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Bernice Landers shows her collection of museum quality artifacts at the 140th ranch anniversary party. Photo by Charity Maness/Fall River County Herald Star

Bernice Landers shows her collection of museum quality artifacts at the 140th ranch anniversary party. Photo by Charity Maness/Fall River County Herald Star

Landers Ranch, Star Cattle Company celebrate 140 years

Body Home to six generations of cattle ranchers HOT SPRINGS – Truck after truck after truck made their way down the longgraveled driveway south of Hot Springs this past Saturday, Aug.
Sitting at a picnic shelter in Centennial Park, Sayer Lockhart, age 25, is currently planning a fundraiser at the park on Sept. 6 which will also serve as an opportunity for the community to come together for an evening of food, live music and fun competitions including a cornhole tournament, pie contest, pet contest and car show. Photo by Brett Nachtigall/Fall River County Herald-Star

Sitting at a picnic shelter in Centennial Park, Sayer Lockhart, age 25, is currently planning a fundraiser at the park on Sept. 6 which will also serve as an opportunity for the community to come together for an evening of food, live music and fun competitions including a cornhole tournament, pie contest, pet contest and car show. Photo by Brett Nachtigall/Fall River County Herald-Star

Unique community event planned to help save local woman’s lifelong home

Body HOT SPRINGS – Earlier this spring, when Sayer Lockhart of Hot Springs first began planning for her upcoming “Help Save My Childhood Home Fundraiser” slated for Centennial Park on Saturday, Sept.
Malisa Niles, SD Specialty Producers Association (SDSPA) Urban Ag Liaison, holds raw wool used in the Wool as a Soil Additive project at the Hot Springs Community Garden. Photo by Charity Maness/Fall River County Herald Star

Malisa Niles, SD Specialty Producers Association (SDSPA) Urban Ag Liaison, holds raw wool used in the Wool as a Soil Additive project at the Hot Springs Community Garden. Photo by Charity Maness/Fall River County Herald Star

Local project tests the viability of wool as a soil additive

Body HOT SPRINGS – The South Dakota State University (SDSU) specialty producers held an open house field day on August 15 at the Hot Springs Community Garden, highlighting a Wool as a Soil Additive Project.
Construction on SD Wildland Fire’s new station on 23rd Street is moving quickly toward a targeted completion by the end of 2025. Photo by Beth Bogart/Fall River County Herald-Star

Construction on SD Wildland Fire’s new station on 23rd Street is moving quickly toward a targeted completion by the end of 2025. Photo by Beth Bogart/Fall River County Herald-Star

SD Wildland Fire gets new space on State Veterans Home campus

Body HOT SPRINGS — With an end-of-the-year completion target, construction is progressing rapidly on a new Hot Springs fire station for South Dakota Wildland Fire (SDWF) on the western corner of the Michael J. Fitzmaurice State Veterans Home property.
Three generations of Ace Hardware owners pose in front of the business located in downtown Hot Springs during an anniversary celebration this past Saturday. Pictured from left is Georgia and Tom Blatchford; Gary and Terry Slagel; and Kelly and Brad Bednar. Courtesy photo

Three generations of Ace Hardware owners pose in front of the business located in downtown Hot Springs during an anniversary celebration this past Saturday. Pictured from left is Georgia and Tom Blatchford; Gary and Terry Slagel; and Kelly and Brad Bednar. Courtesy photo

Ace Hardware celebrates 90 years of family service to community

Body HOT SPRINGS – On Saturday August 9, Ace Hardware held a community fun event to celebrate their 90 years of family-owned business serving the community.
While on stage at the Mueller Center last week, Morris Dodge of Minnesota, far right, thanks Evans Plunge lifeguard Lillian Broyles (center) for saving his life in an incident last summer where he nearly drowned. Also pictured, from left, is Red Cross Director Richard Smith, Evans Plunge Director Kari Mulock and Morris Dodge’s wife Ladonna. Photo by Brett Nachtigall/Fall River County Herald-Star

While on stage at the Mueller Center last week, Morris Dodge of Minnesota, far right, thanks Evans Plunge lifeguard Lillian Broyles (center) for saving his life in an incident last summer where he nearly drowned. Also pictured, from left, is Red Cross Director Richard Smith, Evans Plunge Director Kari Mulock and Morris Dodge’s wife Ladonna. Photo by Brett Nachtigall/Fall River County Herald-Star

Evans Plunge Aquatics Director receives Red Cross recognition

Body HOT SPRINGS – Last Monday night’s Hot Springs City Council meeting on Aug.
Photo by Brett Nachtigall/Fall River County Herald-Star A packed house was on hand for a special meeting of the Hot Springs School Board last Thursday, July 31, where it was decided to add five days to the end of school year, rather than have five weeks of five full days of classroom instruction during the 2025-26 calendar.

Photo by Brett Nachtigall/Fall River County Herald-Star A packed house was on hand for a special meeting of the Hot Springs School Board last Thursday, July 31, where it was decided to add five days to the end of school year, rather than have five weeks of five full days of classroom instruction during the 2025-26 calendar.

School Board votes 6-1 to extend school year rather than have five 5-day weeks

Body Publisher HOT SPRINGS – Rather than having five different weeks with five full days of classroom time in the upcoming school year, students in the Hot Springs School District will instead see those additional days added onto end of the year, pushing back the last day of school...
Photo by Beth Bogart/Fall River County Herald-Star Danny Tiger, the new State Veterans Home head, explains the “missing soldier” table in the main building’s entryway, an area he hopes to improve with a volunteer-staffed kiosk, part of his priority to create more connections with the local community.

Photo by Beth Bogart/Fall River County Herald-Star Danny Tiger, the new State Veterans Home head, explains the “missing soldier” table in the main building’s entryway, an area he hopes to improve with a volunteer-staffed kiosk, part of his priority to create more connections with the local community.

New superintendent brings outgoing energy to Michael J. Fitzmaurice State Veterans Home

Body HOT SPRINGS — Danny Tiger may have only started as the new Superintendent of the South Dakota Veterans Home in Hot Springs three months ago, but in showing a visitor around the campus, he greeted patients and staff cheerily by name — and they responded in kind to his warmth.
Jennings Avenue property located across from the elementary school

Jennings Avenue property located across from the elementary school

District will not buy the Jennings Ave. property

Body HOT SPRINGS – In addition to discussing and revising the 2025-26 school calendar at last week’s July 31 special meeting (see story on left), the board also voted 7-0 to not purchase some available property located on Jennings Avenue, across the street from the elementary school.
New Ward 1 Councilman Randy Graham, left, gets sworn into office by City Finance Officer Misty Summers-Walton during the Monday, July 21 city council meeting in the Mueller Civic Center. (Photo by Brett Nachtigall/Fall River County Herald-Star)

New Ward 1 Councilman Randy Graham, left, gets sworn into office by City Finance Officer Misty Summers-Walton during the Monday, July 21 city council meeting in the Mueller Civic Center. (Photo by Brett Nachtigall/Fall River County Herald-Star)

City, County discussion about dispatch center gets contentious

Body HOT SPRINGS – New Ward 1 councilman Randy Graham was sworn into office last Monday night, July 21, near the outset of the Hot Springs City Council meeting.