South Dakota

Woster: A big brother deeply devoted to his family

Published

2 years ago

August 10, 2024

Woster: A big brother deeply devoted to his family

In the ticket line at Universal Studios long ago, my wife, Nancy, argued with her big brother about why he insisted on paying admission for her whole family.

Terry Gust lived in Los Angeles then — summer of 1986, I think. We visited from South Dakota. Already, he had paid for Disneyland and Magic Mountain. It was our turn, Nancy said.

“But you’re my little sister,’’ Terry told her softly. “I see you so seldom. This is one small thing I can do for you.’’ Whether it was the words or the gentle voice, Nancy got tears in her eyes.

I recalled that moment one recent morning when Nancy answered the phone and learned her big brother was gone. He died overnight in a long-term care place in New Mexico. I haven’t seen the official cause of death, but it was a complication of Alzheimer’s. It had been taking him so painfully slowly for three or four years. The end came more quickly than expected. A blessing, perhaps, but it hurt. To have him gone is sad. To think of him continuing to slip away is unbearable.

He was Nancy’s hero, the big brother — in her world from first consciousness until the day of the phone call. He teased her, taught her and protected her.

He was a hero of mine, too. He and my big brother were high-school pals. Whenever Terry stopped to pick up my brother to go drag Main, he made a point of noticing me — a small gesture but unforgettable to a shy younger kid.

He was taking business classes at Creighton University when I enrolled there as a freshman. When we rode home together on breaks, he treated me as an equal. I felt like one of the gods had reached down and touched a mere mortal.

He offered to loan his car to my friend that year for a spring dance. We walked down California Street to get it. Terry’s roommate said he and the car were gone, headed for Hawaii. I was awestruck. What guy just up and hits the highway for the Coast? Was he James Dean?

He reached Los Angeles, saw the Pacific Ocean and stayed for 30 years or so. Eventually, he tired of the Coast and moved to Longmont, Colorado, where he griped about the “Californians moving in and ruining the place.’’ He also found Joyce there. From then on, they were together. Together they biked and hiked and camped. Together, they escaped the cold for a small town in New Mexico.

It fell to Joyce to care for him as his disease progressed. I can’t find the words to tell her how grateful we were and are to her for all she did. We got occasional reports of the disease’s progression. She saw it day after day, night after night. She lived it all and kept loving him.

That Universal Studios memory, I realize, was a snapshot of who Terry Gust was. Deeply devoted to his family, he nevertheless lived far from the home place in the middle of South Dakota. He would never live here, but he couldn’t keep from coming back just often enough to remember his roots and his kin. He could be a curmudgeon now and then, but he could also fight playfully with a child over a box of Cheez-Its.

Nancy always says he was the kindest, gentlest person she ever knew. In return, when Nancy received a thick, hand-made quilt after she finished treatment for breast cancer 20 years ago, Terry wrote on it, “You are my anchor to my past, and I would be adrift without your joy and love to call me back here.’’

We have been fortunate that for the last two years, weddings in the Rockies have allowed us to share a cabin or house with Terry and Joyce for a few days. The wedding festivities were noisy, but Nancy and Terry found quiet moments to talk, laugh and remember. She could tell he was slipping, but at the center, she still found her big brother.

Since that morning call, we have been feeling adrift ourselves. We will miss his joy and love.

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South Dakota

Feeding South Dakota

Published

10 hours ago

February 27, 2026

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for Feb. 26, 2026

Published

22 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Feb. 26, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

03-14-22-50-57, 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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South Dakota

SNAP soda ban headed to desk of South Dakota governor, who’s concerned about costs

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

SNAP soda ban headed to desk of South Dakota governor, who’s concerned about costs

State Sen. Sydney Davis, R-Burbank, speaks in the South Dakota Senate at the Capitol in Pierre on Feb. 10, 2026. Davis is sponsoring a bill that would ban the use of SNAP benefits for soda purchases. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

By: John Hult

PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – The question of whether South Dakota moves to ban the use of government food assistance for sugary drinks is in the hands of Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden, who has signaled his opposition to the bill all through the 2026 legislative session.

The state Senate voted 27-6 on Wednesday to endorse House Bill 1056, after the House passed it earlier 58-11. Assuming the same levels of support, both margins are wide enough to overcome a Rhoden veto, should he choose to issue one.

The bill directs the Department of Social Services to ask for a federal waiver to allow the state to bar the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for the purchase of soft drinks.

SNAP is a federal program, managed by the state, through which people with low incomes get a monthly allowance for food through a debit-like card that can be used at most stores to buy nearly any consumable grocery item save alcohol and prepared foods.

Representatives from Rhoden’s office testified against the bill in House and Senate committees, arguing that the administrative costs would be too high. A fiscal note attached to the bill between its passage in the House and its appearance on the Senate’s Wednesday calendar estimated that implementation would cost $310,000 through the first two years. Those costs would come from hiring an extra employee and contracting for software to track sales, file reports and help retailers determine which drinks are banned.

Backers see long-term savings to the state, though. A high percentage of SNAP recipients are also on Medicaid, a taxpayer-funded health insurance program open to disabled and income-eligible people.

On Wednesday, Burbank Republican Sen. Sydney Davis noted the connection between excess soda consumption and health problems like obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. Medicaid dental costs alone add up $51 million a year, she said.

Mitchell Republican Sen. Paul Miskimins, a retired dentist, told the body he once counted 32 cavities and seven abscesses in the mouths of 2-year-old twin boys who were covered by Medicaid.

He attributed the tooth decay to sugary beverages.

“I don’t know if that first visit was more traumatic on the boys or on my dental staff and myself,” said Miskimins.

Tamara Grove, R-Lower Brule, was the lone senator to speak in opposition on the Senate floor. She argued that some stores might stop accepting SNAP payments due to the administrative burden of sorting barred products from the rest of their inventories, and pointed out that the bill wouldn’t do a thing to prevent SNAP recipients from loading up on sugary foods like ice cream or snack cakes.

“It gives this look as if there’s going to be this big, huge change in the way that people buy products, but it’s really not going to be,” Grove said.

Some surrounding states, including Nebraska, have moved to ask for a waiver to ban soda sales through SNAP. Such waivers are now an option, as President Donald Trump’s administration is willing to consider granting them. Former President Joe Biden’s administration was not.

Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, the South Dakota bill’s prime sponsor, got a letter last week from Trump administration officials expressing support for her proposal.

In response, Rhoden spokeswoman Josie Harms told South Dakota Searchlight that the governor “has always been supportive of the Trump Administration’s efforts to Make America Healthy Again,” using a reference to the policy agenda branding used by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“We have met directly with his Administration on this issue, and at no point has our opposition been directed at President Trump or his efforts to reform SNAP,” Harms said. “Our focus has always been on ensuring the implementation of SNAP reform works effectively for our state.”

Harms said Wednesday that Rhoden would answer questions about the bill at a Thursday press conference.

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