SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Veterans Cemetery is more than just a final resting place for those who served our country and their spouses. It’s also a place where families can grieve, honor and remember the sacrifices that they made in a quiet location.

“It’s just impactful and you notice it as soon as you drive through the gates,” said South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Aaron Pollard. “We call the eagles [at the front gate] the guardians. They’re looking in on the road and those guardians’ job is to welcome that veteran to the cemetery and say, ‘I’ve got the watch now and you can rest.’ ”

It’s important to those who work at the cemetery and the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs to be able to honor the final wishes of a veteran and their family, which means presenting them with multiple options to see what’s best for them.

The cemetery holds more than headstones to Pollard. To him, each space has a story and each space is a brother or sister in arms.

“It’s our goal, it’s our job, it’s our duty, but it’s also our passion to take care of veterans,” Pollard explained. “As a department, we have the ability to essentially take care of veterans in every aspect of their life post-military.”

The department wants to offer every burial option for families to have their loved ones laid to rest.

For now, space won’t be a problem for urn and casket burials, but columbariums, an above-ground placement of about 600 cremated remains, are an option they’ll need more of in a few years.

That’s where Senate Bill 52 comes in. If passed, appropriations will be made to add three more columbarium rows. The Department of Veterans Affairs introduced the bill and it will go through the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs first. It may take a while to be able to use those funds, but an emergency clause puts them on the fast track to adding room for hundreds of veterans and their spouses to be revered forever.

“That will enable us once the bill passes and we know we have the legislative authority to submit the pre-application for the grant to the federal VA and get that process started sooner rather than later,” Pollard said.

Pollard applauded the Chair of the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Senator Larry Zikmund for always supporting the work of the cemetery from the beginning.

Pollard also doesn’t see any major issues that could stall the bill. SB 52 will need to pass through the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, both houses of the state legislature and be signed by the Governor. There has not been any opposition, though, so it might feel like a matter of when, not if it gets passed. The sooner the better to get started on construction under a budget for fiscal year 2025.

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Anytime South Dakota and South Dakota State get together for a rivalry matchup, its must see action for those that call our great state home.

That was the case on Saturday, when both Men’s and Women’s hoops collided.

First, the Women took to the court down in Vermillion, where SDSU dominated to the tune of a 77-59 win.

Later in the afternoon, the Men’s programs locked horns up in Brookings, where the Jackrabbits prevailed in a 90-71 onslaught.

Per GoJacks.com:

A balanced scoring effort lifted the Jackrabbits as seven players scored at least six points each. Brooklyn Meyer and Haleigh Timmer paced the offense with 15 apiece, followed by Mesa Byom with 13 and Katie Vasecka with 12. Paige Meyer and Madison Mathiowetz finished with eight each, followed by Emilee Fox with six.

SDSU got six quick points from Byom and opened up an 11-4 lead over the Coyotes in the first 4:30 on action. A 16-0 stretch that included eight straight from Mathiowetz stretched the score to 27-8 late in the opening quarter. The Coyotes scored nine straight in the second period to pull back within seven, but a Vasecka triple made it a 10-point game again and the Coyotes never got back within single digits. A 17-2 start to the second half made it 65-38 for the Jacks and the visitors cruised from there.

As for the Men’s game:

South Dakota State controlled its matchup against South Dakota from the opening possession as the Jackrabbits earned a 90-71 victory over the Coyotes on Saturday, Jan. 25, in First Bank & Trust Arena. The Interstate Series game, presented by First Interstate Bank, was played in front of a facility-record 4,764 spectators.

South Dakota State improved to 14-8 overall and 5-2 in conference play. South Dakota dropped to 12-10 (3-4).

The Jackrabbits had five double-digit scorers in the contest. Garry led all scorers with 19 points while he grabbed a career-best nine boards. Larson and Stoney Hadnot scored career highs of 18 and 14, respectively. Oscar Cluff finished off his 14th double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds, to go along with a career-high seven assists. Mors registered 10 points.

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The two programs will meet again later this season. The Women tussle on Saturday, February 15th in Brookings, while the Men’s programs collide in Vermillion that Sunday, February 16th.

Source: GoJacks

BROOKINGS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – South Dakota State controlled its matchup against South Dakota from the opening possession as the Jackrabbits earned a 90-71 victory over the Coyotes on Saturday, Jan. 25, in First Bank & Trust Arena. The Interstate Series game, presented by First Interstate Bank, was played in front of a facility-record 4,764 spectators.

SDSU’s Owen Larson connected on a 3-pointer less than 30 seconds into the clash. A Kalen Garry layup and another Larson trey put the Jackrabbits ahead 8-0 with just over two minutes off the clock. South Dakota cut the margin to 10-5 at the 16:50 mark of the first half, but a Garry 3-pointer on the Jackrabbits’ ensuing possession thwarted any opportunity for the Yotes.

A Matthew Mors 3-pointer pushed the SDSU advantage to 19-7 with 14:38 remaining in the first half. The Jackrabbit lead wouldn’t dip into single digits again.

An Isaac Lindsey 3-pointer pushed SDSU ahead to 37-15, the Jackrabbits’ largest advantage of the first half, with 6:27 to play in the opening 20 minutes. South Dakota State eventually went into halftime up 49-32.

USD continued its attempt to rally back. A pair of Quandre Bullock free throws cut the Coyote deficit to 12, 57-45, with 14:23 to go. The Jackrabbits halted any comeback at that point, pushing the edge back to 20-plus points just under the nine-minute mark.

Garry drained a 3-pointer to give SDSU its largest lead of the game of 25 points with 3:12 remaining. South Dakota State emptied its bench for the rest of the contest as the Jacks went on to complete a 19-point victory over the Coyotes.

South Dakota State improved to 14-8 overall and 5-2 in conference play. South Dakota dropped to 12-10 (3-4).

The Jackrabbits had five double-digit scorers in the contest. Garry led all scorers with 19 points while he grabbed a career-best nine boards. Larson and Stoney Hadnot scored career highs of 18 and 14, respectively. Oscar Cluff finished off his 14th double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds, to go along with a career-high seven assists. Mors registered 10 points.

South Dakota, the nation’s fifth-highest-scoring offense averaging over 86 points per game, was held to 71. The Yotes had three players score 11 points and two record 10 apiece. Mayuom Byom had a team-high seven rebounds.

NOTES:

• South Dakota State made five of its first six three 3-pointers. The Jacks were eventually 12 of 31 (38.7%) from 3-point range while they held the Yotes to a 4-for-24 clip (16.7%). SDSU also outshot USD 48-38% from the field. 
• The Jackrabbits had a 49-31 rebounding edge as well as a 15-6 difference in assists.
• South Dakota State has now won 18 of 20 in Brookings against South Dakota during the 21st century. The Jackrabbits have won nine consecutive games in the Interstate Series. That span is tied for the longest between the two programs since a nine-game win streak for SDSU during a stretch between the years 1920-23.
• The 4,764 fans are the most for an event ever in First Bank & Trust Arena. In the midst of its inaugural year of events, the previously facility high was 4,582 when the South Dakota State women’s basketball team hosted Duke earlier this season.

UP NEXT: The Jackrabbits go on the road for two consecutive games. SDSU opens up a road trip north on I-29 by taking on North Dakota State in Fargo on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m.

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