Twenty-one outstanding women from all corners of South Dakota will be honored at the prestigious Spirit of Dakota Award Banquet. This year's event is slated for Saturday, October 7, at the Huron Event Center at 7:00 p.m.

Nominees this year include Kay Ainslie and Jeanne Radway of Philip.

A grand jury will hear evidence and determine whether to issue an indictment in an August shooting death in Midland.

Haakon County State's Attorney Ralph Kemnitz said he has received final reports in the case and soon will impanel a grand jury.

Harold Cleveland, 64, of Rapid City, was shot to death on August 11 inside a residence in Midland.

Other details have not been officially released, and no one has been arrested.

At last week's South Dakota State University's Field Day at the Cottonwood Research Station near Philip, Dr.

The recent million dollar rain didn't keep at least 492 people from registering at the Golden West Telecommunications Cooperative's annual membership meeting in Wall on Saturday, September 23rd. Nearly all of those registering also received their portion of the nearly $2.1 million in patronage capital credit checks the Cooperative returned to its members.

The checks included $1,575,505 in margins or profits for the operating years 1988 through 1991, along with an additional $500,000 that was spread proportionally across the remaining margins through 2005.

The Haakon County Commissioners held a special meeting on Thursday, September 21.

They were apprised of the state's audit report on the Haakon County bookkeeping for 2005. The commissioners also set the proposed 2007 county budget.

Dave Schlosser of the State Auditing Department found two violations in the 2005 accounts.

The first written notice was, "The unreserved, undesignated fund balance of the General Fund exceeded the maximum allowed by South Dakota Codified Laws by approximately $172,000 as of December 31, 2005 resulting in unnecessary taxation.

After weeks of training with everything from six-plus-mile runs to 14 quarter-mile sprint repeats, the Scotties competed at the Winner Invitational.

The junior varsity - 8th grader Jennifer Stangle, 7th grader Kalvin Ferguson and 8th grader Zane Pekron - ran first. Pekron pushed himself to lead the 43 runners, battling with several strong opponents, to finish in 15:46 and placing 4th among the boys. Ferguson had pushed his way steadily through the field to finish in 19:59, giving him 22nd among the boys. Stangle had also moved up to finish 10th among the girls with a time of 20:09.

After weeks of training with everything from six-plus-mile runs to 14 quarter-mile sprint repeats, the Scotties competed at the Winner Invitational.

The junior varsity - 8th grader Jennifer Stangle, 7th grader Kalvin Ferguson and 8th grader Zane Pekron - ran first. Pekron pushed himself to lead the 43 runners, battling with several strong opponents, to finish in 15:46 and placing 4th among the boys. Ferguson had pushed his way steadily through the field to finish in 19:59, giving him 22nd among the boys. Stangle had also moved up to finish 10th among the girls with a time of 20:09.

The Scotties traveled to Lemmon on Friday, September 15, and defeated the Lemmon/McIntosh Cowboys 26-8.

Scotties 8 6 6 6 = 26

Cowboys 0 2 0 6 = 8

The long bus trip, the cold temperature, Philip's two previous easy wins ... something distracted the concentration of the Scotties during the first half. At least Coach Keven Morehart thought that his players' heads weren't where they should have been - in the game.

This first quarter started slowly - not until eight minutes into play did the Philip team score its first touchdown.

During the Haakon School District 27-1 School Board meeting on Monday, September 18, it was announced that the district is growing in numbers of students.

At the end of school last year, there were 277 students in the district.

The Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E) Railroad has been offering excursion rides and picnics aboard business cars to employees and invited guests as a part of its 20-year anniversary celebration.

In May of 1999, the City of Philip signed a Community Partnership Agreement with the DM&E. The railroad has an engine named "The City of Philip" - engine #3803, a GP-38 1969 model commissioned in July of 1993.