Dakota Today

+++ Progress on new Runnings Store in Winner, SD

Builders are making good progress on the new Winner, SD Runnings store despite stifling heat and early rains.  Of course, Winner propaganda ministry is spreading idea of what an unmitigated majestic amount of progress this is for the community and area.  It may be true, but there is already a smaller store here.  I am sure a much larger product situation will stimulate their trade and curiosity will bring people to town just to see it.  The 60,000 sq.ft. size exceeds that of local Shopko store.  Some local businessmen hope that more traffic to the new store will bring them more business as well.  There may be more business for a time, but it will not last if local merchants think Winner isolation can continue to allow them to charge prices significantly higher than those available elsewhere or on internet.  This is not 1965.  The world has changed.

I suspect this will do some good for the community...at least more than redundant school gymnasiums and a wasteful swimming pool project ever did or ever will.  Population has dropped here from around 4,300 when we moved here to something like 3,200 now.  Rural Tripp county is similarly depopulated.  A problem for all local busineses is the limited population in a circle around here that has a radius of half way to Rapid City, halfway to Pierre, and halfway to Mitchell.  Going south into Nebraska, population is about one person per square mile.

Anyway, opinions on this will vary all over the map, and below is an image of what will be the front of the new building.

 Click on image for a larger view.

A few population statistics which give an idea of the population that is within oval that is halfway to Rapid City, Pierre, and Mitchell.  Tripp County 2015 5434 which is a drop from over 8,000 since 1970.  Gregory County 2015 4201 which is a drop from approximately 7000 in 1970.  Mellette  County  2050 which is a drop from about 2500 in 1970.  And for Todd County which is about 74% Native American 9959 which is a jump from about 6900 in 1970.  The 2015 population total for the four counties is about 21,644. There are portions of other counties in the area, but they are next to I-90 and my guess is most of those people will take the better highways to Rapid City, Pierre, or Mitchell even if they are a dozen or so more miles than the trip to Winner.

  ***Stay tuned...probably more bitching about miserable dry hot weather---- Doug Wiken

 

*** Crops and Weather are the news.

Temperatures in the area have been mostly dreadful.  Something like 104F for high yesterday and it stayed hot until temp finally dropped down to 75F this morning.   Did not take long for the bright, burning sun to again push temperature up to around 104F today and there was some humidity which was good for crops, but made the heat more miserable.

A little good news this evening,  Wall of clouds filled the northern sky and we got a bit of rain.  Just enough to leave puddles on asphalt and settle the dust.  But, the tiny shower came with a temperature drop down to 71F or 81F depending on which report or thermometer.  Breeze actually felt cool which was markedly different than winds this morning and yesterday which felt as if they were coming out of an open furnace.

Looks like some of the corn around here unrolled with the drizzle and temperature drop.

*** Stay tuned even if it is really to hot to waste time on the internet--- Doug Wiken

*** Why is Chris Kimball leaving ATK to start Milk Street?

I saw one of the new America's Test Kitchen shows and there was no sign of Chris Kimball.  I had read or heard rumors of the change coming last year.  Anyway, I did a search for "Why did Chris Kimball leave ATK".  A number of stories turn up including some from the New York Times.  If you are curious do a Google search.

The gist of what you will find is that the publishing company that owned a chunk of ATK with Chris Kimball and his third wife decided Kimball was 65 years old and getting too old and was not interested in providing free services or increasing profits to the stockholders.  He was offered a show position of something like I guess Ed Sullivan did with entertainment.  Kimball walked out apparently.

So, it is more of the same old same old. Corporations want more returns to stock holders without regard to the price or quality of the product  that is produced.

Of course, we may all be surprised by the new America's Test Kitchen. Looks like most of the regulars around the place are still there.

And maybe Kimball's Milk Street cooking and publishing venture will turn out good too.  We might end up with more options all with good value.  We can hope I guess.  Below are a couple of links.

America's Test Kitchen

Milk Street Kitchen and the Guy with the Bow Tie

***Stay tuned even if you could care less about cooking and PBS--- Doug Wiken

*** Hot weather in Tripp County, but still no rain

Just looked at the 3-day weather history for Winner at Wyly Field.  Highest today was 101F.  My own thermometer, weather device shows 104 F, but it is in the sun.  Shows 5mph wind.  You can check the 3-day weather history here.

KELO-TV weather indicates heat like this for several days.  It is also like this in nearly all of western SD and into North Dakota.  Of course, still not as bad as the 129 F reported for Iran or Iraq yesterday.

July 3, 2017, I put a photo on my Facebook page of the moon which then appeared to be floating on a sea of clouds.

** Sweating it out in Tripp County, SD  --- Doug Wiken

***Winner new Runnings Building construction in sunset

Runnings systen is building a new and large store in Winner, SD just north of existing Shopko store parking lot.  Empire Construction appears to be doing most of the work with some also being done by local contractors.  Despite some rainy weather and days with a lot of wind, the building will soon be enclosed on all sides and with the roof completed.  I guess the next thing will be to pour a concrete floor in the building.  Anyway, below is a photo of the partially completed building with a building crane in the sunset.

I believe building completion time and new store opening is currently projected for October 2017.  This has been interesting to watch now and then.

***Stay tuned, but keep an eye on the GOP as they destroy US Healthcare in the interests of tax breaks for the dear starving and ailing millionaires and billionares.---- Doug Wiken

***Abourezk campaign poster

We have been digging through some old boxes and envelopes.  One box had some political papers from the days I worked for the SD Democratic Party as a fundraiser.  In the box were some SD state maps with greetings from Gov. Richard Kneip and also one with greetings from Gov. Bill Janklow.  But perhaps more interesting was the campaign poster for Jim Abourezk's US Senate campaign in perhaps 1972,  Guess that makes it about 45 years old.  Does not seem like it should be that long ago, but image of it is below.

Well, that is tonight's stroll back through history.  I found color slides I took something like 10 years earlier, but have not had time to convert them to digital images yet.  I also found an old doll stroller that my wife had at age three.  I suspect I best not say how long ago that was.  Unlike toys of today, it is all metal and steel wheels are well worn.

The US Senate could use a few Jim Abourezks these days.

*** Stay tuned for less old and more new....maybe--- Doug Wiken

***The real Sutton for Governor site

According to an Argus Leader story, Pat Powers has purchased web sites including the names of several SD candidates and redirecting them to his blog.

Following is a non-Powers actual link:   Billy Sutton for Governor,

Some nice photos and video, but still not much issue detail.  Urge Billy to get out on the road and campaign as soon as possible.

***Stay tuned and watch the political weather ...it is a changing---- Doug Wiken

*** Peonies finally bloom in Winner

The Winner, SD weather and for that matter most SD weather this spring has been a bit strange going from near unseasonable lows to near record highs.  The recent 90F plus degrees caused flowers of all kinds to burst into blossom.  Below is a my wife's old peony plant.

Another with nearly all white blossoms had about a dozen blossoms, but the pink above seemed a bit more interesting.

** Stay tuned for less flowery posts ---- Doug Wiken

*** Runnings Construting New Building in Winner, SD

Runnings has operated out of a relatively small building compared to the other buildings used by the chain,  That is changing.  The business will likely be moved into a new building now being constructed NW of the existing Shopko store.  I think they expect to be in the new building by October if the weather cooperates.  A few rains have slowed the operation a few days.   My image may not give a good idea of the size of the building.  It must be something like 150 by 400 or more feet.   I think a story in the Winner paper with info from Russ Church, the local Runnings manager, indicated the building would be in the neighborhood of 60,000 square feet, but I am not sure about that.   Below is a photo I took today not too long after they got all of the roof girders erected.

Click on image for a somewhat larger version.  I will follow up this with more images on another day.  Many of us hope when this store opens, it will bring more people to Winner who will also shop in other local stores so that this becomes a win-win for Winner rather than more dog eat dog business.

*** Stay tuned for something besides local business news--- Doug Wiken

 

Winner Cemetery Memorial Day Avenue of Flags 2017

Winnner, SD volunteers put out several hundred flags each memorializing a veteran.  Today was a good day to view the flags and themetery.  Clouds and sky were beautiful and their was a light wind with good temperatures.  The photo below shows something between 40 and 50 of the many flags.

Click on image for a somewhat larger version.  This flag presentation is a lot of work and volunteers deserve our thanks, but veterans put their lives on the line for us.

***Stay tuned for more red, white, and blue one of these days--- Doug Wiken