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Country School Kids – Lois Paine Widmark – Growing up in western South Dakota

Local Columns

Lois Paine Widmark lives in Ivanhoe, but her story begins in Meade County, South Dakota. Her life journey brought her to Lincoln County and a career teaching kindergarten at Lake Benton Public School. Lois explained that both sides of her family came to Meade County, South Dakota. “Somewhere between 1900 and 1911 Dad and other Paines acquired land grants of 160 acres southeast of White Owl. Edward and Antonia Grimm (Lois’ maternal grandparents) and daughters Rosie, Minnie, and Helen (Lois’ mother) came to the area about 1910. Grandpa Grimm built a sod house on his 160 acre ...

On the Porch

Local Columns

The following excerpt was written by Mrs. A.G. Watson and was published in the Booster Edition of the News Messenger of Lyon County for Thanksgiving on Nov. 27, 1919. Mrs. Watson is describing the changes in Marshall from when she first arrived in 1873 to 1919. An automobile trip from Marshall to Redwood Falls recently suggested the following thoughts. We came to Marshall in 1873 at the time the Chicago and Northwestern railroad reached the town, which for some time remained the terminal of the road. Just a typical little shanty town. Church services as well as the public school ...

Entering a new world with robots and AI

Community Voices

My heart sank a little when I heard. We knew it was coming. Baseball will be little less human and a little more mechanical. I’m talking about Major League Baseball adopting the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System for next season. Teams will be allowed to challenge a ball-strike call two times in a game. The result will be shown on the video scoreboard, and the game will move on with the correct call. The ABS Challenge System has been used in the Minor Leagues for a couple of years. “Hawkeye” technology uses radar to create a perfect strike zone for each hitter. ...

Marshall is a great retirement destination for senior citizens

Community Voices

One of the most important decisions made by senior citizens involves choosing a community as a place to retire. Sometimes it comes down to a choice between urban and rural. Larger cities have more medical facilities and more cultural activities. The down side is that they can seem overwhelmingly big for someone who’s aging, who’s becoming less active. When someone chooses Marshall, they get a combination of city and country. They get the best of both worlds. We have excellent housing options for seniors. They have three great congregate choices with Boulder Estates, Hill Street ...

Now is the time

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Following the recent referendum failure, our district is making difficult decisions about budget reductions. Regardless of how any of us voted, we share a common goal: strong schools that support student success and responsible leadership. With the proposed budget set to go before the school board in early February, it is critical that we speak up now—before decisions become final. I write not only as a community member, but also as a parent with children in the district and a substitute teacher who works directly in our classrooms. I see every day how much students ...

Dr. Afflter was valued optometrist and active community member

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Because I had worked part time for Dr. LeRoy Affolter, optometrist, (reporter) Deb Gau called to ask if I had remembrances to share as she was writing an article for the next day’s Independent. I didn’t find her message in time to reply, so I thought I would share my memories of Dr. Affolter here. I applied to work at his office when my late husband, Robert, retired from the Marshall Police Department in November of 1988, due to episodes of fatigue, which some 8 years later resulted in triple by-pass surgery at age 49. In between filing records, adjusting glasses ...