Valentine’s Day Royalty Crowned at Local Care Centers
Residents from the long-term care facilities in Milbank celebrated Valentine’s Day with the crowning of Royalty. Reigning as king and queen at Wellshire Park Place are Dean Parker and LaVonne Wagner. Avantara Care Center crowned Merv Redfield as king and Maureen Dinter as queen. Pictured above, Selena Halbert, administrator... Read more
Laurie Folk Attends Conference on Tourism
Laurie Folk, membership and finance director of the Milbank Area Chamber of Commerce, was in Pierre January 21-23 for the Great Faces – Great Places South Dakota Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Over 500 people attended; approximately 100 were first-time attendees. South Dakota Secretary of Tourism James Hagen convened the... Read more
William Karels and Alaina Rausch to Play in All-State Band
William Karels and Alaina Rausch have been selected to play in the 2020 South Dakota All-State Band. The 70th Annual All-State Band will be held at the Mitchell Performing Arts Center in Mitchell from March 26-28. William, a sophomore at MHS and the son of Jason and Susan Karels,... Read more
Wiese and Schuchard Win Region Free Throw Contest
Milbank contestants Jaxon Wiese and Shaylee Schuchard, took top places at the regional Knights of Columbus free throw contest in Watertown on Sunday, February 2. Each won their division, but now must wait to hear if they advance to the state contest. Their results will be compared with all... Read more
South Dakota Technical Institutes Could Be Renamed as Technical Colleges
We finished week 4 and boy can I feel it! 12-hour days in suit and tie, combined with limited sleep take their toll. The mood on the House floor this week reflected the stress. It was quite a rollercoaster. Here are a few bills that made it through: HB1083... Read more
Therapist John Shirkey Joins OAHS
John Shirkey, MSW, LICSW has joined Ortonville Area Health Services (OAHS). He is now seeing patients at Northside Medical Clinic. “We are pleased to add additional access to counseling and therapy services here at OAHS by partnering with John Shirkey,” said Liz Sorenson, the clinic’s director. “John’s experience working... Read more
EXIT Realty in Milbank Gives Away $1000 Prize
Judy and Dave Dockter got a surprise phone call Friday evening, January 31. The snowbirds were not expecting a call from up north and certainly not from their realtor, Denice Hooth of EXIT Realty/Leading Edge, telling them they had just won a $1000 gift certificate to Zem’s Furniture &... Read more
Robin Ehlebracht Opens Simply Stunning Hair Studio in Downtown Milbank
Robin Ehlebracht has purchased the former Carolea’s Beauty Salon on Main Street in Milbank. She has renamed the business Simply Stunning Hair Studio, but says, “Like Carolea, I love to help people look their best.” It could be a genetic tendency as Carolea Dikstaal, who retired after more than... Read more
The House  Passes the Vulnerable Child Protection Act
In the House this week we debated and passed: HB1006 – This bill is the result of an Ag land assessment work group. It would allow additional Ag land data (beyond the current soil mapping) to be used to improve the accuracy of assessments. This will give assessors more... Read more
Tracy Pillatzki Chosen MHS January Student of the Month
Tracy Pillatzki, a senior at Milbank High School, has been chosen as the January Student of the Month. Tracy is the daughter of Mark and Cindy Pillatzki. Tracy has been a member of the volleyball, basketball, and track. She is active in band, choir, and HOSA. She also attended... Read more