Members of an extended family (not pictured above) gathered last month in South Dakota for a much-anticipated family reunion, but disaster struck when SIX of them came down with trichinellosis!
If you don’t know what trichinellosis is, don’t worry — we didn’t either until just a minute ago. LOLz! Basically, trichinellosis is the medical term for what we casually might call “brain worms.” Like, literal brain worms! Real, actual tiny worms deposited inside a human being’s brain and releasing larvae and wreaking havoc! SO gross!!!
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the Dakota family gathering went south after six relatives came down with worms. The unnamed family members hailed from Arizona and Minnesota in addition to South Dakota itself. And one specific thing they ate at the gathering is thought to be the cause: undercooked bear meat!! Yes, we said bear.
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Per the CDC, one family member brought a bunch of bear meat to the gathering. They’d frozen it prior to the reunion with the intention of killing any parasites in it. But that apparently didn’t work out so well! At the reunion, the meat was “thawed and grilled with vegetables” according to the CDC. Then, it was doled out to family members in the form of kabobs.
As the CDC later determined, the meat didn’t actually get cooked right the first time! Not even close, in fact! The public health outfit stated:
“[The bear meat was] initially inadvertently served rare, reportedly because the meat was dark in color, and it was difficult for the family members to visually ascertain the level of doneness.”
Uh-oh!
Thankfully, one family member in attendance piped up once they noted the bear meat wasn’t fully cooked. So, the meat was “recooked before being served again.” But it was too late for six members of the family who’d eaten enough of the meat to start suffering the parasitic effects of the microscopic worms hidden inside!!
Days later, a 29-year-old man who’d been at the family gathering and eaten the meat became severely ill. His sickness got so bad he was hospitalized twice in two weeks. When doctors noticed his symptoms — including swelling around the eyes and severe muscle aches — they asked him to think back to what he’d recently eaten. That’s when he informed them about the bear meat at the reunion, and a connection was made.
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Doctors suspected trichinellosis, notified the local department of public health, and ordered a Trichinella immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibody test for the man to confirm their hypothesis. Sure enough, it came back positive. When public health officials started re-tracing all the family members who’d been at the South Dakota gathering, they determined six of them ranging in age from 12 to 62 had gotten ill! And here’s the crazy part: two of those six didn’t eat ANY of the bear meat! Just the vegetables with which it had been grilled! So, the worms were able to transfer over to the veggies, too?! Whoa!!
Two more of those six had to be hospitalized due to their sicknesses, but thankfully, all six recovered. They were given antiparasitic medications meant to kill the adult brain worms and prevent further release of larvae, and that was that. But still, DAMN!
FYI, the CDC claims that even though undercooked pork is usually the source of a trichinellosis infection, bear meat is thought to have been responsible for the majority of trichinellosis outbreaks in the United States in the last decade. So, if you’re going to eat bear meat — or any meat — make sure it’s fully cooked!!
SIOUX FALLS — From among the state’s best athletes, six team champions and 120 event winners were crowned in the South Dakota high school track and field championships at Howard Wood Field from May 29-31.
Here’s a look at the team standings and top-eight finishers in each event:
2025 South Dakota High School Track and Field State Championships May 29-31 at Howard Wood Field, Sioux Falls ^ — denotes winner of the gold-medal award (best mark or time of all classes). R — denotes meet record
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Brandon Valley’s Landon Dulaney runs in the Class AA boys 100-meter dash prelims during the South Dakota high school track and field state championships on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
Team scores: 1. SF Lincoln 120; 2. Brandon Valley 119.5; 3. RC Stevens 80; 4. Harrisburg 70.5; T5. SF Washington 49; T5. Yankton 49; T7. Pierre 46; T7. Brookings 46; 9. Aberdeen Central 32; 10. SF Roosevelt 31; 11. SF Jefferson 26; 12. Sturgis 25; 12. RC Central 25; 14. Mitchell 17; 14. O’Gorman 17; 16. Watertown 12; 17. Spearfish 7; 18. Tea Area 6; 19. Douglas 1.
100: 1. Landon Dulaney, Brandon Valley, 10.62^; 2. Josh Myers, SF Lincoln, 10.74; 3. Josiah Heinz, Harrisburg, 10.96; 4. Mikey Roche, SF Lincoln, 11.00; 5. Jagger Lombard, Harrisburg, 11.02; 6. Karson Walti, Pierre, 11.09; 7. Dveyoun Bonwell-Witte, SF Washington, 11.18; 8. Griffin Fischer, SF Lincoln, 35.73.
200: 1. Landon Dulaney, Brandon Valley, 21.36R^; 2. Mikey Roche, SF Lincoln, 22.01; 3. Connor Slaba, Yankton, 22.04; 4. Tyler Pankonin, SF Washington; 5. Javon Haukaas, SF Lincoln, 22.19; 6. Carter Lust, Aberdeen Central, 22.31; 7. Marcus Kuehl, RC Stevens, 22.45; 8. Josiah Heinz, Harrisburg, 22.57.
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400: 1. Jensen Hyronimus, SF Jefferson, 49.19^; 2. Connor Slaba, Yankton, 49.29; 3. Isaac Herrboldt, SF Lincoln, 50.33; 4. Alexier Padilla, Mitchell, 50.79; 5. Ethan Rave, SF Washington, 50.81; 6. Eladio Simental, Pierre, 51.06; 7. Dawson Bauer, O’Gorman, 51.48; 8. Griffin Fischer, SF Lincoln, 2:03.84.
800: 1. Jon Kahler, Brookings, 1:53.68^; 2. Griffin Smith, Harrisburg, 1:53.85; 3. Mikah Peters, Brandon Valley, 1:55.42; 4. Miles Brekhus, RC Stevens, 1:55.90; 5. Ernest Ting, Brookings, 1:56.01; 6. Cole Reilly, SF Washington, 1:56.35; 7. Marcus Fleming, SF Roosevelt, 1:57.12; 8. Ben Parsons, SF Washington, 1:57.28.
1,600: 1. Miles Brekhus, RC Stevens, 4:14.35^; 2. Cole Reilly, SF Washington, 4:15.44; 3. Trevin Lounsbury, Brookings, 4:15.46; 4. Mikah Peters, Brandon Valley, 4:17.63; 5. Tyrus Needles, SF Lincoln, 4:19.55; 6. Dane Stark, Watertown, 4:21.52; 7. Ty Petrocco, Sturgis, 4:21.60; 8. Quinn Bruch, Sturgis, 4:22.49.
110 hurdles: 1. Cale Haselhorst, Yankton, 14.69; 2. Jack Day, RC Stevens, 14.76; 3. Lincoln Dilges, Pierre, 14.94; 4. Miles Drotzmann, Yankton, 15.01; 5. Ben Burchett, SF Lincoln, 15.23; 6. Blake Swanson, RC Stevens, 15.39; 7. Matthew Rogers, Tea Area, 15.43; 8. Kyson Fayant, Aberdeen Central, 15.59.
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300 hurdles: 1. Kyson Fayant, Aberdeen Central, 39.14; 2. Tyler Pankonin, SF Washington, 39.22; 3. Miles Hunt, Brandon Valley, 39.45; 4. Ben Burchett, SF Lincoln, 39.86; 5. Henry Hill, RC Central, 40.24; 6. Jack Podoll, Aberdeen Central, 41.74; 7. Jack Day, RC Stevens, 41.91. Did not start: Dawood Toto, Tea Area.
4×100: 1. SF Lincoln, 41.98R^; 2. Brandon Valley, 42.16; 3. Yankton, 42.93; 4. RC Stevens, 43.00; 5. Pierre, 43.01; 6. SF Roosevelt, 43.31; 7. RC Central, 43.52; 8. Harrisburg, 43.68.
Javelin: 1. Lucas Honner, SF Lincoln, 188-05R^; 2. Thomas Hoffman, SF Washington, 177-07; 3. Tyler Yopp, SF Jefferson, 175-00; 4. Sam Marcus, Spearfish, 174-06; 5. Owen Warne, SF Washington, 168-04; 6. Austin Dowd, Brandon Valley, 167-08; 7. Kellan Odell, Mitchell, 165-11; 8. Colter Babcock, Pierre, 161-07.
Pole vault: 1. Nick Tucker, Harrisburg, 14-09.00; 2. Uriah Dixon, Brandon Valley, 14-03.00; 3. William Rounds, Yankton, 14-03.00; T4. Asher Young, Watertown, 13-09.00; T4. Aidan Kemnitz, SF Lincoln, 13-09.00; 6. Kaleb Kangootui, RC Stevens, 13-09.00; 7. Levi Veskrna, Brandon Valley, 13-03.00; 8. Evan Sichmeller, Aberdeen Central, 13-03.00.
Sioux Falls Lincoln’s Faith Kpeayeh competes in the Class AA girls triple jump during the South Dakota high school track and field championships on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.
Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
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Team scores: 1. SF Lincoln 97.5; 2. Harrisburg 90.5; 3. Brandon Valley 89; 4. RC Stevens 70.5; 5. Pierre 63; 6. Spearfish 54; 7. O’Gorman 53; 8. Aberdeen Central 48; 9. Tea Area 34; 10. Sturgis 32; 11. Watertown 31; 12. Yankton 27; 13. SF Roosevelt 26; 14. Brookings 21; 15. Huron 15; 16. RC Central 10.5; 17. Mitchell 9; 18. SF Washington 6; 19. SF Jefferson 2.
Pole vault: 1. Kennedy Ronning, Brookings, 12-00.00; 2. Rylee Punt, SF Lincoln, 11-06.00; 3. Laila Ratzsch, Spearfish, 11-06.00; 4. Charlotte Lang, SF Lincoln, 11-00.00; 5. Jaidyn Forsyth, Aberdeen Central, 11-00.00; 6. Reese Nida, Spearfish, 11-00.00; T7. Miya Muellenberg, RC Central, 11-00.00; T7. Isabel Gillespie, SF Lincoln, 11-00.00.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Paul Hoekman competes in the Class A boys shot put during the South Dakota high school track and field state championships on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
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Team scores (top-20): 1. SF Christian 95.5; 2. Lennox 86; 3. Hill City 53; T4. Custer 52; T4. Deuel 52; 6. Madison 37.5; 7. Sioux Valley 37; 8. Dakota Valley 31; T9. Milbank 30; T9. West Central 30; T9. Winner 30; 12. Elkton-Lake Benton 28; 13. Tri-Valley 20; 14. RC Christian 19; T15. Great Plains Lutheran 17; T15. Platte-Geddes 17; 17. Dell Rapids 16; 18. Ethan/Parkston 14; 19. Hanson 13; 20. Miller 11.
100: 1. Oliver Fieber, Deuel, 10.83; 2. Landon Dominisse, Canton, 11.01; 3. Kincade Lehman, Custer, 11.15; 4. Carson Vanden Berge, Platte-Geddes, 11.19; 5. Micah Holien, Great Plains Lutheran, 11.23; 6. Brody Dybvig, Tri-Valley, 11.25; 7. Jackson Shoulders, Dakota Valley, 11.26. Did not start: Zac VanMeeteren, Hamlin.
200: 1. Oliver Fieber, Deuel, 21.89; 2. Owen Effling, Tri-Valley, 22.29; 3. Carson Vanden Berge, Platte-Geddes, 22.41; 4. Tanner Boonstra, Dakota Valley, 22.42; 5. Micah Holien, Great Plains Lutheran, 22.71; 6. Gavin Kloos, Deuel, 22.88; 7. James Deckert, Ethan/Parkston, 22.95. Did not start: Zac VanMeeteren, Hamlin.
400: 1. Bennett Wassenaar, SF Christian, 49.64; 2. Brenton Westberry, Flandreau, 50.20; 3. Drake Mikkelsen, Lennox, 50.68; 4. Dax Frandsen, Hill City, 50.80; 5. Micah Holien, Great Plains Lutheran, 51.20; 6. Tanner Stein, Elkton-Lake Benton, 51.24; 7. Malachi James, Beresford, 51.97. Did not start: Kolter Kramer, Ethan/Parkston.
800: 1. Bennett Wassenaar, SF Christian, 1:57.05; 2. Tate Grabow, Hill City, 1:57.28; 3. Cloy McVey, Lennox, 1:58.04; 4. Dax Frandsen, Hill City, 1:59.20; 5. Cole Dewald, Hanson, 1:59.23; 6. Noah Sayler, Lennox, 1:59.56; 7. Jayden Taken Alive, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, 1:59.67; 8. Levi Vander Leest, SF Christian, 1:59.84.
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1,600: 1. Jack Brown, Dakota Valley, 4:23.74; 2. Cloy McVey, Lennox, 4:24.88; 3. Tate Grabow, Hill City, 4:24.95; 4. Dylan Gerdes, Madison, 4:27.63; 5. Jackson Prins, SF Christian, 4:28.39; 6. Lionel Hinson, RC Christian, 4:30.56; 7. Peyton Tetzlaff, West Central, 4:30.74; 8. Jonathan Roth, West Central, 4:31.41.
3,200: 1. Tate Grabow, Hill City, 9:36.00; 2. Jack Brown, Dakota Valley, 9:37.96; 3. Sean Shipp, Custer, 9:45.41; 4. Jackson Prins, SF Christian, 9:46.53; 5. Peyton Tetzlaff, West Central, 9:47.74; 6. Cloy McVey, Lennox, 9:53.00; 7. Lennon Clarkson, Belle Fourche, 9:55.22; 8. Wesley Lyon, SF Christian, 10:00.32.
Shot put: 1. Paul Hoekman, SF Christian, 68-04.50R; 2. Marcus Furth, SF Christian, 61-11.75; 3. Taiton Boersma, Elkton-Lake Benton, 51-11.75; 4. Maxon Speed, St. Thomas More, 50-04.50; 5. Thomas Hemmingstad, Elk Point-Jefferson, 49-01.50; 6. Jevyn Lefers, Lennox; 48-10.75; 7. Michael Severson, Clark/Willow Lake, 48-10.75; 8. Joseph Sharpe, Beresford, 46-09.50.
Discus: 1. Paul Hoekman, SF Christian, 169-04; 2. Shawn Hammerbeck, Winner, 156-01; 3. Taiton Boersma, Elkton-Lake Benton, 151-02; 4. Legend Benedict, Winner, 147-01; 5. Willem Kattenberg, SF Christian, 145-07; 6. Nick Popkes, SF Christian, 143-01; 7. Jevyn Lefers, Lennox, 138-03; 8. Kyle Virtue, Custer, 137-00.
Javelin: 1. Roland Sedlacek, Custer, 174-07R; 2. Jakob Steen, Clark/Willow Lake, 163-06; 3. Vincent Hoffman, Dakota Valley, 163-00; 4. Hunter Yosten, Scotland/Menno, 161-01; 5. Jackson Peppel, Dell Rapids, 158-03; 6. Luke Schmitz, Elk Point-Jefferson, 156-01; 7. Maxon Speed, St. Thomas More, 154-00; 8. Peyton Glenn, RC Christian, 152-08.
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Pole vault: 1. Henry Meyer, Madison, 14-00.00; 2. Samuel Rick, Milbank, 14-00.00; 3. Gabe Sather, Deuel, 13-03.00; 4. Cruz Mollman, Lead-Deadwood, 12-09.00; 5. Eliot Erickson, Elkton-Lake Benton, 12-03.00; T6. Colton Davis, Madison, 12-03.00; T6. Max Matherly, SF Christian, 12-03.00; 8. Jeron McCreary, Webster Area, 12-03.00.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Halle Braun (right) and Sioux Valley’s Adison Renkly (left) run in the Class A girls 100-meter hurdles finals during the South Dakota high school track and field state championships on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
Team scores (top-20): 1. SF Christian 162; 2. Custer 90; 3. Lennox 85; 4. Dakota Valley 61; 5. Elk Point-Jefferson 50; 6. Sioux Valley 29; 7. Flandreau 25; 8. Scotland/Menno 23; 9. Groton Area 20; 10. Mount Vernon/Plankinton 19; 11. Ethan/Parkston 18. T12. RC Christian 17; T12. Hill City 17; 14. Parker 15; 15. Baltic 14; 16. West Central 13; 17. Belle Fourche 12; T18. Dell Rapids 11; T18. Winner 11; T20. Lead-Deadwood 10; T20. Wagner 10.
400: 1. Anna Vyn, SF Christian, 57.20; 2. Bergan Musser, Lennox, 57.83; 3. Rorie Thoreson, Dell Rapids, 59.61; 4. Keelie Kuil, Winner, 1:00.29; 5. Ashlynn Elshere, Hot Springs, 1:00.30; 6. Jayla DeCou, Lennox, 1:00.34; 7. Cadence Bochek, Clark/Willow Lake, 1:01.15; 8. Natalie Smith, SF Christian, 1:01.32.
800: 1. Sophia Redler, Dakota Valley, 2:15.05; 2. Alex McCullough, Dakota Valley, 2:15.59; 3. Ellie Maddox, SF Christian, 2:16.07; 4. Sadie Pettengill, SF Christian, 2:16.70; 5. Anna Vyn, SF Christian, 2:17.15; 6. Sammi Eide, Mount Vernon/Plankinton, 2:17.76; 7. Faith Wiese, Flandreau, 2:17.76; 8. Maci Licht, Sioux Valley, 2:18.11.
1,600: 1. Ellie Maddox, SF Christian, 4:54.74; 2. Alex McCullough, Dakota Valley, 4:56.73; 3. Jerica Glasser, SF Christian, 4:57.20; 4. Faith Wiese, Flandreau; 4:57.31; 5. Sadie Pettengill, SF Christian, 5:08.66; 6. Kamryn Nesheim, Clark/Willow Lake, 5:10.69; 7. Adie McVey, Lennox, 5:12.49; 8. Rarity Cournoyer, Hill City, 5:17.07.
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3,200: 1. Jerica Glasser, SF Christian, 10:33.08R; 2. Ellie Maddox, SF Christian, 10:33.67; 3. Faith Wiese, Flandreau, 10:40.93; 4. Sadie Pettengill, SF Christian, 10:55.40; 5. Kelsey Schmidt, Lennox, 11:23.75; 6. Lia Mundt, Belle Fourche, 11:32.58; 7. Brooklyn Sunderman, West Central, 11:37.43; 8. Callie Radigan, Vermillion, 11:38.26.
100 hurdles: 1. Halle Braun, SF Christian, 14.73; 2. Adison Renkly, Sioux Valley, 14.89; 3. Jayda Bennett, Custer, 15.13; 4. Lauren McDermott, Elk Point-Jefferson, 15.14; 5. Tori Gerdes, Lennox, 15.44; 6. Reagan Rus, Mount Vernon/Plankinton, 15.73; 7. Ashlan Carlow, Mahpiya Luta, 15.75; 8. Nealie Stanford, SF Christian, 15.98.
300 hurdles: 1. Halle Braun, SF Christian, 44.01; 2. Reagan Rus, Mount Vernon/Plankinton, 45.61; 3. Ashlan Carlow, Mahpiya Luta, 45.81; 4. Jayda Bennett, Custer, 46.29; 5. Tori Gerdes, Lennox, 46.33; 6. Andee Frandsen, Hill City, 46.38; 7. McKenna Tietz, Groton Area, 47.69; 8. Lauren McDermott, Elk Point-Jefferson, 47.84.
4×100: 1. Custer, 49.14; 2. SF Christian, 49.61; 3. West Central, 50.11; 4. Parker, 50.82; 5. Belle Fourche, 50.87; 6. Elk Point-Jefferson, 51.31; 7. Hill City, 51.48; 8. Hot Springs, 51.79.
4×200: 1. SF Christian, 1:43.81; 2. Custer, 1:44.78; 3. Winner, 1:46.71; 4. Belle Fourche, 1:46.73; 5. Groton Area, 1:46.80; 6. Flandreau, 1:47.66; 7. Parker, 1:48.33; 8. Hot Springs, 1:48.67.
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4×400: 1. SF Christian, 3:56.86; 2. Groton Area, 4:01.25; 3. Lennox, 4:03.79; 4. Hill City, 4:03.98; 5. Milbank, 4:04.92; 6. Dell Rapids, 4:08.66; 7. Ethan/Parkston, 4:10.29; 8. Flandreau, 4:11.40.
4×800: 1. SF Christian, 9:19.82R; 2. Lennox, 9:37.59; 3. Dakota Valley, 9:48.04; 4. Groton Area, 9:48.65; 5. West Central, 9:53.83; 6. Hill City, 9:55.31; 7. Ethan/Parkston, 9:56.07; 8. Baltic, 9:56.68.
Medley: 1. SF Christian, 4:08.56; 2. Flandreau, 4:09.15; 3. Lennox, 4:13.46; 4. Mount Vernon/Plankinton, 4:13.93; 5. Clark/Willow Lake, 4:15.01; 6. Ethan/Parkston, 4:15.83; 7. Dell Rapids, 4:16.22; 8. Groton Area, 4:17.12.
High jump: 1. Ashlyn Koupal, Wagner, 5-05.00; 2. Claire Munch, Dakota Valley, 5-05.00; 3. Lydia Nelson, Madison, 5-04.00; 4. Sarsih Kattenberg, SF Christian, 5-01.00; 5. Emma Gorvin, Sioux Valley, 5-01.00; 6. Lillie Ham, Hill City, 5-01.00; T7. Sarah Zubke, Webster Area, 4-11.00; T7. Bentlee Kollbaum, Elk Point-Jefferson, 4-11.00; T7. Jenna Van Velzen, Parker, 4-11.00.
Leola’s Dustin Wurtz competes in the Class B boys discus throw during the South Dakota high school track and field state championships on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.
Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
Team scores (top-20): 1. Colman-Egan 78; 2. Philip 74.5; 3. Gregory 52; 4. Ipswich 45; 5. Bennett County 39; 6. Mitchell Christian 34; 7. Jones County 31; 8. Faulkton Area 30; 9. Freeman Academy/Marion 27; 10. Viborg-Hurley 23.5; 11. Leola 20; T12. Andes Central/Dakota Christian 18; T12. Wilmot 18; T12. Freeman 18; T15. North Central 17; T15. Wall 17; 17. Centerville 16.5; 18. Lyman 15.5; T19. Kimball/White Lake 15; T19. Bridgewater-Emery 15.
Bennett County’s Reagan O’Neill runs in the Class B girls 100-meter dash prelims during the South Dakota high school track and field state championships on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
Team scores (top-20): 1. Bennett County 85; 2. Colman-Egan 45.5; 3. Burke 45; 4. Ipswich 40; T5. Centerville 37; T5. Kimball/White Lake 37; 7. Chester 34; 8. Northwestern 33; T9. Arlington 32; T9. Corsica-Stickney 32; T11. Deubrook Area 23; T11. Potter County 23; 13. Wolsey-Wessington 22; 14. Freeman 21; 15. Aberdeen Christian 20; T16. Warner 19; T16. Herreid/Selby Area 19; 18. De Smet 18; 19. Hitchcock-Tulare 17; 20. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 15.
Leann Moeding, age 75, of Huron, passed away on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at Huron Regional Medical Center in Huron. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held at 1100 a.m. on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Welter Funeral Home. Leann Moeding, age 75, of Huron, passed away
The South Dakota Highway Patrol is planning a series of sobriety checkpoints across the state throughout June.
Authorities say these checkpoints are designed to discourage drunk driving. The checkpoints are funded by the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety and conducted by the South Dakota Highway Patrol with the help of local law enforcement.
Troopers are conducting the checkpoints in 14 counties total, including Beadle, Brookings, Brule, Butte, Codington, Day, Hanson, Hughes, Jackson, Jerauld, Lawrence, Lincoln, Pennington and Union counties.