10 Broadcaster Press ? YIR From Page 7 area corn fields, but he’s hearing reports from the farmers who have planted them. The news isn’t good. “I’m just hearing comments from farmers. I think we missed out on a rain last Thursday or Friday (July 1213) and that’s probably about the point that the crops flipped,” Myron said. “We’re losing bushels every day now that we do not get a rain. ” According to data compiled last week by the USDA and the National Drought Mitigation Center, the Vermillion area, along with much of southeastern South Dakota, was experiencing “moderate” drought conditions as of July 10. No rain has fallen since, and temperatures have remained hot, climbing into the 90s and at times exceeding 100 degrees. August 2012 A Big Gift For USD A new athletic arena at the University of South Dakota took a major step forward Aug. 8 thanks to a donation from Sanford Health that covers nearly half of the proposed $50 million endeavor. In the first publiclyannounced donation to the project, Sanford’s $20 million gift should kick-start a fundraising effort to construct the 6,000-seat basketball and volleyball arena, according to athletic director David Sayler. “It’s the catalyst for what we see is an amazing future, Sayler said ” Wednesday while on the road for a fundraising trip to California. “We’ll be working hard with our donors to get this done. ” Vermillion loses one of its biggest boosters One of Vermillion’s biggest community boosters is gone. Roger Kozak, former mayor and former vice president of the University of South Dakota died Wednesday, Aug. 1, after a battle with cancer. “He was very dedicated to our community – just a real cheerleader for Vermillion and USD, ” said current mayor Jack Powell, echoing the sentiments of many. “What I really appreciated about Roger was the fact that he was one of these guys who was just completely passionate about Vermillion in ways that others aren’t, ” said Steve Howe, executive director of the Vermillion Chamber of Commerce & Develop- Tuesday, January 29, 2013 www.broadcasteronline.com ment Company. “He brought forth a lot of energy and a positive attitude about growing and leading Vermillion. “He was one of those people who, when he saw issues and things, facility here, which employs over 150 people, near the end of October. According to a statement released by Joe Thornton, Stream’s senior director of brand pilot, Lowell Rahn, 75, of Newcastle, NE. USD must respond The face of higher education is changing, with increasing fees, decreased state funding Tegan Smith, Winterset, IA, keeps a tight grip while competing in the junior bullriding competition of the 19th annual Bull-A-Rama, held Saturday, Aug. 25, at the Clay County Rodeo Grounds west of Vermillion. Smith won junior championship honors in the bullriding competition. (Photo by David Lias) he stepped up, and he was part of the solution, ” Howe said. “He was never the guy who just complained about the problem. ” Installation of new turf in DakotaDome under wayv Workers this week began the somewhat tedious task of installing a new AstroTurf field at the DakotaDome on the USD campus in Vermillion. This new surface replaces the artificial turf that had been in place on the Dome’s gridiron for years. Senior Associate Athletic Director David Herbster was heavily involved in the decisionmaking process. "We looked at numerous options," said Herbster. "We chose AstroTurf because of their breadth of experience and the facilities the product has been installed in. Our confidence in their body of work was extremely important. Also important were price and customer service. We felt like AstroTurf provided us with exactly what we needed." Herbster visited several facilities, but was sold when he visited the indoor practice facility at the University of Kansas. The Jayhawks had the same kind of system that USD was looking for. "When we saw the field at Kansas, we knew we wanted to have that in the DakotaDome," said Herbster. Stream plans to hang up its Vermillion call center A major employer in Vermillion will be closing its call center in October. Stream Global Services announced Thursday, Aug., 23, that it will be shutting down its management in Bloomington, MN, “The company is realigning resources across some of our U.S.-based facilities to better support our client needs and longterm business objectives. The affected client workload will be absorbed within our U.S. operations. ” September 2012 Pilot killed in ultralight plane crash near Vermillion Bill Brown, who lives near the corner of 12th and Broadway streets below the bluff in lower Vermillion, is used to watching planes take off from Harold Davidson Field, the municipal airport located south of the city. He knew by the sound coming from the sky Friday afternoon, Sept. 14, that an ultralight aircraft he had been watching was in trouble. The aircraft crashed in the middle of a cornfield located west of the city airport, killing its and more students taking more courses online. University of South Dakota’s president James Abbott said these are challenges that must be faced. “The question that needs to be answered is how USD responds long-term if the current education model changes radically,” he said. “I think every university needs to have an all-campus conversation on the future of higher education, and how you react to it, and you change it or not change it. ” He said everyone at USD needs to know how “we can be assured that we can do what we need to do, and that we can continue to be the force … to lead and educate our students. ” Abbott made these statements during his annual State of the University Address, which took place Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 19, in Aalfs Auditorium on the USD campus. YEARS IN BUSINESS 31 YEARS IN BUSINESS 35 YEARS IN BUSINESS October 2012 Brokaws to serve as marshals for 98th Dakota Days Parade University of South Dakota alums Tom and Meredith (Auld) Brokaw will serve as Parade Marshals for the 98th Dakota Days Parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6. Tom Brokaw is a Yankton native who graduated from USD in 1964 while Meredith Brokaw, also a native of Yankton, graduated in 1962 from USD. In 2010, the Brokaws established the Tom and Meredith Brokaw Scholarship in Honor of America’s Greatest Generation with the USD Foundation. USD police use Rockhoppers to roll on campus While the University Police Department has used mountain bikes to patrol the USD campus since 2005 or 2006, it was a small program for much of that time. That all changed in August, when eight UPD { 29 Years in Business 31 Fewer students will mean fewer state aid dollars It appears that total enrollment in the Vermillion School District for 2012-13 will be slightly lower than the previous school year. It is an issue that will challenge members of the Vermillion School Board as they make decisions regarding spending and budget planning. “The big change to point out is that we lost 24 students from one year to the next, Super” intendent Mark Froke told the board at its meeting earlier this month. “We went from 1,235 students to 1,211. Obviously, if this will hold true to the end of September, which is our count date, that has some financial implications for us coming up which you are certainly used to working with. ” officers became certified to do bike patrols, and three Specialized Rockhoppers equipped with headlights, front suspension and disc brakes were acquired. That gave the department four bikes in all, with a fifth that has yet to be assembled. “We had the opportunity to really invest in the program, (raise) our numbers, get the extra bikes and gear that we needed to get everybody rolling, said Sgt. ” Sam Nelsen. “It was always something in the back of our mind, where we really wanted to step it up. It’s something we’ve been working on for quite a few years. It just all came together this year, so to speak, and snowballed. ” Nelson said the bikes are ideal for patrols, both in terms of interacting with students and accessing different areas of campus. Company planning SD refinery lets options expire A company that planned to build a $10 billion oil refinery said Monday it has allowed land-purchase options to expire for thousands of acres of southeastern South Dakota farmland. The move does not mean the project has been canceled, officials with Texas-based Hyperion Refinery said. “We did not extend land options in Union County on Sept. 30, and we are evaluating our various options and opportunities, Hyperi” on spokesman Eric Williams said in a statement. “We appreciate the longstanding and continued support of the landowners in Union County and are continuing to dialogue with them. ” The move comes just days before the South Dakota Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case involving a state air quality permit for the refinery. The statement said Hyperion still plans to argue the case. www.VermillionMedicalClinic.com } Craig K. Thompson Law Office 109 Kidder St. • PO Box 295 Vermillion, SD 624-2097 Henderson’s ? 3 ??3???????3????????373?3???????? Dr. Richard Knutson Dr. Matthew Knutson Excellence in Dentistr y Caring Professional Staff 605~624~6291 1714 E. Cherry, Vermillion