MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS MEET IN GEDDES

More than 60 municipal officials representing 13 cities gathered at the South Dakota Municipal League’s annual District 4 Meeting, held in Geddes on March 14, 2018.

Yvonne Taylor, South Dakota Municipal League Executive Director, spoke about the outcome of the 2018 Legislative Session, and the effect new laws will have on South Dakota municipalities. Taylor also discussed the direction and future of the Municipal League and services offered to the municipalities.

“More and more we are seeing the need to get better information out to the citizens and legislators. Municipal government provides a vast array of services, and people need to be informed of where their tax dollars are going. This type of education can only benefit municipal government. The taxpayers would be very proud of their local government if they were fully aware of how much service a municipality provides at a relatively low cost,” Taylor said.

Mike Wendland, SDML President for 2018 and Mayor for the City of Baltic, was also on hand to discuss his priorities for the current year as well as to conduct the election of District 4 officers for the upcoming year. Others in attendance were representatives of various state agencies and representatives of groups affiliated with the Municipal League.

Becky Brunsing, Finance Officer in Wagner, was re-elected as District 4 Chair and Larry Lucas, Trustee in Pickstown was re-elected as Vice-Chair.

In other business, those attending voted to hold the 2019 District 4 Meeting in Winner.

Colome Vocal Students Earn Awards

On Feb. 7 members of the Colome High School choir participated in the Kimball Vocal Contest.

Jeremiah Yeaman sang “Silent Worship” and received a superior. Grace Campbell also earned a superior with her solo, “Though Not Deserving.” Madison Gill sang “Piejesu” and was awarded a superior as well. Jaclyn Laprath and Taylor Chasing Hawk earned a superior for their duet, “My Heart’s in the Highland.” Becca Marso sang “Caro Mia Bien” and earned an excellent. Jordyn Seegers scored an excellent for singing “Kyrie.” Isaac Beltman performed the song, “My Lord, What a Mornin’” and received an excellent. As for the large girls group, an excellent was received for their performance of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”

On Feb. 21, Madison Gill traveled to Chamberlain to present her trumpet piece in front of a group of judges. She received an above average score on her performance of “Habanera.”

 

Feasibility Report Given on Jail Expansion

By Dan Bechtold, Editor

Toby Morris of Dougherty and Co., Pierre, presented a financial overview on the feasibility of expanding the city jail at the March 8 meeting of the Winner City Council.

The city is proposing to purchase the American Legion building and property for a  $2.45 Million jail expansion.

Morris said the city has run the current facility as a profitable enterprise. “From a business perspective this is huge,” said Morris.  The City of Winner would be obligated to a $150,000 payment a year for 20 years.

He added that crime is not going away and from a business side it makes sense to do the expansion.

Morris based his projections on an anticipated maximum  capacity of 35 additional clients of day. This would bring in a net income of approximately $300,000.

Community Connections, Inc. to Recognize Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month with Open House

Awareness is the first step to understanding and community inclusion. Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month has been observed each March in the United States since 1987, and this year, to celebrate the month, Community Connections, Inc., CCI, welcomes the public to an open house to learn more about the organization.

From 2-4 p.m. Friday, March 23, all are welcome to attend the open house at Community Connections recently remodeled building “Corner Way” at 325 N. Main, Winner, formerly known as the Car Wash building.

Guests will enjoy cookies and beverages and be able to tour the remodeled building as well as have the opportunity to meet some of the many staff and people who choose to receive services from Community Connections. Guests are welcome to ask questions, learn about services offered by Community Connections, apply for a job with our organization, or just visit and meet some neighbors!

CCI’s mission is to support real people to make real choices and live real lives. What it means to live a real life is different for every person, but it often involves goals and dreams that people without disabilities have, like getting a job, pursuing a hobby, learning a specific skill, becoming more independent, or having closer relationships. CCI is proud to have been a part of the Winner community for the past 43 years, and strives to provide the highest quality services to meet the changing needs of people with disabilities in our community to assure that every person, regardless of ability, reaches their fullest potential.

Developmental disabilities may impact a person’s cognitive, behavioral or physical abilities. Examples of developmental disabilities include autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

To learn more about Community Connections please visit: http://www.winnercommunityconnections.com/

Homebuyers Education Class Planned

The South Central Development Corporation is hosting a couple of events in April.

On April 3-4 there will be a free homebuyers education class. It will be held from 6-9 p.m. in the city office.

Participants must attend both evenings to get a certificate of completion.

This class is in cooperation with NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources.

In a recent housing survey by the local development corporation, out of the 215 respondents, 83 said they would be interested in a homebuyers education class.

The NeighborWorks Homebuyer education course provides an unbiased comprehensive overview of the home buying process to help homebuyers make smart, informed decisions in every step of their homeownership journey.

Persons can RSVP on line at

winnerhomebuyerclass.eventbrite.com

Persons who have questions can call 842-1551.

The development corporation will be hosting a job fair in the Winner auxiliary gym on April 9 from 8-11 a.m.

Businesses who would like to have a table at the job fair can call Karla Brozik at the development office at 842-1551.

The development corporation will hold its annual meeting on March 26 at 7 p.m. at the Winner Legion.

Bertram Named All-Tournament

Keely Bertram of the Black Hills State University women’s basketball team has been named to the all-tournament team at the Colorado State University-Pueblo Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship.

Bertram finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.

Black Hills defeated Fort Lewis College and Metro State—Denver to advance to the RMAC championship game. Black Hills State was defeated by Colorado University-Pueblo 84-69.

BHSU moved on to the NCAA TDII tournament and will play Angelo State on March 9 in Lubbock, Texas.

Bertram is the daughter of Rahn and Maria Bertram of Elk Point and the granddaughter of Larry and Sherry Bertram of Colome.

Delgarito Named “Student of the Month” at BHSU

Lyric Delgarito, special education major from Winner, was honored as the December 2017 Student Support Services Student of the Month at Black Hills State University.

Delgarito was nominated by Summer DiGioia, SSS retention advisor, who said, “Lyric puts forth effort and positivity in all that she does. Lyric is a very dedicated college student who has such enthusiasm and excitement when it comes to college.” Lyric says she struggled to understand the material during her early years in school. It wasn’t until she asked for help in her junior year of high school that she was tested and diagnosed with a reading disability. This diagnosis opened the door to new resources, which Lyric was eager to use.

Lyric said, “I feel that seeking out help in areas you do not understand is the first step. I learned that hard work goes a long way and that failure is not a breaking point or a reason to quit, but a reason to persevere.”

Lyric’s long-term goals are to return to her home reservation of Rosebud and work as a Special Education teacher to help youth overcome their challenges and follow their dreams. Lyric said, “My people deserve a great education and future for themselves.”

Club Baseball Season Schedule

Winner/Colome club baseball team will open the season on the road when they travel to Hot Springs on March 24.

The home opener will be March 29 when the Royals host Mission.

The 2018 season schedule includes:

March 24—at Hot Springs, 1 p.m. junior varsity and varsity

March 29—Mission in Winner, junior varsity and varsity, 5:30 p.m.

April 6—Gregory County in Winner, 5:30, JV, V

April 8—at Bennett County

April 14—Sioux Falls Washington, home, (JV only), 2 p.m.

April 15—St. Thomas More, home, 1 p.m., JV, V

April 19—at Platte, 5:30, JV, V

April 22—at Mission, 3 p.m., JV, V

April 27—at Chamberlain, 5:30, JV,V

May 2—Platte/Geddes in Winner, 5:30 p.m. JV, V

May 5—Mitchell in Winner (JV only), 3 p.m.

May 6—at Parkston, 2 p.m., JV, V

May 9—at Gregory, 5:30, JV, V

April 9, 12, 23 and

May 7, 10, 11—open for possible makeup games

May 13-16—Division semi finals

May 21—Super regional at No. 1 Region seed

May 28-29—State tournament at the Birdcage in Sioux Falls

The Winner/Colome team is coached by Drew Weber and Jon Hanson