Category Archives: Local

Government offices in Winner will be closed Monday, Feb. 16, in observance of Presidents’ Day.

The Tripp County Courthouse will be closed as well as the Tripp County Library.

The city of Winner office will be closed on Feb. 16.

All state and federal offices in Winner will be closed on Monday. The Winner Post Office will be closed and there will be no city or rural mail delivery.

Wells Fargo Bank will be open on Presidents’ Day.

First Fidelity Banks of Winner and Colome, BankWest and Sentinel Federal Credit Union will all be closed on Feb. 16.

There will be no noon meal served on Monday at the Winner senior citizens center.

Southern Plains Behavioral Health Services and Main Gate Counseling will be closed on Feb. 16.

By Dan Bechtold, Editor

An expanded head lice policy was approved by the Winner School Board at Monday’s meeting.

The policy is based on recommendations of the National Association of School Nurses, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Center of Disease Control and S.D. Department of Health.

The policy says the school district will conduct at least four head checks per year for all students.

Parents/guardians will be informed by mail or School Reach anytime school administration feels there is an abnormal amount of infestations detected during the head lice checks.

The board approved the extracurricular contract for Kevin Keiser as middle school track coach.

The contract with Randy Kludt for mowing school grounds during the summer was approved. The total package is $9,430.

The board approved the contract with Schoenfish and Co., Parkston to do the 2014-2015 school audit.

The March 9 school board meeting was moved to Monday, March 16.

The board heard reports from school administrators.

Kim DeMers, curriculum coordinator, said teachers are getting ready for the Smarter Balance test which will be given in April.

Elementary principal Brian Naasz said enrollment at the school climbed by seven students.

He said on Feb. 26 the school will celebrate 100 days of school.

Read Across America will be held on March 2 with Winner High School students coming to the school to read to students.

A 4^th and 5^th grade music concert will be held on March 10.

Winner High School/middle school principal Gerald Witte said the enrollment at the school is up 3 at 330 students.

He said FCCLA week activities will be held at the school and the following week FFA events will be held.

Witte told the board on Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. a financial aid night will be held in the Winner Armory.

Supt. Bruce Carrier reported total enrollment in the district is at 676 students which is an increase of 11.

The superintendent went over education bills that are in the legislature.

The school board met in executive session for personnel and a student matter.

Following executive session, the school board approved several motions.

They approved offering 2015-2016 certified staff contracts as recommended by Supt. Carrier, salary and fringe benefits to be determined at a later date.

Approval was given to offer  classified staff contracts with salary and fringe benefits to be determined later.

The board approved extracurricular assignments for 2015-2016 with salary to be determined at a later date.

A summer 20 day contract was approved for Wyatt DeJong and Danielle Pemberton.

The board extended Gerald Witte’s two year contract as middle school/high school principal, technology coordinator to the 2016-2017 school year. Salary and fringe benefits will be determined at a later date.

The board extended Brian Naasz’ two year contract as elementary principal/special education coordinator to the 2016-2017 school year. Salary and fringe benefits will be determined at a later date.

The board approved extending Dan Aaker’s two year contract as assistant middle school/high school principal/activities director to the 2016-2017 school year. Salary and fringe benefits will be determined at a later date.

By Scott Feldman, Rapid City Journal

Dawson Phillips never met Lloyd Rypkema.

And yet Dawson, a 13-year-old boy from Winner, has read about Rypkema and is convinced the pair have a connection: that they are both “true cowboys at heart.”

Dawson wrote an essay this month in which he spoke of his own youthful but already deep love for animals, ranching and rodeo riding.

The seventh-grader at Winner Middle School who looks sharp in a cowboy hat wrote of working with 4-H programs, riding and caring for his horse, and tending to goats, cattle and sheep at the ranch owned by his parents, Marty and Roni Phillips.

He wrote about participating in rodeo events like team-roping and the flag race. He told about helping around his family’s farm by doing chores, and working with neighbors when they need a hand.

And finally, he wrote about Rypkema, who lived and breathed the cowboy lifestyle and was active in public service for decades before he died in 2010.

“Not knowing Lloyd and only having the chance to read about him, he seems like a true cowboy at heart,” Dawson wrote in his essay. “His active involvement in his community, the generosity in giving to individuals and his community a helping hand, proves he was a very kind and giving man.”

The touching words in Dawson’s essay won over the heart of Marv Rypkema, Lloyd’s son, who each year honors one young South Dakota rancher a free pony in memory of his father. This year, Dawson was selected as the winner of the fourth annual Lloyd W. Rypkema Memorial Quarter Horse Award.

“This is probably one of the best applications we have seen in four years,” Marv Rypkema said in an email this week.

Since 2012, one youth has been awarded a colt that carries the bloodlines of Lloyd’s favorite quarter horse stallion, named Black Cat Dancer, at the Black Hills Stock Show.

By Dan Bechtold, Editor

A Tripp County La Leche League will hold its first meeting on Feb. 9 from 6-7 p.m. at the Methodist Church in Winner.

La Leche League is an international organization that promotes breastfeeding.

Rachel Vogt of Winner is a trained leader and urges women who want to learn more about breastfeeding  to attend. She says are babies are also welcome.

The group will meet the second Monday of every month at the Winner Methodist Church.

South Dakota Legislators met with District and State FFA Officers at the 2015 South Dakota FFA Legislative Breakfast and District Officer Training hosted by the South Dakota FFA Association on Wednesday, Jan. 21 and Thursday, Jan. 22 at the AmericInn in Fort Pierre, S.D.

Attending from the Winner FFA chapter were: Calah Covey, District IV president; Sydnie Peters, district reporter and Kayleb Brozik, district student advisor.

The purpose of the event was to promote the FFA’s mission of premier leadership, personal growth and career success by bringing together South Dakota’s governmental leaders with leaders of the South Dakota FFA.

Zach Horstman knows he needs to be ready at anytime.

In his four seasons with the South Dakota State University men’s basketball team, Horstman has been called on in numerous situations.

A story in the Jan. 27 issue of the Mitchell Daily Republic featured the college basketball player from Winner.

“The biggest thing you learn is to stay ready because you never know when your name is going to get called,” Horstman said in the story. “I think that is something I bring to this team because when you get called on, they expect you to play well. I know not to get down on myself because I’m not playing and just stay ready to go help the team.”

Horstman, a former Mr. Basketball, has started 16 games for the Jackrabbits and played in all 22 games this season.

Dakota Wesleyan track runner Skylar Forgey of Colome broke the school record for the 1,000 meter run at the Buena Vista University Invite on Saturday in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Forgey’s time was 3 minutes and 4.77 seconds besting the old DWU record of 3:08.18 by Gail McIntyre in 2009. Forgey’s time is just .77 seconds shy of qualifying for the NAIA national meet.

Several Winner High School teams have received the South Dakota High School Activities Association academic achievement team award.

All varsity athletic teams and fine arts groups that achieve a combined grade point average of 3.0 or higher are eligible to receive the SDHSAA academic achievement team award. Winner teams honored include: boys cross country, all-state chorus, football, volleyball, boys golf, competitive cheer, football cheerleaders, competitive dance team, oral interpretation and girls cross country.

The high school activities association believes that high school students learn in two distinct ways: inside the classroom and outside the classroom—on stage and/or athletic field. This academic program creates a positive environment for school teams to have its members excel in the classroom. This program is meant to motivate students toward academic excellence and to promote academic encouragement from teammates.

After a 72 mile chase across central South Dakota a pickup was  stopped in Tripp County.

Tripp County Sheriff Shawn Pettit said the incident happened on Jan. 20 when the vehicle was forced to stop on Highway 183, south of the White River bridge in Tripp County. The sheriff’s office deployed a spike strip to stop the fleeing white pickup. Speeds during the chase reached as high was 85 miles an hour.

Two people were arrested following the high speed chase.

According to the Lyman County Sheriff’s Office the chase began when an officer with the Lower Brule Bureau of Indian Affairs attempted to stop a vehicle and the vehicle fled.

The Lyman County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the situation at approximately 4:43 p.m. and  joined the pursuit when the vehicle reached an area north of Kennebec on state highway 273.

The chase continued on numerous gravel and dirt roads before the vehicle was stopped on Highway 183. Pettit said the vehicle was stopped at around 6 p.m.

The names of the two suspects were not released.

The driver was arrested on numerous charges related to the chase while a passenger was arrested on several drug charges.

The Winner Regional Foundation Board announced the results of their Holiday Festival fundraiser, held last December, at their January 2015 meeting.  The annual Holiday Festival, which was held December 6^th, raised over $77,000 dollars, with proceeds raised going back into Winner Regional Hospital to buy needed health care equipment.

“We had an outstanding turn-out at the Holiday Festival in December”, stated Lynnelle Anderson, Executive Director of the Foundation.  “We had great weather, wonderful attendance – in fact, we sold out – and once again, the community out-pouring and generosity really showed us all that our community truly does want the best in health care in our community”.