Ross Dolan

Rose Hill Dam’s future uncertain

WESSINGTON — Replacement of the Rose Hill Dam in southeast Hand County will depend on the available state and federal dollars, according to state Game, Fish & Parks officials.
On July 29, torrential rains dropped about 9 inches of water onto the Rose Hill Lakeside Use Area, causing water to wash over the top of Rose Hill Dam. The excessive rainfall eroded and eventually breached the earthen dam, located southwest of Wessington and northwest of Wessington Springs.

The Daily Republic, 09/02/2010

Gripe over fees on too-heavy vehicles presented

Local businessman Norm Schoenfelder, owner of Schoenfelder Construction, complained Tuesday to the Davison County commissioners at the courthouse that the price charged for county overweight permits is excessive when compared with rates charged by the state and neighboring counties.
Schoenfelder said Aurora County charges $20 annually for overweight and over-width permits; Hanson County, $50; and the state of South Dakota charges $25 per permit for each trip, plus 22 cents a mile.

The Daily Republic, 09/01/2010

Treasurer candidate wants to ‘shake the system up’

Tom Katus isn’t running for state treasurer to get a job, he said. Instead, he’s running to “clean up Pierre, to go in and shake the system up.”
Katus made the comments during a visit with The Daily Republic last week during a campaign trip to Mitchell.
Katus, 70, of Rapid City, and current South Dakota Auditor Rich Sattgast are vying for the job currently held by term-limited Vern Larson. Republican Sattgast, who has held the state auditor’s position for eight years, is “not a change agent” Katus said, and is only looking for another eight-year job.

The Daily Republic, 08/31/2010

Secretary of state candidates clash over endorsement

Democrat Secretary of State candidate Ben Nesselhuf, of Vermillion, fended off verbal jabs from candidate Jason Gant, R-Sioux Falls, at Saturday’s Corn Palace debates in Mitchell. The pair filled in for the gubernatorial debate, which was deleted from the program when Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard dropped out due to the death of a close friend.

The Daily Republic, 08/28/2010

MTI students will travel to Salt Flats cycle speed trials

The school year begins Monday at Mitchell Technical Institute, but Darin Maltsberger and nine of his students won’t be there.
Instead, they will be at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah, where they will work as volunteers at the BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials, a land speed record event sanctioned by the American Motorcycle Association.
It is the “opportunity of a lifetime,” Maltsberger said.

The Daily Republic, 08/27/2010

Kenny Rogers plays the Palace

It took a 72-year-old to fill the Corn Palace. Kenny Rogers played to a sellout crowd of 3,148 Wednesday night to open the Corn Palace Festival. The crowd was the Palace’s largest since Willie Nelson in 2004 and Big & Rich in 2005. “This was the most full we’ve ever had it for a concert, even though we’ve had some official sellouts. There wasn’t an empty seat to be found anywhere,” said Corn Palace Director Mark Schilling.
Rogers and his eight-piece band gave an older, but appreciative, crowd what they came for and rolled through hits that ranged from his early days as lead singer with The First Edition to the crowd favorite, “The Gambler.”

The Daily Republic, 08/26/2010

Vandalism, sign theft may cause fatal crashes in Davison County

Thieves and vandals are stealing and damaging traffic signs at a record clip, Highway Superintendent Rusty Weinberg told the Davison County commissioners on Tuesday.
“We’ve got our new signs up and people are already stealing our ‘Stop’ and ‘Yield’ signs,” Weinberg said, theorizing that the missing signs are likely ending up “in dorm rooms or lining grain bins.”
Weinberg said missing signs could have potentially lethal consequences for unsuspecting drivers.

The Daily Republic, 08/25/2010

New stadium looks like a winner

The best was saved for last. The Mitchell Board of Education quickly dispatched a light agenda Monday and got on with the real business of the meeting — a long-anticipated tour of the new stadium at Joe Quintal Field. Activities Director Geoff Gross paired with Doug McCune, project superintendent for the Puetz Corporation, to give about a half-hour tour of the spacious facility.

The Daily Republic, 08/24/2010

Opening Day for Longfellow School

When the going gets tough, principals pull out the tools and do it themselves.
Longfellow Elementary School Principal Joe Childs was on his hands and knees Friday, assembling office chairs on the floor of his new school’s conference room.
“A few more volunteers would be nice,” Childs said, smiling, “but we’ll get it done.

The Daily Republic, 08/23/2010

School board to tour new stadium tonight

The Mitchell Board of Education will tour the new stadium at Joe Quintal Field as part of today’s regularly scheduled board meeting.
The new stadium replaced a historic but aging structure at the same site. It will be used for sporting events for the first time this fall.
The meeting coincides with the first day of classes for all Mitchell public schools.
The meeting begins at 5 p.m. in Room 116 at the Mitchell Technical Institute campus, 821 N. Capital St. It’s open to the public.

The Daily Republic, 08/23/2010