Around Town
Vermillion City Council indefinitely tables chicken ordinance in close vote
Residents living in Vermillion who want the option of gathering fresh chicken eggs from their backyards will have to consider other alternatives. In a 5-4 vote Monday evening, the Vermillion City Council moved to indefinitely table a proposed ordinance that would allow residents to keep up to four chickens in backyard coops within city limits. […]
Movie theaters get cleaned up, cleared out
The sound of drilling and demolition filled the air in downtown Vermillion Saturday, as USD volunteers from Habitat for Humanity and the ROTC came to clean up and clear out the town’s movie theaters as part of a long-term renovation project that began this past fall. Work began at 10 a.m., and Jason Thiel, executive director of the […]
Cherry Street Dollar to close in May
After less than a year of operation, Vermillion’s Cherry Street Dollar Plus store will be closing due to low sales volume and the low-markup nature of the dollar store business. Dennis Whipple, who co-owns the store along with USD student Sarah Stewart, said that the store’s revenue was “not paying any of the bills” since its […]
USD art professor crafts hospital sculpture with community members’ hands
Community members from around the area are lending their hands for a sculpture project that will commemorate more than a lifetime of memories at the old Dakota Hospital building in Vermillion. Chris Meyer, an associate professor of sculpture at USD, has been commissioned by the Dakota Hospital Foundation and Sanford Vermillion Medical Center to build […]
New campus group offers support for sexual assault, domestic abuse survivors
A new group on campus is giving victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse a safe space to heal and boost self-esteem. Phoenix: Survivors Support Group was started in early February by seniors Katelyn Troastle and Cassy Jerrett as a way for survivors to talk and participate in healing activities. Troastle and Jerrett said they […]
Local woman teaches Irish and clog dances
During the six weeks prior to St. Patrick’s Day, a local woman dedicated some of her time teaching a weekly Irish dance class for those who wanted to get into the holiday spirit. Grace Freeman, a school nurse at Irene-Wakonda Elementary and self-described “clogging nerd,” first learned Irish dances in Florida from an Irish instructor in the 1990s. […]
‘Community betterment’ program having trouble getting started in Vermillion
Vermillion residents who are either physically or financially unable to paint their homes may be eligible to get their houses painted free of charge. “Paint — South Dakota” started 18 years ago as a program of the South Dakota Housing Development Authority. Since then, more than 6,800 volunteers have painted more than 450 homes across the state, according to the […]
Students get real-world experience at annual business competition
Entrepreneurs and innovators from area high schools and USD gathered Saturday for the second Invent to Innovate Business Model Competition. Seventeen teams presented their business ideas to a panel of judges for a chance to win cash prizes. Beacom School of Business Dean Venky Venkatachalam said the goal of the event was to create economic […]
Two companies to move into Vermillion Technology Center
The Vermillion Technology Center will be occupied by multiple businesses by the end of the year. On Tuesday the Vermillion Area Chamber & Development Company announced that Biotest Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Navigant Cymetrix signed leases to move into the center. The two businesses will have an estimated $6.1 million impact on the community. Biotest, a […]
Local volunteer opportunities offer fulfilling roles for students
Senior Lauren Cass’s once-a-week mentoring commitment doesn’t feel like a commitment at all — she’s like the big sister someone never had. As part of SERVE’s Big Pal-Little Pal program, Cass has been meeting with 11-year-old Luisa Dobney for more than three years. “It’s just kind of crazy because it’s only an hour a week and that […]