Charley and Norma Najacht, the owners of the Winner Advocate, have been named Custer County Chronicle Citizens of the Year.
The couple recently sold the Custer and Hill City newspapers, which they had owned since 1999.
For over a decade, the Custer County Chronicle has been naming an individual or couple as Custer County’s Citizens of the year.
The couple have been honored many times by their peers, most notably the South Dakota Newspaper Association, which has showered them with numerous awards over the years for their journalistic excellence.
The couple worked at the Hot Springs Star and then left South Dakota for a while and worked at newspapers in Broken Bow, Neb., and Cameron, Mo., before returning to South Dakota in 1999.
It has been over 10 years that the couple have been the owners of the Winner Advocate.
A night of one act plays will be presented by Winner High School and middle school students Jan. 20, 21 and 22 at the Winner Community Playhouse.
The doors will open at 7 p.m. and the plays will start at 7:30 p.m.
For reservations, call Winner High School at 842-8125.
There will be three plays presented—two high school and one middle school.
The WHS contest one act is “Take Five” directed by Sarah Taggart.
The cast includes Leah Wiechelman, Madeline Watzel, Hayden McMurtrey, Justin Hausmann, Faith Covey and Tessa Mann,
The technical crew includes: Cassie Shutt, Illyana Krabb, Ainsley Henderson, Amanda Blare and Maggie DeMers.
Emily Moser is the assistant director and Dan Patmore is the technical director.
Here is a synopsis of the play: Imagine you are an actor on opening night trying to perform on a set that isn’t completed. One actor doesn’t show up, the props don’t work and the stage hands are incompetent. A recipe for disaster but also a recipe for a hilarious night.
The other high school play is “Hood, of Sherwood.” This is directed by Sandra York and is sponsored by the Winner Community Playhouse.
The cast includes: Clay Sell, Maggie DeMers, Mallory Thayer, Kierra Bainter, Amanda Blare, Rowdy Moore, Chandler Benedict, Luke Boerner, Iver Boerner and Jacob Manke.
Dan Patmore is the technical director for this play.
The middle school play is “21 Guaranteed Ways to Get Detention” and is directed by Ross Patmore.
The cast includes: Amanda Edwards, Noah Manke, Addi Heenan, Evan Littau, Shannon Rank, Terrel Chasing Hawk, Grace Brown, Lena DeMers, Peyton Jensen, Jocelyn Soles, Evan Balsiger, Wyatt Winfield, Riley Peppel, Aiden Hespe and Skyler Soles.
The technical crew includes: Chloe Taggart, lights/sound; Skyler Soles, lights; Jaxon Day, stage crew.
Dan Patmore is the technical director.
Government offices in Winner will be closed on Monday, Jan. 17 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Tripp County Courthouse will be closed as well as the county library.
The Winner city office will be closed and the city council meeting has been moved to Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 6:30 p.m.
All state and federal offices in Winner will be closed.
The Winner Post Office will be closed and there will be no mail delivery.
Financial institutions will not be open for business on Jan. 17. Well Fargo, First Fidelity Bank of Winner and Colome, BankWest and Sentinel Federal Credit Union will all be closed.
There will be no meal served at the senior citizens center on Jan. 17.
Southern Plains Behavioral Health Services will be closed on Jan. 17.
By Dan Bechtold
Editor
Josey Blare, who grew up in the Winner area, is the law clerk for the Sixth Judicial Circuit. This circuit includes 14 counties in the central part of the state.
Blare just graduated from the USD Law School in May and is spending this year as a law clerk.
She is a 2014 graduate of Winner High School and in 2018 graduated from USD with a double major in international studies and Native American studies.
“I have always been interested in history, reading and writing so going to law school seemed like a natural fit,” she said.
Blare was in Winner on Thursday observing court that was being conducted by Judge Bobbi Rank.
Rank was a law clerk for the Sixth Judicial Circuit in 1999. Blare is the first local law student since Rank to hold this position.
“She (Blare) was clearly the most qualified for the job. The secondary benefit is that she is a Winner girl,” said Judge Rank. The judge explained each August she and another judge go to Vermillion and interview candidates who have applied to be a law clerk.
“Law clerks work behind the scenes and do very important work,” said Rank.
Each year a new law clerk is chosen for the circuit. The term of the contract goes from August to the following August.
Blare helps all the judges with legal research and anything that the judges need.
Rank says the law clerk serve two roles. They are a great help to judges as they can do research to help judge’s write opinions.
The judge added this is a great help to the lawyer because this is the only time in their career they are going to see things from the judge’s side.
“They also get to talk to judges to see what works and what does not work. It is a mutually beneficial agreement,” explained Rank.
Blare says her goal is to travel to all 14 counties in the district before the end of August. Her office is located in Pierre where the majority of the judges in the circuit reside.
Blare noted one of the unique things about the Sixth Circuit is that they handle a lot of administrative appeals. She explained for example that if the Department of Labor issues a decision, that decision can be appealed to the circuit court. In Pierre, there are a lot of administrative appeals more so than any other circuit in the state.
“I am thankful that I get to learn about the law and get to see what the judge’s are thinking. Getting to learn in this environment and experience so many different areas of law is interesting,” she said.
Also, a desire to help others is another reason Blare went to law school.
Blare is able to put all that knowledge she has learned in law school to good use as a law clerk.
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