Year In Review 2015

Year in Review 2015 A Special Supplement to The Daily Republic

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• December 2015 • Year In Review •

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January: Officer shot during 24-hour standoff

By The Daily Republic

Republic file photo

Authorities gather Jan. 7 near the scene of a standoff in rural Brule County. Sgt. John Koenig, a Highway Patrol trooper, was shot and wounded in the incident.

ting assault against a law enforcement officer and one count of accessory to a crime. He later died due to health problems.

Donald London pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Michael London pleaded not guilty. Judge Bruce Anderson granted a request for a mental evaluation for Donald London.

Jan. 2: Six people were diagnosed with measles, health officials announced. The day prior, officials said a child between 1 and 5 years old had measles, the first reported case of the virus in South Dakota since 1997. The

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120 S. Lawler • PO Box 1288 • Mitchell, SD 57301 Phone: 605.996.5514 Fax: 605.996.7793 • www.mitchellrepublic.com

The New Year is a time to reflect and remember as we turn a new chapter in our lives. God has blessed us and we have been blessed by many of you. We are so grateful that we can be of service to you! We pray that the New Year brings you health and happiness. We look forward to serving you in the future.

Jan. 8: Alexander Salgado, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2010 after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of Jasmine Guevara, refused to testify in the Maricela Diaz trial.

Jan. 10: The number of confirmed measles cases linked to Mitchell rose to 12.

Jan. 12: Human Rights Watch released a report alleging the Lower Brule Tribal Council operates within a system of secrecy that hides unchecked misuse of the tribe’s scarce financial resources at the expense of ordinary tribal members.

Jan. 14: A measles vaccination clinic through the South Dakota Department of Health made 1,000 free measles vaccinations available due to an outbreak in Davison County, in which 13 cases had been reported.

Jan. 15: The Dakota Senior Meal programs that served Presho, Kennebec, Reliance and Colome shuttered at the end of 2014 due to declining participation numbers.

Jan. 16: Maricela Diaz, 20, was found guilty by jury on three counts of murder, one count of second-degree aggravated kidnapping and one count of first-degree arson. She was convicted of murdering 16-year-old Jasmine Guevara in November 2009.

Jan. 17: The South Dakota High School Activities Association released new football classifications, moving Bridgewater-

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Emery/Ethan to Class 11B and Bon Homme to Class 9AA. Jan. 20: Greg Von Wald announced his plans to retire as president of Mitchell Technical Institute.

Jan. 21: The Davison County Commission denied a plan for a $3.1 million tax-increment financing district on the east side of Mitchell.

Jan. 23: Mitchell was named one of the Intelligent Community Forum’s Top7 Intelligent Communities of the Year for the first time.

Avon’s head football coach Tom Culver was announced as an inductee into the South Dakota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Jan. 31.

Jan. 24: Barbara Duffey, an assistant professor of English at Dakota Wesleyan University, was one of 36 poets selected to receive a $25,000 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship in Creative Writing.

Jan. 26: Brandon Newby and Ryan Wilson, of Wisconsin, won the North American Ice Fishing Circuit open qualifier at Lake Mitchell.

Jan. 28: A record total of 1,287 students enrolled at Mitchell Technical Institute in the spring, up from 1,259 students in the fall of 2014.

Jan. 30: A sewer gas smell in City Hall brought issues with the building back to the surface.

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2016

cases were linked to a Mitchell family.

Jan. 3: First responders to the Wessington Springs tornado were selected, collectively, as The Daily Republic’s 2014 Person of the Year.

Jan. 6: Mitchell City Council approved the appointment of Dan Sabers as the new Corn Palace director and Michelle Bathke as the city’s new finance director.

The murder trial began for Maricela Diaz, who was accused of killing 16-year-old Jasmine Guevara in 2009.

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A South Dakota Highway Patrol officer was seriously injured on Jan. 7 during what South Dakota Attorney Marty Jackley later described “one of the most dangerous events in South Dakota history.”

Donald London, 42, of Kimball, allegedly shot and wounded Sgt. John Koenig, a 28-year veteran with the Highway Patrol who is stationed in Chamberlain, during an armed standoff that lasted 24 hours.

London was taken into police custody after spending more than a day barricaded in a residence near Kimball, located in rural Brule County.

His father, Michael London, 66, was also barricaded inside, but came out of the home at 8 p.m. Jan. 7 and was arrested that night.

More than 100 rounds were fired and an estimated 132 law enforcement personnel assisted in a standoff in Brule County, including the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, or MRAP vehicle, on loan to the Mitchell Department of Public Safety.

A grand jury indicted Donald London on two counts of attempted first-degree murder and three aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer charges. He was charged with being a habitual offender.

Michael London was indicted on two counts of aiding and abet-

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• Year In Review • December 2015 •

February: MHS gymnastics team repeats as state champ

By The Daily Republic

Matt Gade/Republic

The Mitchell High School girls gymnastics team checks out the championship trophy after winning the Class AA state title during the state gymnastics meet in February at the Watertown Civic Center in Watertown.

Feb. 7: The Mitchell School District offered naming rights for its proposed fine arts center at a cost of $3 million in an effort to garner private contributions for the $13.5 million project.

Feb. 9: Frank Cutler earned his 400th career victory as head coach for the PlatteGeddes boys basketball program after his team defeated Miller.

Feb. 12: Kelly Preheim’s kindergarten class at Armour Elementary School won the grand prize in a nature contest. The Armour school received $1,000 in books

and a visit from a pair of nature authors.

Feb. 13: Judge B.J. Jones, of Fargo, N.D., ordered the Lower Brule Sioux tribal council must hold a council meeting in March.

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe’s council members were elected in September and had not held a council meeting since the council was elected.

Feb. 14: Wagner/Bon Homme finished in second place at the Class A state gymnastics meet with a team score of 133.225.

Feb. 16: Ducks Unlimited pledged to spend at least $9 million over the next five

Happy

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years to support wildlife habitat.

Feb. 17: For the second time in three years, Mitchell-based Lucid was involved in building the auction Gun of the Year at the annual SHOT show in Las Vegas, Nev. The gun sold for $64,000 via online bidding.

Feb. 18: The Mitchell City Council killed a motion that would have directed the city planning commission to draft an ordinance allowing for poultry within city limits.

Feb. 19: Architects and city staff evaluated Mitchell’s City Hall and declared it structurally sound, but outlined seven items that needed attention.

Feb. 20: Mitchell’s CHS Farmers Alliance estimated losses from a November 2014 fire at its chemical storage warehouse would total more than $2 million.

Feb. 21: South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation’s bomb squad investigated a “suspicious item” attached to a speed limit sign in Mitchell. The object turned out to be a geocache.

Feb. 23: Bon Homme/Scotland won the Region 3B wrestling meet. Parkston finished second, Burke/Gregory finished third, Winner took fourth and Kimball/ White Lake/Platte-Geddes finished fifth.

Feb. 24: Unexpected issues in the Corn Palace led to nearly $175,000 in change orders throughout Phase 1 of the renovation Feb. 26: The Mitchell Fire Division sought bids for a new 2,000-gallon tanker truck.

Feb. 27: Kelly and Emily Hohn, of Mitchell, bought the former Happy Chef building for $350,000.

Feb. 28: Mitchell High School graduate Alexis Blindauer was one of 13 South Dakotans at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

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After an undefeated season, the Mitchell High School gymnastics team defended its title as Class AA champion.

The Kernels recorded a team score of 147.1 and beat the nine-team field by more than 3 points during the state meet at the Watertown Civic Arena.

It was the second consecutive year for the Kernels to win the team title. It ended the season on a high note for the Kernels, who at that point had won every meet they competed in for two consecutive seasons, dating back to December 2013.

The win also marked the second time in school history that Mitchell won back-toback gymnastics titles.

In addition to the team title, the Kernels had seven individuals compete in the competition. Mitchell came home from the state meet with the team trophy and 24 individual medals.

Feb. 3: A fire destroyed a mobile home at 713 E. Havens, Lot No. 1, in Mitchell. No one was hurt.

Feb. 4: Walmart closed temporarily when the store’s computer system went down.

Feb. 5: Brothers Craig and Duke Wenzel, who started the Wessington Springs True Dakotan in 1975, decided to retire from the newspaper. They sold it to Kristi Hine, of rural Wessington Springs, and her husband, Jason.

Feb. 6: Judge Bruce Anderson convicted Ronald Fischer, 30, of two counts of vehicular homicide, a felony, each carrying a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment and a $30,000 fine. On July 8, 2013, Fischer drove drunk and killed Maegan Spindler, 25, and Robert Klumb, 46, who were U.S. Fish and Wildlife employees working in the Pickstown area.

• December 2015 • Year In Review •

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March: Month was madness for Dakota Wesleyan men

By The Daily Republic

BRANSON, Mo. — What a memorable March for the Dakota Wesleyan University men’s basketball team.

Led by second-year head coach Matt Wilber, DWU won a share of the Great Plains Athletic Conference regular-season title and qualified for the NAIA Division II National Tournament.

In its first-round game on March 13, DWU defeated Milligan (Tenn.) 98-55. That gave the Tigers their 29th win of the season, setting a program win for most wins in a single season.

On March 14, in its second-round contest,Wesleyan knocked off Ashford (Iowa) 65-49. In the victory, senior forward Jalen Voss became the fifth DWU player in school history to score 2,000 career points.

Two days later, DWU rallied from a 12-point deficit in the third round to beat College of Idaho 88-80. In the semifinals on March 17, DWU cruised to an 80-51 win over Davenport to earn its first-ever berth to the national championship game. The win marked the 32nd win of the Tigers’ season.

The ended on March 18 when the Tigers fell to Cornerstone (Mich.) 66-45 in the national tournament championship game.

Wesleyan shot 23 percent from the field in the loss. The national tournament runner-up was best in school history. The team also set a school record for most points in a season with 3,166.

Voss was later named an NAIA

Matt Gade/Republic

Dakota Wesleyan Head Coach Matt Wilber gives a fist pump to the crowd after their win against the College of Idaho during the third round of the NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament in March.

All-American first-teamer. He sits in fourth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 2,059 points.

March 2: The Parkston High School wrestling team won the Class B state championship to capture a three-peat and became the third team ever to win three consecutive Class B state wrestling championships.

March 4: The Mitchell Aquatic Club had four champions at the state swim meet in Pierre: Tevyn Waddell, Cailey Scott, Christian Fossum and Maryssa Gehrke.

March 5: Avera St. Benedict Health Center in Parkston showed off its new changes, including an improved emergency room and new therapy center.

March 6: Dakota Wesleyan University confirmed its plans to drop all but one of its foreign language courses at the school, effective the fall of 2016. Only Spanish will be offered.

March 7: U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., visited Mitchell Christian School to speak to juniors and seniors of a U.S. history and government class.

March 10: Mitchell High School’s Ryan Solberg won first place in domestic extemporaneous speaking at the South Dakota state speech and debate tournament. The win marked the fourth consecutive year Mitchell has won the event.

March 11: Mitchell natives

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ship in 29 years for the Hanson boys, which won its first- and second-round games at the state tournament in overtime.

March 24: Ronald Fischer Jr. was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of two counts of vehicular homicide.

Fischer received the maximum sentence for the February 2013 crash in which he ran a stop sign and killed Maegan Spindler, 25, of Cazenovia, N.Y., and Dr. Rob Klumb, 46, of Pierre.

March 25: Stephen Seltz pleaded guilty for reckless burning in connection with a Main Street fire that caused extensive damage to local businesses.

March 27: Longtime Dakota Wesleyan University golf coach Adam Anderson was fired from his job in the middle of his 10th year with the school.

Scott Supply celebrated 100 years of business with its customers at an open house/banquet on, where roughly 1,000 people attended.

March 28: Maricela Diaz received an 80-year prison sentence for the murder of Jasmine Guevara in November 2009.

March 31: The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office said Alexander Salgado will remain in prison for life, rather than receiving the death penalty.

Salgado and Maricela Diaz were both arrested in November 2009 for luring Jasmine Guevara to a location in rural Hanson County where they stabbed her, cut her throat and set her car on fire while she was in the trunk.

New Year’s Greetings It’s been a privilege serving you, and we thank you for making this past year a most worthwhile one for us.

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Kerri Young and Macy Miller helped the South Dakota State University women’s basketball team defeat the University of South Dakota in the Summit League tournament championship game.

March 13: Mitchell set a record high temperature for March 12 at 78 degrees. The previous record high was 76 degrees, set in 1900.

March 16: The Ethan girls basketball team won the Class B South Dakota state girls championship, completing a perfect season with 26 wins.

Ryan McManus, 33, of Mitchell, was killed after hitting a parked car following a vehicle pursuit with police. He was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.

March 17: Mitchell First United Methodist Church started an estimated $125,000 stained glass window restoration project. The church has roughly 70 stained glass windows and panes.

March 19: Michelle Mebius, an eighth-grade Spanish teacher at Mitchell Middle School, was named the Teacher of the Year for the district.

March 20: Officers arrested a man following a short pursuit and three-car collision. Charles Vaden Reed, of Mitchell, was arrested for aggravated eluding and reckless driving. The crash injured four other people.

March 23: The Hanson boys basketball team defeated Langford Area 47-44 in Aberdeen to win the Class B state championship.

It was the first state champion-

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• Year In Review • December 2015 •

April: Mitchell school board awards bid on fine arts center

By The Daily Republic

Submitted illustration

Shown here is an artist’s rendering of the proposed fine arts center.

during a January standoff in Brule County near Kimball when he was shot.

April 4: Longtime Bon Homme wrestling coach Mark Stoebner resigned after 21 years. Stoebner led the Bon Homme wrestling team to two Class B state wrestling championships in 1995 and 2002, and two runner-up finishes in 1998 and 2003.

April 6: The 30th annual Pheasant County Pheasants Forever seed giveaway handed out thousands of pounds of free seed. Chapter President Dave Allen said it was the largest seed giveaway ever.

April 7: Louis Zacharilla, one of the co-founders of the

Intelligent Community Forum, was in Mitchell conducting a site visit as part of the Intelligent Top7 competition.

April 8: Mitchell’s Bittner Funeral Chapel was sold to one of its own employees. Bart and Nikki Fredericksen, of Mitchell, purchased the business from George and Michele Bittner.

George Bittner purchased the funeral home from Ray Milliken in 1979.

April 10: Mark Wilson, then-president of Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City, was chosen to become Mitchell Technical Institute’s new president after Greg Von Wald retired.

During the Holiday Season, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our progress possible.

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April 11: The Mitchell Dive Team and Davison County Search and Rescue were part of a group that recovered the body of Lincoln Hilt, a 6-year-old boy who fell in the Missouri River and died.

April 13: A Stickney man’s pickup started a grass fire in Mitchell, and then he was arrested for drunken driving after driving down a ditch in a closed area.

Dale Eppendanz was driving a 1999 Ford F-250 and claimed to be looking for lost possessions that had flown out of his vehicle when he spotted them in the ditch. No one was injured.

Former Mitchell basketball coach Gary Munsen took the court in the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association/ Sanford Pentagon All-Star Game in Sioux Falls.

April 15: A controversial ordinance to tighten rules on animals in Delmont was held up by voters. By one vote, a 60-59 count, the ordinance stood that prohibited keeping of insects, fowl and certain animals within the city limits on lots of 11 acres or less.

April 16: Gary Oppenheimer, the founder and executive director of AmpleHarvest.org, was one of three featured speakers at the first-ever McGovern Hunger Summit at Dakota Wesleyan University. Lori Gerads, the chair of the St. Katherine’s Drexel Parish Food Pantry in Sioux Falls, and Matt Gassen, the exec-

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utive director of Feeding South Dakota, were the other speakers.

April 17: Gregory, a town of about 1,300 residents in south-central South Dakota, was honored as the 2015 South Dakota Community of the Year by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

April 21: The Mitchell Police Division introduced a male German shepherd to its force as a narcotics detection dog.

April 22: The Hanson School District prepared to say goodbye to eight retiring staff members who had a combined 248 years of experience.

April 24: Sgt. 1st Class Randy Pryor was named the NonCommissioned Officer of the Year by the South Dakota Army National Guard. The Plankinton man earned the designation after competing in the Best Warrior Competition in Watertown.

April 29: The Mitchell School District received a $50,000 commitment for naming rights to the band room at the new fine arts center. The donation came from Gordon and Shirley Thomsen, the Mitchell couple who founded what is now Trail King.

April 30: A Howard home was a complete loss after a fire, but Greg Hooser helped his friend, Misty Henderson, out of the home while it was engulfed in flames. Hooser and Henderson made two jumps, totalling 20 feet, to get to safety.

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Mitchell School District’s plan for a new fine arts center progressed when the Mitchell Board of Education awarded the bid for the project to Puetz Corp.

During a regular school board meeting, the school board approved the low bid for the project at $14.6 million. The low bid was more than $2.8 million over what the district had initially budgeted for the base costs of the project.

At the meeting, Superintendent Joe Graves said the board spent six to seven weeks negotiating with Puetz and MSH Architects, which designed the facility, to find cost-saving measures.

As part of the bid approval, the board accepted alternatives from Puetz on lighting ($49,308), audio ($107,642), theater equipment ($200,655), curtains ($58,311) and exterior uplights ($6,927); as well as cost reductions amounting to $867,721.

The motion also included approval of an increase on the loan amount for the project by $450,000 to $13.95 million.

“It’s a very good feeling,” Graves said of the project’s approval after the meeting.

“We’re going to provide an excellent facility to a bunch of our students, and I just love that.”

April 1: Sgt. John Koenig, a 28-year veteran of the South Dakota Highway Patrol, returned to work. Koenig was injured

• December 2015 • Year In Review •

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May: EF-2 tornado rips through Delmont on Mother’s Day

By The Daily Republic

DELMONT — Delmont was in ruins following a destructive tornado on May 10.

Roofs collapsed, windows shattered and debris was scattered throughout the small town after a late morning tornado blew through Delmont on Mother’s Day. Nine were injured, though no injuries were considered life-threatening.

The tornado’s 130-mile per hour winds roared through town around 10:45 a.m., ripping through the 100-year-old Zion Lutheran Church and newly constructed fire hall, along with approximately 25 other structures. The storm tore up water pipes, causing the town’s 55,000-gallon water tower to drain, and residents had no electricity immediately after the storm.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard, Sen. John Thune and Rep. Kristi Noem visited the site of the tornado that registered as an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Thune called the damage “staggering” and Noem said the cleanup process would require “all hands on deck.”

Seven months after the tornado, the fire hall has been reconstructed and homes are being rebuilt, but vast, empty lots in the center of town signify the damage caused by the Mother’s Day tornado.

“I never cease to be amazed at how powerful these things are

Luke Hagen/Republic

Delmont is pictured on May 13, three days after a tornado ripped through the Douglas County town.

and the damage they do,” Thune said the day after the tornado touched down in Delmont.

May 1: Steve Christensen defeated incumbent Rick Gustad to win Platte’s mayoral election.

After a split vote, the decision was made by the roll of dice.

May 6: The Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team rallied from a 6-1 deficit against Midland University to win the Great Plains Athletic Conference championship.

May 9: President Barack Obama visited Lake Area Technical Institute’s graduation ceremony. Obama’s visit attracted 4,300 attendees to the

graduation of 720 students. The visit was Obama’s first to South Dakota since taking the Oath of Office in 2009.

May 13: Jeanie Morgan spoke to about 200 people on the dangers of drinking and driving more than three years after her daughter Iszabella “Bella” Morgan was killed in a crash involving a drunk driver. Mitchell Chief of Public Safety Lyndon Overweg also spoke to the crowd about the costs and punishments associated with drinking and driving.

May 16: About 180 volunteers arrived in Delmont during the first week after an EF-2 tornado swept through the town. The

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Salvation Army and American Red Cross provided residents and volunteers with more than 3,000 meals and 5,000 snacks in the week following the storm.

May 16: The Mitchell High School tennis team won eight of nine possible titles at the Eastern South Dakota Conference meet in Watertown.

May 18: The Mitchell High School baseball team beat Sioux Falls O’Gorman 3-1 in the Class A2 Championship at Cadwell Park. By defeating Sioux Falls O’Gorman, the Mitchell Kernels advanced to the state tournament.

May 19: The Mitchell City Council approved a tax increment financing district to provide $320,000 to help develop the site of the former Happy Chef building. As part of the approval, 700 square feet of the 14,000-squarefoot facility would house the visitors center for the Mitchell Area Chamber of Commerce.

May 20: A man who set fire to a pile of clothes that sparked a fire on Main Street in Mitchell received 10 years reckless burning. Along with the 10-year sentence, Stephen Seltz was ordered to pay at least $326,000 in restitution fees after the fire, which damaged a building that contained 24 apartments and three businesses.

May 22: The James Valley Drug Court and Gov. Dennis Daugaard honored Joel Amick for completing the 18-month drug

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and DUI program. Amick was the first James Valley Drug Court graduate and had 591 days sober when he completed the program.

May 23: The Corsica branch of the Douglas County Ambulance Service raised $65,000 from a fundraising event to purchase a new community ambulance.

Corsica raised $45,000 more than its $20,000 goal to replace its decades-old ambulance.

May 28: Huron businessman Earl Nordby participated in the groundbreaking for the Nordby Exhibit Hall at the South Dakota State Fairgrounds. Nordby initially contributed $1 million to the 47,000-square-foot facility, but he matched an additional $500,000 raised by the Beadle County 4-H youth program.

May 30: Former Corn Palace Director Mark Schilling pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree petty theft after he was accused of taking gift cards intended as donations for the Corn Palace festival. Schilling was ordered to pay the city of Mitchell $500 in restitution fees.

May 30: Steven Koch, the man in line to replace Schilling as Corn Palace director, filed a series of civil complaints against the city of Mitchell and former Mayor Ken Tracy on five counts of illegal activity, including defamation and breach of contract.

According to Tracy, Koch had withdrawn his name from consideration, but Koch alleges that withdrawal never took place.

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• Year In Review • December 2015 •

June: Mitchell elects Toomey as new mayor

By The Daily Republic

Matt Gade/Republic

Marvin Schuldt, left, has a laugh with Jerry Toomey during a gathering in Toomey’s garage, as Toomey responds to congratulatory messages after winning the mayoral race in June against incumbent Ken Tracy.

Thursdays.” The weekly Thursday concert series was held from June until August atop the Corn Palace balcony looking over Main Street.

June 3: Mitchell voters elected Neil Putnam, Lacey Musick and Kevin Kenkel to the Mitchell Board of Education. Putnam and Musick defeated Tara Volesky to earn three-year terms and Kenkel defeated Steve Sibson and Twyla Mah to win a one-year seat.

Marty Barington won 77 percent of the vote to win his fourth election as Ward 3 councilman. Barington overcame

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a fuel truck and school bus collision involving six serious injuries.

June 19: Wessington Springs residents celebrated the recovery effort following an EF-2 tornado that blew through the town in June 2014. Residents walked the mile-long path of the tornado and held a moment of silence at the time the tornado hit the town.

June 24: Mitchell resident Derek Davis saved a young child from drowning in Lake Mitchell.

The girl was OK and responsive after the incident.

June 25: A summer storm rolled through Bridgewater, causing structure damage to buildings and five grain bins. Leroy Wollman, who operates a family farm in the town, said a small tornado touched down on his land to caused the damage.

June 26: Mitchell resident Lenard Boyer, 14, died from injuries after being ejected from a vehicle driving by Karla Martinez, also of Mitchell. Martinez, who was 22 at the time of the crash, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol after her vehicle rolled several times into a ditch in rural Davison County.

June 29: A Mount Vernon storm caused 90 mph winds, and dime- to quarter-sized hail was reported west of Mitchell. A rural Davison County residence received $10,000 in property damage and others saw damaged grain bins and downed power lines.

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challenger Ed Potzler.

June 4: South Dakota reported 642,700 chicken deaths and 525,500 turkey deaths from an outbreak of the avian influenza, which caused about $22.8 million in losses to the state’s poultry producers and local egg prices to rise about 70 cents.

June 5: The city of Mitchell and Mitchell Area Chamber of Commerce unveiled a new community brand and logo, featuring the tagline “outside expectations,” as recommended in 2010’s Focus 2020 plan. The marketing strategy focused on Mitchell’s unique geographical positioning and outdoor recreation opportunities.

June 12: The Delmont Tornado Disaster Benefit Musical Jamboree featured seven musical groups who helped raise $10,400 for victims of the May 10 tornado. More than 300 people attended the event and 50 items were donated for a silent auction.

June 13: Mount Vernon native and Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway returned to South Dakota to lead a football clinic at Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls.

June 15: Nearly 360 people attended the 130th anniversary parade for Gann Valley, a town of 12 residents in Buffalo County.

June 18: Local emergency responders conducted a mock catastrophe at the Pepsi Cola Soccer Complex, which depicted

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broke a 4-4 tie to approve the $8 million indoor pool project that was passed in a Dec. 8 special election.

After a failed campaign, which saw him lose to Toomey by about 400 votes, Tracy could not pinpoint the reason for his downfall, but speculated the Corn Palace renovation may have played a role. The Corn Palace’s signature domes laid on the street for months due to safety concerns.

June 2: The Mitchell City Council approved “Downtown Thirstdays,” which was later changed to “Downtown

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Mitchell voters said out with the old and in with new this June.

Jerry Toomey won Mitchell’s mayoral election by a wide margin over incumbent candidate Ken Tracy. Toomey took 58 percent of the vote to Tracy’s 42 percent.

Of the 2,630 Mitchell residents who voted, Toomey received 1,518 votes and Tracy received 1,112. votes. Toomey took the mayor’s seat three years after losing to Tracy in a six-way race.

After 38 years with Avera Health, Toomey took to the streets to build grassroots support that led to lawn signs featuring Toomey’s name and his pledge to cut spending within city government.

Toomey emphasized what he perceived to be the city’s needs before its wants and hoped to clean up Lake Mitchell, commit funds to infrastructure projects and improve Mitchell’s Main Street.

Since the June 2 election, Toomey has been active in what he has said will be his one and only term as mayor. Toomey has pursued a lake cleanup proposal with an outside engineering firm, reorganized city committees and appointed a new City Council member.

Toomey replaced Tracy, who helped oversee the $4.7 million Corn Palace renovation and

• December 2015 • Year In Review •

9

July: New domes installed atop World’s Only Corn Palace

By The Daily Republic

About 100 spectators lined Main Street on July 27 in Mitchell to watch construction crews lift the largest of three domes to the top of the World’s Only Corn Palace, taking a big step toward completing the long-delayed project.

“I’m happy,” said Mitchell Mayor Jerry Toomey. “I think it’s a great day for Mitchell.”

The other two domes were installed that day, as well. The signage was installed two days prior.

The project was delayed in April when city officials noticed the domes were shaking in harsh wind. Project Manager Dave Epp decided to ensure the domes were reinforced before allowing them to be installed.

Opinions from citizens in attendance included joy at the attraction’s new look, concern for the impact of the delay on tourists who visited Mitchell over the summer and criticism of the domes’ $650,000 price tag.

July 3: A Wagner ambulance transporting a patient was struck by a semi truck that failed to stop at an intersection on July 2, eight miles east of Wagner.

Six people were involved in the crash.

One passenger in the ambulance, Phyllis Wurtz, 48, of Delmont, sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries.

July 6: New Mayor Jerry Toomey took the reins from incumbent Ken Tracy on July 6 to become the 35th mayor of Mitchell. Toomey defeated Tracy by approximately 400 votes in the June 2 election.

July 8: Researchers at the Thomsen Center Archeodome in Mitchell unearthed historic seeds thought to be more than

Matt Gade/Republic

The new domes are raised and placed on top of the Corn Palace in July in Mitchell.

1,000 years old. The charred corn and sunflower kernels, along with corn cobs, which the researchers said shows how much agriculture has changed and that people of the region had a diverse diet.

July 9: County officials in South Dakota were directed to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples after the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, stating officials have a duty to impartially administer the law and cannot opt out for religious objections.

July 10: Zion Lutheran Church in Delmont was slated to be rebuilt after it sustained heavy damage in the May 10

tornado. The congregation’s voting members voted in late June to build new structures at the site of the previous church, starting with a parsonage to give the pastor a place to live.

July 11: Larry Unruh Jr., 42, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to sexual contact with a child under 16 and fourth-degree rape on July 8. Christian Thomas, 41, of Plankinton, pleaded not guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor, fourth-degree rape and sexual contact with a child under 16 on June 24.

July 13: Dakota Wesleyan University golfer Lauren Fitts won a South Dakota Golf Association Match Play

Championship on July 12 at Lakeview Golf Course in Mitchell. DWU claimed its seventh-straight Great Plains Athletic Conference Championship this year.

July 14: Two Corn Palace decorative turrets, which sit between the building’s domes, were installed on July 13.

July 16: Kimball was named South Dakota’s capitol for a day on July 15.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard selected the Brule County city of about 700 residents because of its ability to bolster the local economy. Earlier this year, the community finished a medical clinic, and construction is continuing on a dental clinic next door.

July 16: Kevin Gardeman, 62, of Corsica, died in a one-vehicle rollover crash on July 15. Gardeman was driving a 1999 Ford F800 hauling a load of lumber when the vehicle rolled off the road northeast of Mitchell in Hanson County.

July 20: Veronica Keeble, 23, of Niobrara, Neb., fell into the Missouri River on July 18 from a bluff area near the Standing Rock Memorial bridge, which connects South Dakota State Highway 37 to Nebraska, and drowned.

The incident occurred near Running Water, about 10 miles southwest of Springfield.

July 21: Cornelius Milk, 38, of Salem, was shot by a McCook County deputy sheriff on July 19 outside a bar on Salem’s Main Street. The shooting was deemed justified by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office.

July 29: The McCook/Miner Legion baseball team won the Class B Legion baseball tournament on July 28, defeating Humboldt 17-5. The team had won each of its previous four tournament games by one run.

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10 • Year In Review • December 2015 •

August: Coca-Cola Bottling Co. building catches fire

By The Daily Republic

The Coca-Cola Bottling Co. building in Mitchell caught fire in the early morning hours of Aug. 18.

When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke billowing from a window and large vent in the northern wall on the building’s west end.

About 15 Mitchell firefighters and 25 from Letcher, Alexandria, Ethan, Rosedale and Mount Vernon extinguished the flames in less than an hour-and-a-half.

No one was inside, and no one was injured. While the building remained standing, a collapse in the roof and extensive fire and smoke damage made the structure uninhabitable.

Following an investigation, the fire was ruled accidental and non-suspicious, and investigators believe the blaze started near an ice maker and quickly spread due to the vast quantities of cups and other flammable materials stored inside.

The plant’s parent company set up a temporary distribution center until a permanent location could be determined, and the president pledged all the workers would keep their jobs.

Aug. 3: Dakota Wesleyan University unveiled its new institutional and athletic logos on Aug. 3 at the school’s campus.

Adding the letters “D” and “U” to the institutional logo, adding orange as an accent color and creating a full-body tiger for the athletic logo were among the changes made.

Aug. 6: Charles Mix State’s Attorney Scott Podhradsky was arrested in Burke, a town in Gregory County, and charged with DUI. Podhradsky was traveling west on U.S. Highway 18 toward Colorado, but law enforcement found Podhradsky lying beneath his motorcycle at the Hillcrest

Matt Gade/Republic

Firefighters work the scene of an early-morning fire Aug. 18 at the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. building on North Kimball Street in Mitchell.

Motel in Burke.

Aug. 7: The new Corn Palace dome lights lit up the Mitchell skyline for the first time on Aug. 5, which was ahead of schedule.

The Mitchell Department of Public Safety was awarded a $9,980 grant from the state of South Dakota’s Drug Control Fund to purchase 20 body cameras, enough to be worn by each of its 16 patrol officers and four patrol sergeants.

Aug. 8: Bald eagles were removed from South Dakota’s list of threatened species following a vote by the state Game, Fish

and Parks Commission on Aug. 6. The state Wildlife Division’s management plan calls for an average of 25 active nests annually over a five-year period. South Dakota has five to six times that many.

Aug. 13: The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office determined McCook County Deputy Sheriff Randy Schwader was justified in shooting Cornelius Milk outside a bar on July 19 on Main Street in Salem.

Aug. 15: Ronald Fischer, 31, of Lake Andes, who was convicted of vehicular homicide for the July 2013 deaths of

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two United States Fish and Wildlife officials, appealed the conviction, saying law enforcement took his blood illegally without a warrant.

Aug. 17: The Parkston Mudcats won the class B state amateur baseball title on Aug. 16, their second in three years. Parkston defeated Sunshine League rival Alexandria 4-3. The victory was the third state amateur baseball title in the town’s history, the first coming in 1968.

Aug. 19: Heavy rain and the threat of severe weather washed out the first day of Dakotafest on Aug. 18. It was the first time a day of the farm trade show was canceled in the event’s 20-year history. The show opened the next day to massive crowds.

Aug. 19: Freeman High School discontinued its football program for two years after the school board realized the team would have only 10 players available.

Moving forward, the school can either co-op with another school or find enough players to field a team of its own in 2017.

Aug. 21: David Wise, 75, of Salem, and three people from Nebraska were killed in a fiery, head-on crash on Aug. 20 on Interstate 90 after Wise drove his vehicle the wrong way on the interstate. Only one person survived, a passenger in the Nebraskans’ vehicle.

Aug. 25: Mark Wilson assumed the role of Mitchell Technical Institute’s new president in July. Wilson previously served as president of Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City for three years before joining MTI. Aug. 26: Two brothers in Fairfax, Matt and Kyle Moos, assisted in the arrest of Nicholas Speckmeier and Samantha Lane, both 29, of Sioux Falls, who eluded law enforcement on a high-speed chase and shot at sheriff’s deputies.

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• December 2015 • Year In Review • 11

September: Platte family of six killed, home destroyed

By The Daily Republic

PLATTE — On Sept. 17, a Thursday, a Platte family of six was killed. The home of Scott and Nicole Westerhuis, located three miles south of Platte, was almost completely destroyed in the early-morning blaze that was reported around 5:30 a.m. Scott and Nicole, along with their four children, third-grader Kailey, fifth-grader Jaeci, eighth-grader Connor and sophomore Michael, were found dead.

Platte community members gathered that night to commemorate and grieve the loss of the family. More than 300 people attended the service.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, and was later deemed to have been started by Scott Westerhuis. Autopsy reports indicated that Nicole, Kailey, Jaeci, Connor and Michael were shot to death by Scott, who then set the house on fire and killed himself.

Scott was the business manager for Mid-Central Educational Cooperative based in Platte, and Nicole also worked for the cooperative. The deaths occurred a day after the state pulled a major grant from the cooperative.

On Sept. 16, state Education Secretary Melody Schopp informed Mid-Central that it would no longer be managing the $4.3 million federal GEAR UP grant. A state audit of 2014 finances had found various weaknesses in the state department’s oversight of the cooperative’s

Matt Gade/Republic

Officials with Charles Mix Sheriff’s Office, Division of Criminal Investigation, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, along with the state fire marshal’s office, investigate the scene of the aftermath a Sept. 17 fire near Platte that destroyed Scott and Nicole Westerhuis’ house.

administration of the grant.

Sept. 1: Corn Palace Festival attendance rose in 2015, largely because of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The concert brought in 2,480 spectators, which exceeded any other night of 2015, and was more than any performance in 2014.

Sept. 2: Police were searching for a female suspect who took more than $500 by force from the Dakota Sunset gas station.

The woman was reported to have walked into the business after being let in by an employee.

Sept. 3: A $2 million addition

to St. Michael’s Hospital Avera in Tyndall was finished and blessed by a bishop. The new wing includes 12 patient rooms, urgent care, infusion therapy and a new chapel.

Sept. 5: Curtis James Meyer, 37, of Mitchell, died after being shot with his own gun by a Mitchell Police Officer Russ Stevenson.

Sept. 8: Augustana University senior and former Mitchell Kernel Jason Greenway set an Augustana school record with a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown in the Vikings’ season opener against

Bemidji State.

Sept. 10: A former police chief was arrested after additional evidence led to a first-degree murder indictment. Russell Bertram, 63, of Sioux Falls, was believed to have intentionally shot and killed a Bridgewater woman in 2009. The incident was originally thought to be an accident.

Sept. 11: The Hot Bike Tour, a national motorcycle tour, made a stop in Mitchell. The tour traveled 1,000 miles, stopping at five cities in five days to showcase stunt riders, professional bike builders and hundreds of motorcycle riders from all over the country.

Sept. 12: Corn Palace director Dan Sabers resigned from his position. Sabers was hired in January to take over the position left vacant after former director Mark Schilling resigned following a state audit.

Sept. 15: Mitchell High School standout swimmer Tevyn Waddell selected to attend and swim at the University of Minnesota.

Sept. 16: Wessington Springs moved forward with a $1.65 million infrastructure project.

The city’s residents vote 206-32 in favor of Main Street improvements such as new water and sewer systems underground, a new road, sidewalk and lighting.

Sept. 17: The Mitchell Fire Division inspected businesses in an effort to stay prepared and be familiar with the city’s buildings in the event of a fire.

Sept. 21: Ethanol tanker cars

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caught fire near Scotland after a 98-car train partially derailed near Scotland. Seven of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad cars came off the track and three leaked their ethanol cargo into a pasture, spreading fire along an adjacent creek bed.

Sept. 23: An executive session at a Mitchell City Council meeting regarding former Corn Palace Director Dan Sabers stirred controversy over open government.

What began as a public display of support for Sabers soon turned into a call for transparency after Mayor Jerry Toomey pushed public comment on the matter into executive session.

Sept. 24: Dakota Wesleyan University student Beau Keeter, 19, was found dead in his dorm room at Dayton Hall. Keeter was a freshman and member of the Tigers’ basketball team.

Authorities found no obvious cause of death.

Sept. 26: County and state officials searched the James River in a renewed effort to find traces of Rachel Cyriacks. Cyriacks, of Woonsocket, went missing under suspicious circumstances on Nov. 13, 2013. Nothing was recovered.

Sept. 28: An autopsy found that Dakota Wesleyan student Beau Keeter tested positive for bacterial meningitis. No other DWU students were showing symptoms.

Sept. 30: Mitchell Police Officer Russ Stevenson was found justified in the shooting and death of Curtis Meyer earlier in the month.

12 • Year In Review • December 2015 •

October: Harrisburg principal, former DWU coach shot by student

By The Daily Republic

Matt Gade/Republic

Harrisburg High Principal Kevin Lein stands for a portrait inside the high school’s cafeteria in October in Harrisburg. Lein, a former Mitchell Middle School teacher, Dakota Wesleyan basketball coach and Hanson High School principal was shot in the arm on Sept. 30 by a student.

Quintal Field in Mitchell. It was Mitchell’s third straight win over Lincoln at Joe Quintal.

Oct. 5: A Forestburg man, Lee Hinker, was arrested for drunken driving after his vehicle collided with a pickup truck and then hit the western corner of Avera Brady Health Rehab. There were no injuries.

Oct. 6: Four people were injured when a helicopter crashed near Parkston at the AgLand Cooperative Fertilizer Plant.

Oct. 7: Eli Johnson was born at 1:35 a.m. to Phil and Amanda Johnson on the way to the hos-

pital. The Johnsons, living in Emery, gave birth to the child while driving to the hospital in Parkston.

Oct. 8: The Disabled American Veterans Van Transportation Program phased out its old vehicle in favor of a new van.

Mitchell DAV Chapter 7 donated half of the funds for the $27,600 2015 Ford Flex and the other half came from federal funding.

Oct. 9: Authorities arrested Dawn Long after a suspicious fire in Mitchell that led to a vehicle pursuit with law enforcement and ended in a crash in Jackson County.

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Oct. 23: A high-speed chase that involved two stolen vehicles and reached speeds of 115 mph ended when officers used spike strips. Creighton Ross and a 17-year-old juvenile male stole a vehicle in Olivet, a town in Hutchinson County.

Oct. 24: Mitchell received 1.36 inches of rain, which caused flooding in the city’s streets and forced about 20 to 25 city employees to help clear the drains of leaves.

Oct. 26: Roughly 300 people gathered at Terrace Park in Springfield for a dedication and unveiling of a project honoring veterans that took five years in the making.

Ella Byers, of Chamberlain, won the Class A girls cross country meet at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls. Byers, a freshman, was the first female from Chamberlain to win a state cross country title.

Oct. 28: Karla Martinez, of Mitchell, was given the maximum sentence for killing a 14-year-old boy in a rollover crash in June. Martinez received 15 years in the state penitentiary.

She pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in September.

Oct. 30: Nicole Neugebauer, of Armour, was named the South Dakota Emergency Medical Technician of the Year at the annual EMT State Conference in Spearfish. She is the Armour ambulance director and in her seventh year as an EMT. 001351755r1

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State Sen. Mike Vehle was inducted into the South Dakota Transportation Hall of Honor.

Vehle earned the induction thanks in large part to his efforts over seven years to pass Senate Bill 1.

Oct. 14: Strong winds and harvest caused fields to heat up and start more than a dozen fires in the region. Reports came from Tripp, Charles Mix, Buffalo and McCook counties. No injuries were reported.

Oct. 16: Dakota Wesleyan University announced its $750,000 grant to help launch a new Rural Nursing Initiative.

Oct. 19: The Mitchell High School marching band ended the season with a win, making possibly the best season in the band’s history.

Oct. 20: A jury ruled in favor of Avera Queen of Peace Hospital in a suit brought by a former doctor who felt she was wrongfully fired. A five-day trial, stemming from Sonia Hernandez’s firing in January 2012, concluded and found in favor of Avera Queen of Peace.

Oct. 22: The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office awarded $81,500 to law enforcement agencies around the state to help combat controlled substance abuse. Sheriff’s offices in Bon Homme, Miner and Davison counties were given about $11,600 from the AG’s Drug Control Fund. The agencies used the funds to purchase Tasers and body cameras.

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HARRISBURG — On Oct. 1, Harrisburg Principal Kevin Lein, a former Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball coach, was shot by a student with a handgun. Lein was shot once in the arm, and school was shut down after the incident, which occurred at about 10 a.m.

Two school staff members, the assistant principal and athletic director, subdued Mason T. Buhl, the student who allegedly shot Lein, until law enforcement officials arrived to take him into custody.

Lein, who compiled a 113-84 record at Dakota Wesleyan while coaching there from 1998 to 2004, returned to the school the following day.

“I really wanted to be with the kids, and I really wanted to be with the staff, and I hoped that maybe I could provide some kind of comfort,” Lein said. “I think it was completely the right thing to do. I think we all, as an education community, needed to be together.”

Oct. 2: Northridge Baptist Church in Mitchell broke ground on a $2 million, 17,000-squarefoot addition.

Oct. 3: Gov. Dennis Daugaard and other state officials launched the Habitat Pays campaign in a field north of Salem.

The Mitchell High School football team knocked off twotime defending champion Sioux Falls Lincoln 42-35 at Joe

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• December 2015 • Year In Review • 13

November: Mitchell man found not guilty in murder trial

By The Daily Republic

A Mitchell man was found not guilty on Nov. 20 of murdering his wife with a shoelace. After spending two years in jail, a jury found Donald McDougal, 50, not guilty of first-degree murder and alternate counts of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the death of his wife, Janie McDougal, on Sept. 1, 2014, in their Mitchell Main Street apartment.

Donald argued that Janie’s death was a suicide.

Two weeks after his release from jail, McDougal said he had given up drinking alcohol and using drugs, and felt an immense amount of judgment from the community.

Nov. 2: The Dakota Wesleyan football team set a program record for most wins in a four-year stretch with a 52-17 win over Nebraska Wesleyan University with 28. The team finished the season 9-2, but was left out of the 16-team NAIA Football Championship Series, decided on Nov. 15.

Nov. 3: The Mitchell City Council approved a compromise on the future home of the Mitchell Soccer Association.

The Mitchell Soccer Association intended to enter a lease purchase agreement to eventually buy Boyd and Kay Reimnitz’s property at 723 E. Ash, which was formerly the Mitchell Christian School.

Nov. 4: Although a safe and a 43-second voice message were still missing, officials concluded the investigation into the Westerhuis family’s deaths. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said investigators believed Scott Westerhuis acted alone in the slaying of his wife, Nicole, and four children, noting Nicole did not appear to be involved in the deaths or fire. Scott’s motives remained unclear.

We wish you a Happy New Year!

Matt Gade/Republic

Donald McDougal walks out of the Davison County Courthouse and shakes hands with Davison County Sheriff Steve Brink. McDougal was found not guilty on all counts in the death of his wife, Janie McDougal, on Sept. 1, 2014.

Nov. 6: The state fire marshal said the investigation into the fire that destroyed the Westerhuis home concluded.

Unknown were what was used to start the blaze and how the fire spread so quickly throughout the large house in rural Platte.

Nov. 7: In a move that affected South Dakotans, President Barack Obama rejected a presidential permit Friday for the Keystone XL pipeline. But the review continued in South Dakota, despite Obama’s rejection in a separate process.

Nov. 9: Over the weekend of Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, three separate pursuits occurred

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in Lyman, Gregory and Charles Mix counties. Charles Mix County Deputies Tim Simmermon and Neal Moad were injured after crashing their vehicles in a pursuit near Geddes. Nobody was injured in the other two pursuits.

Nov. 13: On the back of big plays and strong defense, the Canistota football team beat Sully Buttes 56-8 to claim the 9A state championship. Jerad Nielsen was the Joe Robbie Most Valuable Player and outstanding back award recipient.

Nov. 14: The Winner football team was crowned the 11B state champion, captur-

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ing the school’s sixth high school football state title, and capping off a perfect 12-0 season. Winner defeated Tri-Valley 45-6.

Nov. 16: First Dakota Bank on Mitchell’s Main Street was robbed by a person with a knife. The man was reportedly in the bank for more than 45 minutes, according to police, before demanding money from bank tellers and fleeing the scene.

Nov. 25: Three inmates of the Mike Durfee State prison in Springfield were charged with felonies, including one instance in which an inmate had sex with an employee of a food service provider working in the prison. Bradley Light Foot, 26, allegedly possessed K2, a synthetic cannabinoid. Antonio Dreamer, 29, was allegedly found with a residual amount of marijuana. And Rosella Karr, 52, an employee of an outside vendor working in the prison, allegedly had sexual intercourse with an inmate incarcerated in the prison.

Nov. 27: Larry Unruh, 42, of Mitchell, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for each of two counts of sexual contact with a child under 16 and two counts of fourth-degree rape. The sentences were to be served consecutively. According to court documents and statements made at Unruh’s sentencing, in the summer of 2010, he had sex with a 13- or 14-year-old girl in a residence in Plankinton.

Nov. 28: After helping Winner to a 12-0 season and state championship, senior Windsor Barry was named The Daily Republic’s football player of the year. He led the Warrior rushing attack with 882 rushing yards on 71 carries and 19 touchdowns. An all-state running back, he averaged 12.4 yards per carry.

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14 • Year In Review • December 2015 •

December: Mitchell voters say yes to indoor pool EDITOR’S NOTE: December’s Year in Review only includes the top stories through Dec. 22, when this special section went to press.

By The Daily Republic

On Dec. 8, 2,653 Mitchell voters took to the polls, approving an $8 million indoor aquatics facility by a 54-46 margin. There were 1,440 votes in favor of the pool and 1,213 against.

The indoor pool project will include a 75-foot by 82-foot competitive lap pool, a 1,200-square foot leisure pool and play equipment, and will be attached to the Mitchell Recreation Center.

Fifty-four percent of voters supported the pool. The project was to be funded by $4.808 million in surplus city funds and a total of $750,000 in additional community project reserves from 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Dec. 1: The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission voted 2-1 to approve the Dakota Access Pipeline — a 1,134mile pipeline to carry Bakken Crude from North Dakota to Patoka, Ill. In South Dakota, the pipeline travels more than 270 miles and extends through 13 counties.

Dec. 2: A blast of winter weather broke records in Mitchell, with 7.2 inches of snow falling, just passing the previous record of 7 inches in 1991. Over a two-day span, the area received 9.6 inches of total snowfall, closing schools and causing dangerous driving conditions.

Dec. 3: Authorities investigated an incident that occurred on Nov. 26 in Dallas, S.D., in which “explosive materials” injured a man in his home. Authorities said officials found “what they believed to

Matt Gade/Republic

Mitchell residents cast their votes during the special election for the pool on Dec. 8 at the Corn Palace.

be chemicals” in the residence of Martin Rezac. Reports said calls reported windows were blown out of the man’s residence from an explosion.

Dec. 5: Makaela Karst, of Mount Vernon/Plankinton, was named The Daily Republic’s volleyball player of the year for the second year in a row. Karst was the first player since the introduction of the award in 2001 to win it in back-to-back seasons. Karst tallied 288 total kills and 39 aces for the Titans.

Dec. 11: Mitchell police arrested five people regarding a burglary investigation, including a 13-year-old boy, a 15-yearold boy, 16-year-old Myron Kirkie Jr.,

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35-year-old Kristina Fischer and 31-yearold Eugene Fischer Sr., all of Mitchell.

The suspects allegedly stole firearms from Mitchell homes.

Dec. 15: A Lake Andes man was sentenced to 12 years for punching and knocking unconscious Wagner Police Officer Brian McGuire. Richard Golus, 55, while under the influence of methamphetamine on May 22, punched McGuire in the face during a traffic stop, giving the officer a concussion and leaving him hospitalized for more than one month.

Dec. 17: The Hanson School Board approved moving forward with a $2.6 million expansion to the school in Alexandria.

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The addition was projected to have nine classrooms and office space on the south side of the building, by the library.

Dec. 18: A Georgia man was found on the side of Interstate 90 near White Lake and later pronounced dead at a Mitchell hospital. At some point, the man exited his vehicle while stopped at exit 296 to White Lake. The vehicle remained in gear and struck the driver.

Dec. 19: Dakota Wesleyan University considered renovation or demolition of the 103-year-old Hughes Hall to create space for a new business and innovation center on campus.

Dec. 21: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” shattered domestic box office records with an estimated $238 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales through its first weekend in theaters. In Mitchell, lines stretched down Lawler Street and around the corner onto Second Avenue during the movie’s special advance showings on Dec. 17.

Dec. 22: Gas prices across the nation fell below $2 for the first time in six years, with the national average coming in at $1.998 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association. The price of gas at the Holiday I-90 Travel Center was $1.89.

About this edition Daily Republic staffers reviewed each edition from 2015 to compile a summary of each month’s local and area news. Dates are those of the edition in which the news was reported.

Cover design: Stacey Schleich/ Republic

Happy New Year

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• December 2015 • Year In Review • 15

Daily Republic Quips of the Year

By The Daily Republic

The Daily Republic publishes a Quip of the Week on its Opinion Page each Saturday. Following are some of the best from 2015.

Jan. 10 “We might never have a professional football team in South Dakota or have a lot of fancy department stores. But we have food here.”

— South Dakota State University Extension Community Development Field Specialist Kari O’Neill, on the potential for regional food hubs in the state.

Jan. 17 “I guess Disneyland is sexier than the Corn Palace.”

— South Dakota State Epidemiologist Dr. Lon Kightlinger, on measles cases in California garnering national media attention.

Jan. 31 “He couldn’t play football ever. He’s soft as cotton.”

— Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway on friend and fellow South Dakota native Mike Miller, of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Feb. 7 “It was one of those games where we couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean, but we played good defense.”

— Dakota Wesleyan University’s women’s coach Jason Christensen.

Feb. 14 “If you got it, a road brought it. There’s not much that’s parachuted in.”

— District 20 Sen. Mike Vehle, R-Mitchell, on the importance of funding for roads and bridges.

Feb. 21 “Senior day doesn’t mean as much if you come out and lay an egg.”

— Dakota Wesleyan University senior Luke Bamberg, on his team ending the regular season with a win.

Feb. 28 “I did a belly flop. I have no idea why.”

— Scott Andal, McCook Central/ Montrose’s head wrestling coach, on his reaction to heavyweight wrestler Alan Tuschen winning the state title at the 2002 Class B state wrestling tournament.

March 7 “Well, there was that and the day we threw grenades. That was kind of awesome.”

— Alexis Blindauer, a Mitchell High School graduate, on her most memorable moments so far as a cadet at West Point.

March 28 “There are people here that I know don’t even like each other, and they are high-fiving together.”

— Jim Bridge, Hanson High School superintendent and athletic director, on the Hanson boys basketball team winning the Class B state championship title for the first time since 1986.

April 18 “There’s only so many cucumbers you can give a friend and still have them call you a friend.”

— Gary Oppenheimer, founder and executive director of AmpleHarvest.org, speaking about reducing food waste.

May 2 “You want to ask (the bullies) ‘Why are you picking on me? I don’t have any Cheetos.’ ” — Jimmy Sanchez, who owns Sanchez Martial Arts in Wagner, on teaching youth how to defend themselves.

May 16 “When President (Michael) Cartney told his staff the news, apparently no one

believed him. And Shane Ortmeier, your bookstore manager, said he blacked out for a minute.”

— President Barack Obama, on how surprised Lake Area Technical Institute staff and faculty were when they learned the president would speak at this year’s graduation ceremony.

June 20 “They are everywhere. It’s like the McDonald’s of dialysis.”

— Mitchell resident Mark Budahl, on the convenience of getting dialysis treatments from DaVita while traveling.

June 27 “Older than the dirt in your cups.”

— James Valley Nursery Landscape Designer Andy Jerke, in response to a Lions Academy student’s question about how old he is.

July 11 “Time and frustration.”

— Mike Klarenbeek, of Gregory, on what goes into building a drone.

July 25 “He’d be like a Michelin baby.”

— Sabreena Brakke, on her son, MarcJon, and how big he might be had he not been born 14 1/2 weeks premature.

Aug. 1 “If it was a dog or a skunk, they would have marked their area with their leg in the air.”

— Terry Grosz, on some of his family members becoming territorial about their job at the annual Grosz pickle party.

Aug. 8 “Welcome to the poultry show without poultry.”

— Robert Moller, at the 4-H poultry show in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, where showmen used stuffed chickens.

Minnesota banned all live poultry shows

this year because of avian influenza.

Sept. 5 “We used to pull up to meets and the other teams would say ‘Thank God Mitchell is here, somebody will get last.’ ” — Mitchell High School head cross country coach Keith Christensen.

Sept. 12 “If you go to a doctor and he amputates the wrong leg, you don’t go back to the same doctor to fix the problem.”

— City Councilman Mel Olson, on City Council using the same contractor to re-do parts of the Corn Palace floors.

Oct. 10 “It was just a bullet.”

— Harrisburg High School Principal Kevin Lein, on his recovery after being shot on Sept. 30 in his office at school.

Oct. 31 “I’m not going to run around the lake for nothing.”

— Chuck Eilts, on deciding to turn a challenge to run around Lake Mitchell into a run/bicycle ride to raise funds for the Angel Tree program.

Nov. 7 “I have to tell you, the contractors, they might be laughing at us.”

— Mitchell resident Carey Clark on he and his son, Justin, building a house together from scratch.

Nov. 28 “They’re probably going to take it from me.”

— Destiny Boggs, 8, on sharing her newly-won mini bike with her siblings.

Dec. 12 “He doesn’t like to lose a sprint; heck, he doesn’t like to even lose a game of tictac-toe.” — Parkston High School’s head wrestling coach James Boehmer, on Blake Bietz’s competitive streak.

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16 • Year In Review • December 2015 •

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29

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22

16

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23

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