Author Archives: Rita Pravecek

The Winner area girls golf team traveled to Mobridge April 21 to compete in the Big Dakota Conference tournament.

The five varsity girls that went were Rylee Root, Gracie Root, Kelbi Meiners, Devan Dougherty and Marissa Meiners.

Winner Area won the team championship. Gracie Root placed 3^rd with a 101, Dougherty, 4^th, 101, Kelbi Meiners, 6^th, 105; Rylee Root, 8^th with a 111 and Marissa Meiners, 10^th with a 123.

Alexis Cronk from Chamberlain was the medalist.

Three junior varsity players attended Tessa Mann, 108; Leila Balsiger, 116 and Emily Sachtjen, 116.

“It was a cold and windy day but the girls were walking and did not mind the temperature,” said coach Jim Halverson.

The coach said it was a challenging course but the girls were just happy to play in a tournament setting.

On April 22 the Winner Area team traveled to Mitchell for the Parkston Invitational. There were five schools represented and each school could take six players and score four.

Gracie Root tied for 5^th, 101 and got sixth by the scoring process. Balsiger placed 15^th, 110; Kelbi Meiners, 16^th, 113; Sachtjen, 17^th, 114; Rylee Root, 19^th, 126 and Marissa Meiners, 20^th, 135.

“Everybody was disappointed in the scores they had to post but they all know pushing a golf bag around 18 holes and having to swing is a lot more difficult when they are not riding in a golf cart.

The next action for the Lady Warriors will be April 28 in Chamberlain.

On Friday, Winner will host a meet with Chamberlain in a meet that will start at noon.

The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) says that work is expected to begin on the reconstruction of S.D. Highway 44 in Winner in mid-May. The project includes reconstruction of both S.D. Highway 44 and U.S. Highway 18 in Winner.

Work during the 2022 construction season will primarily focus on Highway 44 and begins where the previous 2021 project ended near Plum Street in Winner. The Highway 44 construction project extends east .9 miles to mile marker 254. The project also includes reconstruction of Highway 18 between mile markers 250 and 252; the west city limits of Winner near the Country Club Motel to just east of Van Buren Street. Work on the Highway 18 segment is expected to begin in 2023, however it is possible that may change as the 2022 construction season progresses.

Work on the project for Highway 18 and Highway 44 includes grading, storm sewer, curb and gutter, sidewalk lighting, utility placement, and new concrete pavement.

When finished, this segment of Highway 44 will consist of a three-lane concrete surface extending east of Sale Barn Road in Winner with a turn lane constructed at Sale Barn Road. During construction, operations may reduce traffic to one lane with use of flaggers and a pilot car. For the duration of the work on Highway 44, an over-width detour and a truck detour will be utilized on S.D. Highway 49 between the junction of Highway 44 and Highway 18 in Colome. Local traffic including non-over-width trucks that provide services and deliveries to local businesses adjacent to the work zone along Highway 44 will be allowed to access the construction area. Sale Barn Road will be used as an inclement weather detour as needed.

Reede Construction, the prime contractor for the project, has created a Facebook Page that the public can follow to get updates on the work. Search for “Winner Highway Construction 2022-2023” on Facebook to find the page. Once there, click “follow” and set the page as a favorite to ensure updates are visible in a timely manner.

Beginning Tuesday, May 31 Reede Construction and the SDDOT will hold weekly meetings at 11 a.m. in the Winner City Council Chambers. The public is welcome to attend the meetings to ask project questions or share concerns. The meetings will also be livestreamed utilizing the City of Winner’s Facebook Page. Questions can be submitted through the chat function if anyone wishes to ask a question virtually.  

Reede Construction from Aberdeen is the prime contractor on this $20.9 million construction project. This project includes a two-year contract due to its large size and amount of work involved. The project completion date for Highway 44 is Nov. 18, 2022, and Nov. 17, 2023 for Highway 18.

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

Bringing happiness one cup at a time is the mission of Mighty Mo Jo Coffee Co. which opened its first stand alone business in Winner.

The first day of business in its new facility was April 22. It is located on the highway in the former Frosty Boy building.

The business is owned by Dan and Trisha Cahoy of the Bonesteel area.

The business will be open seven days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

They have owned a coffee truck for a year which travels around the area and has been in Winner on several Mondays.

In addition to regular coffee they offer expressos, frappes, latte, smoothies made with 100 percent fruit, plus other drinks. They also have loose leaf teas which can either be hot or cold.

Also part of the menu are cinnamon rolls, mo jo energy balls, check mix and cookies.

The menu can be found on their Facebook page.

For every cup of coffee they donate 10 cents to a local organization or nonprofit.

“That is part of bringing that happiness. I just want to spread the love,” said Cahoy.

The Cahoys are the owners of Cahoy’s General Store which is a family owned grocery store with four locations in South Dakota and Nebraska. They are located in Bonesteel, Lake Andes, Tyndall and Spencer, Neb.

It has been a year since the coffee truck has been in operation. But Trisha had the idea several years ago. She and here husband were visiting at Black Hills State University and the lady they were visiting said it was coffee truck day. “I never heard of that and I enjoyed the experience of seeing people come to the truck. I thought that would be awesome to start. The idea never left my head. I wanted to bring a big town thing to a small area,” she said.

The couple brought a coffee truck from Minnesota and refurbished the outside.

When asked how they came up with the name for the business she said that was a little tricky. She wanted something to name this large beast of a truck. She started out with Mo and then it turned into Mo Jo with the Missouri River in mind. She said there are a lot of fishermen in Lake Andes who like their coffee.

“We are trying to offer coffee that persons get in a bigger city and something that Starbucks would serve but use our own recipes,” Cahoy said.

She and her husband went to coffee school in Texas to get on the right track with making expresso and other coffees. In January, Cahoy took some of managers back to this school to get some barista training.

Cahoy likes making coffee and especially likes the expresso. Even thought she did not grow up drinking coffee it is her new thing. “I love coffee and being able to teach other people,” she noted.

So you are off to work in the morning and need that coffee to get the day going. Just swing through Mighty Mo Jo Coffee and get your fix for the day. Ah, morning coffee, I am ready to take on the day.