OUR VIEW: Week in review: the best, worst

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CHEERS to Carl Dean, a doctor at Hennepin County Medical Center in the Twin Cities and a native of Wessington Springs. Dean was running in the annual Twin Cities Marathon when he came across a person who was lying on the sidewalk, in the midst of a medical emergency. Dean and another man on the scene determined the man had no pulse; they then began chest compressions until a medic arrived with a defibrillator. One jolt later, and the man regained consciousness. Dean is a 1997 graduate of Wessington Springs High School. Yes, he saves lives for a living, but saving a man on the street during a road race is notable, commendable and wonderful.

HISSES to the jerks who spray-painted the statue across the street from the Corn Palace. The vandalism took place last week, and left Cornelia with bright red eyes that looked like crimson tears streaking down her face. That’s fitting, since this kind of vandalism is sad and pointless.

HISSES to the news that fewer than 75 percent of South Dakota college freshmen return for a second year, according to a recent report published by The Associated Press. The report notes that the South Dakota Board of Regents is working on the problem, and also that the colleges themselves have instituted changes aimed at student retention. We truly are surprised by these numbers, but when compared to the national average of 79 percent we figure South Dakota isn’t far off the pace of the rest of the country. Still, we hope somebody comes up with good ideas to keep South Dakota kids in school longer.

CHEERS to the Mitchell Gold middle school softball team, which won a state title earlier this month. The Gold team defeated another local team, Mitchell Black, in the title game. Gold went 5-0 during the tournament en route to the championship. Congratulations to Gold for the victory and also to Black for also representing Mitchell in the youth softball postseason.

Tags: opinion, updates, editorials