Two big things happened last week after the Gazette went to print: the Garretson Commercial Club canceled Jesse James Days due to rising local COVID numbers, and the Garretson School Board approved the Restart plan, which will require masks for all students during the 2020-21 school year. We also start wrapping up the baseball season, profile a group of volunteers that has traveled around the United States, and much more!
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Raymond T. Dorn, age 93, of Luverne, Minnesota, died peacefully on Friday, July 31, 2020 at the Sanford Luverne Hospital. Visitation will be Monday, August 3, from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne. Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, August 4, at 10:30 a.m. at the church. Burial will follow at St. Catherine Cemetery in Luverne. To sign an online register, please visit www.hartquistfuneral.com.
Raymond Theodore Dorn was born on August 13, 1926 to Joseph and Catherine (Kellen) Dorn in Adrian, Minnesota. He attended school in Adrian through the eighth grade. On January 27, 1948, Ray was united in marriage to Vivian Bruns at St. Kilian Catholic Church. The couple moved to a farm near Adrian and began farming. As in those days, they farmed with horses to do the fieldwork. In 1952, the couple moved to a farm near Luverne, Minnesota. Here they made their home as they were blessed with six children. Ray was a devoted husband, father, grandpa and farmer. He simply enjoyed being a steward to the land. In addition to the work, Ray learned many valuable lessons to apply to life. In addition to family, he and Vivian loved to travel and especially enjoyed dancing at the Luverne VFW with neighbors and friends. After 52 years, Ray formally retired from his vocation in 2001. He then helped one of his neighbors farm for a few years. In 1995, Vivian fell ill and for the next years, Ray took great care of her until she preceded him in death on March 20, 2002. Ray continued to reside in Luverne and then started mowing for Christiansen Farms for several years. Around this time, he began his mornings trying to solve the world’s problems with his peers while having a cup of coffee at Glen’s Grocery. Often times it just led to reminiscing about the better days from the past. On Friday, July 31, 2020, following a recent fall and additional other health ailments, Ray died peacefully at the Sanford Luverne Hospital at the age of 93 years, 11 months and 18 days.
Ray was a member of St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne, where he had served as a Eucharistic minister and usher. During his life, he was active in the 4-H program and enjoyed helping his children get ready for the Rock County Fair. He also enjoyed fishing with his family, hunting deer and pheasants, card club, in his later years making trips to the casino. Ray loved to visit and joke around as he was very much a people person. He was always was willing to help out anyone and will be remembered for his infectious spirit.
Ray is survived by his five children, Colette (Gary) Peterson of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Carol (Tom) Foster of Luverne, Colleen Hemme of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, Kristy Monger of Nashville, Tennessee, and Mark (Jodie) Dorn of Luverne; 13 grandchildren, Tera, Amy, Matthew, Beth, Jonathan, Todd, Stephanie, Chad, Nicole, Abby, Amanda, Nathan, and Marissa; 28 great-grandchildren; and other family. He was preceded in death by his wife, Vivian; daughter, Mary Ann; parents, Joseph and Catherine; sisters, Ann Herrig, Martha (Sister David), Margaret (Sister Adrienne), and Helen Loosbrock; and brothers, Lawrence, Pete, Ed, and Wilfred “Red” Dorn.
On Thursday, July 30, the Garretson School Board held a special meeting to go over and approve the Garretson School Restart plan. The main goal of the plan is to have school face to face as much as possible. However, several virus mitigation measures will need to be in place, and while they may not be easy for staff and students to integrate, they will be necessary in order to keep the school open.
There are three phases in the plan, and the Garretson School District will start on Phase One. This means that moderate risk of spread is possible. Phase Two means there has been at least one active case in school. Phase Three means there are several active cases. Restrictions will be increased for each Phase, with Phase 3 requiring all distance learning.
Superintendent Guy Johnson presented the plan, which he prefaced by noting that this was a first draft and likely to change.
He had spent two hours on a superintendent’s conference call with the Department of Health earlier that afternoon, and noted that he would be working closely with the DoH in order to ensure that the school can stay open. According to his understanding, the one thing that would ensure the school will stay open is to require masks at all times when 6 feet or more of distance is unable to happen. With that in mind, the school will be requiring masks for certain in the following situations: on buses, in hallways, in the vocal room, and in smaller classrooms where 6 ft of distance between students is impossible. Larger classrooms and spaces where students can maintain social distancing may be able to relax mask use in Phase One. Students who refuse to mask without a special exemption from the school will be required to choose distance learning. Exemptions to masking will be made on a case by case basis, and may require a doctor or specialist’s note.
There will be a distance option available. Parents have until Friday, August 7th to inform the school they are choosing this option. Parents and students who choose this method will be required to commit for at least the first quarter, and students will be unable to participate in any extracurricular activities sponsored by the school. Distance learners in grades K-2nd will have a paper packet provided, similarly to this past spring. Distance learners in 3rd through 12th grades will be required to attend class by iPad at the same time as their peers, and missing class at those times will be the same as if they did not attend school. Students who are under quarantine restrictions but not ill will also be considered a distance learner while they are out.
All classes will be transmitted virtually to distance learners, and they will be recorded. Those students who are ill and unable to attend school will be sent video links to the class presentations, to be watched at a later time.
Elementary students will see a slightly shorter school day. The end of the day for elementary will now occur at 2:55 p.m., which reduces the bottleneck of students leaving the school at the same time.
All students will be asked to refrain from coming to school prior to 8:00 am, and will not be allowed to congregate either before or after school on school grounds. Fourth and fifth grades, who usually stay in the gym until school begins in the morning, will now proceed straight to their classroom. The younger students will still be able to play at the playground.
All students will see a shorter school day on Wednesdays, as the school bell will ring at 1:30 p.m. This allows teachers extra planning, set up, and sanitation time.
“We understand that this puts some stress on parents,” Supt. Johnson acknowledged. However, giving the teachers extra planning time is necessary, as their loads will inevitably increase this year.
Instruction will look different, and teachers will need to re-set most of their lesson plans.
“It’s going to feel like we took a step back in time,” said Supt. Johnson. Due to the requirements for social distancing and masking, instruction will have to be a bit more isolating. Supt Johnson said that while the teachers are very creative, and will come up with several ideas to keep students engaged, one of the largest pieces of Garretson School instruction will be virtually eliminated- group and cohort learning. Due to this, he felt it was only fair to grant extra planning time to the teachers and staff.
School sports will be following the recommendations and requirements of the South Dakota High School Activities Association, which can be found in the most recent issue of the Gazette.
Parents will be required to pre-screen their children prior to heading to school, and teachers will be asked to monitor students throughout the day. Students who present with a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will be sent home. Students with other COVID-like symptoms will be evaluated individually, especially as allergies and colds are commonplace in the fall. Students will be asked to sanitize their hands regularly, and sanitization stations will be set up at the entrance to each classroom. All students will be encouraged to bring their own water bottle to school, as the use of water fountains will be discouraged.
Lunch will look different, as well. Each table will be limited to four students, with plexiglass barriers. They will be using the old gym as overflow seating.
The plan is likely to change regularly, said Supt. Johnson, but it’s a way to start, and it’s a way to get and keep the students in school. It also keeps the staff safe.
“I can’t run a school without adults,” said Supt. Johnson. He noted that 2/3 of the 50 teachers and staff who had responded to the survey had expressed a concern for their health and safety. He also said that most of their substitute teachers were over age 60, and had pointed out to him that they did not feel comfortable signing up to substitute teach this year. He was hopeful that the more students and staff maintain the mitigation measures, the less likely it is that there will be major issues with spread, and therefore, less likelihood that the school will ultimately be placed in Phase 3.
During the public comments section of the meeting, community member Rebecca Barefoot addressed the School Board, making an impassioned plea for the school to reopen, since local working families need their children to attend school and do not have either the time or financial resources to manage their students’ education. Later in the meeting she had questions about the plan to go back to school, questioning if even the littlest children, kindergarten and first grade students, would be required to wear masks. Supt. Johnson replied simply that if school was to be open with students and teachers in the actual building, then every student would need to wear a mask. No exceptions. If parents did not want to send their students to school with a mask on, he encouraged them to us the distance learning option from the get go.
The school board approved the plan as is with a unanimous vote, giving the superintendent flexibility to change as necessary. The full plan is available on the school website or by clicking here to download the PDF.
Article updated 8-5-2020 to reflect comments from the public comment section of the meeting
The Garretson 18/19U team played the Class B Region 4 tournament July 27-29 in Vermillion. While they won their second game against Elk-Point/Jefferson, the team experienced two disappointing losses against Vermillion and Beresford, ending the season. The state tournament is scheduled for Aug 7-9 in Bryant, SD.
Garretson 18/19U Falls To Post 1 On Walk-Off
Garretson 18/19U fell to Post 1 10-9 on Monday on the final play of the game. The game was tied at nine with Post 1 batting in the bottom of the eighth when Jacob Chaussee's sac fly scored one run for Post 1.
Garretson 18/19U collected ten hits and Post 1 had eight in the high-scoring affair.
Post 1 opened up an early lead in the second inning when.
In the top of the seventh inning, Garretson 18/19U tied things up at nine. Cole Skadsen drove in two when he doubled.
Garretson 18/19U tallied three runs in the seventh inning. The offensive onslaught came from a fielder's choice by Jake Schroeder and a double by Skadsen.
Post 1 scored four runs in the sixth inning. Post 1's big inning was driven by a single by Connor Saunders, by Willis Robertson, and an error on a ball put in play by Gray Peterson.
Peterson earned the win for Post 1. He allowed three hits and one run over two and a third innings, striking out two and walking zero. Sammy Ward and Chaussee entered the game out of the bullpen and helped to close out the game in relief.
Trey Buckneberg took the loss for Garretson 18/19U. He allowed two hits and four runs over two and two-thirds innings, walking one.
Dylan Thelen started the game for Post 1. He allowed five hits and five runs over two and two-thirds innings, striking out three Lucas Fitzgareld started the game for Garretson 18/19U. He went three and a third innings, allowing five runs on six hits and striking out three
Garretson 18/19U totaled ten hits. Schroeder, Dylan Kindt, Ben Konechne, and Buckneberg all collected multiple hits for Garretson 18/19U. Buckneberg, Konechne, Kindt, and Schroeder each collected two hits to lead Garretson 18/19U.
Post 1 racked up eight hits in the game.
Two Garretson 18/19U Pitchers Team Up In Shutout Victory Against EPJ
Garretson 18/19U defeated EPJ 1-0 on Monday as two pitchers combined to throw a shutout.
The pitching was strong on both sides. Garretson 18/19U pitchers struck out nine, while EPJ pitchers sat down 13.
One bright spot for EPJ was a single by A Nearman in the first inning.
Josef Zahn got the win for Garretson 18/19U. He went one and two-thirds innings, allowing zero runs on one hit and striking out three.
N Larson took the loss for EPJ. He allowed one hit and zero runs walking one.
Trey Buckneberg started the game for Garretson 18/19U. He allowed four hits and zero runs over six and a third innings, striking out six and walking one T Goehring started the game for EPJ. He allowed two hits and one run over seven and a third innings, striking out 13 and walking one.
Cole Skadsen, Lucas Fitzgareld, and Zahn each collected one hit to lead Garretson 18/19U. Garretson 18/19U didn't commit a single error in the field. Skadsen had the most chances in the field with 11.
Garretson 18/19U Can't Hold Up Against Beresford Watchdogs Varsity
Tuesday was a long day for Garretson 18/19U, falling to Beresford Watchdogs Varsity 10-0 and ending the 18U season.
One bright spot for Garretson 18/19U was a single by Trey Buckneberg in the fourth inning.
Marcus Vandreil got the win for Beresford Watchdogs Varsity. He went six innings, allowing zero runs on two hits and striking out six.
Brady DeBates took the loss for Garretson 18/19U. He went one and two-thirds innings, allowing five runs on three hits and striking out one.
Buckneberg and Ben Konechne each collected one hit to lead Garretson 18/19U.
Beresford Watchdogs Varsity had 11 hits in the game.
Recaps powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.
Last week Monday through Wednesday, Garretson hosted the 16U Class B Region 2 tournaments at Tandberg Field. The Garretson team performed extremely well on its home turf, taking home the regional championship win after beating Elkton and Claremont.
With five teams in the region, Garretson played Elkton three times in total after Elkton won the consolation bracket and then won the first play-off game. Garretson will now play in the 16U Class B State Tournament on Friday, July 31 at 2:00 p.m. in Canova, SD against Gregory.
SDVFW 16U Elkton Outdone by SDVFW 16U Garretson, 5-2
SDVFW 16U Garretson opened up scoring in the first inning. Nate Skillman singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run.
SDVFW 16U Garretson took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth inning. In the fourth Sam Schleuter singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run and Carson Clark singled on a 0-1 count, scoring two runs.
Dylan Kindt was credited with the victory for SDVFW 16U Garretson. He surrendered two runs on four hits over four and two-thirds innings, striking out five. Cooper Long threw two and a third innings in relief out of the bullpen. Long recorded the last seven outs to earn the save for SDVFW 16U Garretson.
Austin Johnson took the loss for SDVFW 16U Elkton. He went seven innings, allowing five runs on eight hits and striking out eight.
Riley Hunter led SDVFW 16U Elkton with two hits in four at bats. SDVFW 16U Elkton didn't commit a single error in the field. Charlie Harming had eight chances in the field, the most on the team.
Jake Schroeder went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead SDVFW 16U Garretson in hits.
Photo by Kristen Westover
SDVFW 16U Claremont Can't Catch Up to SDVFW 16U Garretson
SDVFW 16U Claremont watched the game slip away early and couldn't recover in a 6-1 loss to SDVFW 16U Garretson on Tuesday. SDVFW 16U Garretson scored on an error and an error in the second inning.
SDVFW 16U Garretson opened up scoring in the second inning, when an error scored one run for SDVFW 16U Garretson.
Isaiah Gnadt was the winning pitcher for SDVFW 16U Garretson. He went six and a third innings, allowing zero runs on two hits and striking out nine. Jayse Miller threw two-thirds of an inning in relief out of the bullpen.
Ben Gustafson took the loss for SDVFW 16U Claremont. He allowed seven hits and four runs over five and two-thirds innings, striking out three.
Jesse Keough led SDVFW 16U Claremont with two hits in two at bats.
SDVFW 16U Garretson scattered eight hits in the game. Cooper Long and Nate Skillman all managed multiple hits for SDVFW 16U Garretson.
SDVFW 16U Garretson Stays Scrappy in Loss to SDVFW 16U Elkton
Despite a 6-run deficit in the sixth inning, SDVFW 16U Garretson almost came all the way back, eventually falling 10-8 to SDVFW 16U Elkton on Wednesday. SDVFW 16U Garretson scored four runs in the failed comeback on a in the sixth, a sacrifice fly by Cooper Long in the sixth, and a error in the seventh.
SDVFW 16U Garretson couldn't keep up with SDVFW 16U Elkton early in the game. SDVFW 16U Elkton scored on a single by Logan Kuehl, a single by Austin Johnson, and a walk by Sam Nibbe in the second inning.
SDVFW 16U Elkton fired up the offense in the second inning, when an error scored one run for SDVFW 16U Elkton.
Riley Hunter earned the victory on the pitcher's mound for SDVFW 16U Elkton. He lasted five and a third innings, allowing six hits and six runs. Nibbe threw one and two-thirds innings in relief out of the bullpen. Nibbe recorded the last five outs to earn the save for SDVFW 16U Elkton.
Jayse Miller took the loss for SDVFW 16U Garretson. He surrendered eight runs on seven hits over three and two-thirds innings, striking out five.
SDVFW 16U Garretson racked up six hits. Miller and Ryan Flanagan all managed multiple hits for SDVFW 16U Garretson. Flanagan and Miller each collected two hits to lead SDVFW 16U Garretson.
SDVFW 16U Elkton had eight hits in the game. Charlie Harming and Aiden Erickson all collected multiple hits for SDVFW 16U Elkton. Johnson led SDVFW 16U Elkton with three stolen bases, as they ran wild on the base paths with five stolen bases.
SDVFW 16U Elkton Loses Lead Early in Defeat
SDVFW 16U Elkton watched the game slip away early and couldn't recover in a 20-13 loss to SDVFW 16U Garretson on Wednesday. SDVFW 16U Garretson scored on a single by Carson Clark and a single by Ryan Flanagan in the first inning.
Austin Johnson drove in four runners in the loss. Johnson drove in runs on a single in the third, a double in the sixth, and a in the sixth.
SDVFW 16U Garretson got things started in the first inning. SDVFW 16U Garretson scored one run when Clark singled.
SDVFW 16U Elkton put up nine runs in the sixth inning. The rally was led by singles by Sam Nibbe, Lane Thompson, and Nibbe, by Johnson, a fielder's choice by Logan Kuehl, an error on a ball put in play by Aiden Erickson, and a double by Johnson.
SDVFW 16U Garretson scored eight runs in the sixth inning. SDVFW 16U Garretson's big inning was driven by an error on a ball put in play by Cooper Long and Sam Schleuter, a single by Clark, by Nate Skillman, and a groundout by Jake Schroeder.
Schroeder earned the victory on the hill for SDVFW 16U Garretson. He lasted two and a third innings, allowing one hit and zero runs while striking out two and walking one. Flanagan and Clark entered the game out of the bullpen and helped to close out the game in relief.
Garrett Neill took the loss for SDVFW 16U Elkton. He surrendered ten runs on four hits over four and two-thirds innings, striking out two.
SDVFW 16U Elkton racked up 11 hits. Erickson, Nibbe, Johnson, and Kuehl all managed multiple hits for SDVFW 16U Elkton. Kuehl, Johnson, Nibbe, and Erickson each collected two hits to lead SDVFW 16U Elkton.
Clark led SDVFW 16U Garretson with three hits in five at bats.
Recaps powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.
BROOKINGS — On Wednesday the board of directors of the South Dakota High School Activities Association approved a variety of rules for fall sports that deal with safety measures schools should take during the coronavirus pandemic.
The rule modifications were developed by a 30-member task force of educators and medical professionals. The complete set of rules can be found at the association’s home page on its website, www.sdhsaa.com and also at the board’s page at that site, www.sdhsaa.com/About-Us/Board-of-Directors.
Rules are listed as mandatory, which must be followed until further advised; optional, which school districts can use if they desire; and impermissible, which are not allowed by SDHSAA rule.
All sports include mandatory rules for the frequent cleaning of high-touch areas and a prohibition on the common distribution of water to multiple parties. What follows is a sampling of those rules as they pertain to golf, tennis, soccer, cheer and competitive dance, football and volleyball. Check the SDHSAA website for a full list of rule modifications.
Golf: Mandatory rules include leaving the flagstick in place and the use of no-touch scorecards. A tutorial is in the works about how to use the scorecards. Optional rules include “putting through” or “uninterrupted putting” to allow golfers to remain socially distanced.
Tennis: Mandatory rules include using numbered sets of tennis balls with a different number for each player or doubles team so players handle only their own numbered tennis balls. Tennis balls will be cleaned with Lysol or Clorox. Players will use a racquet or their foot to move tennis balls from their side of the court to their opponent’s side.
Soccer: Mandatory rules include limiting pre-game conferences to one coach and one captain at midfield with social distancing. Ball holders will maintain six-feet of space from each other throughout the contest when possible and be subject to a pre-game screening like players and officials.
Competitive cheer and dance: Mandatory rules say that if participants wear masks, they should be taped and secured in events that involve tumbling. Optional rules say that hands and shoes should be sanitized before going on the performing surface.
Cross-country: Mandatory rules call for courses to be widened to ensure six feet of width at the narrowest point. Spectators must not have access to athletes and will be restricted to areas outside the course and a minimum of six feet away from team camps and at start and finish areas.
Football: Mandatory rules call for the steady rotation of game balls to ensure cleaning and sanitizing between downs. Only four captains may attend the coin toss and handshakes will be eliminated. An optional rule strongly encourages districts with fields with shared sidelines to reconfigure the field so that both teams have their own sideline to ensure social distancing.
Volleyball: Mandatory rules call for suspending the practice of teams switching benches between sets with only team members allowed on the bench. Statisticians and team managers will sit in areas other than the team bench. Optional modifications allow the wearing of long sleeves and long pants.
None of the rule modifications mandate the wearing of cloth masks. Mask wearing is included in the optional rule modifications in golf, tennis and volleyball. Masks are allowed in competitive cheer and dance with mandatory rules about taping down masks in tumbling events.
Cloth face masks are not allowed in football. According to the mandatory rule: “Cloth masks and face coverings are not permissible, as they affect the legality of and ability to properly wear chin straps and mouth guards.”
In the age of coronavirus, those are just some of the recommendations for fall high school activities approved Wednesday by the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s board of directors.
During a video conference meeting the board considered safety recommendations made by a 30-member task force of medical professionals and educators. Those recommendations covered the fall sports of golf, tennis, soccer, cheer and competitive dance, football and volleyball as well as fall arts activities including journalism, all-state chorus and orchestra and oral interp.
The 17-page document outlining the recommendations of the task force can be found at the association’s website at www.sdhsaa.com.
In addition to mandatory, optional and impermissible rule changes for each sport and activity, the task force offered overall principles for safety, keeping students active, screening procedures, a protocol for positive cases, new SDHSAA polices in the event of a forfeit or no contest, benchmarks for re-evaluation of the recommendations and guidelines for fan attendance.
In making rule modifications for each activity, the task force split them into low contact/risk, moderate contact/risk and high contact/risk categories.
Low risk sports are golf, tennis and cross-country. Moderate risk are soccer and volleyball with football, competitive cheer and competitive dance deemed as high risk.
In the fine arts, journalism and oral interp are considered low risk while all-state chorus and orchestra are considered high risk.
The final recommendation of the task force about all-state chorus and orchestra is not really final: “Due to the nature of the event (nearly 1,100 students from over 150 different schools), the task force recommends that SDHSAA staff further consider the all-state chorus and orchestra concert, examine the results of the pending NFHS aerosol study, and make a determination on that event at a later date.”
The task force offered guidance to schools on fan attendance at events based on a four-tier system. Tier 1 is open attendance in those communities with steady or decreasing cases. Tiers 2 and 3 would allow only parents and students to attend. Tier 2 notes a slow increase in cases in the community and Tier 3 would apply to those communities with a steady increase in cases.
In Tier 4, with a sharp increase in cases and hospitalizations in the community, no fans would be allowed to attend at a high school event.
“None of those are requirements,” said SDHSAA Executive Director Dan Swartos. “We heard from some schools that wanted some guidance, especially on fan attendance. We just wanted to put an example out there.”
Swartos said schools may choose to go the opposite direction, starting with no fans and working their way up to larger crowds at events.
Since guidance on fan attendance may differ by school district, board chairman Craig Cassens of Faulkton said that communication between officials at the host school and the visiting school would be key.
The task force report also includes a COVID-19 participant/coach monitoring form. The checklist offers eight symptoms that may keep a player or coach from participating.
In the event a player, coach or official tests positive for COVID-19, a return to play form must be completed. The form calls for 10 days to pass after symptoms appear and that symptoms must no longer be present. Athletes are then allowed to return to play with an OK from their doctor. The doctor may also recommend that the player go through a minimum of seven days of increasing training activity before being allowed to participate again.
While the form was approved along with other task force recommendations, Swartos said some of the language in the form is still being tweaked “to make sure this is as clear as can be for medical providers.”
Swartos emphasized the need for assigned seating and masks to be used on team buses to aid in contact tracing.
“We really want to stress that,” Swartos said. “We really want to recommend that schools do that.”
SIOUX FALLS – On Tuesday, July 21, Minnehaha County Commissioners approved the addition of six additional housing lots to the Cedar Ridge planned development on the east side of SD Highway 115, one mile north of Renner.
This is an aerial view of earlier work being done at the Cedar Ridge planned development, north of Renner, just off Highway 115. On Tuesday, July 21, the Minnehaha County Commission approved a plan for six additional housing lots there.
While the vote was 4-1, with Commissioner Cindy Heiberger voting “no,” most commissioners had some misgivings about the addition. Although a majority did finally agree, they did so after stating they wanted certain restrictions put in place.
The plan for this development was originally brought in 2016 by Brad and Laura Wagner at 47543 257th St. At that time, they were planning on only having 16 lots for houses.
Laura Wagner, who has worked with horses for 40 years, said she looked at this plan as her “passion” to develop an “equestrian community.”
According to the maps presented to the Planning and Zoning Board, the Wagner’s are developing the lots they are selling around a horse stable, arena and pasture.
The area to the east was originally planned for a park and pond, and that is still the plan, but with the approval of the additional lots, that area will be scaled back, somewhat.
During the discussion, commissioners were concerned about water and sewage, the loop road inside the development, flood management, etc., but most of their concerns seemed to be assuaged by engineer Eric Willadsen, as well as the Wagner’s themselves.
Heiberger was concerned that the internal loop road had not been completed since the project was first approved in 2016.
She also felt like she should side with the Planning and Zoning members who voted 4-2 to deny the additional lots.
In the end, the Wagner’s did go on record to have the road completed by Dec. 31, 2022.
County Planning Director Scott Anderson also pointed out that according to the zoning ordinance, the road will need to be paved, too.
As this would be a private road, the responsibility to pave it lies with the Wagners.
There was no one present who opposed the additional lots.
Other business
At the meeting, commissioners were briefed by Commission Administrative Officer Carol Muller on the 2021 provisional budget, which would be presented for a vote on Tuesday, July 28.
She explained that, so far, the budget does not call for any additional opt-outs – or any additional dollars from the current opt-out being spent.
After the provisional budget is voted on, the next budget hearing will be on Sept. 8.
Final adoption will take place on Sept. 29.
Muller also talked about money the county will receive as part of CARES funds.
CARES, which stands for Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security, is a federal program passed by Congress to help communities deal with the current pandemic.
Last month, Gov. Kristi Noem announced that South Dakota cities and counties would have access to $200 million of the funds, with Minnehaha County being eligible to receive just over $12.7 million of those dollars.
Any money that is used from the CARES fund will have to be go toward COVID-related expenses, and cannot be used on items that were previously part of the regular budget.
The Minnehaha Commission has its regular meetings each Tuesday at 9 a.m. on the second floor of the county administration building at 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.
These meetings are open to all, and public comment is always encouraged.
On Monday, July 20, the Blue Light Podcast interviewed Dr. Diane Kennedy, a physician at Sanford Health in Luverne. Dr. Kennedy has been practicing family medicine for more than thirty years, twenty-seven of which have been in Luverne. The podcast’s Tyler Ramsbey interviewed Dr. Kennedy on the current science behind COVID-19, masks, and testing.
In the interests of full disclosure, Ramsbey noted that Dr. Kennedy is his aunt. Ramsbey also disclosed that he was saddened the issue of public health has become political and divisive, and very pointedly noted that the entire interview was conducted from a factual, medical, scientific point of view, and he was hopeful that preconceived notions could be put aside and folks could learn from the information presented. All questions were those submitted on-line by Blue Light Podcast followers.
The interview has been viewed over 24,000 times since it aired, and received high praise from commenters on the quality information presented in a fact-based manner. Due to the length, the Gazette was unable to transcribe it in its entirety, but highlights are below. Responses are edited for length and clarity. The full episode can be found on Facebook by searching for the Blue Light Podcast page.
Ramsbey began with the question that has been the longest-lasting since it hit U.S. shores. Is the virus a hoax, is it man-made, no different than the flu, and are reactions all fear-based?
“It is not a hoax,” responded Dr. Kennedy, “and I would encourage all those people to join me in an exam room with a patient with a temp of 103 and a cough, and feeling horribly ill, with shortness of breath. It is real. The difference between COVID-19 and influenza is, we really don’t have any baseline immunity to COVID-19, so we’re all immune-suppressed with regard to COVID-19. There have been other coronavirus infections, there’s lots of them in livestock and in people, but we haven’t ever had a coronavirus exactly like COVID-19.
“When you compare the numbers- when you look at the number of flu deaths in the peak week of 2018, it was 1,626 nationwide. In April, there were 15,455 COVID deaths the week of April 21st, so the numbers aren’t even close.
“The other thing with influenza is that we have an influenza vaccine. It’s not always perfect, but it helps. If you get the vaccine, you usually don’t get as sick. [Right now,] we really don’t have anything like that to offer. We also have oral medications we can use to help treat influenza. We have IV antiviral medications we’re using now, but we just don’t have any oral ones that we can treat as an outpatient.
“We also don’t understand COVID-19 like we understand influenza. We’ve been dealing with influenza for [many] years and have lots of scientific data, and we just don’t have that with COVID-19.”
Ramsbey asked about masks. He noted that this is probably the biggest debate going on right now, and he began with the biggest issue that’s been surrounding them: why were they not recommended in the beginning, but now they are a must-wear?
Dr. Kennedy began her response with the acknowledgment that it’s complicated.
“It’s unfortunate that they weren’t stressed in the beginning. There were a few reasons for that; the first was that we didn’t have any masks. For the first 4-5 weeks of the pandemic, I did not have a mask to wear in the clinic. We saw what happened with toilet paper. If everyone went out to buy masks, we weren’t going to have any masks for the healthcare workers that were taking care of really sick people. At that time there wasn’t really a big prevalence of sick people in the country, so you really needed to concentrate those supplies where they were needed. Another thing we know now that we didn’t know then was that 35-40% of people are asymptomatic. They don’t have any symptoms, yet they’re spreading the virus.
“That makes it difficult to stop the spread, because if you don’t know that you have it, why would you stay home and avoid getting other people sick? It became obvious that we had to do something to help stop the spread, and that’s why masks started to be encouraged. The mask was initially to protect others. You wear the mask so that when you cough or sneeze or breathe or talk or sing, the larger particles, which the COVID virus hangs onto, don’t spread to other people.
“Now there are some studies showing that by you wearing the mask, perhaps it decreases the viral load that you receive, so it’s not just protecting others, it’s also protecting yourself a little.”
Ramsbey asked about masks potentially being harmful, whether it’s by re-breathing carbon dioxide or moisture build-up. He stated that he has worn a mask every time he’s gone shopping, and he has yet to “fall down unconscious and knock myself out. What do you have to say to those who believe masks are dangerous?”
“Masks are not dangerous,” Dr. Kennedy replied. “I wear one twelve hours a day; I’m doing just fine. That’s why they’re protecting other people more than yourself, because you have a lot of air flow through a mask, including small particles, including virus particles. You’re just trying to catch the droplets.
“Now if you had to wear an N-95 mask all day long, that would be a little more difficult to do, because it does act more like a respirator. But you do still have good air exchange.
“If you’re looking for good resources for true answers, Sanford has the “Facts over Fear” website, and the Mayo Clinic has a nice website as well.” Dr. Kennedy also noted the CDC and Minnesota Department of Health are good resources, too.
Ramsbey wondered what the best masks were, and Dr. Kennedy responded that at least two layers are preferred in a mask. A pocket for a filter is a good idea.
“A lot of people are using furnace filters,” she said. “While a mask is only as good as the materials it’s made out of, at the same time, it’s only good if you can wear it. You need to find a mask that’s comfortable, that you can wear. Current recommendation is that it’s two layers, and I think cotton is as good as anything because it’s a lot more comfortable. They say that 180-count-thread cotton would be the best option, or at least that count. If you hold the material up to a bright light, the less light that it lets through, the better that it is.” She noted everyone can buy masks or even make them out of a t-shirt and rubber bands.
Face shields help to keep masks cleaner, and they protect eyes and mucous membranes, and it’s possible they help protect by themselves, but she noted that she prefers a mask over a face shield. Goggles (similar to those worn by lab scientists) work as well to help protect the eyes, to keep them from being a portal of entry for the virus.
Ramsbey then asked about immunity, wondering if those who’ve had the virus need to wear a mask.
Dr. Kennedy responded, “The virus is far too young [for us] to know that. We don’t know how long the antibodies are going to last; we don’t know if it’s 2 weeks, 4 weeks, a lifetime. Also, unless you’re going to wear a t-shirt that says ‘I’ve had COVID I’m safe’, how are others going to know? It’s easier to wear the mask and respect everybody else.”
Ramsbey, who is also the pastor of Garretson’s Renovation Church, moved onto the recommendations for churches.
“This is tough for me,” Dr. Kennedy responded. “Churches have been shown to be a high-risk exposure area.”
“I agree with you,” said Ramsbey, “but what Christians are going to say is, ‘Well, we can go to protests, or we can go to restaurants, but we can’t go to church. The government is restricting our freedom to go to church.’ Explain scientifically why you say that.”
“Scientifically, part of the issue is singing,” Dr. Kennedy replied. Viral particles are spread easily when singing. It’s also a time of congregation and sharing, and it can be very difficult for people to socially distance during that time, she noted. Ventilation also plays a role, since most church buildings are older. Masking may help, but on-line or outdoor church are wonderful options to have. Population vulnerability is also a factor, with many congregations skewing toward older ages.
Avoiding crowds is best, regardless of indoor or outdoor, said Dr. Kennedy.
Ramsbey then moved on to questions about symptoms and illness. Particularly, he asked, why are some symptomatic, why don’t all members of a household get it, and why do some people get it so much worse than others?
“If I knew that answer,” Dr. Kennedy said laughingly, “I would be a very important person in this world. I think that is the part that’s been so crazy about all this. The fact that children don’t always get sick, the fact that 35-40% of people are asymptomatic, the fact that household members can sometimes not get it- even though household is the most likely source of spreading. It seems that people with diabetes, with obesity, with chronic lung and chronic heart conditions are very high on the list for getting very sick. People of color are also high on the list. I don’t know how much of that has to do with healthcare inequalities in this country. We don’t know yet. This is a very new virus. We’re only what, six months into this? It’s going to take us a while to figure this all out.
“You don’t know if you’re going to be the one that’s going to get very sick or not,” Dr. Kennedy reminded viewers. “I’m going to be honest, in the early part of this pandemic, it’s been kind of scary for all of us in healthcare and probably everybody in the country.”
Now that we’re a little further along, people are showing a willingness to take more risks, she said, but no one knows yet who’s going to be worse off than others. Some who were infected may find they’re still having issues that impact quality of life years from now.
“I don’t think it’s worth the gamble of not following current guidelines in trying to keep yourself healthy,” she said. She continued by pointing out that if everyone could all hunker down, the U.S. could get to the point where a lot of lives are saved. Treatments are getting better, and scientists are well on the way toward developing a vaccine. Following the rules and wearing masks can allow for everyone to do the things they want to do, go to school, and open the economy back up.
Ramsbey then asked, “The CDC said that if everyone wore masks for 4-6 weeks, we could get the virus back under control?”
Dr. Kennedy responded that yes, she believed it could happen. “Not very many people in the building I work in are getting sick, and if they are, you can trace it to outside the hospital. We’re all wearing masks all the time in the clinic. While we are seeing patients with COVID, we’re not getting it.
“Also, look at countries where they do have mandatory masks. Look at the Twin Cities. They were really peaking, and then they had a mandatory mask recommendation, and it really slowed down their peak. I think it is important.”
With regards to beliefs that the virus has been around since the beginning of winter, especially with the nasty colds and respiratory viruses that were seen last season, Dr. Kennedy noted that they’ve done antibody testing and almost all of them have been negative. Those who tested positive for antibodies had a travel history.
Ramsbey then asked about vaccine safety and efficacy. Dr. Kennedy stated that she doesn’t know because that’s in the future, but safety is still important to the companies that are working to produce it. It’ll be an inactivated virus, not a live virus, which helps reduce potential side effects. Dr. Kennedy said that she’ll be willing to be the first in line to receive it once it’s offered.
With regards to testing for the virus, Ramsbey asked if people are double-counted in a tally if they test positive once, and then test positive again 14 days later. Dr. Kennedy refuted that, saying that once someone is in the database, any follow up testing isn’t added. She noted that while initial recommendations were to get a second test to be cleared, they are beginning to move away from that, and are stating that once 14 days have passed from the onset of initial symptoms, people are no longer infectious and are okay to go back to work.
Ramsbey brought up the difference between testing for the virus and testing for antibodies. Could antibody tests be increasing the number of coronavirus cases, but actually diagnosing other, less virulent coronaviruses?
Dr. Kennedy responded that no, this is not the case. “The COVID-19 test is looking for the virus. It’s not a perfect test, there is a 20-30% false negative rate. It’s a PCR test, and very few of those tests have false positives. Those are like, 1%.”
“So, if anything, the numbers would be downplayed by the test, not increased?” confirmed Ramsbey.
“Yes,” said Dr. Kennedy. “So you could easily have a negative PCR test [for the virus] and a positive antibody test 4-6 weeks later, which means that you had the virus. The antibody test looks for the immune response to the virus.”
She continued by noting that some antibody tests start out positive, but then eventually after a few months may be negative, which means scientists, doctors, and public health officials currently don’t know exactly how long immunity will last.
“As we get more time out with this virus, we’ll have a better idea of how long the antibodies stay positive and what this all means,” she said.
As far as rapid testing versus long-wait testing, Ramsbey asked why some people get one test and not the other. Some people are waiting 5 or more days to receive their results.
“I can only speak to what I know Sanford is doing,” Dr. Kennedy replied. “There are some rapid tests that the emergency room can use. We only have so many a day that are allotted, due to reagent and testing supplies. The other test is about a 4-hour test. So why is it taking 5 days? It’s because everybody’s testing with the 4-hour test, and we’ve prioritized people. People over 65, people with chronic medical conditions, and people who are healthcare workers, are prioritized. They get their tests back in about 24 hours. Other people aren’t as prioritized, and that’s what makes this so difficult to control this infection, because we’d like to be able to tell you in 15 minutes if you’re positive. Then you can go home and hunker down, stay there for 14 days.
“If you’re symptomatic, if you’ve had a COVID test done, especially if you’ve had exposure or even if you’ve had the classic symptoms, you need to consider yourself positive until you get that test result back. Because, like I said before, there’s a 25-30% false negative rate, so even a negative test might mean that you have it, so you really should hunker down until the symptoms are all gone. And that’s really hard to do, because we want to be able to tell people right away. And that’s one of the limitations of testing.”
Even with those limitations, Dr. Kennedy said Sanford and Avera likely don’t want to limit testing, because the more tests they have completed, the more they know about where the virus is.
However, meeting criteria in order to get tested can be interesting. For instance, Ramsbey pointed out how during the early months, South Dakota public health officials were only allowing testing of people who had traveled outside of the country and were symptomatic, while at the same time stating there was no community spread, despite no testing for it. He asked what some of the criteria for testing were.
While she is only able to speak to the criteria being used at Sanford, Dr. Kennedy said she doesn’t have any strict criteria to follow. She can test those who are symptomatic, or those who have an exposure risk. It does depend on how much testing the facility has available. Some states are having a harder time getting enough tests than others.
Ramsbey then asked about the protocols for healthcare workers who test positive. Are hospitals alerting patients if they were exposed?
“The current risk for infection is 15 minutes of exposure to someone not wearing any PPE (face masks). Since we’re all wearing masks and following PPE guidelines, when a hospital employee tests positive, the Department of Health will contact that person [who is positive], and ask who they’ve all been in contact with. Those are considered low-risk exposures. I don’t believe those people are contacted. I have not checked with our policy, but I believe they aren’t contacted because we have all our PPE on. If [hospital employees] are symptomatic and they’re at high risk of [getting] COVID, they’re immediately taken off of work.” Employees are only allowed to return after 10 days after onset of symptoms and 3 days without fever.
Ramsbey asked what it is like to go in for a test.
Dr. Kennedy said they don’t want the first step to be going into the clinic. The first step is to call the clinic, and they’ll set up a video visit. They don’t want barriers to testing, so if a person is symptomatic and wants to be tested, they’ll get the testing set up. A video visit allows the physician to discuss quarantine and treatment.
“The test is a nasal swab,” Dr. Kennedy said. “It’s a fairly deep nasal swab, you’ll be aware of it. But everyone can handle it.”
Tests conducted in Luverne are then sent to Sanford in Sioux Falls by courier, who makes the trip three times a day. This helps to expediate the tests.
As far as drive-through testing is concerned, it all depends on who’s running the test. Criteria may be different if it’s the Department of Health conducting it or if it’s a local healthcare system. Drive through testing is labor intensive, but it’s important, especially if there’s a community hotspot, Dr. Kennedy said.
Ramsbey ended the questioning by asking about the two or three most important things to do to in order to fight against COVID-19 and to protect healthcare workers.
“I think the first thing we need to do is wear masks,” said Dr. Kennedy. “I think we do that out of respect for other people. You’re respecting the fact that you might have COVID and not know it, you’re respecting the people around you and making sure they don’t get sick, and it’s just the right thing to do. I don’t understand the barriers.
“I feel that everyone that wants to open up this country and get everything going and make everything back to normal, it can be really darn close, you just have to have a mask over your face. And get over yourself, I mean, it’s not really about you. It’s about protecting other people.
“I hate wearing masks too. I hate it [and] I wear them all day. By the end of the day, my throat’s dry, I feel like I have a cough, I’m sure I have COVID. The next morning, I wake up, I don’t have it anymore. It’s not fun, but it’s what needs to be done.
“The second thing is, be aware of your symptoms. If you have a loss of taste or smell, and a little bit of a cough, be aware of it, and go in and get tested. Until you know whether or not you have it, we aren’t going to make any inroads into stopping this infection.
“And the other thing is, take care of yourself. If obesity, smoking, diabetes, those kinds of things increase your risk for getting COVID, look at your lifestyle and say, ‘What can I do differently? How can I improve my health so that if I get sick, I won’t get as sick?’”
Dr. Kennedy also reminded viewers to get their flu shot this fall. “You can imagine what it’ll be like, everyone’s going to be inside,” and spreading other viruses too. “This will complicate things with COVID thrown into the mix.”
The mixture of viruses, or getting one right after the other, is still unknown. Another spike in COVID cases this fall is very likely, because everyone will be inside.
And one more thing, said Dr. Kennedy. “I’m sure everyone has seen the anecdotal evidence of the two hairdressers that were positive for COVID. They took care of 149 clients during the time that they were infectious with COVID. They were masked. I don’t think anybody got sick.
“If we all wear them, we’re protecting each other, and that’s the right thing to do.”
Dr. Diane Kennedy speaks with Tyler Ramsbey of the Blue Light Podcast about the science of COVID, masking, and testing. A Brandon student works towards a merit badge for Boy Scouts by hiking 20 miles to Devils Gulch, plus several changes will be coming to High School sports this fall due to the coronavirus. And there is much more packed into this issue! Enjoy the new look; you'll notice changes around the website in the coming weeks as well!
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