Category Archives: News

By Dan Bechtold, Editor

Two EMT’s have been named the new directors of the Tripp County ambulance service at a special meeting of the Tripp County Commissioners on Monday afternoon.

Kathy Cole and Sis Orel will be the co-directors and also the welfare directors for the county. They will replace Bev Vaughn who resigned at the July 14 meeting. Vaughn, who has served as ambulance director for 4.5 years, will leave office on July 31.
The vote to approve the new directors was 3-2. Voting for approval were commissioners Dan Forgey, Curt Littau and Eric Connot. Voting no were commissioners Chip Schroeder and Mark Winter.

Cole, who is certified in advanced life support, will be paid $42,000 a year and Orel, who is certified in basic life support, will be paid $39,000 a year.

The Tripp County Disaster Mitigation Planning Team has just completed updating the County’s disaster mitigation plan. The plan includes a profile and risk assessment of the various natural hazards that affect the county, such as blizzards, tornadoes, flooding, and droughts, and presents a disaster mitigation strategy that may lessen the impacts of the hazards.

The plan is available for public review at the Tripp County Emergency Management Office, and on the Planning & Development District III website (http://www.districtiii.org/. Comments and suggestions regarding the plan can be sent to the Tripp County Emergency Management Office at “jburdette@trippcounty.us” or by calling (605) 842-3600. Comments also can be sent to John Clem at “John.Clem@districtiii.org” or by calling (800) 952-3562. It is expected that the plan will be submitted to the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management approximately one month from now.

Divine Concrete celebrated its 40th Anniversary on Saturday, July 11. An open house was held from 1-5 p.m. at their plant in Bonesteel. Many guests stopped by to share in the celebration, enjoy refreshments, win door prizes and see a live demonstration of batching redi mix concrete and the pouring of precast feed bunks.

John and Kathy Divine founded the company in 1975. What started out in a small trailer has now grown into a multi-division company with three locations. The business runs a concrete construction crew, precast division, as well as continuing to provide the area with quality redi mix concrete out of their Bonesteel, Colome, and Spencer, NE plants.

In 2009, Divine Concrete became a second generation family business when Andy Divine returned to Bonesteel to purchase the company after years of working as an aviation mechanic and salesman. Since his return, John and Kathy have retired and their daughter, Sara (Divine) Nolan, recently joined the team as well.

Divine Concrete, Inc. and the Divine family appreciate everyone who came to celebrate this accomplishment with them and sent flowers and cards. They also appreciate the communities of Bonesteel, Colome, Spencer, and surrounding areas for their support throughout the last four decades.

By Dan Merritt, Advocate Reporter

Say the word “cush” and the “soft” or “easy” comes to mind, as in “that person has a cush job.” But “cushman” changes the idea to the opposite.

Cushman company of Lincoln, Neb. built “trucksters” — a “golf cart” type of vehicle (only larger and wider) with many uses, including industrial plants and the military.

They’re darn near indestructible, according to Rich Papousek of Colome, who originally hails from Gregory.  Made of iron and steel with cast iron and then aluminum motors, “they were built too good,” Papousek said.  He called them “rock solid” vehicles. “The engines were made to run forever.  You couldn’t wear them out.”

He has two Cushmans — with open driver/passenger areas — and is looking to get three more, with cabs.