Janet I. Waara, age 59, of Philip, died Sunday, September 11, 2005, at the Rapid City Regional Hospital.

Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Wednesday, September 14, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, with Father Ron Garry and Father Arnold Kari as con-celebrants.

Music was provided by Marianne Frein, organist, Barb Bowen and Maureen Palecek, vocalists. Lector was Rita O’Connell. Altar servers were Troy and Tate Guptill. Ushers were Sonny LaBeau, Denny Kennedy and Fritz Kroetch.

Frances Burjes Fitch, age 88, of Philip, died Wednesday evening, September 7, 2005, at the Hans P. Peterson Memorial Hospital in Philip.

Funeral services were held Saturday, September 10, at the Evangelical Free Church in Philip, with Pastor Gary Wahl officiating, with a eulogy by Pastor Al Brucklacher.

Music was provided by Marianne Frein, pianist, and the Fitch granddaughters, vocalists. Ushers were Michael Peterson and Nick Weiers. Pallbearers were Trevor, Truett, Theo, Cory and Christopher Fitch and Len Cotten.

Interment was in the Masonic Cemetery, Philip.

A lighted path of luminarias, the HOPE sign and the beauty of the Northern Lights glowed over this year’s Relay For Life rally held in Kadoka on September 10-11.

Cancer never sleeps and neither did many dedicated people helping raise money for the American Cancer Society. People of all ages came from all directions with an estimated 2,000 in attendance.

When the relay bank closed in the early morning hours on Sunday, Eileen Stolley announced a grand total collection figure of $53,117. Kadoka’s goal was $50,000.

Lack of more than $200,000 in revenue made the Haakon County Commissioners take a hard line on their budget during the September 6 meeting.

Haakon County has projected expenses of $1,638,815. Revenue was at $1,454,102. Several times during the meeting Commissioner Mel Smith asked Auditor Shirley Dennis if she was sure she had the correct figures in the budget. Dennis repeatedly re-plied that yes, the figures were correct.

Taking the hardest hit was the county highway department.

Rod Moring, South Dakota De-partment of Agriculture Weed and Pest Supervisor, meet with the Hakkon County Commissioners at their September 6 meeting.

Moring had good and bad news for the commissioners. The bad news was the department is cracking down on counties that don’t keep noxious weeds controlled in the road ditches and also landowners in their fields and pastures.

Moring provided the commissioners with a copy of South Dakota Codified Law on enforcement procedure. The county or the county weed board can force a landowner to eradicate the weeds from his property.

by Del Bartels

Property was the largest area of concern for the Philip City Council during its September 6 meeting.

The required construction to contain any spillage at the city shop is pretty much done, though the spillway repair work at Lake Waggoner is racing the clock. Possible contractors dealing with limited concrete allotments, eventual winter weather that will limit work, and the construction deadline for the FEMA grant money are all factors stressing that the project be started and completed as soon as possible.

The condemned building at 120 S. Center Ave.

While shaving one recent morning, I noticed that summer must be changing into winter because my son was actually wearing something in the way of pajamas. He asked me when I first started shaving. In too few seasons, my son will be shaving. I first shaved because my stubble was so sparse and light-colored that it made me look grey.

I think back to those younger years. Seemingly everyone couldn’t wait for change ... of any kind. We would go on carnival rides to change our equilibrium. My favorite was, I think, called something like the regurgitron.

Since the New York branch of the Central Labor Union held a holiday-type demonstration and picnic on September 5, 1892, and since Congress declared in 1894 that the first Monday in September would be a national holiday, America has celebrated Labor Day.

No, the holiday was not thought up by gynecologists, pediatricians and exhausted new mothers. Can you imagine a group of maternity ward hospital beds and cribs going down the road in a parade? Let’s not PUSH! that thought.

I am confused in that so many businesses are open on Labor Day.

How to Tap into Your Creative Potential, featuring Bob “Mr. Attitude” Prentice of Professional Development Systems and The Prairie Beacon, will be held at the South Dakota State Fair on Wednesday, September 7, at 4:00 p.m. in the Women’s Building.

This hour-long session promises to be a practical and applicable session that is fun, lively, and motivational for all participants.

From the 1960s when four-party telephone lines still existed in rural South Dakota, from less than 10 years ago when very few ranchers thought of buying cattle at a salesbarn except in person, now there is broadband Internet.

On August 25, federal and state commissioners visited the Philip Livestock Auction “to see what a rural livestock auction that is wired into Internet business was like,” said George Strandell.