TWO GIRLS INJURED WHILE WALKING TO SCHOOL IN CROFTON, NE
CROFTON, NE – Two girls were hospitalized after a pedestrian-vehicle crash in Crofton on Friday.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about the crash at 8:04 a.m. at the intersection of West Harold and West Fifth streets.
According to the sheriff’s office, the two girls were walking north on West Fifth Street going to school when they arrived at the intersection of West Harold and West Fifth Streets. They stopped, and an eastbound vehicle, driven by a boy, didn’t stop at the crosswalk. The two girls had begun crossing West Harold Street and were hit by the eastbound vehicle.
The sheriff’s office said both the girls were transported to Yankton Avera Hospital before law enforcement got to the scene. The driver of the vehicle was not injured.
Crofton Fire and EMS responded to the crash. The sheriff’s office was assisted by the Nebraska State Patrol.
TWO SOUTH DAKOTA MEN INDICTED FEDERALLY FOR FENTANYL DISTRIBUTION
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A federal grand jury has indicted two South Dakota men for intentionally distributing fentanyl.
Evan Nelson, 18, and Udda “Tayski” Kobaba, 19, pleaded not guilty last week after being accused of intentionally distributing fentanyl in December of 2023, which resulted in the death of a minor.
“We appreciate the working relationship with all of the agencies involved,” said Attorney General Marty Jackley. “Fentanyl cases, especially ones leading to death, need to be strongly prosecuted by all law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.”
The two men face a minimum sentence of 20 years in custody if convicted.
Nelson and Kobaba were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set yet.
Nelson and Kobaba are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
BRIDGE IMPROVEMENT GRANT ALLOCATES MILLIONS FOR BRIDGE IMPROVEMENTS IN SOUTH DAKOTA
PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Transportation Commission has allocated over $1.8 million to 35 local bridge projects across the state through the Bridge Improvement Grants (BIG) program.
Doug Kinniburgh, a Local Government Assistant for the South Dakota Department of Transportation, highlighted the importance of these grants, especially in the wake of recent flooding, which may prompt changes to ongoing bridge projects.
The BIG program offers local governments financial assistance for both preservation and replacement projects.
The next round of grant applications is due in January 2025.
CREWS FIGHTING WILDFIRE NEAR RAPID CITY
RAPID CITY, S.D. (Gary Matthews / KBHB) – Several area fire crews responded to an alarm of an active wildfire three miles southeast of Hisega, south of Highway 44 Monday evening.
Great Plains Fire Dispatch says The First Thunder Fire has burned between 30 and 40 acres as of 8:30 Monday night.
The fire is reported to be moving in a northerly direction.
The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office says no structures are threatened but there’s lots of smoke. Many agencies including Great Plains Helicopter are working to extinguish the fire from both Sheridan Lake Rd & Hwy 44 sides.
GROW SD HAS GRANT FUNDS THAT COULD HELP KEEP DAYCARES IN SOUTH DAKOTA COMMUNITIES
CLEAR LAKE, S.D. (Makenzie Huber / South Dakota Searchlight) – Ages and Stages Daycare is the only child care center in Clear Lake, a town near Watertown with a population of 1,218.
The owner planned to sell, and longtime employee Hailey Freeman was able to buy the center earlier this month with a $105,000 low-interest loan through GROW South Dakota, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Interstate Telecommunications.
The USDA showcased the partnership in a press conference Thursday, where the agency also announced a $750,000 loan to Grow SD to continue such investments in rural areas of the state. USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Basil Gooden attended the press conference.
Freeman’s loan allowed her to purchase the building and plan for improvements to the facility. She told attendees how critical the child care facility is to the community and the children she serves.
“We’re like their second homes,” she said. The center struggles with staffing, which Freeman hopes to address in order to reach the center’s full capacity.
USDA Rural Development State Director Nikki Gronli said the department has helped seven communities in South Dakota through similar lending partnerships. That includes investments in child care centers in Custer, Black Hawk, Tea, Oacoma, Platte, Ipswich and Pierre.
“Child care is economic development,” Gronli said. “The beauty of our programs is that we have a lot of flexibility to look at what the critical needs are in rural South Dakota and respond to them.”
In total, Grow SD has received around $22 million in funding from USDA Rural Development over a 30-year partnership for a variety of rural economic development projects. GROW SD CEO Lori Finnesand said the nonprofit has financed over $49 million in loans to more than 700 small businesses.
Those loans have created or retained more than 4,000 jobs in rural areas of the state, she said. The money has helped businesses such as repair shops and grocery stores, and has allowed people to do business in their own community rather than driving miles away for goods and services.
“Loans like this potentially keep those small communities alive,” Finnesand said.
Low-interest loan partnerships like the one between Interstate Telecommunications, GROW SD and the USDA help spread the risk of loans, especially when nonprofits can “be a little more flexible” than traditional lenders might be, Finnesand added.
Communities who aren’t served by GROW SD can reach out to other rural nonprofits working with the USDA if they would like to apply for a loan, Gronli added. Or businesses can work directly with the USDA grant program.
Three child care grant investments from the USDA in South Dakota will be announced soon, she said.
