OUR VIEW: Week in review: The best and worst

• OUR VIEW

OUR VIEW

Talk about it

CHEERS once again to Delmont's end-of-summer festivals, held over the weekend in the Douglas County town. The Kuchen Festival and Old Time Harvest Festival ran Saturday and Sunday, highlighting old tractors, old machinery and fresh kuchen, the state dessert. Of course, there were craft sales, quilt sales and the like, too. Good for Delmont for continuing this neat tradition.

CHEERS to the enrollment surge at Dakota Wesleyan University. The college on Mitchell s south side has a fall enrollment this year of 847, which is 68 more than last year and just three shy of the all-time Wesleyan high, set in 1966. The school credits the enrollment rise to its heightened retention efforts, recruitment of high-caliber freshmen and interest in the school s new building projects. Whatever is behind the increase, we hope it continues.

HISSES to the disease that may be causing numerous deaths to whitetail deer in South Dakota. Game officials last week said epizootic hemorrhagic disease may be to blame for the trouble, which includes some 50 dead deer in Hutchinson County alone.

CHEERS to the Mitchell High School marching band, which performed at halftime of Friday night s football game against Aberdeen. The local band puts in a lot of hard work, and we're always excited to be able to catch at least one of the band s outdoor shows each year. Good job to all involved.

CHEERS to Chamberlain and the South Dakota Hall of Fame for the addition of a veterans park to the hall's grounds. The new park opened over the weekend in conjunction with the induction of new hall members. Chamberlain is a city on the move, as evidenced by the new park and a proposed events/fine arts center we reported on in Saturday s edition. Whether or not the proposed center ever comes to fruition, it's clear Chamberlain has leaders with an eye on the future.

CHEERS to Parkston, another community on the move, for the recent successful fundraiser conducted on behalf of the Avera Bormann Manor nursing home. The community doubled the $500,000 goal, which is a clear sign that people see a viable future for the facility and the town.

HISSES to the continued drought, which worsened in severity recently, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor Map released Thursday. The terribly dry conditions in the southern half of the state point to the need for safetynet measures that are in place thanks to past farm bills, and the need for Congress to get serious about continuing the most vital parts of that safety net in a new farm bill after the current one expires later this month.

Tags: opinion, updates, editorials