MITCHELL, SD – The Mitchell Police Department and Mitchell School District responded to a potential suicide attempt that was determined to be a false alarm on Wednesday.

Police were alerted to the possible situation at 8:23 a.m. and notified the school.
Superintendent Joe Childs said the call was traced to the Mitchell Career & Technical Education Academy building.

The student was removed from the building, according to Childs.

“The Mitchell High School administrative team and the Mitchell public safety team took action, and within five minutes — less, actually — had the student with them, and were reassured that the threat was false, and there was no imminent threat to the student or anyone else in the building,” said Childs.

Childs expressed thanks to the Mitchell Police Department for its quick response.

 

PIERRE, SD – A record 22,590 visitors attended the 58th Annual Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park on Friday morning, watching as 60 horseback riders wrangled the herd of 1,500 bison into the corrals for their annual health check. This number surpassed the previous record, which had previously been 22,078 visitors set in 2015 during the 50th anniversary event.

Custer State Park also hosted its three-day arts festival in conjunction with the Buffalo Roundup. Crowds assembled throughout the celebration to enjoy a variety of entertainment under the big top, educational programs, and vendors from all over the country.

“It’s easy to say the event was a success because we set a record for attendance, but it’s most important that everyone who attended had an awesome time,” said Lydia Austin, Visitor Services Coordinator. “We were able to enjoy fantastic fall weather, great attendance at the Art’s Festival, and everyone made memories that will last a lifetime.”

The annual Roundup serves as a tool to help manage the park’s buffalo herd. Approximately 500 bison will be sold at the park’s annual auction on Saturday, Nov. 4. For more information on the auction, contact the park at 605.394.2693or email CusterStatePark@state.sd.us.

Next year’s Buffalo Roundup will be held on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.

 

FARGO, ND — For the second time in three years, students at North Dakota State University selected two male winners instead of the traditional king and a queen for homecoming royalty.

As much as some on social media want to start a controversy, the university isn’t having it.

“The voting process developed by students was implemented beginning in 2021,” shared Mackenzie Mueller, Student President of Campus Attractions. “That year, two male winners were crowned.”

She continued, “Students are really excited for our two winners as they represent our overall “Bison Pride” and are involved with a number of clubs and organizations on campus. The student body is excited to have Conner Dilse and Zachary Quirk as our 2023 homecoming royalty.”

Out of 12 people on stage competing for homecoming royalty, seven of them were women and five were men. After Quirk and Dilse received their crowns, inappropriate comments and opinions began to appear on the university’s social media platforms. So much so, the university began deleting the comments and ultimately turned off comment sections.

According to Mueller, the process for homecoming court is done in two phases. The first part is nominations and an interview process open to the whole student body.

After interviews, the 12 court members are chosen by a panel of students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

The second phase is out of the 12-member pool, the whole student body votes during homecoming week. From there, the top two vote recipients are crowned homecoming royalty.

 

GRAND ISLAND, NE — Grand Island Police are investigating after more than$100,000 was reported stolen from a local daycare.

At 8:45 a.m. Monday, officers were called to St. Paul’s Cornerstone Early Learning Center, 1515 S. Harrison St., after staff members reported over of $150,000 was taken.

Capt. Jim Duering said the report came after the bank had concerns about the daycare’s account, including questions about uncollected bills and deposits that had not been made.

Duering said a staff member is a suspect in the case and does not know the current employment status of the employee.

Duering said the timeline of when the money was allegedly stolen is not clear and is part of the ongoing investigation.

A message went out to parents Monday saying the center’s director is no longer employed at Cornerstone as of Oct. 2.