Hot With Strong Winds 9 a.m.: 76 88 | DETAILS: PAGE 2 P...
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BY NATHAN JOHNSON [email protected] The Yankton City Commission estab- lished a sub-committee Monday to examine the proposals put forth by five consultants for a sports complex feasibility study. In July, the commission put out a re- quest for proposals from consultants as a new home is sought for the Yankton Youth Soccer Association fields currently on Human Services Center property. The pos- sibility of expanding the amount of space for other sports is also being considered. The five firms that submitted proposals are: Stockwell Engineers of Sioux Falls with a $57,600 bid; RDG of Des Moines, Iowa, with a $75,000 bid; FEH of Sioux City, Iowa, with a $69,000-$92,500 bid; Johnson Con- sulting of Chicago with a $64,975 bid; and C,S & L International of Minneapolis with a $79,000 bid. Commissioners Charlie Gross, David Knoff and Craig Sommer, as well as Mayor Nancy Wenande, volunteered to serve on the committee. Interim City Manager Al Viereck and Parks and Recreation Director Todd Larson will also be involved. The group will read through the proposals to determine what services are being offered for the money and make a recommendation to the full City Commission. “We’re anticipating that we will bring this proposal forward for action on the evening of Sept. 24,” Viereck said. Judging from the past, the question of whether the commission will proceed with hiring a consultant is not a foregone con- clusion. When deciding whether to put out a request for proposals, the measure was narrowly approved with a 4-3 vote. During a media briefing Friday, Wenande said she believes the commission has an open mind on the sports complex issue and is trying to do its due diligence. YANKTON RECYCLING THIS WEEK: SOUTH OF 15TH STREET 75¢ Hot With Strong Winds 9 a.m.: 76 | 3 p.m.: 88 | DETAILS: PAGE 2 P RESS & D AKOTAN Y ANKTON D AILY VOLUME 138 NUMBER 116 TUESDAY n SEPTEMBER 11, 2012 The Dakotas’ Oldest Newspaper | 12 PAGES | www.yankton.net REGION 2 | OBITUARIES 3 | WORLD 3 | VIEWS 4 | LIFE 5 | MIDWEST 7 | SPORTS 8-9 | CLASSIFIEDS 10-11 TOMORROW: Wagner Facilities Celebrate Ribbon Cutting Printed on Recycled Newsprint Printed with SOY INK It’s Your Surgery, It’s Your Choice. The Region’s Only Full-Service Hospital with ICU and Emergency Departments Fully Staffed 24/7 BY RANDY DOCKENDORF [email protected] In 1993, Sister Consuelo Chavez responded to a call for a translator to assist the Yankton Police Department with a Spanish-speaking prisoner. The call launched her ministry as inter- preter for the local Hispanic community. Her work took her to a variety of settings, includ- ing schools, medical clinics and legal settings. The nun’s lifetime of service ended last week, when she died Thursday at age 90 after battling pancreatic cancer. She passed away at Sacred Heart Monastery, which she had en- tered in 1941 and had made her first profes- sion 1943. The Benedictine Sister, herself of Hispanic descent, understood the area immigrants’ needs and worries. Sometimes it was a job or housing. Other times, it was a call in the mid- dle of the night for an emergency. Emma Padron and her two young daugh- ters considered the nun a true friend to His- panics such as themselves. “Sister Consuelo was always looking for ways to help people,” Padron said. “She said, if you hadn’t helped someone that day, it wasn’t full and somehow not lived well.” But Sister Consuelo’s ministry wasn’t lim- ited to Hispanics, Padron said. “Sister had a love for everyone. Regardless of their race or religion, she would help them out,” she said. Sister Consuelo graduated from Mount Marty College and pursued a career in educa- tion. She also served as a missionary to Guatemala from 1965-72. After returning, she taught Spanish at MMC from 1973-93. As a Spanish teacher at Yankton High School, Judy Tereshinski shared a bond with Sister Consuelo. “Sister Consuelo was a fantastic woman. She gave of herself always — to her Sister community, to her MMC colleagues and to her Hispanic friends and neighbors. She was will- ing to go the extra mile at any time of day or night,” Tereshinski said. BY NATHAN JOHNSON [email protected] The Yankton County Commis- sion decided Monday to uphold a decision barring a construction company from finishing a bike trail along Deer Boulevard. LRC, Inc., of Vermillion was awarded a $276,000 bid to con- struct the trail from south of High- way 52 to the Missouri River in August 2010. Work commenced in 2011, and the trail was substantially completed. However, the County Commis- sion was not satisfied with the end result. One of the largest concerns is soft spots in the base that will likely lead to asphalt failure. The commission voted unani- mously last week to authorize the state’s attorney to request a forfei- ture of the $76,000 performance bond for LRC on the bike trail proj- ect. Furthermore, commissioners asked that LRC be notified by regis- tered letter that it was not to pro- ceed with any work on the trail after 3:30 p.m. Sept. 5. Yankton County State’s Attorney Robert Klimisch said during a spe- cial meeting at noon Monday that he had spoken with Amy Powell, president of LRC. She had told him the company had planned to come today (Tuesday) to do the required asphalt work. “I wanted this in front of the County Commission again to see if anybody wanted to reconsider hav- ing them get on the bike path and get this thing finished,” Klimisch said. “My theory would be that everybody knows we’re not going to get anything done this year un- less they’re the ones who finish it up. I know that, historically, they haven’t complied with the require- ments of the contract, and that’s why we’re where we are today. Giv- ing them through the end of the week wouldn’t (do) any harm to us. It could only be beneficial to us to have them finish it out. There would be no payments until we are satisfied.” Powell didn’t return a message left by the Press & Dakotan at her office by press time Monday. Commissioners were not as sure as Klimisch that no harm would be done by letting LRC return. As part of the State of South Dakota’s involvement in the proj- ect, it is stipulated that asphalt can not be placed after Sept. 15. The reason for that is the high tempera- tures that are ideal for placing asphalt. “My feeling is, for the time they have, (LRC) are going to come in, rush to fill it, pack it and spray it,” Commission Chairman Bruce Jensen said. “Then we’re back to square one, and we’re probably not going to be satisfied.” BY ANDREW TAYLOR Associated Press WASHINGTON — Congress returned to Washing- ton on Monday for an abbreviated pre-election ses- sion in which it appears likely to do the bare minimum: making sure that the government doesn’t shut down. Almost everything else of consequence, most no- tably a set of automatic, economy-rattling spending cuts and tax increases that have been dubbed a “fis- cal cliff,” will get put off until a postelection lame duck session — and maybe beyond. Top lawmakers unveiled a six-month spending bill that would finance the government’s day-to-day operations until next March to give the next Con- gress and whoever occupied the White House time to work out a final solution on more than $1 trillion in annual spending for the Pentagon and other Cabinet departments. Typically such temporary funding bills, known in Washington parlance as continuing resolutions, or CRs, freeze spending at current levels. But the meas- ure released Monday actually allows for a 0.6 percent increase to every program to keep pace with a slight increase in spending permitted by “caps” set by last summer’s hard-fought budget and debt accord. The 2012 budget year ends on Sept. 30. But not a single one of the 12 annual agency appropriations bills has become law, requiring lawmakers to step in with the stopgap funding measure to avoid a disas- trous partial shutdown of the government. Just a handful of high priority programs would be awarded larger increases, including a government cy- bersecurity initiative, wildfire suppression efforts, a drive to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal and pro- cessing of veteran disability claims. A popular initia- tive to repair the dome of the Capitol was left unfunded, however, despite a high-profile push by Senate Democrats. The House is to vote on the six-month spending bill Thursday, and it appears set to pass easily, even though many tea party conservatives are upset that Congress Returns For Session Focus Is On Spending Bill; Farm Bill Still In Doubt CONGRESS | PAGE 12 O N S TRIKE E. JASON WAMBSGANS/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/MCT Teachers from Peck Elementary School protest outside a press conference by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel at Maranatha Church, a site hosting for the Safe Haven program, in Chicago, Illinois, Monday. Thousands of Chicago teachers walked off the job Monday over a contract dispute about evaluations and job security. For more coverage, see page 3. BY ANDREW ATWAL [email protected] The Yankton School District (YSD) school board unanimously approved the operating budget for the 2012-13 school year at its meet- ing on Monday. The 2012-13 general fund budget of nearly $14.9 million represents a reduction of over $1.7 million, or a 10.6 percent decrease, compared to the 2011-12 adopted budget. The 2012-13 decrease to the general fund, compared to 2011-12, is pri- marily due to the utilization of health insurance reserves from YSD’s self-insurance fund, in addi- tion to the reduction of positions. In order to cut back, the district cut three teaching positions, a dean of students position, eliminated fifth grade coaching positions and froze the classified and administra- tive salaries for the third consecu- tive year, along with year two of pay freezes for certified coaching and advisory positions. “All of those things really con- tributed to a big reduction in the general fund budget,” said YSD Su- perintendent Dr. Joe Gertsema. Jason Bietz, YSD Business Man- ager, added the budget has been able to stay afloat by the district utilizing the health care reserves. In addition to the general fund budget, the 2012-13 special educa- tion fund budget is a 2.8 percent de- crease from the adopted 2011-12 budget. Like the general fund budget, the cuts come due to the utilizing of health insurance reserves. “It’s important to note that we are not funding health insurance out of the general fund budget,” YSD School Board President Chris ANDREW ATWAL / P&D Devin Warren, Unit Director of the Yankton Boys and Girls Club spoke to the YSD School Board about expanding the relationship between the Club and YSD going forward. The Boys and Girls Club is hoping to have more facilities within YSD in the future. City Appoints Committee To Examine Sports Complex Consultant Proposals County Says No To More Bike Trail Work RANDY DOCKENDORF/P&D Sister Consuelo Chavez, shown here in a 2006 photo, stands outside Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton. The Benedictine Sis- ter, who died Thursday at age 90 from pan- creatic cancer, provided a lifetime of service, particularly for the local Hispanic community. CITY | PAGE 12 School Board OKs 2012-13 Budget NUN | PAGE 12 YSD | PAGE 12 Nun’s Passing Ends Era For Hispanic Community COUNTY | PAGE 12
Transcript of Hot With Strong Winds 9 a.m.: 76 88 | DETAILS: PAGE 2 P...
BY NATHAN [email protected]
The Yankton City Commission estab-lished a sub-committee Monday to examinethe proposals put forth by five consultantsfor a sports complex feasibility study.
In July, the commission put out a re-quest for proposals from consultants as anew home is sought for the Yankton YouthSoccer Association fields currently onHuman Services Center property. The pos-sibility of expanding the amount of spacefor other sports is also being considered.
The five firms that submitted proposalsare: Stockwell Engineers of Sioux Falls with
a $57,600 bid; RDG of Des Moines, Iowa,with a $75,000 bid; FEH of Sioux City, Iowa,with a $69,000-$92,500 bid; Johnson Con-sulting of Chicago with a $64,975 bid; andC,S & L International of Minneapolis with a$79,000 bid.
Commissioners Charlie Gross, DavidKnoff and Craig Sommer, as well as MayorNancy Wenande, volunteered to serve onthe committee. Interim City Manager AlViereck and Parks and Recreation DirectorTodd Larson will also be involved. Thegroup will read through the proposals todetermine what services are being offeredfor the money and make a recommendationto the full City Commission.
“We’re anticipating that we will bringthis proposal forward for action on theevening of Sept. 24,” Viereck said.
Judging from the past, the question ofwhether the commission will proceed withhiring a consultant is not a foregone con-clusion. When deciding whether to put outa request for proposals, the measure wasnarrowly approved with a 4-3 vote.
During a media briefing Friday, Wenandesaid she believes the commission has anopen mind on the sports complex issueand is trying to do its due diligence.
YANKTON RECYCLING THIS WEEK:
SOUTHOF 15TH STREET
75¢
Hot With Strong Winds9 a.m.: 76 | 3 p.m.: 88 | DETAILS: PAGE 2
PRESS&DAKOTANYA N K T O N D A I LY
VOLUME 138NUMBER 116
TUESDAY n SEPTEMBER 11, 2012
The Dakotas’ Oldest Newspaper | 12 PAGES | www.yankton.net
REGION 2 | OBITUARIES 3 | WORLD 3 | VIEWS 4 | LIFE 5 | MIDWEST 7 | SPORTS 8-9 | CLASSIFIEDS 10-11
TOMORROW: Wagner Facilities Celebrate Ribbon Cutting Print
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SOY I
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It’s Your Surgery, It’s Your Choice.The Region’s Only Full-Service Hospital with ICU and Emergency Departments Fully Staffed 24/7
BY RANDY [email protected]
In 1993, Sister Consuelo Chavez respondedto a call for a translator to assist the YanktonPolice Department with a Spanish-speakingprisoner.
The call launched her ministry as inter-preter for the local Hispanic community. Herwork took her to a variety of settings, includ-ing schools, medical clinics and legal settings.
The nun’s lifetime of service ended lastweek, when she died Thursday at age 90 afterbattling pancreatic cancer. She passed away atSacred Heart Monastery, which she had en-tered in 1941 and had made her first profes-sion 1943.
The Benedictine Sister, herself of Hispanicdescent, understood the area immigrants’needs and worries. Sometimes it was a job orhousing. Other times, it was a call in the mid-dle of the night for an emergency.
Emma Padron and her two young daugh-ters considered the nun a true friend to His-panics such as themselves.
“Sister Consuelo was always looking forways to help people,” Padron said. “She said, ifyou hadn’t helped someone that day, it wasn’tfull and somehow not lived well.”
But Sister Consuelo’s ministry wasn’t lim-ited to Hispanics, Padron said. “Sister had alove for everyone. Regardless of their race orreligion, she would help them out,” she said.
Sister Consuelo graduated from MountMarty College and pursued a career in educa-tion. She also served as a missionary toGuatemala from 1965-72. After returning, shetaught Spanish at MMC from 1973-93.
As a Spanish teacher at Yankton HighSchool, Judy Tereshinski shared a bond withSister Consuelo.
“Sister Consuelo was a fantastic woman.She gave of herself always — to her Sistercommunity, to her MMC colleagues and to herHispanic friends and neighbors. She was will-ing to go the extra mile at any time of day ornight,” Tereshinski said.
BY NATHAN [email protected]
The Yankton County Commis-sion decided Monday to uphold adecision barring a constructioncompany from finishing a bike trailalong Deer Boulevard.
LRC, Inc., of Vermillion wasawarded a $276,000 bid to con-struct the trail from south of High-way 52 to the Missouri River inAugust 2010. Work commenced in2011, and the trail was substantiallycompleted.
However, the County Commis-sion was not satisfied with the endresult. One of the largest concernsis soft spots in the base that willlikely lead to asphalt failure.
The commission voted unani-mously last week to authorize thestate’s attorney to request a forfei-ture of the $76,000 performancebond for LRC on the bike trail proj-ect. Furthermore, commissionersasked that LRC be notified by regis-tered letter that it was not to pro-ceed with any work on the trailafter 3:30 p.m. Sept. 5.
Yankton County State’s AttorneyRobert Klimisch said during a spe-cial meeting at noon Monday thathe had spoken with Amy Powell,president of LRC. She had told himthe company had planned to cometoday (Tuesday) to do the requiredasphalt work.
“I wanted this in front of theCounty Commission again to see ifanybody wanted to reconsider hav-ing them get on the bike path andget this thing finished,” Klimischsaid. “My theory would be thateverybody knows we’re not goingto get anything done this year un-less they’re the ones who finish itup. I know that, historically, theyhaven’t complied with the require-ments of the contract, and that’swhy we’re where we are today. Giv-ing them through the end of theweek wouldn’t (do) any harm to us.It could only be beneficial to us tohave them finish it out. Therewould be no payments until we aresatisfied.”
Powell didn’t return a messageleft by the Press & Dakotan at heroffice by press time Monday.
Commissioners were not as sureas Klimisch that no harm would bedone by letting LRC return.
As part of the State of SouthDakota’s involvement in the proj-ect, it is stipulated that asphalt cannot be placed after Sept. 15. Thereason for that is the high tempera-tures that are ideal for placingasphalt.
“My feeling is, for the time theyhave, (LRC) are going to come in,rush to fill it, pack it and spray it,”Commission Chairman BruceJensen said. “Then we’re back tosquare one, and we’re probably notgoing to be satisfied.”
BY ANDREW TAYLOR Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Congress returned to Washing-ton on Monday for an abbreviated pre-election ses-sion in which it appears likely to do the bareminimum: making sure that the government doesn’tshut down.
Almost everything else of consequence, most no-tably a set of automatic, economy-rattling spendingcuts and tax increases that have been dubbed a “fis-cal cliff,” will get put off until a postelection lameduck session — and maybe beyond.
Top lawmakers unveiled a six-month spending
bill that would finance the government’s day-to-dayoperations until next March to give the next Con-gress and whoever occupied the White House time towork out a final solution on more than $1 trillion inannual spending for the Pentagon and other Cabinetdepartments.
Typically such temporary funding bills, known inWashington parlance as continuing resolutions, orCRs, freeze spending at current levels. But the meas-ure released Monday actually allows for a 0.6 percentincrease to every program to keep pace with a slightincrease in spending permitted by “caps” set by lastsummer’s hard-fought budget and debt accord.
The 2012 budget year ends on Sept. 30. But not a
single one of the 12 annual agency appropriationsbills has become law, requiring lawmakers to step inwith the stopgap funding measure to avoid a disas-trous partial shutdown of the government.
Just a handful of high priority programs would beawarded larger increases, including a government cy-bersecurity initiative, wildfire suppression efforts, adrive to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal and pro-cessing of veteran disability claims. A popular initia-tive to repair the dome of the Capitol was leftunfunded, however, despite a high-profile push bySenate Democrats.
The House is to vote on the six-month spendingbill Thursday, and it appears set to pass easily, eventhough many tea party conservatives are upset that
Congress Returns For SessionFocus Is On Spending Bill; Farm Bill Still In Doubt
CONGRESS | PAGE 12
ONSTRIKE
E. JASON WAMBSGANS/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/MCT
Teachers from Peck Elementary School protest outside a press conference by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel at Maranatha Church,a site hosting for the Safe Haven program, in Chicago, Illinois, Monday. Thousands of Chicago teachers walked off the job Mondayover a contract dispute about evaluations and job security. For more coverage, see page 3.
BY ANDREW [email protected]
The Yankton School District(YSD) school board unanimouslyapproved the operating budget forthe 2012-13 school year at its meet-ing on Monday.
The 2012-13 general fund budgetof nearly $14.9 million represents areduction of over $1.7 million, or a10.6 percent decrease, compared tothe 2011-12 adopted budget. The2012-13 decrease to the generalfund, compared to 2011-12, is pri-marily due to the utilization ofhealth insurance reserves from
YSD’s self-insurance fund, in addi-tion to the reduction of positions.
In order to cut back, the districtcut three teaching positions, a deanof students position, eliminatedfifth grade coaching positions andfroze the classified and administra-tive salaries for the third consecu-tive year, along with year two of payfreezes for certified coaching andadvisory positions.
“All of those things really con-tributed to a big reduction in thegeneral fund budget,” said YSD Su-perintendent Dr. Joe Gertsema.
Jason Bietz, YSD Business Man-ager, added the budget has been
able to stay afloat by the districtutilizing the health care reserves.
In addition to the general fundbudget, the 2012-13 special educa-tion fund budget is a 2.8 percent de-crease from the adopted 2011-12budget. Like the general fundbudget, the cuts come due to theutilizing of health insurancereserves.
“It’s important to note that weare not funding health insuranceout of the general fund budget,”YSD School Board President Chris
ANDREW ATWAL / P&D
Devin Warren, Unit Director of the Yankton Boys and Girls Clubspoke to the YSD School Board about expanding the relationshipbetween the Club and YSD going forward. The Boys and GirlsClub is hoping to have more facilities within YSD in the future.
City Appoints Committee To ExamineSports Complex Consultant Proposals
CountySays No ToMore BikeTrail Work
RANDY DOCKENDORF/P&D
Sister Consuelo Chavez, shown here in a2006 photo, stands outside Sacred HeartMonastery in Yankton. The Benedictine Sis-ter, who died Thursday at age 90 from pan-creatic cancer, provided a lifetime of service,particularly for the local Hispanic community.
CITY | PAGE 12
School Board OKs 2012-13 Budget
NUN | PAGE 12
YSD | PAGE 12
Nun’s PassingEnds Era
For HispanicCommunity
COUNTY | PAGE 12
