 Rapid City Stevens at #1 Harrisburg
#9 Pierre at #8 Aberdeen Central, 6 p.m.
— Game 2 of the state tournament:
#15 Spearfish at #4 Watertown.
#12 Sioux Falls Roosevelt at #5 Sioux Falls O’Gorman.
— Game 3 of the state tournament:
#15 Douglas at #8 Sioux Falls Jefferson.
#10 Brandon Valley at #7 Huron.
— Game 4 of the state tournament:
#14 Yankton at #3 Sioux Falls Washington.
#11 Brookings at #6 Sioux Falls Lincoln.

State “A” tournament at Rapid City next Thursday:
#1 Sioux Falls Christian vs. #8 Lennox
#4 Platte-Geddes vs. #5 Dell Rapids
#2 Rapid City Christian vs. #7 Dakota Valley
#3 Miller vs. #6 Wagner

State “B” tournament at Rapid City next Thursday:
#1 Warner vs. #8 Gayville-Volin
#4 Burke vs. #5 Wolsey-Wessington
#2 Chester Area vs. #7 Faulkton Area
#3 Colman-Egan vs. #6 Castlewood

FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE

Today (Thursday):
— 10 a.m.: Class 9B, Faulkton Area vs. Avon.
— 2 p.m.: Class 9A, Deubrook Area vs. Warner.
— 7 p.m.: Class 9AA, Howard vs. Parkston.
Friday:
— 10 a.m.: Class 11B, Elk Point-Jefferson vs. Hot Springs.
— 2 p.m.: Class 11A, Dell Rapids vs. West Central.
— 7 p.m.: Class 11AA, Pierre vs. Yankton.
Saturday:
— 7:30 p.m.: Class 11AAA, Sioux Falls Lincoln vs. Sioux Falls O’Gorman.

ONE YEAR AGO IN THE MIDWEEK UPDATE

Nov. 9, 2022: U.S. Sen. John Thune, after three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, won his fourth term in the Senate. He will now be in the Senate through 2028.

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedule:
— THURSDAY
Volleyball: at Aberdeen Central in SoDak 16 game, 6 p.m.
— FRIDAY
Football: vs. Yankton in state 11AA championship game, Vermillion, 7 p.m.

Football: The Governors defeated Watertown, 35-14, in the semifinal game at Hollister Field. Cade Kaiser’s 7-yard run made it 7-0 for Pierre, and after the Arrows tied the game, Jett Zabel plunged over from the 1-yard line for a 14-7 lead. Trey Lewis then scored three touchdowns on runs of 37, 14 and 2 yards. Kaiser completed 13 of 22 oasses for 132 yards. Lewis rushed for 156 yards. Lewis, Spencer Easland, Titian Winkler and Kaiser each had an interception for Pierre, which takes a 10-1 record to the DakotaDome, seeking their seventh consecutive state title. Pierre will be playing in the championship game for the eighth time in 10 seasons, and another championship would be Pierre’s eighth overall.

Football: Five Governor players were named to the all-ESD all-conference team. On offense they are Jett Zabel and Matthew Brewer. The honored defensive players are Spencer Easland, Trey Lewis and Emmit Andersen.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

Volleyball: In the semifinal round of Region 6A, the Buffaloes’ season came to an end with a 3-0 loss at Mobridge-Pollock on game scores of 13-25, 15-25, 4-25.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Volleyball: In the semifinal round of Region 6B, the Chargers’ season ended in a 3-0 loss at Herreid-Selby Area by game scores of 12-25, 21-25, 21-25. Payge Bakker had six kills, and Trichelle White and Stevie Wittler had five kills each. The Sully Buttes final record is 13-18.

COUNTDOWN

1 day: Pierre Players’ “All Is Calm” (Nov. 10-12, 16-18).
2 days: Sully County Snow Queen pageant, Onida (Nov. 11).
7 days: State volleyball tournaments, Rapid City (Nov. 16-18).
11 days: Pierre Parade of Lights (Nov. 20).
12 days: Christmas at the Capitol tree lighting ceremony (Nov. 21).
13 days: Christmas at the Capitol trees display (Nov. 22-Dec. 26).
14 days: Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23).
15 days: Fort Pierre tree lighting and Cowboy Christmas (Nov. 24).
18 days: Riggs High oral interpretation showcase (Nov. 27).
21 days: Pierre/Stanley County gymnastics opener (Nov. 30).
21 days: Stanley County wrestling opener (Nov. 30).
22 days: “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” events, Onida (Dec. 1).
22 days: State oral interpretation championship, Brandon (Dec. 1-2).
22 days: Pierre boys/girls wrestling openers (Dec. 1-2).
23 days: Stanley County/Sully Buttes wrestling openers (Dec. 2).
25 days: Stanley County high school/middle school Christmas concert (Dec. 4).
26 days: Stanley County/Sully Buttes girls basketball openers (Dec. 5).
28 days: Stanley County boys basketball opener (Dec. 7).
28 days: Blunt elementary Christmas concert (Dec. 7).
29 days: Hosanna Dance’s “Nutcracker” (Dec. 8).
29 days: Pierre girls/boys basketball openers (Dec. 8).
32 days: Holiday Jam with the Hegg Brothers concert (Dec. 11).

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

South Dakota State swimming (Morgan Nelson): The Jackrabbits over two days at the Coyote Extravaganza won two duals each over Augustana, USF and St. Cloud State and lost two duals each to USD and Northern Iowa. Morgan placed eighth in the 100-meter breast stroke event in 1:07.95 and 15th in the 200 breast in 2:35.77. She swam on the 400 medley relay “B” team, placing fourth in 3:59.61; on the 200 freestyle relay “D” team, placing 19th in 1:45.66, and on the 200 medley relay “B” team, placing ninth in 1:51.29. SDSU’s next meet is Nov. 15 at the Coyote long-course invitational in Sioux Falls.

Augustana swimming (Ella Ward-Zeller): At the Coyote Extravaganza Ella placed 11th in the 100-meter backstroke in 1:00.79 and 12th in the 200 backstroke in 2:12.76. She swam on the 400 medley relay “A” team, placing eighth in 3:55.00, on the 200 freestyle relay “C” team, placing 11th in 1:42.31, on the 200 medley relay “B” team, placing 12th in 1:52.65, and on the 400 free relay “D” team, placing 18th in 3:50.81. Augustana swims next at the USD long-course meet in Sioux Falls Nov. 15.

Black Hills State men’s basketball (Jackson Edman): The Yellowjackets open their season at home Friday against Oklahoma Christian and Saturday against Arkansas-Fort Smith.

Dakota Wesleyan wrestling (Aric Williams, Tyson Johnson): The Tigers were scheduled to open their season at the Jamestown Open last Saturday, but so far there has been nothing reported on the DWU website. The Tigers are scheduled to wrestle at home Friday against Ridgewater Community College and Saturday in the DWU Open.

USF women’s wrestling (Toby Bryant): The first-ever Cougar women’s wrestling team placed fifth at Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s meet. Two of Toby’s wrestlers placed, one of them in fifth place and one in sixth. This Saturday USF wrestles at the Waldorf Open in Forest City, Iowa.

USF men’s wrestling (Josh Rydberg): At a meet in Rochester, Minn., Josh went 2-2 in four matches in the freshman-sophomore 197-pound division. This is the first Division II season in wrestling for USF, which wrestles this Sunday at the St. John’s round-robin meet in Collegeville, Minn.

Dakota State men’s track and field (Houston Lunde): The Trojans’ indoor season opens Dec. 2-3 at SDSU’s meet.

South Dakota State women’s track and field (Lydia Hill, Jessica Lutmer): The Jacks’ indoor season opener is SDSU’s meet Dec. 2-3.

South Dakota State men’s wrestling (Regan Bollweg): The Jacks open their season Saturday at the Bison Open in Fargo.

South Dakota State men’s track and field (Rylan McDonnell): The indoor season begins Dec. 2-3 at SDSU’s own meet.

Northwestern (Iowa) football (Morris Hofer): The defending national champion Red Raiders defeated Dakota Wesleyan, 49-28, and are now 10-0 overall and 9-0 in the GPAC. Mo had three solo tackles and three assisted tackles for a total of six, including a sack for a loss of six yards and two tackles for loss for a total of 10 yards. Northwestern plays at home in Orange City at noon Saturday against Jamestown.

Dakota Wesleyan football (Evan Nordstrom): The Tigers lost at home to Northwestern (Iowa), 49-28. Now 6-4 overall and 5-2 in the GPAC, DWU ends its season at Dordt at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Augustana football (Jett Lamb, Colton Hartford): The Vikings defeated Northern, 31-21, to go to 9-1 overall and 8-1 in the NSIC. Jett was credited with one assisted tackle. Augie is home Saturday at 1 p.m. against Bemidji State on Midco Sports Network.

Ohio State football (Lincoln Kienholz): The Buckeyes defeated Rutgers, 35-16, and are now 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big 10. Ohio State plays at home at 6:30 p.m. Saturday against Michigan State on NBC.

Black Hills State football (Josh Breske): The Yellowjackets defeated Adams State, 35-28, to assure themselves of a winning season. Now 6-4 overall and 5-3 in the RMAC, BHSU ends the season at CSU-Pueblo at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Dakota State football (Collin Brueggeman, Nathan Cook): The Trojans won for the first time this season, 19-14 over Mayville State, Nathan had two pass receptions for a total of 10 yards—one for eight and one for two yards. Collin had one solo tackle and six assisted tackles for a total of seven. Now 1-8 overall and 1-6 in the NSAA, DSU ends its season at home at noon Saturday vs. Dickinson State.

North Dakota State football (Grey Zabel): The Bison lost the Dakota Marker game at SDSU, 33-16. Now 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the Missouri Valley, NDSU plays at home at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against Southern Illinois on ESPN+.

USF football (Jack Merkwan, Jayden Wiebe, Christian Busch): The Cougars lost to Wayne State, 28-20. Now 3-7 overall and 3-6 in the NSIC, USF plays at noon Saturday at Southwest Minnesota State to end the season.

South Dakota men’s basketball (Max Burchill): The Coyotes tipped off their season by whipping Mount Marty, 85-53, Monday. Max was 0-for-5 in field goals and 1-of-2 in free throws for one point with eight rebounds, a block and an assist. Now 1-0, USD plays at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls Friday against Texas-Rio Grande Valley, then goes to Chicago to play DePaul Tuesday.

Georgia Tech women’s basketball (Caleb Currier): The Yellowjacket women won an exhibition game over Georgia College, 93-56, then opened the season Monday with an 83-53 win over Coastal Carolina. Tech hosts Furman Saturday.

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Nick Wittler): The Tigers defeated St. Mary, 71-67, as Nick got in for four minutes and went 0-2 at the free-throw line. He did not play in an 88-7y9 win over Valley City State. Last night DWU lost at SDSU, 83-55, and Nick got in for eight minutes, getting two rebounds and an assist but missing all five of his field-goal shots. DWU plays at Dakota State Monday.

Northern women’s basketball (Katie Bourk): The Wolves lost an exhibition game at USD Monday, 85-57. Northern plays Central Missouri Friday and Rogers State Saturday with both games at Claremore, Okla.

Minnesota State Mankato women’s soccer (Mackenzie Rath): In the quarterfinals of the NSIC tournament the Mavericks were ousted by Concordia-St. Paul, 2-1, scoring the winning goal in the 80th minute. Mackenzie played all 90 minutes as goalkeeper, making four saves.

WORDS OF WISDOM

“Let’s be clear. You are not ‘pro-life’ if you choose to do absolutely nothing to save children from gun violence, save black and brown moms from the maternal mortality crisis or save Americans from domestic terrorism or any other form of preventable crisis.”
— U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois

FOOTBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Vikings: With newcomer Josh Dobbs taking the place of quarterback Kirk Cousins, who was lost for the season the previous week, the Vikings rallied to win at Atlanta, 31-28. Now 5-4, the Vikings are at home at noon Sunday vs. New Orleans on Fox.

Midco Sports Network live games this week:
— Friday: Men’s hockey, UND vs. Minnesota-Duluth, 7 p.m.
— Saturday: Football, USD vs. UND, 1 p.m.
— Saturday: Football, Augustana vs. Bemidji State, 1 p.m. (MS2).
— Saturday: Men’s hockey, UND vs. Minnesota-Duluth, 6 p.m.
— Saturday: Women’s basketball, UND vs. Grand Canyon, 7 p.m. (MS2).
— Sunday: Men’s basketball, UND vs. Elon, 1 p.m.
— Tuesday: Women’s basketball, USD vs. Northern Colorado, 7 p.m. (MS2).
— Tuesday: Volleyball, UND vs. NDSU, 7 p.m.

Nebraska 2024 schedule:
Aug. 31: Texas-El Paso.
Sept. 7: Colorado.
Sept. 14: Northern Iowa.
Sept. 21: Illinois.
Sept. 28: at Purdue.
Oct. 5: Rutgers.
Oct. 19: at Indiana.
Oct. 26: at Ohio State.
Nov. 2: UCLA.
Nov. 16: at USC.
Nov. 23: Wisconsin.
Nov. 29: at Iowa.

NFL games live on local TV this week:
— Thursday, Carolina at Chicago, 7:15 p.m., Prime Video.
— Sunday, Indianapolis vs. New England, 8:30 a.m., NFL Network.
— Sunday, New Orleans at Minnesota, noon, Fox.
— Sunday, Green Bay at Pittsburgh, noon, CBS.
— Sunday, New York Giants at Dallas, 3:25 p.m., Fox.
— Sunday, New York Jets at Las Vegas, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
— Monday, Denver at Buffalo, 7:15 p.m., ABC, ESPN.

Football coaching update:
— Ben Kramer, Hot Springs: Fort Pierre native Ben Kramer’s Bison defeated Rapid City Christian, 28-10, in the semifinals and will take a 10-1 record into their Class 11B state championship game at Vermillion Friday. Hot Springs’ only loss was 20-14 to Class 11A top-rated Dell Rapids.

Other college football update:
— Northern (4-6): Lost to Augustana, 31-21.
This week: at Northern Michigan, noon Saturday, ending the season.
— SDSU (9-0): Defeated North Dakota State, 33-16.
This week: at Youngstown State, 11 a.m. Saturday, ESPN+.
— USD (7-2): Defeated Southern Illinois, 14-7.
This week: home vs. UND, noon Saturday, Midco Sports Network.
— Mount Marty (3-7): Idle last week.
This week: home vs. Concordia (Neb.), 1 p.m. Saturday, ending the season.
— South Dakota Mines (5-5): Lost to CSU-Pueblo, 35-28.
This week: at Chadron State, noon Saturday, ending the season.
— UND (6-3): Defeated Murray State, 45-31.
This week: at USD, noon Saturday, Midco Sports Network.
— Minnesota (5-4): Lost to Illinois, 27-26.
This week: at Purdue, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC.
— Nebraska (5-4): Lost to Michigan State, 20-17.
This week: home vs. Maryland, 11 a.m. Saturday, Peacock.

Denver Broncos: Idle last week, the Broncos go to Buffalo on Monday night with a 3-5 record.

FOOTBALL CONTEST #13

When the Gophers lost, the Huskers lost, Notre Dame lost and Colorado lost (again!), many of our contestants’ entries from last week went down the drain. But Debra Bollinger, Seb Axtman and Nathan Vetter still survived with 8-2 marks for 10 points each. At 7-3 for 9 points each were Beth Rinehart, Jason Noyes and Thomas Voeltz. With 6-4 marks for 8 points each were Mikal Kern, Randy Pool, Steph Vietor, Dallas Lamb, Levi Neuharth, Terry Tousley, David Ludwig and Brad Cruse.

This week’s games (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Saturday morning):
(1) Michigan at Penn State.
(2) UND at USD.
(3) Southern Illinois at NDSU.
(4) Mississippi at Georgia.
(5) Miami at Florida State.
(6) Utah at Washington
(7) USC at Oregon
(8) Arizona at Colorado.
(9) NFL: San Francisco at Cincinnati.
(10) NFL: Detroit at Los Angeles Chargers.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• I have a favor to ask of any one of you who will be watching the Governors game on TV from home Friday night. I have to work as house manager at a play and won’t be able to watch the game. Will somebody please text me the scores occasionally at 605/431-3098?

BASEBALL UPDATE

Oahe Zap: Added to the 2024 roster this week was a returnee from last season, sophomore right-handed pitcher Micah Larsen from Northwestern College (Iowa). His hometown is Menomonee Falls, Wis.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Sioux Falls Skyforce: The Force opens the season against Indiana Saturday at home, then plays at home Tuesday vs. Cleveland.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves won all three games this week, improving their record to 5-2. Minnesota beat Utah, 123-95; beat Boston, 114-109, and last night beat New Orleans, 122-101. The Wolves play at San Antonio on Friday, at Golden State on Sunday and Tuesday and at Phoenix next Wednesday. The Friday and Tuesday games this month are all part of the new in-season tournament.

Other college basketball update:
— USD women (1-0): Defeated Northern, 85-57.
This week: Friday at Creighton; Tuesday home vs. Northern Colorado on MS2.
— SDSU women (1-0): Defeated Arkansas State, 55-42.
This week: Tuesday at Wisconsin.
— SDSU men (1-1): Lost to Akron, 81-75; defeated Dakota Wesleyan, 83-55.
This week: Monday at Kansas State on ESPN+.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Rapid City Rush: The Rush split with Kansas City, losing 3-0 and winning 8-4, then won at Tulsa, 4-3. The Rush hosts Tulsa Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild lost at New Jersey, 5-3, then crossed the river and swept New York’s teams, beating the Rangers, 5-4, in a shootout and beating the Islanders, 4-2. Minnesota’s record of 5-5-2 (five wins, five losses, two overtime losses) for 12 points puts them into a tie for third place in their division. The Wild play at the Rangers again tonight, then at Buffalo Friday, then at home vs. Dallas Sunday.

Badlands Sabres: The Sabres swept a weekend pair against Yellowstone, 2-1 and 5-1. The same two teams play Friday and Saturday in Cody.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings lost twice to Minot, 4-2 and 2-1. Aberdeen hosts St. Cloud Friday and Saturday.

Sioux Falls Stampede: The Herd beat Lincoln, 3-2, and lost to Fargo, 5-2. The Stampede and Omaha play Friday in Omaha and Saturday in Sioux Falls.

Augustana men’s hockey: The Vikings lost twice at Michigan Tech, 6-4 and 4-3. Now 3-4-1, Augie plays Friday and Saturday at Lindenwood in St. Charles, Mo.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, Nov. 9:
Bryan Konechne, Paula Weeldreyer, Sara Messbarger, Matt Picchietti, Tom Denton, Zach Merrill, Colleen Jensen, Jami Beck, Susan Lamb, Dana (Halverson) Gloe, Katie Gourneau.
— 11th anniversary, Daniel/Alexis (Fanger) Timmons.

Friday, Nov. 10:
Patty McGee, Steve Gardner, Mark Lauseng, Royce Volker, Aaron Laudermith, Kyle Kafka, Sara (Dvorak) Becker, Ryan Noyes, Anne (Rounds) Harrington, Garrett Pochop, Marty Kusser, Sloane Feyereisen.
— 4th anniversary, Brock/Mary Axthelm.
— 6th anniversary, Eric/Katherine (Adam) Danforth.

Saturday, Nov. 11:
Carson Wyly, Rosa Iverson, Danielle Trujillo, Sam Molseed, Ellie Ripley, Scott Gibson, Vicki Warne, Jennifer Finley.
— 6th anniversary, Jim/Michelle (Wattier) Kezar.
— 12th anniversary, Lee/Jessica (Schult) Rausch.

Sunday, Nov. 12:
Andy Jockheck, Bergen Murphy, Anita Nicholas, Melissa (Van Duzer) Edeburn, Mike Fouts, Grady Johnson.

Monday, Nov. 13:
Kris Hewlett, Casey Buechler, Jay Carroll, Shauna Peterson, Tanner Foth, Barb (Hoover) Olson, Clark Kraemer, Ann (Sutera) Hepker, Shelli Ness, Langston Noyes, Colin Alexander, Courtney (Donnan) VandenBerg.

Tuesday, Nov. 14:
Emma Aadland Dakota Bixler, Alison (Drewes) Haas, Brody Kelley, Brandon Brown, Josh Boyle, Hana (Bloomberg) Fretta, Addisyn Norman.
— 43rd anniversary, Randy/Colleen (Colson) Pool.

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

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

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“As for the regular people living in Montana, the right wing that yaps about freedom is fencing them off. In the end, though, they get what they elect.”
— Columnist Froma Harrop in “The Dakota Scout”

THE JAY/BEVERLY MICKELSON SCHOLARSHIP

The Jay and Beverly Mickelson Scholarship Fund has been launched by a small group of Riggs High School alumni with the blessing and support of the Mickelsons. The fund is a permanent endowment, managed through the South Dakota Community Foundation, that will assist Riggs graduates in attending college or technical college.

The Mickelsons developed the selection criteria. An independent committee will make annual selections.

Early funding donors have committed to matching the first $125,000 in gifts, so giving to the fund now will double the impact of every monetary gift.

Contributions to the scholarship fund can be mailed to the South Dakota Community Foundation, P.O. Box 296, Pierre SD 57501 with checks made payable to Mickelson Scholarship Fund. Gifts to the fund can also be made online. Go first to this address:
www.sdcommunityfoundation.org/giving/support-an-existing-fund/jay-beverly-mickelson-scholarship-fund.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Larissa FastHorse’s play, “For the People,” concludes its run at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis this Sunday.

In Wyoming the Worland High School volleyball team qualified for the state tournament but lost two matches there. Members of the team include junior Anna Richardson and freshman Lillie Richardson, the daughters of Scott and Sara (Goeden) Richardson. Anna earned not only all-conference honors but also All-State recognition.

Neil Schochenmaier, 56, died Nov. 2 as the result of an automobile accident. His funeral is being held this (Thursday) morning at 11 a.m. at Faith Lutheran Church, followed by burial at Bonesteel at 3:30 p.m.

Ethan and Heather (Mangan) Fife of Casper, Wyo., are the parents of a son, Lachlan Osborne Fife, who was born Oct. 27. He weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces, and measured 20 inches. He joins a sister, Matilda, who will be 2 in March, in the family. Just to keep things more interesting than they needed to be, Heather had tested positive for COVID just four days before Lachlan’s birth, but both he and his mother are doing fine.

Long-time Blunt resident Lowell King, who in recent years lived in Pierre at Edgewood, died Nov. 5. Visitation will be from 6 to 7 p.m. next Tuesday, Nov. 14, at Feigum Funeral Home with a prayer service at 7. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, at Faith Lutheran Church.

Jon and Sommar (Jastorff) Nelson’s daughter, Valorie, age 11, had one of the leading roles in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at the Arizona Broadway Theatre in Phoenix. This is a professional theater, but they double-cast a children’s choir of from 10 to 15 children for this show.

Craig Smith, 89, died Oct. 31 at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Monday at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church. He grew up at Park Falls and Ashland, Wis., and Yale and Plankinton in this state. He graduated from Kennebec High School in 1952. He earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from South Dakota State in 1960. That year he came to Pierre to work for the Department of Transportation in the roadway design section. In 1961 he married Dorothy Varilek, and they spent 62 years together. Craig spent 18 years with the DOT, then moved over to the DOT’s aeronautics office as airport engineer. In Pierre he was active with the Pierre Fire Department and the Knights of Columbus and worked with Boy Scouts and Little League baseball. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; his daughter, Lisa (Darren) Larson; his sons, Brian (Kim) Smith, Jeff (Jamie) Smith and Kevin (Lonna) Smith; 12 grandchildren and three great-grandsons. He was preceded in death by his parents, Tell and Mary Smith, and seven siblings.

Adelyn Bisbee of Brandon Valley High School was named to the Metro Conference all-conference team for competitive dance. She is the daughter of Pierre native Jason Bisbee, who teaches at Brandon Valley, and his wife, Erin.

Riggs High senior Reese Terwilliger has signed a letter of intent to attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and play women’s basketball for the Hardrockers.

Col. Rick Miller is retiring from the South Dakota Highway Patrol after 22 years of service. He has been superintendent of the patrol since 2019. Miller is married to the former Krista Oehlerking.

Scott Jones will serve as chairman of the board of the South Dakota Community Foundation for a two-year term. Among the new members of the board is Cynthia Mickelson of Sioux Falls.

Donald Goosen, 85, died Nov. 3. His funeral was held Wednesday at the Emmanuel Brethren Mennonite Church in Onida. Donnie grew up on the family farm east of Onida, and as a young man he began working on the farm. Later in life he worked for Brock’s Butcher Block in town. He married Bonnie Goertz in 1979. Survivors include his son, Joe Goosen; his daughter, Genny (Ryan) Schiebout; two grandchildren; his brother, Elmer (Martha) Goosen, and his sister, Mary (John) Beougher. Among those preceding him in death were his parents, George and Adina; his sisters, Gladys Unruh and Agnes Niehoff, and his brother, LeRoy Goosen in the Korean War.

Graveside services for Morry Eckman are being planned for May 2024 at Blunt. Details will be announced in the spring.

Dr. Calvin Hofer, an Onida native and a Sully Buttes High graduate in 1980, visited the Sully Buttes band to work with the students there last week. Hofer is a professor of music at Colorado-Mesa in Grand Junction.

Dr. Brianne (Barnett) Roby of Minneapolis broke her foot six months ago while running in the Boston Marathon. But last Sunday she ran the New York Marathon. In her Facebook post Bri said “No broken bones and a heck of a crowd support running the five boroughs. . . . Met up with some amazing physician/mom runners from across the country.”

Robert “Bob” Cromwell, 68, died Oct. 26 at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital. A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. this Friday, Nov. 10, at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. Bob grew up in Murdo, Parkston and Wakonda. He married Naomi in Vermillion in 1982, and they spent two decades there. He worked for Meckling Fertilizer, Vermillion Taxi and as an over-the-road trucker until a back injury forced him to give it up. He is survived by his wife, Naomi; his mother, Ilene; and his brothers, Randy, Roger (Janet) and Roy (Brenda) as well as many nephews and nieces.

A celebration of the life of Chuck Libby will take place at 2 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Phoenix Center in Onida.

The Solid Rock Community Development Corporation celebrated Pierre native Dr. Wendy Birhanzel this week as she received the Southeast Colorado Springs Distinguished Service Award. Wendy is superintendent of Harrison School District Two, which serves that section of the city.

Judy Weldin, 67, died in Sioux Falls on Oct. 30. A memorial service took place Tuesday at Lutheran Memorial Church. The daughter of Ike and Alta McQuistion grew up at Robbs Flat on the Cheyenne River 70 miles northwest of Fort Pierre. She graduated from Riggs High School in 1974. Judy worked at Embers, A&W, Value Village, Dollar Store and Boys & Girls Club. She enjoyed dressing as a clown and visiting OAHE Inc. and VistaCare. She is survived by her son, Dave (Jill) Trautman; her daughter,Shelly (Robby) Walth; her son, Chris (Kim) Campos; nine grandchildren, and her siblings, Diane Jensen, Cheryl Voigt, Martha (Todd) Hieb and Matt (Lori) McQuistion. Preceding her in death were her parents; her brothers, Ike Jr. and Bill; and her brothers-in-law, Jake Voigt and Roger Jensen.

PONDER THIS

No one who is not in the military or law enforcement should possess a military-style weapon. No one who has been deemed severely mentally ill should own any firearms. Those reforms should not be so hard to support, including in gun country.
— Columnist Froma Harrop