Around Town
Beer tax petition killed after City Attorney finds language ‘insufficient’
A petition opposing a wholesale markup on malt liquor purchases and calling for a city-wide vote on the markup failed to meet the requirements mandated by the City of Vermillion last week, Vermillion City Manager John Prescott said. The deadline to submit a petition opposing the five percent markup — labeled a “beer tax” by […]
Spanish students embrace service-learning opportunities
Uver Rodriguez and Sophia Taggart learned a lot about each other March 24 over the lunch hour. Both enjoy soccer and have specific countries they would like to visit someday. Rodriguez, a sophomore at the University of South Dakota, will be teaching Taggart, a junior at Vermillion High School, about how to hold a conversation […]
INTERACTIVE: Vermillion snow removal routes
Emergency snow routes are the first priority for snow removal. The next streets to be plowed are those found on steep grades or hills, and residential streets are the last to be plowed.
Twice-daily alcohol testing ‘huge commitment’ for diversion program participants
In the pilot year of the local Underage Alcohol Diversion program, about 10 percent of offenders opted for this alternative to forgo conviction. The Vermillion Police Department reported 278 underage consumption citations last year. Twenty-seven people chose to participate in the diversion program, while 11 have successfully completed the 60-day course. “It’s pretty close to what I expected, because this […]
Students explore housing market
Every University of South Dakota student has to find a place to live. Whether considering living in dorms, apartments, Greek houses, or rental homes, the housing options for students in Vermillion are constantly changing. Exploring these options becomes even more seamless with the guidance of a good place like sarabirealtygroup.co.ke, which can help students find […]
STD rise plagues S.D., provides research opportunity at USD
The amount of sexually transmitted diseases has risen in South Dakota, but local professors and students are trying to get a better understanding of how these diseases work. The South Dakota Department of Health’s December 2014 Health and Disease Summary reported a 25 percent increase in chlamydia, a 41 percent increase in gonorrhea, a 7 percent […]
Active shooter training in community could mean fighting back
Virginia Tech. Columbine. Newtown. All could be considered shorthand for mass school shootings that sent shockwaves through the United States. Schools and offices, in their wake, have widely adopted a fairly typical lockdown procedure: sound the alarm, call the police and wait behind locked doors. But some security experts believe this approach is insufficient and are offering a […]
District 17 legislators inform residents of session happenings at cracker barrel
House Bill 1030 hits home for District 17 Rep. Nancy Rasmussen, R-S.D. The bill would require operators of motor vehicles to give bicyclists three feet of space on town roads and six feet of space on highway roads. Her son nearly crashed because of an incident on a highway between a semi-truck and bike rider […]
Downtown Vermillion destined for a remodel
The evolution of downtown Vermillion is evident in the number of for sale signs in store windows and emerging city-led changes to curb traffic flow. As city officials study a problematic intersection on Main Street, more than eight building spaces are on the real-estate market. Downtown is destined for a remodel. Nate Welch, executive director […]
Beer tax pits business owners against City Council
Before a heated informational session Monday evening, mayor John Powell turned to a few other members of the Vermillion City Council. “I might get impeached tonight,” Powell said jokingly. The City Council is proposing an ordinance for a five percent malt liquor mark-up to help fund renovations to Prentis Park. The mark-up would be charged […]