The Mining Journal · Wagner, SD
MARQUETTE, MI – Dr. Connie Hamm Duncanson passed away peacefully on November 11, 2026, her 86th birthday, following a months-long battle with cancer. She spent her final days at her home overlooking the Chocolay River with her sons, Roy and Calder, by her side. Connie was born November 11, 1940, in Wagner, South Dakota, in a small hospital located above the downtown post office. Her mother had been a school teacher and her father was a farmer, and she and her sister spent their early years on the family farm outside of town. She graduated as valedictorian of Wagner High School in 1958, and that fall began her studies at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. Back in Wagner during her first summer break, Connie was set up to meet a friend of a friend, Harlyn Hamm. He memorably showed up to meet her in a shirt and tie at the public pool, where she was in her swimwear working as a lifeguard. They married in 1960 when she was 19 on the campus of the University of South Dakota.
Daily Republic · Platte, SD
Nearby: Platte, SDVERMILLION — Parkston is perfect once again. Building a three-score halftime lead, the top-seeded Trojans never looked back, finishing off a second undefeated season in four years with a 36-6 victory over rival Platte-Geddes in the Class 9AA championship on Thursday night at the DakotaDome. The win marked Parkston’s second nine-man championship and third overall, as the Trojans handed Platte-Geddes its first-ever title game loss. “This is awesome. We said we wanted our own ring, and we came and got one,” said Parkston senior Mason Jervik, the contest's Most Outstanding Back. “The support that we get from our community, all the fans that we had today, this was for them, too. It was all amazing.” Platte-Geddes planted an early seed of doubt, leaning heavily on workhorse back Landon Keiser to produce a touchdown — his 13th of the 2026 playoffs — on the Black Panthers’ first drive and a 6-0 lead, but it was all Trojans from there. “We just had to take it one play at a time.
Daily Republic · Mitchell, SD
Nearby: Mitchell, SDMITCHELL — A third petition this year is being circulated among Mitchell city voters. Local resident Steve Sibson is circulating a petition to put the Mitchell City Council’s resolution approving Tax Increment District No. 48’s project plan and boundary to a public vote. The council approved the resolution at its Nov. 2 meeting. The tax district is for the Van Buskirk Homes development along First Avenue north of Hitchcock Park, which was previously a mobile home park the city of Mitchell purchased for $1 million. The property within the proposed tax district is estimated to add $6.22 million of taxable value. Of the $1.45 million to be generated by the tax district in its 20-year lifetime, $531,717 in eligible project costs would go toward reimbursing the developer for eligible expenses, while the remaining $923,000 would reimburse the city for administrative costs. Sibson held a public meeting at the Mitchell Public Library Thursday evening on how tax increment financing works.
Daily Republic · Mitchell, SD
Nearby: Mitchell, SDMITCHELL, S.D. — The Mitchell Area United Way has brought two organizations under its umbrella, creating a framework to coordinate resources and address overlapping community needs. In recent months, the United Way has taken on Home 4 Now, a grassroots effort working to establish a homeless shelter in Mitchell, and the Davison County Community Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Coalition. The two groups will be part of a newly formed framework called CARE, which stands for Community, Awareness, Resources and Education. The goal is to provide administrative support, improve communication between organizations and make it easier to address issues that often overlap, according to United Way Executive Director Sydney Lanning. "We couldn't do this work without the wonderful nonprofits we have here," Lanning said. "But we do see the overlap. We see the same individuals at various meetings. Same volunteers.
Daily Republic · Mitchell, SD
Nearby: Mitchell, SDMITCHELL — As Mitchell Middle School students worked through their lines and blocking Thursday afternoon at the Mitchell High School Performing Arts Center, characters from the musical “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” such as Belle, Lumiere, Cogsworth and, of course, Beast, begin to come alive on stage. Not far away, Anna Heeren, vocal music teacher at Mitchell Middle School and music director for the musical production, watches closely, excited for the progress the students are making. “I love seeing them start from nothing and then (seeing them put on) a production at the end,” Heeren said recently. Students from sixth, seventh and eighth grade at Mitchell Middle School have been doing just that since September. The 39-person cast has been working for months memorizing lines, learning songs and how to move on stage. And it’s all to bring the musical — in this case a special version designed for younger performers — to the public in Mitchell.
Daily Republic · Mitchell, SD
Nearby: Mitchell, SDMITCHELL — Marty Christensen and others hope to honor the memory of a friend by checking off one of his bucket list items. Christensen seeks to bring a public access gun range to Mitchell. This is a task that avid outdoorsman and former District 20 Legislator Lance Carson, sought to accomplish before he died. Carson had multiple heart attacks, he said. "I just had the privilege of being his doctor and saved his life hundreds of times," Christensen said. During its meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the Davison County Commission approved an agreement to be signed with the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks (GFP) for a $800,000 federal grant toward constructing a new $1.4 million 600-yard gun range at the Davison County Fairgrounds near the corner of West Havens Avenue and 406th Avenue. The grant is funded by an 11% federal tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment sold in the United States.
Daily Republic · Mitchell, SD
Nearby: Mitchell, SDMITCHELL — A local developer hopes to take advantage of lumber prices with a new warehouse on Mitchell’s south side. During its meeting on Monday, the Mitchell Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval for rezoning a plat at 1912 S. Miller St. from urban development to industrial district. The property belongs to Jeremy Jensen and is part of Jensen Design Build. Jensen owns property on the northeast and south of the plat. Commission recommendations are considered by the Mitchell City Council. City Planner Mark Jenniges noted the rezoning is a necessary step so that Jensen’s property next to the building site can be replatted and then considered later by the commission. A building permit is to follow after the plat merge. “That's the purpose of this whole rezone,” Jenniges said. Jensen is building a 220-foot long addition at his 10-acre house fabrication facility.
Grand Island Independent · Creighton, NE
Nearby: Creighton, NEThe $24 million Creighton Quad replaces the former university baseball and softball fields near 21st Plazas and Burt Street. A ribbon cutting for the green space was held Thursday.
Daily Republic · Freeman, SD
Nearby: Freeman, SDVERMILLION, S.D. — With a Class 9A state football championship on the line, Freeman did what it does best on Thursday afternoon, putting up points in bunches and burying Bennett County under an offensive avalanche. The Flyers racked up 504 total yards from scrimmage — a balanced 292 through the air and 212 on the ground — on 45 plays, averaging more than a first down every time they snapped the ball at 11.2 yards per play. En route to a 57-12 victory over the Warriors, Freeman scored touchdowns on eight of its first 10 possessions and punted just once, that coming on a drive derailed by a penalty followed by a bad snap. It was as close to a perfect offensive performance as one could hope for in a state title game, yet, at the same time, it was business as usual for a Freeman team that eclipsed 50 points in 10 straight games to close out a 12-0 campaign. The Flyers finished the year averaging 54 points per game.