Around Town
District 17 candidates debate South Dakota politics
Tuition freezes, implementing an income tax, a Good Samaritan bill and approaches to sexual assault cases were front and center at the Cross Media Council’s District 17 debate Monday night in the Al Neuharth Media Center. State senate Democratic candidate Michelle Maloney and Republican candidate Arthur Rusch, and state representative candidates Ray Ring, D-S.D., and Democratic […]
Nurses give record number of vaccines to faculty
With a total of 642 people vaccinated, the semiannual flu immunization clinic at the Lee Medical Building had its highest turnout in years, according to Jill Munger. Munger, a state-employed community health nurse, was one of six nurses who administered shots to University of South Dakota staff Oct. 16. She said there were two reasons for the record turnout. First, anyone in healthcare […]
Young Gardeners Club teaches healthy-living to children
Children in Vermillion are learning more about gardening and healthy living through the Young Gardeners Club. Supported by the Parks and Recreation Department, it was started in 2013 by parks technician Jessica Kennedy. The program runs for about three months, from the end of May until mid-August. Kennedy said the program encourages children to explore the unknown. “The […]
Local medical professionals prepare for Ebola outbreak
In the largest Ebola epidemic in history, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports the mortality number to be more than 3,400, the majority stemming from multiple countries in West Africa. On Sept. 30, the CDC confirmed the first travel-associated case, Thomas Eric Duncan, to be diagnosed in the United States. Several patients have […]
City officials seek $3.1 million bond for park project
City officials and parks and recreation committees are lobbying for community and University of South Dakota student support in the Nov. 4 election in an effort to make Prentis Park renovations possible by passing a measure that would allow the city to take out a $3.1 million bond for the project. Since 2011, the city has been accumulating ideas […]
Honors students plan Zombie Crawl charity walk
While 31 weeks pregnant, 28-year-old Katie Tipton was diagnosed with a brain tumor after experiencing weakness and numbness on the left side of her body. Sept. 23, a few weeks before her baby girl Autumn was due, Tipton had a C-section — the same day as her husband’s, Travis Tipton, birthday. One week after that, Tipton was […]
Vermillion sidewalks undergo facelift to become bike-friendly
City officials are continuing efforts to make walkways and bike paths around town more safe and convenient for public use. Vermillion’s Sidewalk Inspection Program, which began in 2010, divides Vermillion into four quadrants. Each year, the city selects one quadrant and evaluates its footpaths and notifies the property owner about needed repairs. This year, the city […]
Local band releases first EP at downtown show
As balloons whizzed above a crowd of University of South Dakota students and other locals from the area in the basement of The Varsity on Saturday night, Mike Helland was surprised to see the amount of enthusiasm the crowd radiated as they pressed against the stage he and fellow band members Drew Hellend and Brandon […]
State chess organizers attempt to restart USD club
Jackson Geerts looks almost cherubic behind a chess board with his brown doe eyes and baby-fat cheeks. But when the 11-year-old smirks, his competitors know the Sioux Falls fifth-grader is one step closer to the kill — or rather checkmate. “Defense, then offense. I want to attack usually, but in tournaments, I can’t get away with it,” Geerts […]
Vermillion runners “chased” by law enforcement in second annual 5K
Alice DeCook was sweating by the time she was taken to jail Saturday morning. Her crime: loss of flag, with a $5 bail bond. DeCook, along with about 40 other citizens, ran around Vermillion with law enforcement at their heels. It was the second annual I Ran from the Cops 5K benefit run. DeCook, a junior […]