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Area Students Prepare for Summer Break
To quote Alice Cooper, “School’s Out for Summer!”. Almost. The last day for Valentine High School seniors is today (Wednesday May 8th). The last day for high school students who need to take finals tests will be May 16th, which will be an early dismissal day. All other students at Valentine Community Schools will be May 14th with a full day of classes.
Summer Break at Valentine Brings the Return of the Grab and Go Lunch Program.
When school is out, the Summer Food Service Program is in! Valentine Community Schools will once again be providing free lunches to children during the summer. There are no income requirements or registration. Any child under age 18 may come and get a free lunch. This summer, meals will be served via curbside pickup Monday through Friday, 11:45am-12:30pm at Valentine High School starting May 20th.
Heart City Dance 13th Annual Spring Recital
Heart City Dance put the wraps on another successful year with the 13th annual spring recital on Sunday. After competition teams competed at Rapid City, Omaha and Council Bluffs, all the dancers strutted thier stuff in two performances at Valentine High School. Dancers from preschool through high school performed.
Road Construction Update
The West 4th Street, in Valentine project has been awarded to Prime Contractor Paulsen Inc. of Cozad, Nebraska and is scheduled to be constructed in 2025. This 3/4 mile project is located on highway US-83 starting about a block west of Main Street and ending at the Minnechaduza bridge North of town.
Another Successful Blood Drive in Valentine
The Valentine Rotary hosted a successful blood drive on May 2 at the Catholic Church in Valentine. According to organizer Jeanie Cozad, the Rotary and Red Cross had set a goal for 104 units of blood, but were able to wrap up the day with 114 units collected. There were a couple new donors who also rolled-up their sleeves. Each unit of blood can help up to 3 patients. Cozad says that she really appreciates and values those donors who help to save lives with their contributions.
Fire Last Night
At 8:41 Valentine emergency crews responded to a fire call in Valentine last night at the Crossroads Assembly of God Church on East Highway 20 and 83. According to Valentine Fire Chief Terry Engles the fire caused minor damage and was contained to the South car port area of the building. The Nebraska State Fire Marshalls office determined the cause to be accidental with a torch being used to burn weeds in a flower bed next to the building. Emergency crews including Fire, law enforcement and ambulance were on the scene for about an hour. Chief Engles reminds Valentine residents that there are no open fires allowed in the city of Valentine.
Three Arrested After a “Man With a Gun” Was Reported to Local Law Enforcement
As reported in our weekly Valentine Police report, 3 men were arrested following a report of a “man with a gun” on the 200 block of South Helen Street at about 9:30 Wednesday morning, May 8th. 21 year old Rudy Blackbull was reportedly holding what appeared to be a handgun, which turned out to be an airsoft gun. He was charged with terroristic threats and criminal trespassing. The other two charged in the incident are 28 year old Raven Black Bull and 38 year old Robert Packard Jr. Blackbull is charged with making terroristic threats. Packard was charged with making terroristic threats and obstructing law enforcement.
Valentine Movie Theather Plans
A group of interested citizens started meeting last November to discuss starting a community driven local movie theater. Valentine Economic Development sparked the conversation which now has a board of directors and will become a nonprofit in the future. According to Valentine Economic Development Director Mark Hagge, who appeared on the KVSH Comment program Thursday morning, this private entity has researched other business models and will pattern the Valentine effort after the successful theater in Ainsworth. They plan to start by offering an affordable entertainment option on weekends and see where it goes from there. At this time they are looking into possible locations, equipment and other needed materials. The estimated cost could be $400 to 500 thousand dollars, including building purchase. The Sandhills Area Foundation has agreed to act as a funding option for the movie theater group and is currently accepting donations to the project. It is hoped to have something going this summer or early fall. Board members include Shelly Henderson, Danielle Arganbright, Jana Bitner and Jamie Eggert. Contributions can be made to any of those members. Fund raising effort will be announced over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned to KVSH for more details.
Information Wanted Regarding Stolen Vehicles
Sometime in the night of 04/29/2024 or the early morning hours on 04/30/2024, a pickup was stolen from Highway 20 and Helen Streets. This pickup was recovered by Rosebud Tribal Police. 2 additional vehicles were damaged while parked at the Raine Motel. These vehicles appeared to be tampered with in an effort to steal them. The suspect(s) were unsucessful in stealing these two vehicles. It is unknown if the crimes are related to each other. Please contact the Valentine Police Department at 402-376-3055 if you have any information that might lead to the identification of a suspect(s).
VPD Week In Review
On 04/28/2024 at 8:19 pm, an officer conducted a traffic stop in the 200 block of east highway 20. Following the deployment of narcotic detection dog K9 Baker, a 39 year old woman and a 22 year old man, both from South Dakota, were cited for possession of marijuana less than one ounce and drug paraphernalia.
Chronic Absenteeism: Reasons, Effects, and Solutions
Most states define chronic absenteeism as missing 10% of total school days, which is an average of 2 days a month. In the past decade, chronic absenteeism has risen across the nation. Education Week cites that US schools’ chronic absenteeism rate hit almost 30% in the 2021-22 school year, which according to the US Department of Education is doubling that of 2015-16 rates. Closer to home, the South Dakota Department of Education website states, “Since the 2018-2019 school year, the rate of chronic absenteeism has nearly doubled in South Dakota.” South Dakota Searchlight reports that in the 2022-23 school year, 21% of South Dakota students were chronically absent. In Todd County the rate was at 40%; in Sioux Falls, 25%; in Watertown, 20%; and in Mitchell, 18%. KOTA reported in the fall of 2022 that Rapid City schools had a 29% absenteeism rate.
Emergency Crews Respond to Sunday Rollover Accident
Valentine Volunteer Firemen, Cherry County Hospital Ambulance Service and local law enforcement worked together during a reported rollover accident in the early afternoon hours on Sunday. While the conditions of the occupants were not reported, there may have been three people involved in the accident that occurred on Hatchery Road. A couple days of rain soaking into the dirt roads north of Valentine may have contributed to the accident, as emergency crews were advised to take an alternative route to the scene due to very slippery, muddy conditions. Valentine Police assisted the Cherry County Sheriff’s Office investigating the incident.
American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Poster Contest Results
Results from the 2024 Leo Brinda Unit #90 American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Poster Contest were announced this weekend during 1884 Days festivities. First through third place in each age group was selected by local Veterans and the public had a chance to vote in the “People’s Choice Awards”. The first place poster in each group has advanced to the State level. There were 162 posters submitted.
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