Category Archives: News

Baseball Team Opens Season Thursday

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baseball lettermen

The Winner/Colome club baseball team will open the season at home on April 2 when they host Parkston. The junior varsity game will start at 6 p.m. followed by the varsity game at Leahy Bowl.

Returning letterwinners are Reed Harter, Holden Thieman, Drew DeMers, Kelly O’Bryan, Ty Bolton, Riley Calhoon and Levi McClanahan. Others on the team are Brandon Bicek, Colby Curtis, Luke Engel, Ryan Sherman, Nick Lantz, Tanner Moeller, Dalton Baker, Carter Brickman, Jamin Dougherty, Jeremiah Yeaman, Philip Jorgensen, Joren Bruun, Loren Moeller, Gage Watson, Jacob Beckers, Kameron Meiners, Oscar Pravecek, Ryder Mortenson, Fred Whiting, Nathan Monk, Pete Hughes, Hanna Rowe and Colton Schroeder.

The team is coaches by Drew Weber and Jon Hanson who are both in their second year of coaching club ball.

Weber says the team will be young with a core group of older ball players, 5 to 6 sophomores, a good group of freshmen and lots of 7th and 8th graders.

The team has been practicing for two weeks. Weber says the team is working on a lot of fundamentals.

The Royals will have plenty of pitchers. “Reed is returning as one of our best pitchers,” said Weber. DeMers, who threw a no hitter in the regional a year ago, injured his arm. The coach added Thieman, O’Bryan, Calhoon, Bolton, McClanahan, Brickman, Engel and Lantz may all see action on the mound.

“We are fortunate to have a lot of kids who can pitch and this will allow us to not have to over use one pitcher’s arm,” said the coach.

Harter returns as one of the leading hitters in the state.  “We will have to use our speed and quickness at the plate. We need to be able to put the ball in play,” said Weber.

He says  defense will also be good for the Royals.

The coach says the kids are enthusiastic to play. “We will be competitive and our goal is to make it to the state tournament,” said Weber.

The opener Thursday against Parkston is a non conference game. Weber says Parkston is one of the top five teams in the state. Parkston joined the Winner/Colome schedule after Chamberlain dropped out.

The first girl on the team is Hanna Rowe who is an 8th grader. Weber says she is eager to learn.

Verdean Lee Bell, 78

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bell obit

Verdean Lee Bell, age 78, of Winner, passed away on Tuesday, March 24,  at the Winner Regional Long Term Care Facility. Funeral services were held at 10:30 AM Monday, March 30, at the Winner Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Winner. Burial followed at the Winner City Cemetery.

Memorials can be directed to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, which is located at 505 Lincoln St., Winner, SD 57580.

Lee Verdeen Bell was born April 23, 1936, the third daughter to Lee and Lena Klein of Fairfax, SD.

She married her beloved husband, Eddie Lee Bell in December of 1953. To their union they had five children: Daughter Deb and her son Kris Robinson of Winner; Son Kim Bell of Piedmont, SD; Daughter Cindy (Jerry) Haskell of Alliance, NE and their children Chad (Angell), Charlie (Mandy) and Marly and Ira, Luke (Erica) and Carter, Henry, Makenna, and Cooper, Tye (Carrie) and Taylor; Daughter Amy (Bill) Reiser of Wagner, SD and their children Sadie (Ryan) Holzbauer and Kyler, Tiah, Kaden, Alexis, and Zane, Corey and Brayden, Cole and Jase, and Bryce; Randy (DeEtte) of Dixon, SD and their children Preston and Payton, Nick, Brandon (Sadie) Briggs and Brinkley. She is survived by two sisters Delilah Goeden of Wayne, NE and Marlene Burger of Boulder, CO.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Lee and Lena Klein and her husband Eddie.

She was a faithful member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Mom was an avid sports fan and followed the Chicago Bears. She was a baseball fan and an avid fisherwoman. She especially enjoyed following all of the grandchildren sporting events.

Love lives forever and memories of your loved ones shine through the sorrow.

Kathryn Rutherford, 83

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rutherford obit

Kathryn Ann Lynass Rutherford was born on August 20, 1931 in Winner, SD to William and Geneva (Flickinger) Lynass. Kathy attended St. Mary’s Catholic grade school, graduating from Winner High School in 1950. She went on to attend Iowa State University where she received a degree as a dietitian. Kathy did her internship at Boston Massachusetts Hospital and later worked in New Orleans. She then returned to Winner and married the love of her life MJ (Pee Wee) Rutherford on July 18, 1960. Although they were not blessed with children, she and Pee Wee cherished and loved helping raise 15 nieces and nephews along with many other “special” children.

Kathy and Pee Wee owned and operated Rutherford Drug for many years. During that time, Kathy worked as a dietitian at the Winner Baptist Hospital. They later moved to their home in Mystic, SD, where she worked at the Rapid City Regional Hospital until her retirement in 2000. She was very active in ESA and the National Dietitian’s Association where she held many state and national offices. She loved camping, spending time in the Black Hills, playing bridge with her many friends, Mah-Jongg, and in her retirement having coffee with the girls. Do to the time she spent in Boston, she became an avid Red Sox fan. Most of all, Kathy loved spending time with her nieces, nephews, and all the great nieces and nephews. It was a special treat for her when her family gathered for pheasant hunting.

Gilbert Heth, 64

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heth obit

Gilbert Heth, age 64, of Winner, passed away Saturday, March 21, 2015 at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls.

Funeral service was held at 2 p.m. Wednesday March 25, 2015 at the Winner-Ideal Community Hall in Winner. Burial  followed at the Winner Cemetery.

Gilbert Allen Heth, 64, was born in Wagner, on  October 23, 1950, to Mildred Zephier and Basil Heth Sr.

He is survived by his wife Dorothy Heth of 35 blessed years. Gilbert’s good nature, sense of humor, contagious laughter, and unforgettable smile will be missed by all those who knew him. He made an impression on all who crossed his path. His grandchildren and children meant the world to him. He never failed to put a smile on someone’s face.

Kay Karl, 76

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KARL

 

Kay Joyce (Snider) Karl was born on November  8, 1938 to Kenneth and Josephine (Jamison) Snider on a homestead south of Paxton, SD. Kay graduated from Gregory High School in 1957.

On June 1, 1957 Kay was united in marriage to Elmer Karl in Gregory. To this union three children were born—Michael, Cindi, and Sandi. Kay was a lifelong partner in Karl’s TV and Appliance with her husband Elmer for the next 57 years.

Kay’s greatest joy was family—three children, five grandchildren, two loved as grandchildren, and five great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends were the light of her life.

Kay and Elmer enjoyed traveling to so many amazing places around the world. She enjoyed reading, playing cards,  all things musical and theater, New Orleans jazz, champagne, (and we have to mention shopping—gifts for friends and family!), her beloved birthday group, and “red hat” friends.

Kay passed away unexpectedly on March 23, 2015.

USDA Finalizes Procedures for Sorghum Referendum

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing procedures for the upcoming referendum regarding the continuation of the Sorghum Checkoff Program and is announcing the dates it will conduct the referendum.

The Sorghum Promotion, Research, and Information Order requires that a referendum be conducted no later than seven years after the start of assessments, which began on July 1, 2008. For the program to continue, a majority of those voting must favor the continuation of the order.

USDA will conduct the referendum beginning on March 23, 2015, through April 21, 2015, at county USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices for producers and the Agricultural Marketing Service office for importers. Ballots may be obtained in person, by mail or facsimile at county FSA offices, or via the Internet.

Any eligible person engaged in the production or importation of sorghum from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2014, is eligible to participate. Individuals are required to provide documentation such as a sales receipt or remittance form that shows they engaged in the production or importation of sorghum.

The Sorghum Checkoff Program, and its 13-member board, is authorized by the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996. The Sorghum Checkoff is intended to be a national, coordinated, self-help marketing program designed to strengthen the position of sorghum in the marketplace, maintain and expand existing domestic and foreign markets and uses for sorghum, and develop new markets and uses for sorghum.

The final procedures were published in the Nov. 18, 2010, Federal Register. The notice announcing the dates of the referendum were published in the Feb. 19, 2015, Federal Register.

For more information, contact Craig Shackelford, Marketing Specialist, Research and Promotion Division, Livestock, Poultry, and Seed Program, AMS, USDA, 22 Jamesport Lane, White, GA 30184; Telephone: (470) 315-4246; craig.shackelford@ams.usda.gov. Procedures and additional information about the referendum can be found at: www.ams.usda.gov/SorghumReferendum.

Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables!

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By Laura Coti Garrett, MS, RDN

April is National Cancer Control Month and there is no better time than now to focus on living a healthy lifestyle to help prevent cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, in order to lower your risk of cancer, you should stay at a healthy weight, be physically active, eat a healthy diet and refrain from smoking. Do these recommendations sound familiar to you? If so, it’s because you’ve likely heard them before in connection with diabetes and heart disease. Following these guidelines will not only lower your risk of getting cancer, they will also help to prevent diabetes and heart disease too. Great news!

To give your diet cancer and disease-fighting power, focus on eating more plant foods. Colorful plant foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains are bursting with antioxidants that help to protect our cells from damage. Because cell damage is associated with an increased cancer risk, antioxidants may help to protect against cancer. In fact, studies show that people who eat more fruits and vegetables have a lower risk for some types of cancers.

Make it your goal to eat at least 2 ½ cups of fruits and veggies each day. Some simple ways to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet are by 1) making sure each meal you eat includes either a fruit or vegetable, 2) going “meatless” for one meal each day and eating a vegetarian meal instead and 3) keeping washed fruit on the counter and prepared veggies in the fridge so you can easily grab and go!

Interestingly, taking antioxidant supplements does not appear to be as beneficial for reducing cancer risk as eating fruits and vegetables. It seems that the health benefits of plant foods may be more complex than just being about antioxidant content, as plant foods contain many other nutrient compounds as well. The bottom-line is that to reduce cancer risk, its best (and most delicious) to get your antioxidants from food.

Get started today on powering up your diet with this simple-to-prepare Tomato Sauce recipe below!

Quick Tomato Sauce

2 -28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 Fresh Garlic cloves crushed or diced

Oregano and pepper (optional)

Heat olive oil in a 4 qt. pot, add garlic and cook until slightly brown. You can use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic but add it to the sauce instead of the oil.  Next, pour in crushed tomatoes and cook for ½ hour, stirring occasionally. Add oregano and pepper to taste.

Laura Coti Garrett is a registered dietitian-nutritionist and diabetes educator. You can find her Dietitian Picks meal plans and shopping lists at Winner Super Foods

Sound Bites for social media or overhead announcements

Eat colorful fruits and vegetables to give your diet cancer and disease-fighting power.

Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are powerful sources of cancer and disease-fighting antioxidants.

Improve your diet with plant foods. Aim to get at least 2 ½ cups of fruits and vegetables and at least 3 servings of whole grains each day.

Mom was right, you should eat your vegetables! Broccoli and other cruciferous veggies have nutrients that may protect against cancer.

Include a fruit or vegetable with each meal to give your body a boost of antioxidants.

End of Plane Ride Meant End of Playing Days as Well for Zach Horstman

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zach at colo state game

 

By Dan Merritt, Advocate reporter

He got off the team-chartered airplane in Sioux Falls late last week knowing that the ride was over.

Winner native Zach Horstman’s competitive sports playing days for a school are over.

“I’ve always been in a sport ever since, shoot, probably fifth grade.

“It seems like there was always that one more game.

“But after that last game (South Dakota State University vs Vanderbilt, Fri., March 20) you come back to Brookings and you realize you don’t get another one,” Horstman said.

He’s carrying on with his education at SDSU, planning to graduate in 2016 as a phys ed teacher with a health education minor.

The Vanderbilt contest was in Nashville, Tenn., in a second round game of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).

South Dakota State had advanced there having defeated Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colo. on Wed., March 18.

The win over Colorado State was SDSU’s first for the men’s team in Division 1 basketball post-season play. An historic milestone for that team.

There have been others and Horstman has experienced them the past four seasons playing for the SDSU Jackrabbits since he graduated from Winner High School in 2011.

When reached by phone Sun., March 22, Horstman applauded his fellow Warriors on the boys basketball team he played for in high school.

He lauded the current WHS boys basketball team for getting into the evening session of the State A tournament and coming away with third place. Historic landmarks for the boys basketball program at Winner.

“It’s good for them and good for the community,” Hortsman stated. “They had a great year. I’m happy for them.”

He said he and former Winner athlete Carson Covey, who is also at SDSU, had watched the boys team on-line during the season.

“Whenever we got time, we’d tune-in to see how they were doing. We watched quite a few of their games.”

He expressed admiration for the leadership and direction provided by first-year coach Brett Gardner, a Winner native.

“I grew-up watching him play.”

He said he was impressed by the kind of coach Gardner is.

“He brings a lot of energy to that team. He’s always excited.

“I never got to watch him live, that is in person. But I watched him on the internet and he looks like he’d be a great coach to play for.

“And just knowing him, personally, I know he loves basketball. He’s going to be a really good coach for a really long time.

“I’m not surprised at all that Winner did so well at the state tournament.”

Horstman’s schooling is directed towards phys ed teaching, but he’d like to be a basketball coach as well, he noted.

He has something to contribute to teams that he some day may be in charge of, he added. He’s had years of playing experience and coaching guidance through a variety of levels of competition from grade school through Division 1 college.

But those years are now over. It’s strange to think that spring weight-training and drills, which get underway soon, for the SDSU men’s basketball program won’t include him, Horstman commented.

“I’ll have to find something to do to stay in shape, that’s for sure. Keep lifting and keep workin’ out, I suppose.”

During Horstman fours years at SDSU, the men’s team went to the “Big Dance” NCAA post-season tournament twice, the CBI (College Basketball Invitational), and the NIT.

He had as a teammate for two seasons Nate Wolters who went on to play professional basketball.

Horstman was a starter for SDSU the last three games of the season in spring 2014 and the first half of the winter season of 2014-15. But an ankle injury sidelined him and when healed, he returned to the role of coming into games off the bench.

“He’s such an unselfish guy,” said SDSU coach Scott Nagy, speaking about Horstman and his now completed years playing for the Jackrabbits.

“He’s done what we’ve asked him to do and it’s very difficult for me to say good-bye to him.

“I love him; he’s such a tremendous teammate.”

In high school, Horstman played for long-time, legendary Winner High School coach Jim Drake.

His parents are Brad and Johnyne Horstman, Winner. Grandparents, also of Winner, include Barry and Carol Horstman and Carroll and Janet Bruun.

He has a sister, Kylie, who is a junior at WHS and who is involved in sports just like her big brother was in high school.

Zach Horstman said his family has seen a huge majority of his games from grade school days, through high school, and into college. He’s extremely grateful for that.

“I’ve had great support from them my whole career. I have to thank my parents and the rest of my family and all my friends for the support.”

Winner didn’t forget him when he traveled northeast to play at Brookings beyond high school, he noted.

“I’d get texts and e-mails all time, saying ‘Good luck, with this,’ or ‘I’ve been watching you here.’

Just to have that was a huge blessing. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

He summed-up his school years in sports: basketball in college and in high school there were football, baseball, and track as well.

“I’ve been fortunate to play on a lot of championship level teams throughout my playing career.

It’s been a great overall ride.”

Toilet Mailbox

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toilet mailbox story foto

 

By Dan Merritt, Advocate reporter

Scott Nahnsen’s toilet mailbox in Winner was there for postal employees. For about a year, he said.

And they used it, no questions asked. They used the mailbox portion that is.

But no more. The whole thing— toilet and mailbox —tipped over and broke in chilly spring wind gusts early last week.

Gone is a place in town where people got out their cameras. “Every once in while you’d see people driving by taking pictures,” Nahnsen reported.

“It was on Facebook a couple of times.”

Nahnsen is in the process of remodeling a home in the 400 block on East Third. He had curbside delivery of mail into a mailbox duct-tape strapped to an old toilet.

It apparently wasn’t a problem for the postal delivery people on the route, he noted. Mail was placed regularly inside the slightly smashed mailbox — the side of it in the back was pushed-in.

But the mailbox door opened and shut with no major troubles.

Nahnsen said mail was generally delivered after lunch. But sometime during a wind gusty afternoon Monday, March 16, the toilet and mailbox were pushed to the ground, smashed, and rendered unusable.

He tossed them onto a nearby scrap heap of remodeling debris.

He was in the process of locating a post and new mailbox he said when contacted March 16. “You can get one down at the hardware store.”

But now, his residence won’t be distinctive, anymore, he acknowledged.

“My old man actually said I had the most unique mailbox in town.”

But he wasn’t thumbing his nose at the post office, Nahnsen made it known. “If they would have complained about it, I would have gotten rid of it right away.”

According to post office regulations, for curbside delivery, mailbox holders must be 41- to 45-inches in height and the mailbox facing the curb, 6- to 8-inches recessed from it.

Toilets aren’t generally seen as mailbox holders. A favorite are old-time cream cans.