Category Archives: Local

The city of Winner has received a $765,000 community development block grant.

The funds will be used to make improvements to the city’s wastewater, storm sewer and water systems infrastructure.  The funds will be used for the East 8th St project which will include new storm sewer, sanitary sewer and water line along with a new street surface.
Work will also include rehabilitation of the lift station plus improvement to the lagoons.   The estimated cost of the project is $2 million. The city will also be applying for a rural development loan.

“Quality of life is of the upmost importance and in South Dakota we are fortunate to have so many community-minded leaders who are committed to improving their towns and cities,” said Gov. Dennis Daugaard.

“In 2016, more than $6.3 million in CDBG funds were awarded to community projects and I hope we can continue that trend in 2017.”
The CDBG program provides local governments with funding to complete projects that improve living conditions. The CDBG is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by the governor’s office of economic development.

Winner was one of eight projects that were funded.

For 23 years, Dar Sabol has made sure that patrons receive their mail on time.

Her last day at the Winner Post Office was Dec. 30 and she was honored by current and former postal employees.

Sabol started working for the postal service in 1993 as a part-time carrier on rural route 3 and worked in this position for 6.5 years.
When Bob Blomstrom retired Sabol took over route 1 which is an area east and south of Winner.

Sabol says she has 495 wonderful customers.

The postal carrier said she applied for the position because she wanted a job that offered a retirement plan.  She likes delivering mail in the rural area because she is on her own and able to concentrate on her job.  Sabol says she has experienced the flat tires and snow storms which makes life interesting as a postal carrier.  Sabol says she will miss her co-workers and the patrons on her route.

So on Friday, Sabol took one last run as she put the mail in the box of her customers.

Buches

Buche Foods and the Gus Stops raised $10,991.36 for local cancer patients in their annual Cancer Fundraiser. Their team members presold water, wore pink t-shirts while the both businesses sold water with the profits going to the fundraiser. And to help raise even more money, RF Buche accepted the challenge made by the Buche and Gus Stop team members and rode his bike through all of the those communities.

“This was our fourth year” said Jody Kotab, Administration Manager for the company and also chief planner for Cancer Fundraiser, “and we couldn’t be more proud of our team”. “Our goal was $7,000 and we shattered it”. “With this year included, we have raised $30,025.86 and helped over 55 patients and we are we are thrilled we can help a lot more”

Arlis Kafka who administers the cancer funds said “This is amazing! It’s not often you find you can put 100% of the proceeds to the patient but with this donation, we can. We have cancer fighters who don’t have insurance and need extra for gas and grocery money during this difficult time and this money goes a long ways for that.”

The Winner High School football team has been honored as the “2016 Boys Prep Team of the Year” and Head Coach Dan Aaker as “2016 Coach of the Year” by the South Dakota Sportswriters.

The Winner Warriors were an unstoppable force in 11B for the second straight year rolling through opponents on the way to a second consecutive unbeaten season and state title.

The Warriors bulldozed opponents to the tune of 610 points to 35, recording nine shutouts on the season.

The title was the third under head coach Dan Aaker.

The Winner Community Playhouse will hold auditions for the spring production on Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. at the playhouse.

The play will be directed by Sandra York. Persons who come to the audition are asked to bring their personal calendars.

The production dates have been set for March 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18.

Persons who have questions can call York at 842-2397.

Santa Claus will visit the Tripp County Library on Friday, Dec. 16, from 3:30 to 4 p.m.

All children are invited to come and visit with Santa.

The Sounds of Christmas will be held Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Winner Catholic Church.  All area musicians are invited to share some of their music.  There will be a free will offering which will be given to the Winner Ministerial Association.  At the end of the program all participants will come to the front of the church to lead the singing of Christmas hymns.

Persons who would like to participate are asked to call the Methodist church office at 842-0854 or the Catholic Church office at 842-3520.

All participants are asked to check in with Vicki Covey or Jan Ringstmeyer when they arrive at the church and the church will be open at 6 p.m.

The tradition of the Sounds of Christmas was started by Moyra Pospisil Martin in 1991 and the purpose was for sharing of music.  This has become a favorite holiday tradition in Winner during the Christmas season.

Kelsea Kenzy Sutton will be the fifth generation of the Lillibridge family to work at First Fidelity Bank. She will be joining the bank as an Assistant Compliance Officer beginning Jan. 1, 2017. Her duties will include making sure the bank and all its branches are following all national and state banking laws and regulations, as well as professional standards and accepted business practices.

Kelsea is a graduate of the University of Colorado in Boulder Colorado, where she received her BA in English and History. She then attended the University of South Dakota at Vermillion where she completed her law degree and also a Master’s degree in History. Kelsea was previously employed as an associate attorney by Johnson Pochop and Bartling, a law office located in Gregory, South Dakota.

Kelsea is married to Billie Sutton and they have one child named William (Liam) John Sutton. They reside in Burke, South Dakota, and enjoy being active members of their community.

Shayden Drey and Kray Krolikowski, both of Winner, and members of the University of Sioux Falls football team, have been named to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference fall all-academic team.

To be eligible for this honor, students must be a member of the varsity traveling team and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher.

Furthermore, the student must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have completed at least one full academic year at that institution.

An annual event, signifying the holidays are just around the corner, is being held this weekend. The Winner Regional Foundation Board’s annual Holiday Festival will be held Saturday, Dec. 3, at St. Mary’s Hall. The event kicks off with a wine and beer social at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30.

Throughout the evening, many fun activities take place, all in the name of charity. The purpose of the Holiday Festival is to raise money to advance the quality of healthcare in the region through the support of Winner Regional Healthcare Center. All of the proceeds from this year’s Festival will go towards helping raise the necessary $3 million in local donations for Winner Regional’s expansion and renovation project. There are several opportunities throughout the night to help support this very worthwhile cause.

The Merry and Bright Ornament Sale is an opportunity to purchase 1 of 100 ornaments for $20. Each ornament is entered into a drawing to win 1 of 10 great prizes. Ten of Santa’s best stockings are up for auction throughout the night. Each stocking ranges in value from $300 to over $500 in cash or merchandise! A very popular fundraiser is the 12 Days of Christmas. Twelve beautiful ornaments are sold throughout the Live Auction and one winner’s name will be drawn to win the grand prize of a 15 piece Real Life Nativity Creche.

Bubbles and Bling is an exciting fundraiser that pairs champagne and diamonds! 200 glasses of champagne will be sold for $20 each. Each glass is numbered and two numbers will be drawn as the lucky winners of stunning diamond jewelry pieces.

Each year, various community partners are extremely generous in their support of the Holiday Festival and donate a wide variety of wonderful items for the Silent and Live Auctions held at the Festival. Items range from the latest in flat screen TVs, to shotguns and unique, handcrafted furniture. Following the Live Auction, guests can celebrate with dancing to the Tami Hall Band or simply enjoy the music and holiday atmosphere.

“We have a lovely meal planned, a beautiful, festive atmosphere created and many wonderful items to win. It’s the perfect way to kick off the holiday season, and it’s all for a great cause!” stated Jody Engel, foundation director.