Local child care center expands to help address the increasing need for more space and more daycare opportunities.
by Marieke Salomon, GHS Blue Ink
The Blue Dragon Academy has been under construction for the past few months. From the outside, it looks like the academy will almost double in size. This shows the big new gym which hopefully will be done soon. Photo by Marieke Salomon
For a couple of months the Blue Dragon Academy, located in Garretson, has been adding on to their already existing building.
“The new addition is going to be a gym where the kids can play and have a place to power out during cold winter days,” stated Heidi Fink the head of the Blue Dragon Academy.
“The new addition also includes an expansion of the kitchen and the multi-purpose room,” explained Fink.
“We are hoping that the new gym is going to be done by the end of February. A thing that will change though is that we will separate the 1- and 2-year-old room so they have their own rooms,” stated Fink.
The addition costs about $750,000 and will give the kids a great new opportunity to burn energy.
“We decided to add on because of the current need for childcare in our community and because of our growing wait list. If we can get staff hired we hope to be able to increase enrollment. We will also offer summer time only spots for our school age program,” stated Heidi Fink.
The long planned project now becomes reality and will give a lot of kids a great place to play and have fun.
More officers handling calls, but more calls too serious for talk therapy
By John Hult, SD Searchlight
Southeastern is the partner for the mobile crisis team, whose counselors assist law enforcement with certain mental health calls.
Just over a decade ago, police in Sioux Falls began a partnership with Southeastern Behavioral Health that allowed counselors to take over for officers during mental health crisis calls.
The goal of that mobile crisis team (MCT) was to de-escalate situations where a caller had expressed thoughts of suicide or self-harm by working through the crisis at hand, then working out a care plan that would keep the person at home.
To date, the team has diverted more than 5,000 people in the Sioux Falls metropolitan area from a mental health hold after a police-initiated crisis call. Area officials of all stripes frequently praise the MCT’s role in talking 90% of callers out of an involuntary committal.
Commissioner Dean Karsky
Minnehaha County Commissioner Dean Karsky called out the team’s work a few weeks ago as the commission folded the most recent report from Southeastern into the commission’s public record.
“That’s 184 out of 211 people who stayed home,” Karsky said of the group’s work so far in 2022. “And a lot of those people would have been taken to the jail or put in a hospital bed.”
In recent years, however, the number of calls to the MCT has dropped precipitously – nearly 50% between 2017 and 2021. The year-to-date numbers are on track to maintain that reduced rate.
The trendline flies in the face of the narrative surrounding mental health in the COVID-19 era. Depression, anxiety and other mental health problems have increased nationwide and in South Dakota, as people struggled with remote school, remote work and a host of other stressors.
That story even tracks at Southeastern’s brick-and-mortar locations in Sioux Falls.
“We saw 500 more enrollments into the community mental health side of things than we normally would’ve seen over the course of those two years,” said Kim Hansen, a counselor at Southeastern who’s led the MCT since its inception.
What’s happened with the MCT, however, is less about a drop in mental health needs and more about a spike in situations too serious for talk therapy. More people are attempting suicide or threatening to do so while armed.
A wider range of options for crisis calls has also emerged. Officers are more skilled in de-escalation than they were 10 years ago, and the 988 suicide prevention line is handling more situations that may have sparked a 911 call in the past.
Serious calls more common
There were 202 suicides in South Dakota in 2021, a 50% jump from 2012 and the highest number ever recorded for the state. The number of suicides per 100,000 people in the state is the seventh-highest in the nation.
If a call to 988 or 911 comes from a person who’s pushed well past the point of just talking about self-harm, Hansen and her fellow counselors are unlikely to get a call.
“If they have a firearm and a note written, they’ve just been fired from their job … we would recommend that they not use mobile crisis because of the severity of the situation,” Hansen said.
Calls for service in Sioux Falls don’t point to a drop in mental health needs.
At the same time the team’s numbers were dropping, from 2017 to 2021, the total number of mental health calls to the Sioux Falls Police Department (SFPD) jumped 70% – and that’s only for calls that originate with that classification, such as suicide attempts, overdoses and mental health wellness checks. An officer responding to a disorderly conduct call may discover a mental health problem, according to SFPD spokesman Sam Clemens.
“These numbers can give a general idea but there is no way to determine every call that has a mental illness component,” Clemens said.
Sgt. Tarah Walton earned a master’s degree in counseling and practiced as a therapist before her career in law enforcement. She serves as the liaison for the MCT and other community mental health providers in the metro area, and said the launch of the national 988 suicide prevention hotline and the expansion of the 211 Helpline Center’s operations have factored into the drop in MCT calls in less severe situations.
Helpline Center operators handle 988 calls in South Dakota. In the past, around 80% of mental health calls that started with the Helpline Center ended without an operator placing a mental health call to law enforcement.
“Now, with 988, they handle 10% more of the calls than they used to,” Walton said.
More officers handling situations
Improved officer training is also a factor, according to Hansen and Walton.
More than 40% of SFPD officers have completed Walton’s 40-hour crisis intervention team (CIT) training. That training, as well as the decade of focus on de-escalation techniques and a push to see involuntary commitment as a last resort, translates to more officers helping those in crisis without the help of the MCT, Walton said.
“We’ve got officers gaining more confidence on these calls,” Walton said. “We are getting better at it and more comfortable with it in those social situations.”
Every school resource officer is CIT trained, she said, which has helped those officers handle issues in the school system. Walton also opens her twice-yearly trainings to officers from nearby jurisdictions. She’s also traveled to teach in Brookings and led coursework for trainees at the Law Enforcement Academy in Pierre.
Even so, Walton said, the mobile crisis team continues to serve a critical role for the area. Officers from Tea, Harrisburg, Brandon and other nearby communities lean on the MCT, though 173 of the team’s 211 calls through October originated in Sioux Falls.
“Our officers love mobile crisis,” she said. “Any time they can avoid a hold, that’s a win for everybody. The county’s not looking at a bill, they’re not filling a bed, and we’re not taking people away.”
The notion that mental illness ought not be dealt with by jailers has gained significant traction statewide in the decade since Sioux Falls began sending counselors out with officers. Former South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard championed diversions and mental health programs as alternatives to detention in his successful overhauls of the adult criminal justice system in 2013 and the juvenile justice system in 2015. Officers in training in Pierre hear far more about mental illness and deescalation than they did in 2002, when Walton attended the academy.
Telehealth diversions have gained traction in both Sioux Falls and Rapid City, the latter of which maintains a crisis care center that serves between 1,500 and 2,000 people each year. The Rapid City Council voted to devote half a million dollars to a crisis stabilization unit last year, which would offer five-day stays, as opposed to the 24 hours a person can stay at the crisis care center.
Back in Sioux Falls, Commissioner Karsky’s comments lauding the work of the MCT came on the heels of a trip by commissioners to Tucson, Arizona, where they toured triage centers that could serve as models for an intermediate care facility in Sioux Falls.
For Hansen, the 5,000 diversions figure is strong evidence that diversion and de-escalation offer real-world evidence that such discussions pay off.
“The important thing to focus on is that we have touched over 5,000 lives,” she said. “We’ve been able to successfully leave people at home so they can go to work the next day, go to school, and just be with their families.”
After weeks of controversy surrounding the wording of a proposed ballot measure to repeal the state sales tax on food, the organization leading the charge has resubmitted the proposal with clarifying language.
Dakotans for Health, a grassroots policy change organization, submitted proposals in July for an initiated measure and a constitutional amendment that would prevent the state from taxing “anything sold for eating or drinking by humans, except alcoholic beverages, tobacco or prepared food.” If the group collects enough petition signatures, voters would consider the proposals in 2024.
The Legislative Research Council, which provides statutory and legal guidance for proposed ballot initiatives, reviewed the proposed measure and stated that “municipalities could continue to tax anything sold for eating or drinking.”
But Attorney General Mark Vargo released an official ballot explanation on Nov. 9, which states that the measure “prohibits the state, or municipalities, from collecting sales or use tax on anything sold for eating or drinking by humans.”
That definition would keep cities from collecting their own tax on groceries, which is typically 2% on top of the state tax rate of 4.5%.
Sioux Falls City Attorney Stacy Kooistra wrote to Vargo’s office that such a ban would “significantly impact both our general fund and capital fund, which will likely result in the reduction of services and capital investments.”
The rewritten measure announced Monday says municipalities “could continue to tax anything sold for eating or drinking.”
“It doesn’t make any sense to circulate a food tax repeal ballot measure with contradictory state information, so we are resubmitting and are asking the LRC and the Attorney General to expedite their review, explanation, and fiscal note,” said Dakotans for Health co-founder Rick Weiland in a news release.
The process for the LRC and attorney general to review the proposals normally takes several months.
South Dakota is one of three states that fully taxes food without offering credits or rebates for the poor, according to the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Some state legislators have proposed legislation to repeal South Dakota’s food sales tax for years, but those bills have never been adopted.
Gov. Kristi Noem pledged during her reelection campaign this year to repeal the sales tax on food during the 2023 legislative session, before any proposed ballot measures are considered by voters in 2024. Noem may have more to say about that in her annual budget address Dec. 6. Legislators will consider her proposal when they convene in January.
The South Dakota House of Representatives elected its leadership team for the 2023 legislative session over the weekend, a week after their counterparts in the Senate did the same.
SD House Republican leaders for 2023 Session. Front: Assistant Majority Leader Taylor Rehfeldt, R-Sioux Falls, Majority Leader Will Mortensen, R-Ft. Pierre, Speaker Hugh Bartels, R-Watertown, Speaker Pro Tem Mike Stevens, R-Yankton. Middle: Whip Becky Drury, R-Rapid City, Whip Kirk Chaffee, R-Whitewood, Whip Rocky Blare, R-Winner. Back: Whip Gary Cammack, R-Union Center, Whip James D. Wangsness, R-Miller. (courtesy SD Legislative Research Council)
Members of the 94-member GOP supermajority’s more moderate faction came out ahead in both chambers.
Speaker of the House Hugh Bartels, Watertown, was elected to replace outgoing Speaker Spencer Gosch, besting Jess Olson of Rapid City and Jon Hansen of Dell Rapids. Gosch clashed with leaders of the upper chamber during the last legislative session, as well as Gov. Kristi Noem. Hansen led an unsuccessful effort to pass a food tax repeal during the 2022 session – a proposal now supported by Noem.
Mike Stevens of Yankton will serve as speaker pro tempore.
Will Mortenson of Ft. Pierre was elected House majority leader on Saturday. Also elected to GOP leadership positions:
• Taylor Rehfeldt, Sioux Falls, assistant majority leader
• Rocky Blare, Winner, majority whip
• Gary Cammack, Union Center, majority whip
• Kirk Chaffee, Whitewood, majority whip
• Becky Drury, Rapid City, majority whip
• James D. Wangsness, Miller, majority whip
The elections in the House came about a week after the Senate chose its leadership. Sen. Lee Schoenbeck of Watertown will repeat as president pro tempore in the upper house. Casey Crabtree of Madison was elected majority leader, with Mike Diedrich elected as assistant majority leader.
Also serving in Senate leadership:
• Helene Duhamel, Rapid City, majority whip
• Jack Kolbeck, Sioux Falls, majority whip
• Ryan Maher, Isabel, majority whip
• David Wheeler, Huron, majority whip
There are 11 Democrats serving in the House and Senate. Oren Lesmeister of Parade will be House minority leader, with Erin Healy of Sioux Falls serving as assistant minority leader.
On the Senate side, Democrats will be led by Reynold Nesiba of Sioux Falls alongside Assistant Minority Leader Shawn Bordeaux of Mission.
At this juncture in American history, when the citizenry seems to require frequent reminders of the landmark decisions and actions that poured and preserved the foundation of our constitutional democracy, we would do well to recall the transformative importance of Near v. Minnesota (1931), in which the Supreme Court delivered a ruling that built a wall of protection for freedom of the press against governmental censorship.
The virtues of Near v. Minnesota are exhausting to recount. The Court’s decision defined freedom of the press. It trumpeted the indispensable function of the nation’s newspapers in informing the citizenry. It infused editors with the courage to report the misdeeds of governmental actors and agencies and defend themselves in the face of intimidation and efforts to bring the watchdog to heel. Just as importantly, if not more so, Near was the first decision to firmly adopt the Incorporation doctrine, making the First Amendment Free Press Clause applicable to states through the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Near v. Minnesota arose from a state law—the Minnesota Gag Law—enacted in 1925, that aimed to shutter scandalous publications that attacked legislators and other office holders. The law permitted a judge to halt the publication of a newspaper upon a finding that the paper was “obscene, lewd and lascivious,” or “malicious, scandalous and defamatory.” The statute was widely praised as a useful remedy for the evils of such publications.
Jay Near, publisher of "The Saturday Press," an aggressive weekly newspaper, was an unsavory character. He was a flaming bigot: anti-Semitic, anti-black, anti-labor and anti-Catholic. His newspaper, with some evidence, had accused Minneapolis officials, including the mayor and the police chief, of engaging in widespread corruption, racketeering, neglect of duty and graft. These stories, among others, made the newspaper the first target of the gag law. After publishing just nine issues, the newspaper was shut down by court order.
Near appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which took a dim view of his brand of journalism. “Our constitution,” the court declared, “was never intended to protect malice, scandal and defamation when untrue or published with bad motives or without justifiable ends. It is a shield for the honest, careful and conscientious press.”
The American Civil Liberties Union and the conservative publisher of the Chicago Tribune, Col. Robert R. McCormick, perceived in the law a grave threat to freedom of the press and the First Amendment’s prohibition on prior restraint. The ACLU offered to fund the appeal, but McCormick quickly assembled his legal staff and took the lead in taking the case to the Supreme Court, asserting the right of the journalistic world to inform the citizenry. McCormick rightly understood that leaving to judges the right to determine who was a nice publisher, and who was not, would spell the end of freedom of the press.
Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, writing for a 5-4 majority, held the law unconstitutional in a ruling that firmly established freedom of the press against governmental censorship. The law violated the First Amendment, as applied to the states by the 14th Amendment. Hughes wrote, “This statute raises questions of grave importance, transcending the local interests involved in the particular action.” In a historic sentence, Hughes added, “It is no longer open to doubt that the liberty of the press is within the liberty safeguarded by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment from invasion by state action.”
The Hughes Court well understood the consequences for the nation if prior restraint could be easily implemented, and because of the decision it became very difficult to persuade a judge to issue a prior restraint on the press. “The impairment of the fundamental security of life and property by criminal alliances and official neglect,” Hughes observed, “emphasizes the primary need of a vigilant and courageous press, especially in great cities.” Col. McCormick was so moved by those words that he decided to inscribe them in the lobby of his new building in Chicago, The Tribune Tower.
Prior restraint and censorship strike at the very core of the First Amendment, Hughes explained. Prior restraint is the exception, but the prohibition on censorship is not absolute. It could not be, of course, for no right, including press liberty, is without limits. The Chief Justice listed as exceptions wartime obstruction of recruitment, publication of military secrets, obscenity, incitements to riot or forcible overthrow of the government, and words that “may have all the effect of force.”
The Court’s concern to protect criticisms of public officials was not shared by the dissenters, the so-called “Four Horsemen,” led by the Minnesota native Justice Pierce Butler. But five years later, in a case—Grosjean v. American Press Co. (1936)—that involved a Louisiana tax on newspapers, designed to punish critics of Gov. Huey Long, the conservative Horsemen embraced Chief Justice Hughes’ reasoning in defense of freedom of the press, as set forth in Near v. Minnesota. In Grosjean, Justice George Sutherland wrote for the Court: The people are entitled to “full information in respect of the doings or misdoings of their government; informed public opinion is the most potent of all restraints upon misgovernment.”
-David Adler is president of The Alturas Institute, a non-profit organization created to promote the Constitution, gender equality and civic education. This column is made possible with the support of the South Dakota Humanities Council, South Dakota Newspaper Association and this newspaper.
South Dakota retailers hope to take advantage of a national trend toward increasing in-store shopping this holiday season by enhancing customer experience and blending online offerings into their business model.
DeAnn Echols, owner of the Great Outdoor Store in downtown Sioux Falls, prepares for the holiday season by sorting merchandise on Nov. 18. DeAnn and her husband, James, have focused more on in-person customer experience than online sales. Photo: Stu Whitney, South Dakota News Watch
An annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insight & Analytics found that of an estimated 115 million Americans who planned to shop this year on Black Friday (the day-after-Thanksgiving retail extravaganza), 67% expected to shop in person, up from 64% in 2021.
That modest increase could be partly attributed to fewer COVID-19 infection concerns and, according to South Dakota shoppers interviewed by News Watch, a growing desire to reconnect with family and friends through shared enjoyment of in-person shopping at a time when retailers across the state are taking steps to improve the overall in-store experience.
The in-person uptick goes against the conventional wisdom that brick-and-mortar shopping faced a dire outlook in recent years due to the rise of digital retail giants such as Amazon and the shift in emphasis among many retailers toward online sales.
“When I took this job four years ago, the narrative was the death of retail, online is going to take over,” said Nathan Sanderson, executive director of the South Dakota Retailers Association. “But what we’ve seen for decades, even centuries, is that retail is in a constant state of evolution. What I think you’re seeing right now is a real hybrid between online shopping and in-person shopping. Online is going to continue to be with us, but that doesn’t mean it’s happening to the exclusion of what’s going on in stores.”
Retail stores had reason to be concerned as the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with rising interest in online shopping among Americans over the past few years.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Retail Trade Survey, e-commerce sales increased nationally by $244.2 billion or 43% in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, rising from $571.2 billion in 2019 to $815.4 billion in 2020.
Helping to level the playing field for in-person retailers was South Dakota v. Wayfair, a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that nixed the requirement that a seller have a physical presence in a state to be forced to collect and remit sales taxes to that state. Requiring e-commerce sites to pay the same tax rate as in-store retailers reduced some of their competitive pricing advantage, Sanderson said.
“I don’t think the impact (of the court ruling) can be overstated,” he said. “If you don’t have to pay sales tax, that’s a 4.5% difference between the price of a product online as opposed to a (physical) store, and that’s significant.”
A national inflation rate of 7.75% in November has helped boost sales tax revenue, but retailers are keeping an eye on the percentage increase between overall sales tax and remote sales tax reported by online sellers.
According to the South Dakota Board of Revenue, revenue from sales, use and excise taxes increased by 13.8% from 2020 to 2021, while remote sales tax revenues rose 22.6% during that period.
Seeking balance rather than outright competition between those revenue streams is part of what Sanderson calls the “hybridization” of online and brick and mortar shopping.
The combination of buying online and in-person is the latest example of retail trends changing, he said, “from open-air markets to general stores to department stores to shopping malls, and now online retail and the resurgence of Main Street. There’s always this evolutionary process, and we’re continuing to see that.”
Improving the in-store experience
On the afternoon of Nov. 18, there was a palpable pre-holiday buzz at the Great Outdoor Store in downtown Sioux Falls. Owner DeAnn Echols moved swiftly among recently strung Christmas lights, chatting up customers and sorting merchandise while trying to focus on a winter outdoor sports kickoff sale that night at the Washington Pavilion.
The specialty outdoor store does online sales, but its website is mainly for regional customers who can’t make the trip to Sioux Falls. Since moving into the former Rock Island Depot building in 2009, DeAnn and her husband, James, have focused on in-store service to those seeking brands such as Patagonia or North Face as well as camping and rock-climbing necessities.
“Being able to try things on, touch and feel them, see the exact color, watch what another person is interested in to get ideas for gift-giving, you can’t do any of those things online,” DeAnn Echols said. “Many of the products we sell are somewhat technical or specific to a certain sport or activity, so it’s great to be able to talk to someone who has used that product or has experience or training within that activity. It’s about the personal touch.”
Kym Hop of Rapid City took a pizza break during a recent shopping trip to the Uptown Rapid mall in Rapid City. Hop, who likes to support local stores, said she is excited to return to in-person shopping and browsing now that the COVID-19 pandemic has eased. Photo: Bart Pfankuch, South Dakota News Watch.
The Great Outdoor Store was temporarily closed to in-person business for about six weeks in March and April of 2020 after COVID-19 hit, but they still allowed people to purchase and pick up orders by appointment. The momentum of the business – providing apparel and equipment for outdoor activities – wasn’t affected as much as others during the pandemic because people were tired of isolation and looking for ways to explore the outdoors.
For most retailers, though, maintaining social distance during COVID-19 led to ramping up online avenues for customers, whether that meant curbside pickup at big-box stores or expanded remote options and contactless payment at grocery stores. Businesses learned to use social media more efficiently to be part of the community conversation and provide updates to customers.
Much of that progress translated to post-pandemic behavior, with businesses maintaining an online presence by necessity. But attention turned to the in-person experience when people started leaving their homes and returning to boutiques and booksellers, seeking the sort of shopping excursion that a computer, for all its convenience, cannot provide.
Uptown Rapid, formerly the Rushmore Mall in Rapid City, features Bar K-9, an indoor dog play center and beer and wine bar as part of a renovation under shopping center investment firm RockStep Capital, which took ownership of the Rapid City mall in 2021. There’s also Happy Hills Painting, which combines “professionally led painting classes with a high-energy environment and a few drinks.”
“People are looking not just for shopping, but for camaraderie and engagement,” said Sandy Brockhouse, general manager of Uptown Rapid, adding that women’s clothing store Böhme offers customized group shopping experiences with a personal assistant. “We get people coming out from the four-state area to do some weekend shopping and have some fun.”
Balancing camaraderie and convenience
Erica Berghammer and her daughter, Elizabeth Kvanvig, appreciate the convenience and value of online shopping but also enjoy the togetherness of in-person shopping, including at Uptown Rapid in Rapid City. Photo: Bart Pfankuch, South Dakota News Watch
On Nov. 20, Erica Berghammer and her 15-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Kvanvig, carried bags from Bath & Body Works and the upscale clothing store Francesca’s after completing a shopping trip to Uptown Rapid.
They were in good spirits after spending a Sunday afternoon on a mother-daughter shopping trip. The communal aspect of in-person shopping is a big reason they sometimes eschew online buying, Berghammer said. They feel freer to be out and about these days now that the pandemic has waned, she said.
“We like to shop because we also like to go to lunch and get coffee,” said Berghammer, 42. “It’s something to do together.”
But Berghammer said she utilizes the convenience of online shopping frequently and uses coupons, pricing deals and free shipping to save money. She’s able to buy home goods online and accrue Kohls’ Cash coupons that provide discounts and sometimes free merchandise which she can have delivered or pick up at the Rapid City store.
As a girl about to turn 16, Kvanvig said the convenience and ease of shopping online are also incentives for her to shop by phone.
“You can do it from your bed at home,” she said with a smile. “You don’t have to get up and get ready to go out.”
Kym Hop of Rapid City said she tries her best to shop in person at local stores to support businesses run by people who she considers her neighbors.
“I’m willing to pay a little bit more for things on the local level,” said Hop, 57. “I grew up in Kansas in a small town, so my thinking is always to give back to locals and because we want to keep our city amazing for our business people that are trying to manage within the world of Amazon.”
Like many people, Hop also shops online for convenience and to get better deals, especially on products that might be less accessible in the local community. For example, Hop said her husband recently saved money by buying her a Fitbit health monitor from Amazon.
More often, though, especially now that the COVID-19 pandemic has eased, Hop tries to support Rapid City retailers by shopping in person at local stores. The social, familial aspects of taking a shopping trip are also big reasons Hop likes to shop in person, she said.
“We’re really back to normal in how we’re getting out and getting together,” said Hop, who is married with two adult children who will visit during the holidays. “My husband likes to come along because we have a goofy, funny family, and I love to see people while we’re out, to run into people I don’t usually see.”
— This article was produced by South Dakota News Watch, a non-profit journalism organization located online at SDNewsWatch.org.
SIOUX FALLS – On Tuesday, Nov. 22, the Minnehaha County Commission heard the recommendation from Bob Thimjon, on behalf of the Juvenile Detention Center Task Force, to go ahead with that project and to follow the option of building a new facility.
Ryan Sitting (right) of Dell Rapids and Kurtis Nelson of Garretson presented information on their towns’ ambulance systems at the Nov. 22 Minnehaha County Commission meeting. Tim Even of Humboldt, not pictured, was also present to talk about challenges in that community. While all three talked about positive aspects to their programs, each said they would like to have more staff/volunteers for their services. (Photo by Dave Baumeister)
Thimjon echoed what has been reported before about deficiencies in security and court facilities at the current JDC.
The task force also suggested the new name of the project be the Juvenile Justice Center, replacing the negative connotation of the word “detention.”
It had been said that the present 53-year-old facility which houses Minnehaha County juvenile offenders, as well as juveniles from 14 other counties, needed to be remodeled or replaced completely.
However, due to the disruptive nature of a remodel, Thimjon and the task force were recommending replacing the building.
On Oct. 18, it was reported that just about $1.5 million would be the difference between remodeling and building new on the proposed project that would cost right around $50 million.
The commission took no action at this time, but there was discussion as to how this proposal could be funded.
There commission will next be in session at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, in the third-floor meeting room of the Minnehaha County Administration Building.
Next week Saturday, December 10, Garretson will celebrate its annual Hometown Christmas event. During this time, the Garretson Commercial Club members show their appreciation for the town's customers and clients, as well as enticing everyone to shop small businesses for the upcoming holiday.
Maddie Shepherd on Fundera by Nerdwallet pointed out that, "Small businesses generate $68 of local economic return for every $100 spent with them, over $9.3 billion would be directly returned to our economy if every US family spent just $10 a month at a local business, and small businesses donate 250% more than large businesses to community causes."
The Treasure Chest and Nordstrom's Automotive have gotten together this year to benefit the Garretson Food Pantry. $1 will get you one guess for how much this bag of money weighs, and the person who guesses the closest will win the bag, which may contain paper bills and collectible coins. The game will be held at The Treasure Chest until December 10 at 5:00 p.m.
Garretson as a community has always been proud of its local businesses, and has had a strong showing over its history. While everyone reminisces about the businesses that have come and gone, the community still boasts of a locally-owned grocery store, two convenience store/gas stations, four restaurants, a chiropractor, a bank, and a local post office, just to name a few.
"We could boast all day long about our town's businesses," said Garretson Commercial Club president Garrick Moritz. "But honestly, they wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the support our local community gives them."
He continued, pointing out that his business, the Garretson Gazette, has the most community participation of any newspaper he has ever worked at, including his hometown newspaper, where he worked with his father for nearly twenty years.
"I know other business owners in Garretson would say the same," Moritz said.
To celebrate the participation, the Garretson Commercial Club puts on the annual Hometown Christmas event with a Parade of Lights on Main Street at 6:30 p.m., Community Appreciation Meal from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at the Legion, and Kids Crafts from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the Legion.
Local businesses get in on the fun, too. The Garretson Food Center runs a "Shop Garretson First" drawing until December 10, which sees local shoppers win weekly cash prizes for spending money with Commercial Club member businesses.
The Treasure Chest and Nordstrom's Automotive have gotten together this year to raise funds for the Garretson Food Pantry. Visitors to The Treasure Chest will get a chance until 5:00 p.m. on December 10 to guess the weight on a bag of money donated by Art and Shannon Nordstrom.
"The money came from damaged vehicles that were brought to the Nordstrom's lot and dismantled," said Treasure Chest proprietor Connie Johnson. The "found cash" will be given to the person who guesses the right weight.
"Art did say 'no pre-lifting' though," said Johnson, "and that it might contain collectible coins and paper money."
All guesses will be $1 each, with the proceeds going directly to the Garretson Food Pantry. The Treasure Chest is open Thursdays 12-5, Fridays 10-5, and Saturdays 10-4. On December 10, they will be open 10-5 with other sales as well. All profits from this mission store directly benefit local needs and South Dakota tribal populations.
Palisades Chiropractic will run "Treatment for Toys" on December 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Anyone who brings a new, un-used toy worth $15 or more will receive a free adjustment. This popular event fills up quickly, so Dr. Nick Schotzko recommends bringing the toy by sooner rather than later that day.
Other fun events include a Nativity Collection and Christmas Tree Display tour at the home of Kris Rogen. Rogen has been collecting nativity sets for several years, and has well over 700 sets from all over the world on display in her house. The tour will be open between 1:00-4:30 p.m. on December 10 at 48194 252nd Street, which is at the corner of 252nd and Eros Road.
The Garretson Fire Department and the Kringen family will be offering snowy rides from the firehouse from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Kids ages 0-97 enjoy riding the old-fashioned fire truck and horse-drawn wagon around town.
Kids will also enjoy hot cider and the train room at the Garretson Museum, which will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., and making kids crafts at the American Legion dugout from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
The Commercial Club will also be hosting its Community Appreciation Meal, a Vendor Fair, and a Silent Auction at the Legion dugout. All three events begin at 9:00 a.m. At 1:00 p.m., the winners of the E-bike Raffle, the final weekly "Shop First" drawing, and the Silent Auction will all be announced.
"The Silent Auction is a new event this year," said co-organizer Luke Dreckman. "We've got around 25 auction items valuing about $2,500. I believe we have a variety of items that will appeal to a variety of ages – including children."
He pointed out a few of the submissions, such as the steak & shrimp dinner package donated by The Combine.
"It'll be six steak and shrimp dinners with a $150 bar tab, which is a $250 value," he said. Other submissions include a $360-value membership package from The Exercise Place and a Couples Getaway package that will include a one-night stay at The Hotel on Phillips, dinner at Crave, tour of Woodgrain Brewery, and ax-throwing. Proceeds from the auction will go towards downtown improvements.
The Vendor Fair is also a popular stop, with ten vendors selling items like Tastefully Simple, Thirty-One, Mary Kay, and Pampered Chef, and unique craft items such as quilts, grocery bag holders, fudge, and Christmas decor.
Everything will be capped off with the 4th annual Parade of Lights, which is held on Main Street at 6:30 p.m. The event has been popular each year with both attendees and participants. Anyone is welcome to join the parade, with the only requirement being a decorated vehicle or float of some kind.
Anyone who prefers to pre-register can do so at https://visitgarretsonsd.com/hometown-christmas, otherwise entrants can just show up around 6:00 p.m., according to organizer John Brinkman.
Plan to enjoy the events and shopping opportunities offered in Garretson on December 10, and continue to shop local for this holiday season.
The Garretson Commercial Club thanks you for your support!
Article continues below
Enjoy this free article! The Gazette is proud to present the local news of Garretson, South Dakota, giving its subscribers news of interest, school coverage, and local/statewide government coverage. Your support of the Gazette and its advertisers ensures this coverage will continue into the future. Consider getting your subscription today! E-edition subscribers get access to their issues sooner than anyone else, both on this site and in your email inbox.
Hometown Christmas is coming to town on December 10, and we give you a preview of all the holiday activities that are being hosted in Garretson that day and before. The Minnehaha County Commission heard a recommendation from a task force to move forward on building a new juvenile justice center, and the 6th grade volleyball team wrapped up a perfect season while the GMS/GHS Wrestling team is looking forward to its upcoming season, plus more!
PSA: New e-mail service implemented
The Garretson Gazette recently implemented a new email listserve, which means our weekly news updates will now be coming from this email address: info=. If you were receiving our emails and now are not, please ensure you enter the email address above into your "safe emails" list (especially if you are an Alliancecom.net email subscriber) and re-subscribe to our listserve using the form below. Thanks!
Sample Issue
On-Line Subscribers and Mail Subscribers Access More Features!
The front page is always free! Subscriptions ensure the future of this newspaper, and start at $1 per week or $40 per year. On-line subscribers get access to a Subscribers' Area, and are able to view extra photos, articles, and an issue of this week's paper in both a Flipbook and PDF format. Mail-only subscribers receive access to full front page articles and extra photos, as well as full archives.
Hometown Christmas is coming to town on December 10, and we give you a preview of all the holiday activities that are being hosted in Garretson that day and before. The Minnehaha County Commission heard a recommendation from a task force to move forward on building a new juvenile justice center, and the 6th grade volleyball team wrapped up a perfect season while the GMS/GHS Wrestling team is looking forward to its upcoming season, plus more!
PSA: New e-mail service implemented
The Garretson Gazette recently implemented a new email listserve, which means our weekly news updates will now be coming from this email address: info=. If you were receiving our emails and now are not, please ensure you enter the email address above into your "safe emails" list (especially if you are an Alliancecom.net email subscriber) and re-subscribe to our listserve using the form below. Thanks!
