4A Public Opinion <thepublicopinion.com> Wednesday, June 11, 2014

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1939: 75 years ago... 1974: 40 years ago...1914: 100 years ago... 1999: 15 years ago...Arrangements have been completed for a Sunday school and religious census of the city to be taken by volunteer workers from the various cooperating churches and Sunday schools. The date set for taking the enumeration is Monday, June 15, and the attempt will be made to cover the entire city in one day, a large number of workers being employed and a small district only being assigned to each pair of enumerators. At each house the infor-mation desired is the number of people, adults and children, residing in the home, DQG�WKH�FKXUFK�DIÀOLDWLRQ�RU�SUHIHUHQFH�RI�all residents of the city. After the results have been tabulated by the committee, the original cards will be turned over to the pastors of the various churches, ac-cording to the preference expressed. The Ministerial association has felt the need of a thorough religious survey many times in recent months.

News- Clear Lake- The death of Mrs.

J.L. Allen, who would have been 100 years old if she had lived less than two weeks longer, takes away one of the earliest pioneers of this city. Mrs. Allen was buried in Mt. Hope cemetery, Watertown, Wednesday. Called the “grand old lady of Clear Lake,” Mrs. Allen is the mother of Nettie B. Grant of Watertown, William Warren of Clear Lake, and Mrs. A.C. Moore of Wiber, Wash. Mrs. Allen was the oldest resi-dent in this county and was the last sur-viving Civil War widow in Deuel county. In 1880 Mr. and Mrs. Allen moved to Deuel county and in 1887 they lived in the city here. Mrs. Allen was a charter member of the Baptist church here. - Mr.

and Mrs. E.C. Flug and four children, Colleen, Jacqueline, Vienne and son, Jerry, plan to leave this week by motor for Chippewa, Wis., where they will visit 0U��)OXJ·V�PRWKHU��Mrs. G. Flug, and his sister at Kenosha, Wis.

News- Douglas F. McAtee, son of Mrs. Dorothy G. McAtee, Yankton, was awarded his doctor of dental surgery degree at Loyola University Saturday. McAtee is a 1965 graduate of Watertown High School and received his B.A. degree from the University of S.D. in 1969. McAtee will enter the U.S. Army for two years, then go into private practice. McAtee and his wife, Mary

Ann, live in Glen Ellyn, Ill. - Wendy

Richardt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arden

Richardt, Summit, and Frank Redlin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Redlin, Summit, have been named Students of the Year at Summit High School. Each was previ-ously selected as a student of the quar-ter during the school year. Miss Richardt plans to become a nurse. Redlin plans to attend S.D. State University this fall.

News- Watertown Middle School Students of the Month for May include seventh graders Shawntel Vosberg,

Lacie Junso, Danielle Rhody, Toby

Bertsch, Kyle Bevers and Charlie Timm; Eighth-grade honorees include Samantha

Van Heel, Daniele Heyn, Cassandra

Hillius, Aaron Geier, Alex Fischer

and Brad Halverson. - Anne Madison, Michele Smith and Kristine Wilde, recent Watertown High School graduates, are candidates from the Johnny Cavelle School of Dance. Requirements: 700 hours in three major areas of dance and completed grades I-IV exams of classical ballet of Ceccehetti Council of America- examined by members of National Ballet Council/ CCA out of Detroit, Mich. All three girls will perform a graduation solo at the Johnny Cavelle Dance Recital June 12-13 at the D.D. Miller Auditorium.

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By BoB MercerPublic Opinion Capitol Bureau

PIERRE – The state Board of Economic Development decided Tuesday it won’t review monthly bills from its service contractors any longer and will look at oth-er bills only if the amounts exceed $2,500 rather than $1,000.

The board also reduced the loan origination fee to 1 per-cent from the recent practice of 1.5 percent but will start passing along its lawyer fees

to the loan recipients.State Commissioner of

Economic Development Pat Costello introduced his new deputy commissioner, Aaron Scheibe.

S c h e i b e , w h o b e g a n Monday, succeeds Nathan Lukkes in the position.

Lukkes accepted a research and development post for the state Board of Regents cen-tral office where he works with university projects.

Scheibe said he is a native of Pierre, holds a law degree

and did his undergraduate training in economics and foreign affairs.

Much of his professional experience came in the fed-eral Foreign Service for the U.S. State Department in nations of central Europe and the former Soviet Union.

He said his background includes work in interna-tional trade, consulting with investors at U.S. embassies abroad and involvement in trade agreements and trea-ties.

“It’s good to be home,”

Scheibe said.In another change, the state

board clarified Tuesday that local infrastructure grants are intended for projects in which a non-profit organiza-tion or local government has at least a majority share in the real estate.

Costello said governments have been making applica-tions on behalf of private developers.

The new policy contains exceptions: Projects in com-munities of 5,000 or small-er populations; and projects

expected to create “signifi-cant” jobs.

“These are guidelines. They are not hard and fast rules,” Pierre lawyer Tim Engel, who represents the board, said. “There may be a scenario where you want to help get something going.”

By BoB MercerPublic Opinion Capitol Bureau

PIERRE – Biologists for the state Wildlife Division won’t conduct an aerial survey of South Dakota’s antelope herds this year.

They know antelope numbers remain low and nothing is expected to significantly change in the weeks and months ahead.

“It’s pretty hard to spend that money flying pronghorns,” Andy Lindbloom, a senior big game biologist, told members of the state Game, Fish and Parks Commission last week.

Because the populations have declined so sharply, the commission is proposing that fewer licenses be offered to hunters for the 2014 rifle season scheduled to run Oct. 4 through Oct. 19.

There would be 2,705 single-tag licenses available to South Dakota residents and 61 single-tag licenses for non-residents.

In addition to the license cutback for residents, Tripp and Lyman counties and the Fort Pierre National Grasslands would be closed for the 2014 season as well.

“I really think you’re on the right track, where scenarios dictate what you’re going to do with the population. It’s positive,” commissioner Barry Jensen of White River said.

The commission will hold a public hearing July 8 starting at 2 p.m. CDT at the Holiday Inn Express at Fort Pierre.

Last year, the season’s second weekend was blown out by the Atlas blizzard that shut down much of South Dakota’s western one-third.

There were 3,467 licensed resident hunters. They took 1,454 bucks and 480 does for a success rate of 48 percent.

Lindbloom said the preference is at least 60 percent. That mark hasn’t been hit since 2007.

The antelope harvest was 7,056 in 2008 and peaked in recent years at 14,100 in 2009. Since then it dropped every year: 8,949 in 2010; 4,493 in 2011; 2,637 in 2012; and 1,935 in 2013.

Severe winters after 2009 hurt the population. Reproduction fell to a record low in 2013, with 59 fawns per 100 does, accord-ing to Lindbloom. He said the rate was 71 in 2012.

“Usually we’re around that 80 fawns per 100 does,” he said.Two studies are to be done by South Dakota State

University researchers.One will attempt to determine the best sample sizes

for making deer and antelope population estimates and whether antelope surveys should be performed in August or September. Currently they are done in both months for antelope.

The other study will try to track antelope survival, sea-sonal movements and home ranges, with a focus on Harding and Butte counties. That work starts this summer and will run into 2017.

Lindbloom said those results could help refine methods used for aerial surveys in the future. He said it’s possible that aerial surveys would be scheduled every other year and eventually there could be more than one year between them.

Public Opinion photo by Rachelle Klemme

School board members listen to business manager Rick Hohn, right, giving an update on the

Watertown Middle School and Watertown Intermediate School projects. From left: Garrett

Priest, Dr. Fred Deutsch, superintendent Dr. Lesli Jutting, board president Tammy Rieber

and Tom Linngren.

Work progresses on middle schoolBy rachelle KleMMePublic Opinion News Staff

The Watertown School Board received an update on the new middle school project and intermediate school project during Monday’s regular meeting.

“They are continuing with footings,” busi-ness manager Rick Hohn said of the new middle school construction. “They’re going to continue to work on the east side.”

Hohn said they are putting in electrical piping.

“It’s just kind of interesting how complex that really is when you see the magnitude of electricity that’s going to come into that facility,” he said.

Hohn said he planned to attend a pre-construction meeting with the city on Wednesday.

“The roundabout probably won’t go into place until the later part of next year,” he said.

Gray Construction is building the new mid-dle school, along with several subcontractors.

Hohn said factors like frost pushed the middle school construction project back, but it is going well overall and they might work some Saturdays to catch up.

“They’ve given us every indication that they’re going to work as hard as they can to meet the deadline date of Aug. 1, 2015,” Hohn said.

Hohn also talked about the intermediate

school renovation project not receiving any bids.

“The problem, was, I believe, breaking up into two, possible three summers,” he said. “The construction would have been done during the summer months, which is their busiest time.”

Hohn said they would possibly rebid around January or February.

With remodeling going on during the school year, Hohn said they would probably get better bids and a better product – but the down side would be delaying the opening of the intermediate school.

The intermediate school would be located in the current middle school, which in turn will move to its new site. The intermediate school is for students in fifth and sixth grade, and those grades are currently housed in the elementary school buildings.

“We’re going to have to hold students in the elementary schools for one more year when we vacate that for construction,” Hohn said.

Superintendent Dr. Lesli Jutting said they have plans and ideas of what to do about fifth and sixth grade students being in the current buildings one more year than expected, with potential crowding issues.

“We want to make sure all of our kids have the best education possible,” Jutting said. “We’ll work on that plan, and we’ll bring that to you probably in August, September, as to what we’re going to do with that extra year.”

Drop in numbersmay mean fewer antelope licenses

State board changes policies on job loans, grants

School of Mines is adding a petroleum systems minorRAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) —

The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is adding a minor in petroleum systems as part of a broad-er initiative to focus on the booming energy industry.

“The energy industry is rap-idly growing in our region. Many of our graduates are already hired into the indus-try and we are well-positioned to expand both teaching and research in this field,” school President Heather Wilson said in a statement.

The Rapid City school is equidistant from three of the

largest energy-producing regions in the country: the Williston Basin to the north, the Powder River Basin to the northwest and the Denver Basin directly south. The college announced in April that it was launching a Shale Research Institute with the help of Rapid City-based engi-neering consultant RESPEC. Shale formations, such as the Bakken in North Dakota, hold oil.

The new minor in petro-leum systems will be available to all Mines and Technology students beginning in the

fall, pending approval from the state Board of Regents. Coursework will include drill-

ing and production engineer-ing, fluid mechanics and a field course.

Mom dies after directing 8-year-old to back out a vehicle

ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP)

— A 30-year-old Aberdeen

woman died after being

pinned between two vehicles

as she was directing an

8-year-old to back a vehicle

out of a driveway.

The American News

reports that Brianne Nutter

died Tuesday afternoon

when the child driver lost

control of the vehicle and

pinned her to a parked

vehicle.

Police say Nutter was tak-

en to a hospital, where she

died of her injuries.

No injuries in gas leak, fire

DELL RAPIDS, S.D.

(AP) — A gas line fire in Dell

Rapids led to the closure of

area streets Tuesday and

the evacuation of homes and

businesses.

City Administrator Justin

Weiland said a contractor

working in the area hit the

pipe, but it’s unclear what

ignited the fire. No injuries

were reported.

The operator of the line,

MidAmerican Energy, worked

into the evening to shut down

the line, Weiland said.

Minnehaha County sher-

iff’s Sgt. Preston Evans said

the flames initially were 20

to 30 feet high. He said fire-

fighters contained the flames

to about a foot high and kept

water on them to prevent the

blaze from spreading until the

line is isolated.

A nearby car, whose own-

er was having trouble starting

it, also caught fire, but that

blaze was put out.