Former South Dakota Attorney General Larry Long and the authors of “Gitchie Girl,” Phil and Sandy Hamman, have co-authored a new book entitled, Duct Tape Killer.
“The Hamman’s contacted me,” he said. “They told me that this story needed to be told and that I was the right person to help them because I knew the story and had firsthand knowledge of the case. I could only agree. As a prosecutor, some cases stay with you and this one was extremely important, not just from the perspective of a career, but it was important for us as a state and our society. To the best of my knowledge, and I hope this remains true, Robert Leroy Anderson is the first and only home grown serial killer South Dakota has ever produced and experienced, and I hope that remains to be the case.”
In his legal and political career in South Dakota, Long has written a lot of documents. But this was his first go-around aimed at the reading public.
“I’m grateful to the Hamman’s, because they had a plan going forward,” Long said. “When you prepare documents for a judge in a court case, or a document for a client or case notes or any of the other documents someone in the legal profession must do on a daily basis, it’s different from writing a book. The writers of a book, even a non-fiction book, are ultimately telling a narrative. When you’re working on a court case or conducting an investigation, it doesn’t flow like that. Much of it is routine, and detail-centric. Think of it as doing a jigsaw puzzle in reverse without knowing what or where you’re going to find the pieces that might help you solve the puzzle. It would sure be nice to know where the story is going ahead of time, but you don’t usually get that kind of clarity until the very end.
Tim and Mona Ness of Ness Tax & Bookkeeping Service in Sioux Falls are joining the Garretson area business community, taking over the offices and clients of Robert Jacobson, who retired a short time ago.
by Garrick Moritz, Garretson Gazette
Tim Ness has been working with the US tax code for almost all of his working life. After taking an aptitude test, he was recruited to be a tax auditor for the Internal Revenue Service.
“They gave me the choice of Aberdeen or Sioux Falls South Dakota,” he said. “I couldn’t go shop around for a place to live or get a feel for the place first, I had to choose more or less on the spot. I asked which place was more like my hometown of Fargo, and they said Sioux Falls. I did my training in Aberdeen and really liked it there, and wondered if I’d made the right decision, but when I started in Sioux Falls I knew I’d made the right choice.”
He worked for several years as a tax auditor for the IRS, and is proud of his work there.
“People would often comment that I seemed too nice to be a tax auditor,” he said. “I spent 8 years as a tax auditor and got my MBA at the University of South Dakota in the meantime. In 1999 I decided to switch sides, or rather, to help people in such a way that they didn’t need a tax auditor. After all, if taxes are done right the first time, everyone is happy. And I’m also proud to be self-employed, helping people with their lives and businesses.”
The community came together to support Dwana Eslinger, who was diagnosed with cancer last July. We also have a profile on Tim Ness, who is taking over tax and bookkeeping services from Bob Jacobson, who recently retired. Also, an interview with Larry Long about Duct Tape Killer, a new true crime novel released this week, and coverage of basketball and wrestling, plus more!
There's a lot going on in our community. Keep up with all of it with the Community Events Calendar on page 4. You can download it here and have it easy to hand! Community Events Calendar
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Congratulations to Sara Rogich and family, who won the Holiday Lights Display contest for the Garretson Commercial Club! In this week's issue, we also have Part 2 of the Year in Review, a profile on community member Brett Williams, and the Blue Dragon Youth Wrestling Tournament returns..
There's a lot going on in our community. Keep up with all of it with the Community Events Calendar on page 4 in the on-line or paper version. With your on-line subscription, you can download it here and have it easy to hand!
On-line subscribers get access to a Subscribers' Welcome Area, and are able to view extra photos, articles, and an issue of this week's paper in both a Flipbook and PDF format.
We were at the Band Concert where the Junior High and High School bands presented their fall concert. Brett Williams and his wife Lisa Vande Berg took seats next to us. They were at the concert to see and listen to their daughter Jordyn play the saxophone in the program. Although I had seen Brett in church many times, (Lisa is completing two successful years as Congregation President) I had not spoken with him.
During intermission I asked him what he did for work. He replied that he is a Headhunter.
Although I had heard of Headhunters, I did not know what they do. I met with Brett and found that he works for a $30 million-dollar nationwide company, GPAC, that finds employees to fill jobs in many different areas. Because most jobs that are filled are for individuals or small numbers of people, GPAC specializes on those hires.
Brett had previously worked for Service Master, but he has worked for GPAC for thirteen years now and loves his job.
The first year of work was the most difficult because he had to learn how to evaluate and judge individuals who were applying for jobs. Their work records must be reviewed, how many years had they been in a previous job, why were they changing jobs, and how the person impresses the evaluator. Changing jobs very frequently is not a good sign.
Working for GPAC is strictly a commission job. If a person takes a job as a result of the work done by the CPAC representative, the hiring company pays GPAC a sum equal to one third of the amount of salary the worker receives. The GPAC representative receives a portion of that amount. An example of this would have the hiring Company pay the worker $60,000. The Company would then pay GPAC $20,000 and the representative would be paid a portion of that.
It is obviously very important that a GPAC representative (Brett) be very good at evaluating a worker to make sure they are a good fit for the hiring company and would benefit that company.
Brett laid out a scenario involving a company (not in Garretson) that used sprayer equipment to apply chemicals on farm fields. The sprayers are very expensive, and the chemicals they apply are expensive. They must be applied carefully, following specific directions. It would not be advisable to hire someone to operate a sprayer who just comes in the door and claims to be qualified. Another way to hire a person and be sure they are qualified would be to engage GPAC to select a person who is qualified based
on their screening and researching of their work record.
There are many companies throughout the U.S. who routinely hire one worker or workers in small numbers and can do so with the assurance they will have good workers if they use the hiring method outlined above. Brett Williams has a very good future to accompany his past good record.
The second part of 2019 flew by in a flash; between the summer road construction, the fall flooding, and great Halloween and Christmas celebrations, the community stayed busy!
Blue Dragon Academy Moving Day June 2019
June started with moving day for Blue Dragon Academy, which opened in its new facility. Prior to that, it had been operating in two buildings, which it had outgrown. The facility opened with 100 out of its 103 openings filled, and they had the capacity to be able to take drop-ins and smaller part-time spots, which was a relief for a business that had had a year-long waiting list for the past several years.
At the same time, the street construction project on 3rd & Main got underway for the new season. It had originally been slated to begin in March of 2019, but between weather and issues with the contractor, the project was delayed. By the end of the summer, the issues had not been alleviated, and at the beginning of September, the City Council voted to terminate its contract with Haarsma Construction. The construction project then went to the bondholder, who will be working with Sayre Associates to finish Main and the truck route in 2020. Haarsma Construction was allowed to finish 3rd Street, which was finally completed on September 8.
However, June also had Jesse James Days, which was a success, and the city council heard from its new code enforcement officer, a new position which has been a contentious decision between the council and the community. The goal of the code enforcement officer is to ensure the community keeps its ordinances, but it has been hard on people who weren’t aware they were in violation, or knew they were, but hadn’t had any consequences prior to 2019.
Summer of 2019 also saw the city moving forward with a housing development that had been organized first by Grow Garretson starting in 2015, then by the new non-profit Economic Development Foundation. A developer had purchased the land, and worked with the city to install infrastructure and ensure his plans fit community planning and zoning.
On July 6, the Henry G Fix Post #23 American Legion celebrated 100 years, and the Gazette had a story about its namesake written by Marty Luebke, and finished our yearlong run on the history of the post, which was written by Owen Wiese (who retired in 2019 after 50 years as post historian).
The Gazette was also able to feature a former Zion Lutheran pastor’s pilgrimages in Spain, a visiting family that hailed from France, and the Bench Dedication ceremony, which celebrated an effort by the Garretson Parks Advisory Committee and Grow Garretson that places over 20 new benches around the community.
The Garretson baseball and softball teams also had great seasons, with the 14U and 16U teams each placing 3rd at State, and the Blue Jays (Garretson’s amateur team) and the girls’ softball team each taking runner up at State tournaments.
August and September saw the start of a new school year, a new grand opening for the Davis (formerly Motel, now Short & Long-term Stay), and successful rides for Team Tayden and the annual tractor ride.
City Maintenance Supervisor Craig Nussbaum crosses the Crappie bridge north of the dam at Splitrock Park on Thursday, Sept. 12.
Water levels at approximately 3:30 pm Sept 12
Just across the Moody County border north of Sherman, near the intersection of SD 11 & 486th Ave. 486th was completely submerged.
Water levels the morning of Friday, Sept 13
Looking south toward Sherman
486th Ave north of Sherman on Sept 12
Hwy 11 north of Sherman on Sept 12
SD Hwy 11 bridge just north of Corson Sept 12
Hwy 11 near Palisade Street south of Garretson
SD Highway 11 bridge between Garretson and Corson SD. Minutes after this photo was taken, the road was closed for the evening.
258th Street looking east to Highway 11
Campsite 2 in Splitrock Park at around 11:00 am Sept 12
Campsite 2 in Splitrock Park at approximately 3:30 pm on Sept 12
However, September also saw record flooding, when between 6 and 11 inches of rain fell around the area in a 5-day period. The ground had already been saturated from a wet spring and summer, and water moved fast and high. Brandon only had one route in and out of town; luckily, only one house in Garretson needed sandbagging efforts. Splitrock Park’s well-known rock bridge near the dam was completely submerged. The flooding was one more thing on top of an already hard season for the local farmers.
Fall sports ramped up as soccer, volleyball, and cross country started racking up the wins. By the end of the season, soccer made it to the State A Quarterfinals; volleyball made it to the State A Semifinals; and cross country girls placed 2nd at Regions. Football had a hard season, with a young team that had trouble competing against more experienced teams, but were still able to make it to the playoffs.
October was a calmer month, with Homecoming at the beginning of the month and the Spooky Trail at the end. By all measures, the Spooky Trail was a success, with the Jesse James Players scaring more than 1400 people in its two-weekend and Halloween day run. The Gazette also ran a photo collage of all the new construction that is happening in the community; between beautification, new industry, and housing, Garretson is growing.
In November, we honored those who served our country with two programs for Veteran’s Day in Garretson; first at the school, then at the Legion. The All-School Veteran’s Day program featured calls to the ideals of Americans; the ideas of liberty, freedom, kindness, and diversity. Elementary students recorded quotes from prior presidents, including John F Kennedy, George H.W. Bush, Franklin D Roosevelt, and Barack Obama, and after each quote, gave a short speech on what those quotes and ideals meant.
The city council wrestled with the issue of dogs barking, with a proposal to limit the number of pets even more substantially, but after feedback from the community, they opted to work with the Minnehaha County Sheriff to place more emphasis behind noise enforcement.
After Thanksgiving, the holiday season got off to a start with Light the Park, an event spearheaded by the Garretson Parks Advisory Committee and Grow Garretson. Along with that popular event, Hometown Christmas also had a great turnout, despite extra-cold weather canceling some of the outdoor events. The Gazette again ran its 6th grade Drawing Contest and 2nd grade Letters to Santa, and added some fun comments from Kindergarten and 1st grades as well.
Here’s to a great 2020, with hopes of continued success for the community! We know, with the hard work of all who contribute, that Garretson will continue to be its awesome self. We at the Gazette will do our best to continue bringing you the news of our community and the county, and items from around the state that also impact us all.
On Sunday, January 5, Bob Jacobson held a retirement party and a meet and greet at the Legion. Past and present customers were encouraged to come and meet Tim and Mona Ness, who will be assuming bookkeeping duties as Jacobson retires from his longtime downtown business.
In the photos, Jacobson (right) poses with his family (L to R), daughter Jessica Robinson, granddaughter Ana Robinson, grandson Vaughn Robinson (bolero tie courtesy of Dwayne “Jake” Jacobson), wife Michele (who accompanied Bob in the office until four years ago), and granddaughter Ava Robinson. In the next photo, Michele greets John and Marilyn Doppenberg from Yankton.
an editorial by Dave Baumeister County Correspondent
WOW! It is probably never a good thing when a newspaper is at a loss for words, but “WOW!” is the first thing that comes to mind.
Again, this year, the Minnehaha County Commission voted unanimously to name four newspapers as their “official publications.” Why is this such a big deal? The county has gone beyond state requirements, which say a county doesn’t have to name more than three newspapers as “legal publications.”
So once again this year, the Garretson Gazette will be publishing all county public notices for our readers (as will the Brandon-Valley Journal, Minnehaha Messenger and the Sioux Falls Argus Leader).
In a time when so many people think the only news is what they find on the Internet, and in a time when people are learning that much of what they see on the Internet can fall into the category of “fake news,” our
county commissioners are leading the way in seeing that Minnehaha citizens are kept informed.
In the Gazette, readers will find the exact minutes of the meetings, learn about land and surplus property auctions, legal disputes, and more.
As a case in point, at the Jan. 7 Minnehaha County meeting, commissioners were asked to become the “official” government entity on record so a group at Wall Lake could start applying for grants in the hopes of building a walking/biking trail around the lake.
A person from that area spoke up about work she had done to show that 47 Wall Lake area residents were totally against the trail, and she claimed that at least one of those people had never heard anything about the proposal.
If this is true, that person only had to look as far as his local newspaper, the Minnehaha Messenger in Harford, to read the two extensive articles written about the project and see the photograph showing the area being looked at for the trail.
People hearing from a person against the project would just have the thoughts of that person on which to base their own conclusions. And only looking at an issue from one side usually leads to poor decisions.
Now, we are not writing in favor or against a bike trail on the other side of the county, but what we are talking about is how local newspapers give people the chance to be informed about what is going on in their communities.
And by their recent vote in naming legal newspapers, the Minnehaha County Commission is encouraging the same thing.
So, today, when so many people are looking at governing bodies and scratching their heads, we get to look at the Minnehaha Commissioners and, again, say, “WOW”!
Addendum from the editor, Garrick Moritz
Yes, and thank you Dave for your work for us and the other communities of Minnehaha County outside Sioux Falls city limits.
I was very pleased that the Commissioners voted to renew all the locally owned newspapers in the county again this year, and as I said at the meeting, it speaks well of them as public servants and their commitment to ideals of American democracy and their support of a free press.
This also helps us to keep Dave as our correspondent. Dave is a long-experienced and award-winning journalist who is at every meeting, and presents our readers with the highlights of county issues that may affect them. (He actually had better attendance at the meetings than a few of the commissioners this past year.)
By SD Law they must publish their minutes and legal notices in three newspapers in the county, but they went above and beyond for the second year in a row and named 4! These newspapers must meet the qualifica
tions of a legal newspaper under state law, with a minimum number of subscribers, etc. Traditionally, only the largest papers get this designation. Larger media companies have bought up, shut down, or edged out smaller mom and pop outfits like me; to get a bigger slice of the pie for ad sales and legal notices for a region.
So the commissioners actively making sure that the smaller, more rural communities of the county are designated as official newspapers is a pretty big deal. It shows that they want to include the most people possible in local self-governance and that they recognize that the folks in the Garretson area vote, and want to be informed.
I’m also very heartened that we are not the only Minnehaha County community to benefit. The advent of the Brandon Valley Journal and the Dell Rapids City Journal, brand new small town papers that didn’t exist when I started here, shows that the SD citizen is hungry for good local news sources.
The Garretson Commercial Club is proud to announce that Sara Rogich and family have won the Holiday Lights contest. Rogich’s house is located on 4th Street, and was lit up with candy canes, nutcrackers, and even Santa in a tree.
In years past, the award went toward the best-lighted street/block, but the Commercial Club opted to choose just one house for 2019. The Rogich family will be receiving $100 in Garretson bucks.
A bean bag tournament, silent auction, raffle, and pork loin meal will be at the Henry G Fix Post #23 Legion building this Saturday, January 11 starting at 1:00 p.m. All proceeds will go toward Dwana Eslinger, who was diagnosed with cancer last July.
The tournament will have registration from 1:00-1:30, with bags throwing starting at 1:30. Cost is $20 per person.
The meal starts at 4:00 p.m. It will consist of pork loin sandwiches, chips, and potato salad, and will be available for $5.
There will also be a silent auction, raffle, bake sale, and koozies for sale, and DJ Bandit Music Machine will provide entertainment.
Monetary donations can also be made at First Bank & Trust in Garretson.
