shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com ing appearance from 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Yankton Community Library. “It’s my way of thanking the people of Yankton for all of their support while I was growing up and through the rest of my life’s journey,” he said. September 7 Nearly 30 mumps cases including Yankton County residents have arisen from a recent northeast Nebraska wedding, according to two states’ health departments. “That’s a pretty large outbreak,” Nebraska state epidemiologist Tom Safranek said the number could grow, depending on if and how quickly the disease would spread. A weakened Hurricane Dorian flooded homes on North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Friday with a fury that took even stormhardened residents by surprise, forcing people to climb into their attics. Hundreds were feared trapped by high water, and neighbors used boats to rescue one another. September 10 The South Dakota Department of Health reported yesterday, two confirmed cases of vaping-related illness among 20 to 24-yearolds living in the state. With the news, South Dakota joins 33 other states that have reported cases of severe respiratory illness from e-cigarettes. Around 150 athletes from nearly two dozen countries around the world are gathered this week in Yankton for the IFAA World Bowhunter Championships. The International Field Archery Association (IFAA) is sponsoring the four-day outdoor event at Lewis and Clark Lake. The competition features three-dimensional targets which appear like wildlife. The event also features paper targets. The archers compete in various categories and divisions. September 11 The 2019 homecoming royalty for Yankton High School has been announced. Princess candidates are: Jaiden Boomsma, Ivy Mines, Paige Hoesing, Liliana Dannenbring and Lauren Eidsness. Prince candidates are, from left: Dylan Yaggie, Wil Pease, Cooper Cornemann, Ryan Eichacker and Nick Gregoire. YHS homecoming festivities are next week, with the coronation set for 7 p.m. on September 19 at the Yankton High School gym. A new administrator has been named for the Human Services Center in Yankton. According to a press release from the Department of Social Services (DSS), Jeremy Johnson has been named to the position after serving as interim administrator since June. September 12 The Yankton area is lending its hand to storm-ravaged Sioux Falls. The Human Services Center (HSC) has opened three shuttered units to patients from the Avera Behavioral Health Center in Sioux Falls which took a direct hit from one of the three tornados to strike Sioux Falls Tuesday night. A Fordyce, Nebraska, man has received a continuance on a first-degree attempted murder charge for allegedly stabbing another man multiple times. Kevin Haug faces five felony charges in connection with an alleged July 2 incident at a Fordyce residence. Besides attempted murder, Haug has been charged with first-degree assault, burglary, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony and possession of a deadly weapon to commit a felony. Haug appeared Wednesday for a preliminary hearing in Cedar County Court. September 14 The James River, rolling out of its banks after massive rainfall to the north earlier this week, surged across Yankton County Friday, closing roads at or near four bridges that crossed the river. The floodwater rose quickly. “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman was sentenced Friday to 14 days in prison for paying $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT scores, tearfully apologizing to the teenager for not trusting her to get into college on her own. “I was frightened, I was stupid, and I was so wrong,” Huffman, 56, said as she became the first parent sentenced in a college admissions scandal that ensnared dozens of wealthy and well-connected mothers and fathers. September 16 The James River was finally beginning to fall from its recordbreaking levels throughout Yankton County Sunday afternoon, but it will be some time before the full impacts are known in the latest round of flooding. The flooding came as a result of large downpours in the Mitchell area last week. Some areas recorded more than 10 inches of rain. By Sunday evening, only one of the five road crossings of the James River — the Highway 50 Bridge—remained open to traffic. Numerous road closures dotted the county as they did after March’s flooding event, shelters were open September 19 Cokie Roberts, the daughter of politicians and a pioneering journalist who chronicled Washington from Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump for NPR and ABC News, died Tuesday of complications from breast cancer. She was 75. September 20 Dylan Yaggie and Jaiden Boomsma were named the 2019 Yankton High school homecoming prince and princess during the Pioneer Days coronation ceremony Thursday night at the YHS Gym. September 21 When Ashley Langdon, a junior at Yankton High School, attended a dance convention last fall in Rapid City, she had no idea that it would ultimately lead her to a scholarship-funded dance opportunity in Italy. “We went to the annual Dance Network of South Dakota convention in Rapid City last fall,” said Timera Massey, coowner of Yankton’s Green Room Dance Studio and Langdon’s teacher. “We’ve been going to it pretty much since we moved here, and I think Judi (O’Connell) had the girls going to it years before that as well.” This year, Dance Network of South Dakota brought in the Manhattan Dance Project, whose instructors planned to award two students’ scholarships to the 2019 Dance Italy Naples/Pagani workshop. Supporters of legalizing marijuana in South Dakota have been thwarted at nearly every turn, including an effort to become the 48th state to approve industrial hemp. But backers are doubling down on this year’s election. Volunteers are gathering signatures for two initiated ballot measures one asks voters to approve medical marijuana and the other seeks to legalize recreational marijuana. September 23 Goat Island, also known as Jake’s Island, supports a variety of wildlife within the forest of cottonwood and Eastern red cedar. It lies in a stretch of the “Mighty Mo” that mostly resembles what the Missouri River was like before dams and during the time when Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery voyaged up and down the river in 1804 and 1806. Goat Island lies between Vermillion and Wynot, Nebraska, that is part of the MNRR. The National Park Service recently gave the green light for a management plan and environmental assessment, which opens the door for recreational improvements on the island while retaining its pristine nature. September 24 Rebecca Swift, a native of Yankton, and movie producer Sean Covel presented “Porter the Hoarder” at the Yankton Community Library last week as part of a federally funded effort to promote family engagement in literacy. MelCena Bernard of Yankton died last week at the age of 63. She was a dreamer and a builder of the downtown area. She and her husband Curt are best known for converting the former Fantle’s building into the Riverfront Event Center. They have hosted a number of events there including the kickoff for South Dakota’s 125th birthday celebration hosting Governor Dennis Daugaard, his wife Linda and Lt. Governor Matt Michels and his wife Karen. Cena continually worked for new ideas to revitalized downtown Yankton which has evolved into the Meridian District. Her family would like any memorials be directed to the “Riverside Park” project. September 25 Yankton County Director of Emergency Management Paul Scherschligt has been busy throughout 2019. This service was recently recognized as he was presented with the first-ever South Dakota Emergency Management Association’s (SDEMA) 2019 Achievement Award in recognition of his efforts during March’s flooding event. September 27 Jeremy Johnson is no stranger to the Human Services Center (HSC), having worked there the past 17 years. But this month, he’s officially taken on a new role as the chief administrator. The Lennox native is taking on a role in a field of medicine that is ever changing, and he is making it goal to keep the HSC at the forefront. September 28 Students at Mount Marty College in Yankton celebrated the college’s 60th annual homecoming celebration September 16-21. The week-long celebration culminated with the naming of the college’s homecoming royalty — Lord and Lady Marben. Gene- January 28, 2020 • Page 17 vieve Clark, a nursing major from Gayville, was named Lady Marben. She is the daughter of Roxanne Snoozy, and her guardians are Joan and Larry Clark. Trent Wilson, an elementary education major from Sioux City, Iowa, was named Lord Marben. He is the son of Jim and Angie Wilson. September 30 Be cautious, that’s the word of advice from two area officials for anglers on the Missouri River below Gavins Point Dam in advance of Tuesday’s paddlefish season opener. “It’s very important that people be cautious, especially in the tailwaters,” said Jeff Jones, a conservation officer with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The caution stems from the high water releases coming out of the dam. Outflows are expected be at or near 80,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) for the entire month of October, according to Jones. Two Yankton County bridges that had been closed to traffic due to record James River flooding were reopened Saturday. Fleege’s bridge crossing the James River east of Yankton has been reopened to traffic Saturday morning, while Johnson Bridge west of Volin was reopened a few hours later. Matthew Mors has made his decision. He’s going to be a Badger. Mors, the highly recruited junior at Yankton High School, announced Sunday night that he has verbally committed to play basketball at the University of Wisconsin. At long last, Mors could make it official. “I think I’ve known for a long time that this is where I wanted to be,” he told the Press & Dakotan shortly after his announcement. “This is the biggest decision of my life, so I wanted to make sure I took my time.” October 1 Democrats yesterday subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer who was at the heart of Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden’s family. That was after one of Trump’s staunchest defenders, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said he would have “no choice” but to consider articles of impeachment if the House approved them. October 2 Families of children at Yankton’s Webster Elementary School were notified Tuesday of a reported case of mumps at the school. The Press & Dakotan obtained a copy of a letter sent out by Webster School Principal Melanie Ryken Tuesday. “This letter is to inform you of a positive mumps case at Webster Elementary,” she wrote. “Mumps is very contagious and is spread by saliva, coughing, sneezing, touching contaminated surfaces 47 YEARS IN BUSINESS 50 YEARS IN BUSINESS 50 YEARS IN BUSINESS 52 YEARS IN BUSINESS 57 YEARS IN BUSINESS 61 YEARS IN BUSINESS 71 YEARS IN BUSINESS 73 YEARS IN BUSINESS and sharing of water bottles and cups. Vaccination, isolation and good handwashing are the best ways to stop the spread of the disease.” Ryken went on to ask that parents and children who show signs of mumps not go to work, school or public places, but contact their doctor’s office. No mention was made of when the diagnosis occurred or whether the person with mumps was a teacher or a student. October 3 There are now two cases of mumps in Yankton’s schools, according to administrators at the Yankton School District. Kathy Wagner, the director of Student Services, told the Press & Dakotan Wednesday that one case was at Webster Elementary School and the other at Lincoln. October 4 Diahann Carroll, 84, died today of cancer. The Oscar nominated actress won acclaim for being the first black woman to star in a non-servant role in a TV series as “Julia”. Another soggy month has put the upper Missouri River basin at its highest runoff ever. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, widespread and heavy rainfall in the Missouri River basin above Sioux City, Iowa, (upper basin) resulted in another month of much above average runoff. Precipitation during September was more than 200 percent of normal in eastern Montana, much of North Dakota, portions of South Dakota and northern Nebraska. As a result, September runoff into the upper basin above Sioux City was nearly twice the record runoff, which was recorded in 1986. The rain resulted in new records across the upper system: • Runoff in the Gavins Point-toSioux City reach was more than 16 times the long-term average and more than twice the previous record. • Runoff in the Fort Randall-toGavins Point reach was over four time’s average and almost twice the previous record. • Runoff between Oahe and Fort Randall was over 12 time’s average and set a new record. President Donald Trump on Thursday publicly encouraged China to investigate Democratic political rival Joe Biden, snubbing his nose at an impeachment inquiry into whether a similar, private appeal to another foreign government violated his oath of office. Trump declared at the White House, “China should start an investigation into the Biden’s.” He said he hadn’t previously asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to investigate the former vice president and his son Hunter, but it’s “certainly something we could start thinking about. October 6 Rip Taylor, 88, died today. The madcap, mustached comedian with a fondness for confetti- throwing who became a television game show mainstay in the 1970s. the Meridian Plaza and near the Meridian Bridge in light of some major instances of vandalism in the area over the past year. Yankton City Manager Amy Leon told the board an unnamed donor has come forward to help make downtown more secure. “We’ve looked at and talked about cameras in our public spaces before,” Leon said. “The Meridian District has a donor who’s come forward and agreed to purchase some cameras, and they’ve asked us if we were willing to partner with them for a pilot program for some cameras to be placed in the plaza/bridge area.” October 9 City officials have begun testing elements of the city’s new $34 million water treatment facility two years after construction began. Environmental Services Director Kyle Goodmanson told the Press & Dakotan most of the hard work is complete. “Pretty much all of the equipment is in,” he said. “We started running water from the collector well to the sand filters and gravel filters in the facility, so we’re actually starting to do some of the startup of the facility.” He said that some parts of the interior aren’t quite online yet. Expectations are that water will be run through to the distribution system from the new facility in about 3-4 weeks. At Monday’s school board meeting, Yankton School Superintendent Wayne Kindle offered a preview of the upcoming opt-out meeting. A public meeting on a possible opt-out for the Yankton School District has been called for Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. at the Yankton High School Theater. At that meeting, Kindle is expected to lay out the facts for the public regarding an opt-out. A Philadelphia jury on Tuesday awarded $8 billion in punitive damages against Johnson & Johnson and one of its subsidiaries over a drug the companies made that the plaintiff’s attorneys say is linked to the abnormal growth of female breast tissue in boys. Johnson and Johnson immediately denounced the award after the jury’s decision in the Court of Common pleas, saying it’s “excessive and unfounded” and vowing immediate action to overturn it. The antipsychotic drug Risperdal is at the center of the lawsuit, with the plaintiff’s attorneys arguing it’s linked to abnormal growth of female breast tissue in boys, an incurable condition known as gynecomastia. October 16 The soldiers have arrived home or at least are back on U.S. soil. After a 10-month European deployment known as Operation Atlantic Resolve, the Yanktonbased Bravo Battery of the 1/147 Field Artillery has landed at Fort Bliss, Texas. The deployment began with an activation ceremony last December at the Summit Activities Center in Yankton. A number of dignitaries attended the ceremony. The unit’s arrival back in South Dakota hasn’t been determined, according to a South Dakota National Guard spokesman. “No date has been set, but we should know more by the end of the week,” LTC Anthony Deiss told the Press & Dakotan yesterday. October 11 Cimpl Arena gets a new look with Charlie Bender Court. Bender’s name is now emblazoned on the basketball floor, supporting the Catholic college as he did in so many ways during his lifetime. Yesterday, the Bender family gathered for a short program at MMC, marking the grand re-opening of Cimpl Arena and the dedication of Charlie Bender Court. Through the generosity of the Bender family, Cimpl Arena recently underwent a $1 million renovation which included new bleachers, updated flooring and entry, and a new court dedicated to Charlie Bender’s memory. Bender owned Welfl Construction for many years. He held a long relationship with Mount Marty College, serving on the Board of Trustees from 1994-1999 and was a member of the Building and Grounds committee for many years. October 15 The Meridian District and the City of Yankton are about to embark on a program to make an area landmark a little bit safer. During its regular meeting Monday night, the Yankton City Commission voted unanimously to provide up to $5,000 from the BBB (bed, board and booze) fund for a pilot program to install surveillance cameras in October 17 The Yankton School district officials are proposing a 4 year $1.85 million opt out. They district is holding eight meetings aimed at informing the public the district’s finances for now and the next few years. The money would go to addressing issues such as: safety, mental health, academics and facilities, as well as the capital outlay funds. October 21 The Yankton High School girls’ soccer team made history on Saturday by winning the South Dakota State Class AA Girls’ Soccer. They defeated Aberdeen 1-0 to win the title. Sadie Fedders was named the Defensive Player of the Game and Jaiden Boomsma was named the Offensive Player of the Game. October 23 Because of structural damage from the flooding the Jamesville Bridge near Jamesville Colony will remain closed until further notice. Larsen Carpet We’ve Got You Covered 208 Walnut Street, Historic Downtown Yankton • 605-665-2067 larsencarpet@iw.net Tony and Donna Ellis (605) 665-3720 • 1200 Ellis Road, Yankton, SD 57078 Merkel Electric, Inc dba Johnson Electric, LLP Rick Merkel • Ben Merkel Chris Merkel FAST COURTEOUS SERVICE trucktrailerinc.com TRUCK •Farm Filters Rural ? Commerical Residential ? Electrical We Trench H2O Lines, Footings & Electrical Lines Our Bucket Truck Reaches 80’ PlusWe Set Poles 500 W. 12th St., Yankton TRAILER SALES & SERVICE, INC. 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