The Dell Rapids City Council will meet Monday night at 7:30pm. Permits and discussion pertaining to Cootie Days, Tour de Kota, Burn Out and Mud Races, Church service in the park, and Crazy Days are on the agenda. Also on the agenda will be a re-plat request and a resolution to adopt the PDM plan. Big Sioux Media News will have a report following Monday night’s meeting.
Nohava Elected as SDFDA Secretary/Treasurer
Douglas Nohava, of Minnehaha Funeral Home in Baltic, Colton, Dell Rapids, and Garretson, SD, was elected as Secretary/Treasurer of the South Dakota Funeral Directors Association (SDFDA) at their annual state convention held on May 9-11 at the Ramkota Hotel & Watertown Event Center in Watertown, SD. This year’s convention marked the state association’s 113th anniversary.
Nohava, a funeral director for seven years, will serve on the Executive Board of the SDFDA for the 2012-2013 association year. He graduated from the University of Minnesota’s Program of Mortuary Science in 2004. He has been employed with Minnehaha Funeral Home since 2005 and is licensed in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. Doug is also a Licensed Insurance Producer in South Dakota and Minnesota. He is currently representing United Heritage Life Insurance, a funeral insurance provider. In 2010, Doug received the Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP) designation from the Academy Of Professional Funeral Service Practice. To attain the CFSP designation, Doug completed 180 hours of academic, professional, and public education activities.
Doug is a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Garretson, and the Garretson Commercial Club. He is also a certified firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B) with the Garretson Volunteer Fire Department and the Garretson Community Ambulance.
The South Dakota Funeral Directors Association is a professional association that represents the funeral home establishments and the funeral directors in the state. The Association provides education, legislative representation and public relations statewide.
Special Session of School Board
The Dell Rapids School Board met in special session Tuesday afternoon. Board President Brian Davis says, following the executive session, a determination to address an employee grievance report was made. Building secretaries will now be working an 18 hour weekly schedule per their employment agreements and summer schedules will be worked out with their building principals, predetermined and consistent with all hours worked between 8am and 5pm. Also, when the district secretary is gone for planned absences, other secretaries will fill in on a rotating basis.
Other personnel items addressed included an amendment to Dr John Jewett’s contract to include only Technology Director and not Elementary Principal, plus the Superintendent can advertise for another elementary principal. The board also voted not to renew the contracts for Jeanette Penning and Melvin Penning.
Memorial Day Celebration
Memorial Day, May 28th….a day for many to have outdoor cookouts with family and friends, for others a day off work, and for many others a time to reflect on lost loved ones that fought in our wars and battles of the past and present preserving the freedoms and the rights of all Americans. In Dell Rapids, the George A. Fitzgerald American Legion Post 65 will once again celebrate the day with a parade in downtown Dell Rapids. Big Sioux Media will stream the parade live on our website beginning just before 10am. The parade will originate from City Hall and progress east to the intersection of County Fair Foods, then proceed south to the city park for the Riverside services.
Other activities and times are listed under the ‘News’ tab: community events…..scroll down for the entire listing under Memorial Day Schedule.
National Missing Children’s Day
PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard, Attorney General Marty Jackley and Trevor Jones, Secretary of the Department of Public Safety, are asking South Dakotans to observe National Missing Children’s Day on Friday, May 25, 2012.
“Dedicating this day to missing children and honoring those who work tirelessly to prevent such tragic events emphasizes that child safety is a top priority in South Dakota,” the Governor said.
Gov. Daugaard has issued an Executive Proclamation designated Friday as National Missing Children’s Day.
“Law enforcement statewide continues to participate in programs centered on to the prevention of child abduction,” said Jackley. “We are committed to continuing cooperative efforts with the public to protect South Dakota children.”
In 2003, South Dakota created a statewide Amber Alert Plan that is used to broadcast critical information about child abductions. The public is encouraged to sign up for free wireless Amber Alerts at https://www.wirelessamberalerts.org/index.jsp.
The South Dakota Child Abduction Team (CART) was created in 2006. CART is a multi-jurisdictional team of South Dakota law enforcement professionals with specialized training that can be called to assist during abducted/missing children investigations. The team is ready to respond when needed.
In 2007, South Dakota added the Endangered Missing Advisory (EMA) to its list of programs. The effort is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement and local broadcasters who notify the public about missing and endangered persons. It is designed for those instances when a missing person does not meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert.
The Department of Public Safety and the Attorney General’s Office partnered with the South Dakota Child Identification Program (SD CHIP) in 2011. The program is part of MasoniCHIP, an initiative of the Masons of North American that generates completed packages of various child- identifying items for parents or guardians.
The types of identification collected from children include dental impressions, DNA cheek swabs, digital photos, fingerprints and video- image interviews. All of the identifying materials generated by the program are given to the child’s family to be kept as an identification kit in the event that a child becomes missing. This kit aids law enforcement in the recovery of a missing child. The program is offered to the public at no charge. For additional information about this program visit www.sd-chip.org.
“I can think of few things more heart-breaking that having a child missing,’’ Jones said. “Cooperative efforts to prevent child abduction and to search for missing children should be among our highest priorities as law enforcement agencies.’’
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has dedicated this annual event for missing children since 1983. The organization wants parents to know there are things they can do to keep their children safe, and it urges parents to take a few minutes and review the safety tips which are part of the NCMEC’s Take 25 national safety campaign. The tips can be found at the www.take25.org/page.asp?page=50.
ERC ranked #2 in Top Staffing Agencies
Dell Rapids based ERC, Inc has been ranked the 2nd largest search firm in the Sioux Falls metro area by the Sioux Falls Business Journal. ERC was opened locally in 2002 as a local firm with its main areas of service in agriculture, accounting, banking, HR, sales and manufacturing.
Memorial Day Parade to be Webcast
Just over a week ago, Big Sioux Media streamed the two Dell Rapids high schools’ graduation ceremonies allowing family and friends from afar to enjoy the special moment in the graduates’ lives. One week from today is Memorial Day, a day in which people will recognize and salute veterans from the past and present. Many will gather for cook-outs and have family and friends over to celebrate time together. The day begins for many with a trip to the cemetery to place flowers on a loved one’s grave to show honor and respect. In Dell Rapids, the American Legion Auxiliary will have a Memorial Day Parade beginning at 10:00am in downtown Dells. The parade will begin in the area of city hall and progress eastward on Main Street (turning to the south at County Fair Foods) before winding to Riverside Park for a special recognition ceremony. Big Sioux Media will once again be streaming this special community event live starting with the parade (coverage just before 10am). Refer to this news tab for a complete listing of the Memorial Day schedule and let your friends and family from afar know they, too, can be a part of the Memorial Day activities.
City Council Meeting
When the Dell Rapids City Commission meets on Monday night several items will appear on the agenda for discussion. At 7:35 pm a public hearing will be held regarding the variance request from Dells Auto Sales, followed by updates for Quarry Days, Crazy Days, the Memorial Day Parade, and Light The Night at Veterans Park. There will also be an update on the library opt-out and the summer schedule for the Dells Transit. Follow local news updates here at Big Sioux Media.
Poppy Day is May 28, 2012
Scott Fiegen, Mayor of the City of Dell Rapids, hereby proclaims Monday, May 28, 2012, as Poppy Day and asks that all citizens pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom by wearing the Memorial Poppy on this day.
Scholarships Awarded
At the recent Honor Society Banquet for the Dells Public School, the following SCHOLARSHIPS were presented. Congratulations to all recipients!
Bausch & Lomb Science Award: Jacob Morris; Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award: Spencer Kerman; George Eastman Young Leaders Award: Cheyenne Schumaker; Xerox Award for Innovation & Information Technology: Andrew Bach; Trent Area Scholarship: Ashley Stanton; American Legion Scholarship: Brett Gruis; Bernice & Henry Speh Scholarship: Laine Mitchell & Brianna Davis; David Jay Schmidt Memorial Scholarship: Ashley Stanton; Dan Daugaard Scholarship: Riley Rinehart; Golden West Scholarship: Riley Rinehart; Dell Rapids Education Scholarship: Brett Gruis, Erica Jurgensen & Ben Dipple; Gloria Beck Scholarship: Jordan Lindberg; PEO Scholarship: Hannah Hammer; Lions Club Scholarship: Jordan Lindberg; Jerry Hofteizer Memorial Scholarship: Riley Rinehart & Brianna Davis; Dells Forward Youth Scholarship: Brett Gruis & Lexy Utech; Jay Geraets “Promise” Scholarship: Channing Barber; Jeremy Baum “Hope” Scholarship: Ashley Stanton; John E. Solem Scholarship: Riley Rinehart & Hunter White; Wyatt Ammon Memorial Scholarship: Brianna Davis; Educator of the Year: Darwin Daugaard; Friend of Education: LuAnn Heidebrink.