South Dakota
Band directors offer plan to keep live auditions for All-State Band
PIERRE — The state’s high school band directors have offered a plan that they hope will allow for live auditions for students trying out for All-State Band. The plan was approved at Thursday’s meeting of the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors.
In the past, the association has used the state airplane to fly judges to audition sites across the state over two weekends in January. On the third weekend judges were driven to the audition site.
Over the past two years, winter weather has played havoc with that schedule. Two years ago, after two weekends of live auditions, bad weather forced the cancellation of the third weekend and those students had to submit taped auditions. This year bad weather canceled the first weekend, forcing all students to record their auditions.
The plan offered by band directors calls for grounding the state plane and driving judges to auditions. Auditions would get started on a Wednesday in January in Huron, move to Sioux Falls for auditions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and finish with auditions on Monday in Rapid City.
“I feel like we made some progress,” said Kimberly Carda, band director at Roncalli High School in Aberdeen. During the meeting, board members heard from six band directors, two parents of band students and one student band member.
Wendy Thorson, the band director at Northwestern, said students need the experience of auditioning live before a judge. “You’re not going to get that in a video audition,” Thorson said. “The majority of band directors and ADs (activities directors) want the live auditions”
In case of inclement weather, the auditions could be rescheduled over the next two weeks. The plan calls for a decision to be made on the Tuesday before auditions start to determine if the weather will be good enough to travel across the state.
At the board’s June meeting, SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director Brooks Bowman, who oversees fine arts for the association, offered the board two options that both included taping students’ auditions.
Bowman said his main concern was keeping students safe in winter weather. He also noted that holding the auditions over three weekends gave some students one or two more weeks to practice for their auditions. It was clear at Thursday’s meeting that he was not a fan of the band directors’ proposal.
“I really struggle with this,” Bowman said, when asked to offer his opinion of the plan. “It doesn’t fix everything.”
Bowman and others in the SDHSAA office have taken heat over the past two years over the need to go to taped auditions. The band directors’ support for the new plan, with the bad weather contingency, would have to be passed along to the parents of band students, Bowman said. “That would have to be a priority of the band directors.”
The SDHSAA board unanimously approved the new audition plan during its Aug. 1 meeting.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 22, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from April 22 drawing
24-29-32-49-63, Powerball: 11, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from April 22 drawing
15-20-32-46-48, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 03
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Dakota Cash numbers from April 22 drawing
05-06-09-14-32
Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 22 drawing
17-26-43-44-53, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The University of South Dakota announced on Wednesday, April 22, that Athletic Director Jon Schemmel has received a five-year contract extension running through the 2030-31 academic year.
Schemmel has been in his position since January 2024 and was South Dakota’s senior associate athletic director for development from 2012-2017.
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“The University of South Dakota and Vermillion community is where our family wants to be,” Schemmel said in a press release. “I am humbled and grateful for the continued trust from President (Sheila) Gestring and the South Dakota Board of Regents to continue leading this athletics program. Coyote Nation has the best fans and donors, and we have a group of coaches, staff and student-athletes who are committed to competing for championships and continuing their excellence in the classroom and community.”
The athletics department has raised $49 million since Schemmel took over as AD, including $35 million in the 2025-26 academic year.
The Coyotes have won a Missouri Valley Football Conference championship and Summit League volleyball and men’s indoor track and field titles with Schemmel at the helm.
“USD’s athletic programs continue to thrive under Jon’s leadership,” Gestring said. “His knowledge of Division I athletics, forward-thinking vision for our teams and strength in fundraising have all been assets to our university. Our program is in great hands, and I am looking forward to seeing what Jon, his staff and our student-athletes achieve in the next five years.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota extends AD Jon Schemmel through 2030-31 academic year
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 21, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from April 21 drawing
01-36-43-56-58, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 21 drawing
01-04-40-47-58, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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