The Dell Rapids school year gets underway on Monday, August 20th, and motorists are being reminded of the 15 mph speed limit in school zones. Big Sioux Media spoke with a representative from the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Department and he would like to remind motorists to use extra caution in school zones and to leave for your destination a little earlier than normal allowing for the slowdown and the number of cars and congestion around the schools. School age children get extra excited about the start of a school year, and often times are not paying attention while crossing streets or exiting cars to get onto the school grounds. School zones are typically patrolled more heavily for a few weeks for safety purposes.
7th Street Project Put on Hold
Does government work for the people? Are your voices truly listened to and action taken based on those concerns? Whether it is small or large government the answers can be ‘yes’ and ‘no’, but in Dell Rapids concerns of citizens regarding the 7th Street Project were heard and reported on Big Sioux Media July 31st. Local city government sent notices to those homeowners that the 7th Street Project would impact and they were encouraged to come to city hall for an informational meeting. In the informal setting the voices of the majority of homeowners rang loud and clear….they were opposed to the costs (and potential costs) to the individual property owners. The three council members and the city administrator informed those they would indeed bring those concerns raised about the project to the full commission before taking any official action. So, at the next official meeting, the Dell Rapids City Council determined “no work will begin now” and further discussion will continue. Does government work for the people and your voices truly listened to? In this case, the answer is a resounding yes.
Dell Rapids Board of Education Meeting 8-13-12
The Dell Rapids Board of Education will hold their regular meeting on Monday, August 13th at 7:00 p.m. It will be a routine agenda starting with approval of minutes from previous meetings, unfinished business of consideration of a middle school aid position and removing tabled resignations, approval of reports, review of the district policies and regulations, and the administrative report. The copmlete agenda can be downloaded by clicking here.
City Council Meeting 8-6-12
The Dell Rapids City Council will meet in regular session tonight at 7:30 p.m. On the agenda for tonight will be two variance requests to be heard, 15th Street 2nd Phase discussion, as well as a number of new business items and and administration report. The complete agenda can be downloaded by clicking this link.
Storms Leave Path of Damage North and West of Dell Rapids
Severe storms passed through much of the eastern half of the state yesterday, August 3rd, but most of the damage left by the storms was north and west of the Dell Rapids area. Dell Rapids was in a Severe Thunderstorm Warning from about 8:45 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., but no damage has been reported in the area. Just to the west in Colton, storm spotters reported wind gusts of 65 mph and tree/large branches down in the area. The Madison area had reports of wind gusts of near 80 mph. Further to the north and west, the Castlewood area had storm damage of uprooted tress and power lines down. Castlewood residents did have power restored around midnight. In the northeast part of the state where the storms started, Redfield, Northville, Mellette, Conde, and Doland areas all had reports of 70-80 mph winds and wind damage. There was a reported tornado in the Conde area by a storm spotter. Most of the major hail damage was reported in a path from Mobridge to Bowdle area. The storms left the Dell Rapids area with just a little over a half-inch of rain. 
Bike MS Starts and Ends in Dell Rapids
The 2012 Bike MS Sanford Health Pedal the Plains will start in Dell Rapids on August 4th at the Dell Rapids Public High School, and will end on August 5th also at the Dell Rapids Public High School. This event is put on to raise funds for research, as well as programs and services for people affected by the MS disease. This year’s goal is to raise $175,000. Riders can choose between 30-, 70-, or 100-mile routes from Dell Rapids to Sioux Falls and back. Registration for this event is just $30. For more information about this event, or to register or donate, go to http://bikemnm.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_MNM_PP_homepage.
Karen Hall – Book Signing in Dell Rapids
The Dell Rapids Public Library is hosting an AUTHOR SIGNING with Karen Hall on August 9, 2012 from 4 – 6 pm at Jabberwock/Pretty Please.
Karen Hall, a South Dakota author, will never forget her underground tour of the Homestake Mine. “I went into the Homestake Mine in 1980, and I still dream about it. Well, it’s more accurate to say I still have nightmares. What an experience!” Now she’s published a thriller featuring the mine. “It’s haunted me for years. So, I finally decided, why not set the sequel to my first book there? That mine’s a perfect place for a murder. Or for several.”
THROUGH DARK SPACES (Karen Hall Books, May 2012) features a strong female protagonist, Hannah Morrison, a young environmental engineer who uncovers evidence that groundwater in theBlack Hillsis being poisoned. Set in the hard rock gold mining industry of Lead/Deadwood, this book underscores the problems facing people where water is scarce and industry needs a lot of it. “We’re lucky to have clean water here in the Hills,” Hall says. “Future generations will have a much tougher time if we don’t protect our water now.”
The communities of Lead and Deadwood are also important in the book. Hall, who lived there for a short time thirty years ago, says they remind her of a “big old loving—but nosey—family.” Readers familiar with the area will recognize many of the settings, from the Saloon Number 10 to the Midnight Star Casino to the Ross and Yates Shafts of the Homestake Mine, for the book renamed theCheyenneand the Harney.
THROUGH DARK SPACES follows Hall’s 2006 release, UNREASONABLE RISK, a thriller about sabotage in an oil refinery, which also drew on her engineering background. Hall was in the minority, both as a woman and as a non-traditional older student, when she graduated from the SD School of Mines in chemical engineering and chemistry in 1991. Then she took a job in the oil industry, which employs mostly men. Now she’s writing thrillers – again a field dominated by men.
“I wrote these books in part because I want women to read about – and ultimately see – women in careers that have traditionally been occupied by men. It’s another way to plant the ‘you can do anything’ seed in young women’s minds,” Hall said.
Hall and her husband Jeff Nelsen, a member of the Rapid City Area Schools Board of Education, have lived inRapid Citysince 2002. Hall is currently working on a standalone novel, but will soon begin work on the sequel to THROUGH DARK SPACES. It’s a thriller set in the Bakken oil fields of western North Dakota, which she calls “the new crazy-wild west.” She is currently president of the Black Hills Writers Group and a member of the Pennington County Planning Commission. She was also an active member of the committee that wrote the county’s septic system inspection ordinance.
Through Dark Spaces has been released in trade paper and is also available in Kindle e-book format. For more information, contact the author at karen@karenehall.com or visit her website at http://www.karenehall.com.
Trade paperback orders for Through Dark Spaces can be placed through the publisher at https://www.createspace.com/3787163 ($14) or through amazon.com at http://tinyurl.com/6sm8eyv (trade paperback, $14) and http://tinyurl.com/78dqns3 (e-book, $3). Wholesale purchases may be made through Ingram and Baker & Taylor.
**Press Release**
Relay for Life Follow-up
What a wonderful weather evening for the Dell Rapids Relay for Life on Friday, July 27!
The Planning Committee tells us that 50-60 cancer survivors walked in the Survivor Walk at 6:00pm, with twelve teams registered for the walk. But many who came to eat at the Boy Scout Whopper Feed and hear the wonderful entertainment also took time to stroll and view the nearly 1550 luminaries lining the walkway. The many luminaries were decorated in memory of loved ones, honoring survivors, or encouraging those still fighting. And during the evening, attendees could also partake in a game of Plinko, eat popcorn, cool off with a DQ Dilly Bar, have a slice of Pizza Ranch Pizza, or purchase raffle tickets to take a chance at winning one of the 66 raffle prizes donated by area businesses and individuals. Seventeen local businesses, who donated $250-$500, were listed on the back of the white Relay T-shirts.
With donations totaling over $25,000, the Planning Committee would like to thank the community for their generous support and participation.
Getting Ready for School
Another school year is upon us as the Dell Rapids Public school students (and parents) will begin school registration this week. A complete listing of grade registration times are located on this website under ‘School News’ (just re-click on the News button and then School News).
A couple of other changes occurred over the summer for everyone to be aware of including the new start time for Dell Rapids Public schools. The new time approved by the board in late June will be 8:30 a.m. And, on the subject of the school board, one new member was added this summer. Steve Stofferahn has become a part of the board while Tom Morris is the new President of the Board of Education. Another item decided this summer was there will be two meetings of the school board on a monthly basis (the pay for board members stays the same as each member will receive less per meeting, but equating to the same dollar amount). This school year also welcomes a new Superintendent to our community. Summer Schultz was hired to replace Tom Ludens. Big Sioux Media will be interviewing Schultz in the near future and will have the question/answer session posted here.
Burn ban in Minnehaha County
Effective July 31, 2012 – the Minnehaha County Commissioners enacted a burn ban in the rural areas of the county – prohibiting open burning. Burning in containers is still permissible, however burning material, flames, sparks, and hot ashes must be confined within the burn container. A violation of the open burning ban is a Class II Misdemeanor and may result in a fine of up to $200 and up to 30 days in jail. http://www.minnehahacounty.org/information/press_releases/firepress12.pdf