knows when to hold ‘em to State after bouts with and when...
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The voice of central South Dakota since 1881 Thursday, July 25, 2013 www.capjournal.com Volume 132, Issue No. 145 75¢ C Area News A2-A3 Region A4 Senior Life A7 Sports B1-B2 Entertainment B4 Comics B5 Classifieds B6-B7 To reach us, call 224-7301 or e-mail us at [email protected] Twitter.com/capitaljournal Facebook.com/capitaljournal Pierre leaders review rough 2014 budget BY DAVID ROOKHUYZEN DAVID.ROOKHUYZEN@CAPJOURNAL.COM The city of Pierre’s budget for next year is starting to take shape. Mayor Laurie Gill and City Administrator Leon Schochenmaier met with the city’s depart- ment heads and elected officials Wednesday to go over rough 2014 budget numbers. Schochenmaier said the fig- ures presented were only soft numbers and estimates and everything is still up for dis- cussion at this point. Gill said to expect quite a bit of move- ment between the draft and the finalized version, mainly because the budget still needs to be balanced. “Any number can change at this point,” she said. The budget currently proj- ects $41.2 million in revenues, which puts the city $3.9 mil- lion short of the estimated $45.1 million in expenditures. Schochenmaier said past bud- gets have started with a $5 million deficiency, so this is a slight improvement. The revenue forecast assumes no increase in money coming in from sales tax. Such revenue is down 1.8 percent for the current year through the end of June compared to 2012, Schochenmaier said. There is also no scheduled rise in water or wastewater utility rates, but there will be a 2 percent rise in electrical utilities to help pay off the loans for phase one of the city’s electri- cal systems upgrade, which includes the new Garfield substation. This will be the fourth year of such an increase, with two more years scheduled. There is also a forecasted 2.5 percent annual increase in property taxes. Expenditures could include a 3 percent increase in city employee salary, as well as a 5 percent increase in benefits. The asphalt budget is projected to increase from $1.6 million this year to $2 million in 2014. Schochenmaier said $1.8 million of that would be used for the reconstruction of lower Pierre Street. The remaining amount is needed for emergencies, such as water main breaks. SD organizations gear up to push health exchange BY CHET BROKAW ASSOCIATED PRESS PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakotans who need health insurance can start enrolling Oct. 1 through a new online marketplace, but most haven’t heard much yet about the insur- ance exchange required as part of the national health overhaul law. That’s partly because state government, which has chosen to let the federal government set up and run South Dakota’s exchange, will not play a role in promoting the exchange or help- ing people sign up for insurance. However, a number of health care organizations and other groups are gearing up to help people comply with the require- ment that those who can afford it must get insured or face a tax penalty. People of modest means will get government help in paying for insurance. Officials don’t know how many people will seek to buy insurance through the exchange. About 105,000 South Dakotans, or 13 percent of the state’s popu- lation, are uninsured, according to recent surveys. The federal government recently awarded nearly $578,000 to six health centers that will help people enroll in health insurance policies offered through the exchange. Another $600,000 in grants will be awarded later. John Mengenhausen, CEO of Horizon Health Care Inc., based in Howard, said the organiza- tion will use its $111,000 grant to hire three or four people who will be trained to help people research the marketplace and get the best insurance they can afford. Horizon Health provides primary care and routine exams in 13 medical clinics and four dental clinics in small towns, and it charges patients on a slid- ing scale based on their income. Horizon also will hold public meetings and run ads in local newspapers and radio stations to let people know the help is avail- able. It likely will work with churches and other organizations that plan to use vol- unteers to explain the insurance program, Mengenhausen said. Mengenhausen hopes the state will eventually join in pro- moting the exchange. Eric Matt, an aide to Gov. Dennis Daugaard, said the state decided not to take part in any marketing effort or consumer assis- tance for the health exchange. The gov- ernor decided to let the federal gov- ernment set up the exchange in South Dakota, but state government will regulate insurance companies that offer policies through the exchange. Attorney: No appeal on Riverwalk Landing issue BY LANCE NIXON LANCE.NIXON@CAPJOURNAL.COM Fort Pierre businesswoman Diane London has decided not to appeal a court decision that ruled out referring some additional city actions concerning the Riverwalk Landing development to a public vote, her attorney said. “Diane has decided not to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court,” Rapid City attorney McLean Thompson Kerver said. Thompson Kerver said London still will keep an eye on the Fort BY JUSTIN JOINER JUSTIN.JOINER@CAPJOURNAL.COM It’s the kind of gruesome event no one wants to see at T.F. Riggs High School, and fortunately it wasn’t for real: As part of a multi- agency training exercise Wednesday, police “killed” a mock lone gunman. The incident allowed more than 15 agencies, including police, firefight- ers, emergency medical technicians and others, to hone their skills respond- ing to a large-scale emer- gency. “That is the whole pur- pose of doing an exercise is to put stress on the system you have so you can check your assets and training,” Pierre Police Chief Bob Grandpre said. “We were reinforced in a lot of things that happen to show we are doing the right thing and we need to continue to train that way. It also helped point out areas where we need to pay more attention and we were able to pick up some vital areas there too.” As part of the exercise, officers quickly eliminated the gunman and evacuated the school. Multiple agencies host emergency training BY ALLISON JARRELL ALLISON. JARRELL@CAPJOURNAL. COM Though they may seem like an odd couple, William Shakespeare and Cole Porter are a match made on Broadway. In 1948, Porter’s jazzy score was seemlessly woven into Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” to produce the musical “Kiss Me, Kate” – a sophisticated comedy best described as a play within a play. In the musical, each cast member’s on-stage life is complicated by his or her off-stage drama. The story revolves around the pro- duction of a musical ver- sion of “The Taming of the Shrew” and the conflict between characters Fred Graham, the show’s direc- tor, producer and star, and his leading lady and ex- wife, Lilli Vanessi. A sec- ondary romance is also fea- tured between Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca, and her gambler boyfriend, Bill Calhoun, who runs into trouble with a couple of gangsters. Multiply the double plot by a 23-person cast, and you have the Pierre Players’ take on “Kiss Me, Kate.” This is the second musi- cal Bethany Amundson and Hannah Carda have directed together, following the musical comedy “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” which the duo co- directed in 2011. ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ with Pierre Players’ latest show An officer helps a girl with a fake injury get closer to medical help Wednesday during a full-scale training at T.F. Riggs High School. (Justin Joiner/Capital Journal) ‘Kiss Me, Kate’ schedule WHEN: July 26, 27, 28 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) Aug., 1, 2, 3 (Thurs- day, Friday, Saturday) Doors open at 7 p.m., performance at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinee doors open at 1:30 p.m., performance at 2 p.m. WHERE: The Grand Opera House in Pierre TICKETS: $15 for adults, $13 for students and senior citizens For more informa- tion, visit www. pierreplayers.com/ nowshowing/. KISS ME, KATE Left to bottom right, Justin Oakland, Megan Bertsch, Nick Johnson and Joshua Penrod perform “Tom, Dick or Harry.” (Allison Jarrell/Capital Journal) The show’s gangsters, played by Aaron Peacock, left, and Aaron Siebers- ma, sing “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.” (Allison Jarrell/Capital Journal) The budget currently projects $41.2 million in revenues, which puts the city $3.9 million short of the estimated $45.1 million in expendi- tures. Past budgets have started with a $5 million deficiency, so this is a slight improvement. See BUDGET, A3 See RIVERWALK, A8 See EMERGENCY, A8 See PLAY, A8 “Diane (London) has decided not to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court,” McLean Thompson Kerver, Rapid City attorney Avera Health Plans, Sanford Health Plans and DAKOTACARE have submitted plans to offer policies for individuals and small businesses through the exchange. Retired Pierre lawyer knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em A7 GAMBLING GREAT STILL FIGHTING Legion team advances to State after bouts with Rapid City and Sturgis B1
Transcript of knows when to hold ‘em to State after bouts with and when...
The voice of central South Dakota since 1881
Thursday, July 25, 2013 www.capjournal.com Volume 132, Issue No. 145 75¢C
Area News A2-A3 Region A4 Senior Life A7 Sports B1-B2 Entertainment B4 Comics B5 Classi� eds B6-B7
To reach us, call 224-7301 or e-mail us at [email protected] Twitter.com/capitaljournalFacebook.com/capitaljournal
Pierre leaders review rough 2014 budgetBY DAVID [email protected]
The city of Pierre’s budget for next year is starting to take shape.
Mayor Laurie Gill and City Administrator Leon Schochenmaier met with the city’s depart-ment heads and elected officials Wednesday to go over rough 2014 budget numbers.
Schochenmaier said the fig-ures presented were only soft numbers and estimates and everything is still up for dis-cussion at this point. Gill said to expect quite a bit of move-ment between the draft and the finalized version, mainly because the budget still needs to be balanced.
“Any number can change at this point,” she said.
The budget currently proj-ects $41.2 million in revenues, which puts the city $3.9 mil-lion short of the estimated $45.1 million in expenditures. Schochenmaier said past bud-gets have started with a $5 million deficiency, so this is a slight improvement.
The revenue forecast assumes no increase in money coming in from sales tax. Such revenue is down 1.8 percent for the current year through the end of June compared to 2012, Schochenmaier said.
There is also no scheduled rise in water or wastewater utility rates, but there will be a 2 percent rise in electrical utilities to help pay off the loans for phase one of the city’s electri-cal systems upgrade, which includes the new Garfield substation. This will be the fourth year of such an increase, with two more years scheduled.
There is also a forecasted 2.5 percent annual increase in property taxes.
Expenditures could include a 3 percent increase in city employee salary, as well as a 5 percent increase in benefits.
The asphalt budget is projected to increase from $1.6 million this year to $2 million in 2014. Schochenmaier said $1.8 million of that would be used for the reconstruction of lower Pierre Street. The remaining amount is needed for emergencies, such as water main breaks.
SD organizations gear up to push health exchange BY CHET BROKAWASSOCIATED PRESS
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakotans who need health insurance can start enrolling Oct. 1 through a new online marketplace, but most haven’t heard much yet about the insur-ance exchange required as part of the national health overhaul law.
That’s partly because state government, which has chosen to let the federal government set up and run South Dakota’s exchange, will not play a role in promoting the exchange or help-
ing people sign up for insurance.However, a number of health
care organizations and other groups are gearing up to help people comply with the require-ment that those who can afford it must get insured or face a tax penalty. People of modest means will get government help in paying for insurance.
Officials don’t know how many people will seek to buy insurance through the exchange. About 105,000 South Dakotans, or 13 percent of the state’s popu-lation, are uninsured, according to recent surveys.
The federal government
recently awarded nearly $578,000 to six health centers that will help people enroll in health insurance policies offered through the exchange. Another $600,000 in grants will be awarded later.
John Mengenhausen, CEO of Horizon Health Care Inc., based in Howard, said the organiza-tion will use its $111,000 grant to hire three or four people who will be trained to help people research the marketplace and get the best insurance they can afford. Horizon Health provides primary care and routine exams in 13 medical clinics and four
dental clinics in small towns, and it charges patients on a slid-ing scale based on their income.
Horizon also will hold public meetings and run ads in local newspapers and radio stations to let people know the help is avail-able. It likely will work with churches and other organizations that plan to use vol-unteers to explain the insurance program, Mengenhausen said.
Mengenhausen hopes the state will eventually join in pro-
moting the exchange.Eric Matt, an aide to Gov.
Dennis Daugaard, said the state decided not to take part in any marketing effort or consumer assis-tance for the health exchange. The gov-ernor decided to let the federal gov-ernment set up the exchange in South Dakota, but state government will
regulate insurance companies that offer policies through the exchange.
Attorney: No appeal on Riverwalk Landing issueBY LANCE [email protected]
Fort Pierre businesswoman Diane London has decided not to appeal a court decision that ruled out referring some additional city actions concerning the Riverwalk Landing development to a public vote, her attorney said.
“Diane has decided not to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court,” Rapid City attorney McLean Thompson Kerver said.
Thompson Kerver said London still will keep an eye on the Fort
BY JUSTIN [email protected]
It’s the kind of gruesome event no one wants to see at T.F. Riggs High School, and fortunately it wasn’t for real: As part of a multi-agency training exercise Wednesday, police “killed” a mock lone gunman.
The incident allowed more than 15 agencies, including police, firefight-ers, emergency medical technicians and others, to hone their skills respond-ing to a large-scale emer-gency.
“That is the whole pur-pose of doing an exercise is
to put stress on the system you have so you can check your assets and training,” Pierre Police Chief Bob Grandpre said. “We were reinforced in a lot of things that happen to show we are doing the right thing and we need to continue to train that way. It also helped point out areas where we need to pay more attention and we were able to pick up some vital areas there too.”
As part of the exercise, officers quickly eliminated the gunman and evacuated the school.
Multiple agencies host emergency training
BY ALLISON [email protected]
Though they may seem like an odd couple, William Shakespeare and Cole Porter are a match made on Broadway.
In 1948, Porter’s jazzy score was seemlessly woven into Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” to produce the musical “Kiss Me, Kate” – a sophisticated comedy best described as a play within a play.
In the musical, each cast member’s on-stage life is complicated by his or her off-stage drama. The story revolves around the pro-duction of a musical ver-sion of “The Taming of the Shrew” and the conflict between characters Fred Graham, the show’s direc-tor, producer and star, and his leading lady and ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi. A sec-ondary romance is also fea-
tured between Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca, and her gambler boyfriend, Bill Calhoun, who runs into trouble with a couple of gangsters.
Multiply the double plot by a 23-person cast, and you have the Pierre Players’ take on “Kiss Me, Kate.”
This is the second musi-cal Bethany Amundson and Hannah Carda have directed together, following the musical comedy “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” which the duo co-directed in 2011.
‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ with Pierre Players’ latest show
An o� cer helps a girl with a fake injury get closer to medical help Wednesday during a full-scale training at T.F. Riggs High School. (Justin Joiner/Capital Journal)
‘Kiss Me, Kate’ scheduleWHEN: July 26, 27, 28 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)Aug., 1, 2, 3 (Thurs-day, Friday, Saturday)Doors open at 7 p.m., performance at 7:30 p.m.Sunday matinee doors open at 1:30 p.m., performance at 2 p.m.WHERE: The Grand Opera House in PierreTICKETS: $15 for adults, $13 for students and senior citizensFor more informa-tion, visit www.pierreplayers.com/nowshowing/.
KISS ME, KATE
Left to bottom right, Justin Oakland, Megan Bertsch, Nick Johnson and Joshua Penrod perform “Tom, Dick or Harry.” (Allison Jarrell/Capital Journal)
The show’s gangsters, played by Aaron Peacock, left, and Aaron Siebers-ma, sing “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.” (Allison Jarrell/Capital Journal)
The budget currently projects $41.2 million in revenues, which puts the city $3.9 million short of the estimated $45.1 million in expendi-tures. Past budgets have started with a $5 million de� ciency, so this is a slight improvement.
See BUDGET, A3
See RIVERWALK, A8See EMERGENCY, A8
See PLAY, A8
“Diane (London) has decided not to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court,”
McLean Thompson
Kerver, Rapid City attorney
Avera Health Plans, Sanford Health Plans and DAKOTACARE have submitted plans to o� er policies for individuals and small businesses through the exchange.
Retired Pierre lawyer knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em A7
GAMBLING GREAT STILL FIGHTINGLegion team advances
to State after bouts with Rapid City and Sturgis B1
Volume 132, Issue No. 145 Volume 132, Issue No. 145
STILL FIGHTINGLegion team advances
