Lowell Ellis, 83, Sturgis, died Saturday, April 23, 2005, at the Fort Meade VA Medical Center.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 2:00 until 7:00 p.m. with the family present from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Thursday one hour prior to the services at Kinkade Funeral Chapel.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, April 28, 2005, at 11:00 a.m. at Kinkade Funeral Chapel with Pastor Dennis Reich officiating. Burial with military honors by the Sturgis Veteran's Honor Guard will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery.

Bernice Viola Weigandt, age 83, of Murdo passed away April 19th, 2005, at her home.

Services were held Friday, April 22, at the Messiah Lutheran Church in Murdo with Pastor David Brinkmeyer officiating.

Music for the service was provided by Doris Convey, organist, with congregational hymns. Register book attendant was Elsie Joy. Ushers were David Geisler and Donald Weber.

The little town of Philip is dying. Wrong!

Ever since the first tiny settlement towns began longing for “big city” status, the small communities of America have been dying – or so people say. If that is true, then explain the ideas of “suburbia,” of “bedroom communities,” of living in a “country home,” and explain the “main street rot” being experienced by the bigger cities. There are many more such questions whose answers are obvious.

Though so many people live in metropolises, what do they dream about? What is depicted on TV and in magazines?

The moisture that came to the Haakon County area in the form of snow and rain during the last few weeks was welcome.

Reports and comments varied from area to area and personality to personality. Generally, there was less run-off than normal because the moisture “was just going into the ground.”

Some minor difficulties were caused by the rain. The girls’ golf meet in Wall was started, but then cancelled because of the downpour.

The moisture that came to the Haakon County area in the form of snow and rain during the last few weeks was welcome.

Reports and comments varied from area to area and personality to personality. Generally, there was less run-off than normal because the moisture “was just going into the ground.”

Some minor difficulties were caused by the rain. The girls’ golf meet in Wall was started, but then cancelled because of the downpour.

Chuck and Franny Muir have moved to Philip. Chuck comes to work as a high voltage power system electrician for WAPA. Franny runs a massage business where the one giving the massage travels to the client.

The Muirs are recently from Phoenix, Arizona, though Chuck is originally from a small town. Chuck was in the Navy and has lived in or visited large metropolises such as Los Angeles and Tokyo.

The Philip Scotties once again won the boys’ division at their last golf meet. The St. Thomas More Area Invitational High School Golf Tournament was at the Red Rock Golf Course near Rapid City on Thursday, April 14.

The Philip boys’ team finished with a team score of 259, again ahead of the Custer Wildcats. Individually, Scotties’ Dak Carley and Fred Foland, finished second and third, respectively, with rounds of 83 and 84.

This meet called for the boys’ and girls’ teams having five players each, with the three best scores being counted. The tournament was played on 18 holes.

The Myron Lindquist Memorial Track Meet was held in Kadoka on Saturday, April 9.

My children keep telling me that I should be a professional comedian. I hope they are not basing that on my looks.

My knee-jerk reply is, “No way! It’s too dangerous! It’s violent!” They, like always, don’t take me seriously and think I’m being funny. If I ever started choking on some food, they would probably laugh and comment on how my face was turning a neat shade of blue.

Have you ever had stage-fright? Your stomach tightens, your throat goes dry, your eyes see wavering spots, your knees go weak; and that is just thinking about it. Some people faint on stage.

After six years of hard study already under his belt, Mark Laudenschlager is experiencing his first clinical rotation at the Philip Medical Clinic.

Laudenschlager has already graduated from the School of Mines with a degree in Interdisciplinary Science – Tech’s version of a chemistry/biology degree. He has just finished his second year at the University of South Dakota and has begun the four weeks in Philip on his “rural medicine preceptorship.”

Dr. Dave Holman is supervising the student’s hands-on medical experiences, “He is doing well so far; just getting his feet wet.