By Tim Huether

The Bennett County School Board met Thursday, March 12, for their regular monthly meeting with the key topic on the agenda, COVID-19, better know as, Coronavirus.

Since the meeting, the school has made the decision to shut down the school to the students for the week of March 16-20, to allow for thorough cleaning of the school. 

At the board meeting, school superintendent Stacy…

Read more: School Board discussed plans on Coronavirus

By Marj Frew

Martin City Council met as the Board of Equalization at the beginning of their March 16 meeting. Absent council members included Gregg Claussen and Kevin Rascher. With no appeals filed, the council certified the tax assessment as printed.

Upon adjournment of the Board of Equalization, the council met in regular session.

Members of the public in attendance were Kasi Harris and Larry…

Read more: City Board of Equalization, hay ground lease discussed at March 16 meeting

By Tim Huether

According to Misty Rudebusch, PA-C, MPAS, Clinical Director for Horizon Health Care, Inc., they have been following the CDC and the South Dakota Department of Health guidance. 

“We are working with them to implement strategies that we can do with our patients as far as with our staff in our clinic settings to try and protect those that are coming in and evaluate appropriately…

Read more: Horizon Health Care advises, call in first

By Tim Huether

“This is only the beginning,” remarked Bennett County Hospital, Nursing Home and Rural Health Clinic CEO Andrew Riggin when asked about the COVID-19 dilemma  facing medical facilities around Bennett County and around the world.

“The protocol itself changes every day and sometimes multiple times a day,” Riggin stated when asked what they are doing at the facilities in Martin.…

Read more: Hospital, Clinic and Nursing Home clamping down on Coronavirus

At the request of Governor Noem, the Bennett County School District will be closed from March 16-19th for school.

ALL BCSD facilities, including the weight room and library, will be closed for deep cleaning starting March 16th and will reopen March 23rd when school resumes.

Read more: Bennett County School District to close March 16-19

Friday, March 13, 10:48 a.m.

At the request of Governor Noem, the remainder of the SDHSAA Class B Girls Basketball tournament is postponed. In addition, all SDHSAA state basketball tournaments for next weekend, along with the Visual Arts competition, are also postponed. The Student Council Convention, all Region music contests, and All-State Band scheduled for later this month are cancelled. …

Read more: Cancellations and postponements from SDHSAA

Kyle: Due to the Coronavirus outbreak in South Dakota, Oglala Lakota College President Thomas Shortbull announced that there will no longer be face-to-face classes with a faculty member for the remainder of the Spring Semester. Instead, OLC will deliver almost all of its courses through online delivery modes such as Zoom classrooms and the internet. The only exception is that there will be…

Read more: Coronavirus Outbreak Results in Major Adjustments at Oglala Lakota College

Appeals by Daniel Ceplecha and Rangler Ceplecha to withdraw their pleas of guilty to first-degree manslaughter and to request appointment of substitute council were denied following a review by the Supreme Court of South Dakota.

The Ceplechas were both sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on November 30, 2018, for the November 12, 2016, death of Moses Red Bear.

On November…

Read more: Ceplecha appeals denied by S.D. Supreme Court

By Taylor Risse

A long and intense meeting was held by the Bennett County Commissioners on Wednesday, March 4. A lot of public was in attendance at the meeting to both participate in discussion and to listen in on what others had to say.

The meeting began with a large task at hand, appointing an “at large commissioner” to fill Wayne Bond’s seat for the remainder of his term. It was voted to…

Read more: Fanning appointed to open position as temporary board member