by Del Bartels

After “hardly ever hearing about a local case until about six months ago,” Rick Palecek, vice-president and comptroller of First National Bank in Philip, has seen three scam attempts in one week. “Lately, our own customers are experiencing these rip-offs.”

A bank that is made aware of a fraudulent operation will alert other banks about the illegal scheme.

One of the two High School Regional Rodeos in West River was held in Wall on Friday through Sunday, June 2-4. Individual results of the regional rodeo consist of the Saturday, Sunday and average scores.

Contestants and teams earn points at the regionals by placing in the first through tenth positions. Total points earned during the regional rodeos qualify individual contestants for the State High School Rodeo to be held June 21-25 at Belle Fourche.

After the Lady Scotties won the Region 7B Track and Field Meet, the Philip girls and boys had a total of 13 athletes qualified for the State Track and Field Meet held in Rapid City on Friday and Saturday, May 26-27.

At the State meet, senior John Hart took first place in the pole vault with a height of 13’09”.

Junior Casey Elshere ran a time of 16.79 seconds to take 12th place in the preliminaries in the 110 meter hurdles.

The Philip Scotties had five golfers qualify for the State “B” Golf Tournament held May 22-23.

The boys – Jordan Smith, a sophomore, and Caleb Clements, an eighth grade student – played on the Prairie Green Golf Course in Sioux Falls against 127 other golfers.

Smith scored an 80 on day one. He then scored a 40 on the front nine and a 51 on the back nine for a day-two total of 91. His tournament total was a 171, which tied him for 25th and earned him a medal.

Clements shot a 100 for the day-one total.

The Philip City Council meeting on Monday, June 5, consisted of the necessary, though routine, business for which the members were elected.

The placement of the school zone signage has been completed.

The water committee is attempting to get three appraisals on the water plant building for future sale. Only two companies have shown interest in creating such an appraisal.

The Haakon County Young Women’s playground equipment project has been completed, except for the paperwork.

The rancher had been gone on his first long vacation in over twenty years. He finally got a call through to his friend and neighbor who was running the spread while he was away.

“Hey, buddy, sorry that you couldn’t get through until now. I had to buy a new charger for the cell phone you left here. Oh, by the way, I do have a little bad news. Are you sitting down? I’m sorry, but your dog has died. Yeah, he was a good dog. You’re asking how he died? Well, it might have been from eating raw meat that had gone bad. What?

Henry David Thoreau went to the woods because he wanted to live deliberately, to “suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life … ”

I travel to Western South Dakota in search of what quiet really is, to witness God’s creation far from the injustices inflicted by deadlines, freeway sounds and other culprits; to really hear the sounds of meadowlarks and turtle doves; to smell the clean, fresh air.

But mostly, I am reminded of the power of the place and its people and to experience returning to the place of my birth t

Henry David Thoreau went to the woods because he wanted to live deliberately, to “suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life … ”

I travel to Western South Dakota in search of what quiet really is, to witness God’s creation far from the injustices inflicted by deadlines, freeway sounds and other culprits; to really hear the sounds of meadowlarks and turtle doves; to smell the clean, fresh air.

But mostly, I am reminded of the power of the place and its people and to experience returning to the place of my birth t

The Philip Ministerial Association is conducting a survey in order to better serve the residents of Philip and the immediate area.

Beginning this week, the respective leaders of the churches and volunteer assistants from those congregations will be traveling door to door. The town of Philip and the area within a few miles around it has been divided into five sections and each church will be responsible for canvassing one of those areas.

“This is a joint survey.

The Civil Air Patrol’s aerospace weekend held at the Philip Airport this last weekend provided various aircraft orientation flights for each of the 40 cadets.

Under the supervision of a licensed volunteer pilot, there were 29 CAP airplane flights. The young cadet sitting up front actually did the flying to Wall. Another cadet, until then observing from the back seat, then flew the return trip to the Philip Airport.

If not in a powered airplane, the cadets orientation flight could be in a glider.