South Dakota
Dakota Wesleyan student-athlete killed in Friday crash
MITCHELL — A Dakota Wesleyan University student-athlete was killed Friday in a car crash.
The school said in a statement that Hadley Wallace died Friday as the result of a car crash. He was a freshman at the school during the 2023-24 school year. He was a player on the school’s football team.
”We were saddened to learn that Hadley Wallace was the victim of Friday’s traffic accident. Hadley had just completed his freshman year at DWU and played football for the Tigers,” Dan Kittle, president of Dakota Wesleyan University, said in a statement.
The Department of Public Safety said it was a one-vehicle crash about five miles south of Delmont.
The driver of a 2012 Ford Escape was traveling southbound on 401st Avenue near 290th Street. For an unknown reason, the vehicle left the roadway, vaulted over a field approach and rolled, ejecting the driver who was found deceased at the scene, officials said.
Though the South Dakota Department of Public Safety has not yet named the individual, a
funeral notice
for Hadley Wallace also notes he died as the result of a car crash and was 19 years old.
Kittle said that the school would have counseling resources available to its campus community in the wake of the death.
“Members of our campus community, including our campus ministry and campus counselor teams, and the athletic department are making sure that resources are available to all students, as well as our employees. In addition, our players and coaches are organizing a time to gather for sharing and reflection,” Kittle said.
Kittle said the school community would mourn the loss of Wallace and extended support to the student’s family, friends and fellow Tigers.
“In moments like this we are reminded of the deep and personal connections students form on our campus, and how far-reaching grief can be when a tragedy such as this occurs,” Kittle said. “We will continue to ask our students and employees to keep Hadley’s family and friends, including his sister Peighten, also a student at DWU, in their prayers during the coming weeks.”
Services for Wallace are being handled by Bittner Funeral Chapel in Mitchell and are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 20, at Hanson High School in Alexandria. Burial will be at Greenhill Cemetery in Alexandria. Visitation will be on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Hanson High School with a 6:30 p.m. prayer service.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
Erik Kaufman joined the Mitchell Republic in July of 2019 as an education and features reporter. He grew up in Freeman, S.D., graduating from Freeman High School. He graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1999 with a major in English and a minor in computer science. He can be reached at ekaufman@mitchellrepublic.com.
South Dakota
South Dakota flooding leaves 1 dead
River Flood Warning
is in effect, Blue Earth County, Brown County, Carver County, Carver County, Carver County, Cottonwood County, Cottonwood County, Dakota County, Dakota County, Dakota County, Goodhue County, Hennepin County, Houston County, Jackson County, Jackson County, Le Sueur County, Lyon County, Murray County, Nicollet County, Pipestone County, Pipestone County, Ramsey County, Redwood County, Renville County, Rock County, Rock County, Scott County, Scott County, Scott County, Sibley County, Sibley County, Wabasha County, Wabasha County, Washington County, Washington County, Winona County, Buffalo County, Buffalo County, La Crosse County, Pepin County, Pierce County
South Dakota
South Dakota alumnus Chris Nilsen qualifies for 2024 Paris Olympics
South Dakota alumnus Chris Nilsen will represent Team USA in the men’s pole vault at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Nilsen is a four-time medalist on the world stage. He was one of three men to clear 19-3 (5.87m) in the Olympic Trials and secure his ticket to Paris. Sam Kendricks ended Nilsen’s streak of three-straight U.S. outdoor titles, setting a meet record with a 19-5 (5.92m) leap. Nilsen and Jacob Wooten tied for second.
Nilsen’s trophy case includes a silver medal from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, a bronze medal from the 2022 World Indoor Championships, a silver medal from the 2022 World Championships and a bronze medal from the 2023 World Championships. His personal best of 19-10 ¼ (6.05m) came during the 2022 season.
Nilsen was a three-time NCAA champion for the Coyotes. He was a seven-time All-American, taking at least bronze at each NCAA Championships held during his collegiate career. He owns South Dakota’s indoor and outdoor pole vault records.
South Dakota
Sweltering temperatures persist across the US, while floodwaters inundate the Midwest
Millions of Americans sweated through a scorching weekend as temperatures soared across the U.S., while residents were rescued from floodwaters that forced evacuations across the Midwest. One person was killed during flooding in South Dakota, the governor said.
From the mid-Atlantic to Maine, across the Great Lakes region, and throughout the West to California, public officials cautioned residents about the dangers of excessive heat and humidity.
At the borders of South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota, floodwaters rose over several days. In northwest Iowa, 13 rivers flooded the area, said Eric Tigges of Clay County emergency management. Entire neighborhoods — and at least one entire town — were evacuated, and the Iowa town of Spencer imposed a curfew Sunday for the second night in a row after flooding that surpassed the record set in 1953.
“When the flood gauge is underwater, it’s really high,” Tigges said at a news conference organized by Spencer officials.
Gov. Kim Reynolds declared a disaster for 21 counties in northern Iowa, including Sioux County. In drone video posted by the local sheriff, no streets were visible, just roofs and treetops poking above the water.
National Guard troops were helping with water rescues and transporting needed medications lost in flooding.
“Businesses are shuttered. Main streets have been impacted,” Reynolds said. “Hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities were evacuated. Cities are without power, and some are without drinkable water.”
National Weather Service meteorologist Donna Dubberke said parts of northern Nebraska, southeastern South Dakota, southern Minnesota and northwest Iowa received eight times the typical average rainfall. And more heavy rain was expected this week.
In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem declared an emergency after severe flooding in the southeastern part. Several highways were closed.
Areas south of Sioux Falls, the state’s largest city, had an estimated 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain over three days, National Weather Service hydrologist Kevin Low said.
At least one person died in the floods, Noem said Sunday, without providing details.
Several rivers, including the Big Sioux, James and Vermillion, were expected to peak sometime Monday through Wednesday night, the governor said at a news conference.
“I want to remind everybody to remember the power of water and the flow of water, and to stay away from flooded areas,” Noem said. “We’ve got a few days in front of us here that’ll be a little rough, but we’ll get through it.”
Emergency management officials in the small South Dakota community of Dakota Dunes on Sunday issued a voluntary evacuation order for the area’s roughly 4,000 residents. Dakota Dunes is near the Nebraska and Iowa borders and is sandwiched between the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers, both of which are expected to crest in the coming days. Emergency management in Dakota Dunes warned residents that a mandatory evacuation could come quickly if flood barriers are breached.
Minor to moderate flooding was expected along the Missouri River, according to officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“As long as the levees hold, we’re not expecting any major impacts,” said John Remus, water management division chief for the corps in the Missouri River basin.
But elsewhere, the heat was the biggest worry.
“It’s more important for people who are going to be outside to stay hydrated, because heat, humidity and low winds, even if you’re in good shape and not really acclimated to it, it could be a danger,” said Bruce Thoren, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oklahoma. “It happens quickly.”
The cities of Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia all saw record heat on over the weekend.
Last year the U.S. experienced the most heat waves since 1936, experts said. An AP analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that excessive heat contributed to more than 2,300 deaths, the highest in 45 years of records.
The National Weather Service warned of the potential for rare tornadoes in the Northeast later Sunday. Tornadoes on Saturday struck in Wisconsin, leveling the historic Apple Grove Lutheran Church, founded in 1893 in the town of Argyle.
“The good news is we are all safe,” Dan Bohlman, pastor of Apple Grove Lutheran, said on the church website.
Marvin Boyd, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Burlington, Vermont, said a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for parts of northern New York as a storm with wind gusts exceeding 60 mph (95 kph) and the threat of tornadoes head toward Vermont near Lake Champlain. It was one of several expected to pass through the region Sunday afternoon.
“It’s an unusual alignment of ingredients for Vermont and northern New York to produce a threat of tornadoes,” Boyd said.
___
Associated Press journalists Summer Ballentine in Columbia, Missouri; Leah Willingham in Charleston, West Virginia; Julie Walker in New York; Ron Todt in Philadelphia; and Michael Casey in Boston contributed reporting.
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