Category Archives: Local

There were 28 teams that competed in the Winner Quarterback Club youth basketball tournament Sunday, March 8. There were age divisions for 4th to 7th grade. Games were played in both the Armory and the middle school auditorium.

There were over 50 volunteers from the QB Club, the school plus boys and girls Warrior and Lady Warrior basketball teams.

The Holiday House sponsored hospitality rooms for coaches and workers.

Results  of the tourney include:

4th grade girls—Burke, 1st and Pierre, 2nd

4th grade boys—Winner, 1st and Lyman, 2nd

5th grade girls—Winner, 1st and Jones County, 2nd

5th boys—Lyman, 1st; Winner, 2nd

6th girls—Winner, 1st;  Colome, 2nd

6th boys—Chamberlain, 1st and Winner, 2nd

7th girls—Lyman, 1st; Sacred Energy (Mission) 2nd

Winner will also host an outdoor 3 on 3 basketball tourney  over Labor Day weekend.

Mackenzie Levi, a 6th grader at Winner Middle School, won the Winner Rotary Club 4 way test essay contest.

Levi presented her essay at the March 5 Rotary meeting. She is the daughter of Mike and Cindy Levi.

There were 32 students who entered the contest.

Here is  Levi’s winning essay:

The four way test has helped me in some different ways. I like the four way test because it asks good questions, like the truth, is it fair, will it build better friendship and will it be beneficial. This has helped me through a lot of things because of the questions. It has helped me through friendship and some uneasy things. Just asking four easy questions and simple questions make things easier. I am going to talk about a choice I had to make one time.

One day when  I was at my house my friend called and asked me if i wanted to go to their house next weekend for a  sleep over. I said back to her, that I would ask my mom and my mom said “yes.” I was really excited to go  and knew I would have fun. The next day after school she said that she couldn’t wait to  have me over for a sleepoverr and  I said “I can’t wait.”

Later that day another friend asked me what i was doing this weekend and I said, “I’m not sure,” because i didn’t want to tell her what I was doing and hurt their feelings. She said well you come over to my house this weekend and we can hang out. I said, Ok, but I have to ask my mom first. She said ok  that if I wanted to they were going to go down to the river and go tubing for the day.

The four way test helped me to ask myself would it be fair to all concerned. I thought to myself it wouldn’t be fair if I canceled on the first persons and then they somehow found out that I canceled to go do something more fun. Will it build good will and better friendships? It would built better friendships, if I didn’t cancel on the first person. Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Yes, if I do the right thing the other friend will understand that I have already made plans and can’t go. Is it the truth? It could be the truth if I just tell my other friend I can’t go.

At the end I went with my friend that asked me first. You might ask why I wouldn’t  pick more fun with my other friend. I picked the friend that asked me first because it was fair and so I didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. When the sleepover was over I was glad I did the right thing. I had a a lot of fun and felt good because of how I handled it. As you can see, the four way test is very useful in many situations and helps you do the right thing.

Pheasants Forever of Winner is again looking for habitat projects to cost share in the 2015 crop year.

Persons wanting to enhance conservation practices on their farm to help pheasants are asked to submit a plan. It could be for planting trees, digging waterholes, planting grass or a completely new idea.

Cost share grant application deadline is June 15.

Persons are to submit an  application outlining their plan to: Pheasants Forever, P.O. Box 282, Winner, S.D. 57580. The applications can also be dropped off at BankWest of Winner.

Kaylea Larson Littau  of Tripp County is a new member of the American Angus Association.

Jesse Larson of Hamill is a new junior member of  the American Angus Association.

Junior members are eligible to register cattle in the American Angus Association, participate in programs conducted by the National Junior Angus Association and take part in association sponsored shows.

The American Angus Association, with nearly 24,000 active adult  and junior members, is the largest beef breed association in the world.

There will be a race in two wards in the Winner city election on April 14.

Incumbent Frank Finney is running unopposed in Ward One.

Seeking election in Ward Two are Cory Assman and Jody Brozik. Incumbent councilperson Val Sherman is not seeking re-election. Sherman has served on the city council for 16 years.

Running in Ward Three are Orville Lund and John Meyer. Incumbent councilman Zach Anderson is not seeking re-election. Anderson served six years on the council.

The deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions was Feb. 27.

There will be no election this year in the Winner School District.

The only two persons to file petitions were incumbents Mike Calhoon and Steve Kubik. Both will serve a three year term.

There will be no election this year for school board in the Colome Consolidated School District.

Filing petitions for  three year term were incumbents Pam Haukaas, Rod Hermsen and Vince Thieman.

Petitions that were filed on time for a two year term were Chandra Cudmore and Shannon Kortan.

The deadline for filing petitions was Feb. 27.

The city of Colome will have an election in Ward Three.

Three persons filed petitions for two seats on the board.

Filing petitions in Ward Three were Bruce DeMers, Bob VanOort and John Hofeldt. DeMers and Van Oort are the incumbents.

The deadline for filing election petitions was Feb. 27. The election will be held April 14 in the Colome city office.

Incumbents filing petitions in two other wards were Carl Westergren and David Duffy in Ward One and Brad Hill in Ward Two.

The third annual Spirit Gems Bling Fling will be held Saturday, March 7, at 10 a.m. in the Winner Armory. The doors will open at 9 a.m.

Everyone is welcome to attend and watch individuals showcase their dance, tumbling, stunting and cheer skills.

Spirit Gems is a group of local kids ranging in age from 3 to 18.

There will be vendors, concessions and fun booths.

In addition to the Winner areas, there will be competitors from Miller, Pierre, Ainsworth, Neb., Colome, Platte, Gregory and other area towns.

All five Spirit Gems groups will be performing which includes about 100 girls.

There will be 10 vendors at the show. One of the booths will feature the Spirit Store from the Lincoln, Neb., area. The store features cheer bows and other accessories.

The concession stand will feature caramel apples and cotton candy along with other  food items.

There will also be a silent auction. Persons who would like to donate items to the silent auction can contact Jessica Beehler, Katie Craven or Sara Swedlund.

Vendors who would like to have a booth can contact Amy Kartak.

The Bling Fling will feature a special performance by the Spirit Coals.

Kirdy Jorgensen will be the cheer announcer for the Bling Fling.

There will be prizes awarded at the end of the show.

South Dakota State University men’s basketball team honored its seniors Zach Horstman of Winner and Cody Larson of Sioux Falls on Feb. 21.

The Jacks defeated Oral Roberts and the game marked Horstman’s final home game.

“You look at Zach’s  four years and I don’t think there’s been a more successful guy in the Division I era in terms of wins,” said coach Scott Nagy.

The coach said both Horstman and Larson are great students. “They’ll be great leaders in their community and I’m proud that I had a chance to have them in my life,” said Nagy.