Category Archives: News

The Winner Regional Health Board of Directors announces that Brian Williams, RHCEOC, has been named the new Chief Executive Officer.

Beginning June 20, Williams will oversee the strategic and operational initiatives for the organization.

The Winner Regional Health Board of Directors conducted a nationwide search for a new CEO, using Sumption & Wyland to support the recruitment process. Williams was selected from a pool of candidates for his outstanding leadership, experience, and passion for rural health care.

“Winner Regional Health is dedicated to improving the quality of life in our region by providing comprehensive local health care, and we sought a leader who could continue to

build on this mission,” said Roger Kingsbury, board chair. “We feel Brian will be a strong fit with our vision and values, and we look forward to working with him to continue advancing

health care in the region.”

Williams previously served as the CEO at Coal Country Community Health Center in Beulah, North Dakota, and Sakakawea Medical Center in Hazen, North Dakota, where he oversaw the daily operations and strategic initiatives for the federally qualified health center and nonprofit 13-bed critical access hospital.

Williams also served as the vice president of Professional Services at Northern Montana Hospital in Havre, Montana, and Chief Operations Officer at Arbor Health in Morton,

Washington.

He holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

“It is an honor to join Winner Regional Health as chief executive officer,” Williams said. “The organization provides critically important health care services to the region, and I look

forward to partnering with the talented staff, physicians, board members and volunteers at Winner Regional to ensure we provide the best possible care to our patients and their

families.”

Charisse Oland, EdD, FACHE, MHA, RD, served as interim CEO while the board conducted their search. The Winner Regional Health Board of Directors enthusiastically appreciates Oland for her service and leadership throughout the transition.

Some government offices in Winner will be closed on Monday, June 19 in observance of the Juneteenth federal holiday.

The Tripp County courthouse and library will be closed.

State and federal offices in Winner will be closed on June 19.

The Winner city office will be open.

The Winner Post Office will be closed and there will be no mail delivery.

First Fidelity Banks of Winner and Colome will be closed as well as BankWest and Sentinel Federal Credit Union.

Winner senior  citizens center will be open on Monday and will serve a noon meal.

Southern Plains Behavioral Health Services will be closed on June 19.

By Bosten Morehart

Staff writer

Ryan Sell is in his second year as a summer intern at the SDSU  4-H extension office in town.

As the summer intern Ryan does a variety of different jobs throughout the summer. Some of those include workshops, general office work, filing annuals.

Ryan has always been doing some sort of community service or project ever since he was young. With his father being the shooting sports coach and his mother always doing community service, 4-H has always been a part of his life.

“I’ve had a long history of 4H, we used to, well my club the Clovervale club still does the Memorial Day auxiliary flags for the American Legion,” said Sell.

He participates in 10 workshops a year whether he is running them or just helping out. Although he is a little more “hands off” than the previous year, he is still around the workshops.

“I still go and take pictures and help if they need me, but I’m a little more hands off unless I’m the one teaching the workshop obviously. I still just show up and help if they need it.”

Some of the types of workshops he does include rockets and marshmallow blasters. The rocket workshops have levels to them, and the kids can go up levels as they do them.

As the summer intern he is required to host at least one workshop and the first one he did was the marshmallow blaster. The Cloverbud workshop is mandatory for summer interns and Ryan will be hosting that in a few weeks.

The marshmallow blaster workshop was quite an experience for him. He says that it has been his favorite so far.

“It was very messy because, it wasn’t smart, but I brought a whole bunch of marshmallows for them to shoot. It was a complete mess because we started inside, but we later moved outside, which it was fine after that, but it was the most fun I’ve had so far.”

Ryan is going to school for Cyber Operations at Dakota State University. He said that if he were to work an office job it would be as the IT person.

Doing these workshops and working with kids has taught him a lot about himself. “I’ve been a babysitter as a job but having a bigger amount of kids around also makes me realize I don’t want to do teaching either,” said Sell.

By Bosten Morehart

The Tripp County Library hosts several special events along with the summer reading program throughout the summertime.

The events and programs range from hands on activities to shows and speakers.

Girls who code started June 1 and will be every Thursday 1 pm to 3 pm. This is to teach girls how to use technology and get comfortable with the concepts of coding.

Lego time takes place on Tuesdays from 1:30 pm to 3 pm. This is where kids can come to the library and play with Legos and use their creativity to build things.

The slots to participate fill up fast but there are a few openings on June 27.

Tuesday June 13 a member from Fresh Flowers Studio will be coming in from 10:30 am to 11:30 am. The group of 20 kids will learn how to plant flowers and they will also learn how to care for them and what it takes to keep plants healthy.

On Wednesday June 14 Rubie Bell (Miss V), the Gypsy Cowbelle will be putting on the program “homespun musical instruments”. During this activity kids will learn to make instruments out of supplies laying around the house and participate in making music with them.

Story times also start June 14. Ages 4-8 will have their story time with Sharon Schramm every Wednesday from 10:30 am to 11:15 am where two stories will be read.

Stories times will be every second and fourth Wednesday of every month. For those who cannot attend in person there will be videos posted on the Facebook page.

 Starting June 15 is baby and me class for children 0-2. Registration for these classes is not required but is recommended to secure a spot.

A puppet and magic show will be happening on July 27 at 1 pm. Location is not set as of right now for this event.

Tuesday August 1 will be a chance for kids to learn about reptiles. There will be reptiles brought in for the kids to see and learn more about.

The summer reading program is a great way for the school and library to work together and provide kids with the opportunity to read and learn. If you have not signed your kid up yet it is not too late, and you can contact the school or library to sign up.

At the end of the summer there will be prizes for those who have read five books at their reading level. They must complete this goal before July 31. The prize will be a t-shirt so make sure you add their t-shirt size to the form.

There will also be a poetry contest for kindergarten through fifth grade. Those forms can be picked up at the library and will be judged by the teen group from the library.

Once the poems are turned back in, they will be displayed around the library.

A time change has been put into place for Thursdays. The library will be open until 7 pm on Thursdays allowing those who work later to have chance to stop in.

If you have any questions visit the website at trippcounty.yoursdlibrary.org or stop in and talk to Misti Burns and Jerry Fuller.

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

A Washington man is making a cross country trip using an unconventional form of transportation for an important cause.

Mike Adkinson of Bellingham, Wash., is driving a 2008 John Deere tractor across the country to raise awareness  for Parkinson’s Disease. His older brother has been diagnosed with the crippling disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by the nerves.

Adkinson rolled into Winner last Wednesday morning to have Grossenburg Implement check a slow leak on the tractor. He is making the trip from Northern Minnesota to his home in northwest Washington. Along the way he stops and talks to people about Parkinson’s Disease.

He has been on the road for three weeks and believes he will not reach his destination until the end of July.

As he travels, he is journaling about the trip, taking pictures and posting them on his Facebook site. He pulls a small trailer behind the tractor.

He feels making people aware of the disease is important. “Let’s get behind all this research with money and our commitment because if this disease is not put in check it has the potential of breaking our healthcare system,” he explained.

Adkinson says he averages 60 to 70 miles a day with an average speed of 12 to 13 miles an hour.

He says many people stop him on the highway. “Some just want to talk and tell me about a loved one that has died,” he said.

He explained while in Winner a lady came looking for him after her son told her that the guy with a tractor is here. She told her son she was going to go out and find me. “She caught up with me and we had a nice discussion.”

Adkinson told another story of when he was traveling from Lake Andes to Platte. At one point Adkinson made a wrong turn. A farmer chased him down to tell him he made a wrong turn. “He knew my tractor from the local TV news. Before he headed me in the right direction we had a nice visit.”

This is the second consecutive summer Adkinson has made a trip from Washington to Minnesota. Last year on the trip he raised $56,000 and this year the goal is $100,000.

He is raising money for the American Parkinson Disease Association northwest chapter which is located in Seattle, Wash. This chapter covers six states.

“I hope we make the goal. It will totally be successful in the fact that, you know, I probably wave two to four hundred times a day to people on highways. And a lot of those people wave back with a lot of vigor and so I think they’ve seen it. So they see the tractor, they kind of know what’s going on and that’s good,” Adkinson said.

The Washington man explained this trip just seemed natural. “After what we have been through in this country the last few years I just wanted to go out. I did not want anyone with me and I just wanted to see what is going on in America. Let me tell you I am pleasantly surprised, everyone has been wonderful.”

He stays in motels on his journey and has found people are very generous giving him a room for half price or for free.

The 77 year old man is retired. He has a degree in social work and spent many years in the mental health field. Then he switched gears and built log homes for 20 years in Washington and then had an internet business.

As he rides his tractor across the United States he hopes people will follow his journey on the Internet and find it in their heart to donate to the American Parkinson Disease Association.

Persons can find his website at tractor trip for Parkinsons.