shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com March 17, 2020 • Page 3 Preserving Our Veterans Town By Governor Kristi Noem The Hot Springs VA and the entire community have been providing care to America’s veterans for more than 110 years, earning it the nickname “The Veterans Town.” This facility was the first – and only – original National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers that was built for short-term medical needs and not a long-term veterans’ home. It is renowned for its successful posttraumatic stress disorder and substance abuse treatment facility nestled in the tranquility of our Black Hills. There is no community so dedicated to making certain The Veterans Town delivers the services our heroes have earned. Many of you know that in 2011, the Obama administration announced a reorganization proposal that included plans to close the doors of the VA hospital in Hot Springs. In addition to a total disregard for stakeholder grievances, this announcement was met with considerable controversy because it was supported by very suspect data. While representing you in Congress, I partnered with many South Dakota veterans to battle the VA to keep the facility open. We fought hard to show the facts, including hosting a Congressional hearing in Hot Springs. Despite the overwhelming evidence that our Hot Springs VA is one of the best in the nation, the facility and community have been forced to wait for new leadership in Washington to revisit the 2011 decision. That means for nearly a decade, there has been a persistent cloud of uncertainty surrounding The Veterans Town — recruitment and retention have suffered, urgent care hours have been reduced, and an overreliance on shortterm contractors has been necessary. In August of last year, President Trump made a promise that his administration would be “committed to taking care of every warrior that returns home as a veteran,” and VA Secretary Wilkie has said we must put veterans at the center of their healthcare decisions. In early March – after years of persistent requests – Secretary Wilkie visited Hot Springs, and we FINALLY have a commitment to keep Hot Springs open and to revisit the record of decision. This has been a long time coming, but I’m thankful to President Trump and Secretary Wilkie for keeping their promises and advocating for those who've served. The Hot Springs community is so special and so unique. The care they provide our nation’s veterans is unmatched, and I'm committed to doing all that I can to preserve our Veterans Town and ensure they can serve heroes in this way for another century to come. High School Students To Perform At Poetry Competition PIERRE, S.D. – Eight South Dakota high school students will share their talents and the work of great poets while competing for the state title at the Poetry Out Loud recitation contest Monday, March 16, in Sioux Falls. Poetry Out Loud, a national arts education program, starts in the classroom and encourages the study of poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. South Dakota’s program is administered by the South Dakota Arts Council with help from Arts South Dakota and South Dakota Public Broadcasting. The state finalists qualified from a preliminary, video round. The finalists • Lay a Beat: Your child include: Grace Johanson, can rock out and learn Flandreau High School; to keep a beat with the Peyton Mollman, Harding KidiBeats Drum Set. This County High School; Tim drum set for kids ages Stolp, Sioux Falls Lincoln 2-5 years comes with a High School; Antonio pair of drumsticks that Rojas, Little Wound can be used to tap the High School; Suki Ford, four different electronic Vermillion High School; learning drums. Kids can Blake Anderson, Sioux drum freestyle or play Falls Washington High along to nine pre-set School; Rainie Devine, melodies in a variety of Watertown High School; musical styles including and Charlie Berg, West rock, dance and pop. For Central High School. more structured play, Three students will toddlers can follow the also share their original lights on the drums as poetry as part of a they learn about letters separate competition and numbers. With four held in conjunction ways to play and a variety with Poetry Out Loud. of sounds, making music is Delilah Rouse, Sioux Falls fun with this educational Lincoln High School; Tim toy. Stolp, Sioux Falls Lincoln 6 Great Birthday Gift Ideas for Kids Under $25 (StatePoint) A happy birthday doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Here are six cool gift ideas for infants and preschoolers intended to make learning fun, all which cost under $25: • Trip to the Movies: A trip to the movies can offer little ones the thrill of a lifetime, especially if it’s their first theater experience. Movies may seem like pure entertainment, but they often offer storylines that build empathy and help kids learn right from wrong. • Dump Truck Fun: Great for children ages 6-36 months, the interactive VTech Drop & Go Dump Truck encourages motor skill development, plays melodies and phrases, and teaches numbers and colors. Kids can drop a colorful ball into the top of the dump truck and watch it tumble into the bucket, then push or pull the truck along to see the balls rumble inside. • Little Scribes: Give kids ages 3-6 years a head start on mastering their writing skills with the Write & Learn Creative Center, which provides animated demonstrations to help preschoolers learn proper stroke order for uppercase and lowercase letters, and can be customized so that children can learn to write their names step-by-step. This is a great gift option for little artists, too. Kids can choose activities that help them learn to draw, progressing from simple lines and shapes to 26 different objects or explore their creativity by drawing their own pictures with the included stencils and stamps. • Play Time: Take a trip to a local play center offering ball pits, slides, obstacles and more. Such facilities offer a fun way for kids to build strength and motor skills, and many offer monthly memberships as well as one-time entry options, giving families an affordable way to celebrate. • Pets On-the-Go: Packed with learning fun, the Care for Me Learning Carrier is an interactive pet carrier that lets little ones take their plush pet on-the-go, encouraging nurturing while learning letters, colors, shapes, pet care and more. With sliding and spinning parts, the carrier promotes motor skill development and comes with four pet care accessories so that toddlers ages 9-36 months can groom, feed and play with the puppy. With a little imagination, you can make the next birthday special, educational, fun and affordable. In the Classifieds SDHDA Hosting Public Meeting On Housing And Community Development Plans The public meeting is an Join by desktop or tablet: https:// opportunity for the public to provide meet.sdhda.org/lorraine/y69wf57z their comments, suggestions and Persons interested in making changes to the draft plans. Final comments may do so by appearing plans will be available by Apr. 2020. at the public meeting on Mar. The public meeting on Mar. 17, 17, 2020, or by sending written 2020, will be available via Skype comments to SDHDA, attention for Business. Be sure to download Lorraine Polak, PO Box 1237, Pierre, the application onto your device in SD 57501, by fax (605) 773-5154 or plenty of time prior to joining the emailing to Lorraine@sdhda.org. December 2nd & 3rd, 9th & 10th, 16th & 17th • 1-3:00PM meeting. All comments on the 2019 Consolidated Plan Annual Bring Your Join by Phone: 844.773.7615 Cameras! Conference ID: 52561 Performance Report are due by Mar. And 20, 2020, at 5 p.m. Central Time. High School, and Olivia Simmermon, Watertown High School, are each being recognized for their poetry. The contest will begin at 1 p.m., CDT, March 16, in the auditorium at Edison Middle School, 2101 S. West Ave., Sioux Falls. It is free to attend and open to the public. A live-stream of the event can be viewed at http://www.sdpb.org/ poetryoutloud/. Poetry Out Loud was created in partnership by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation with the collaboration of state arts agencies. It is intended to foster the next generation of literary readers by building on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form. Through Poetry Out Loud, students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage. The South Dakota Arts Council, an office of the South Dakota Department of Tourism, is a state agency serving South Dakotans and their communities through the arts with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the State of South Dakota. The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of the Office of Tourism and the South Dakota Arts Council. The department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen. In Print and Online!• Call 665-5884 AS IS! All comments on the draft of the 2020 Annual Action Plan and the 2020-2021 allocation plans are due by Apr. 8, 2020, at 5 p.m. Central Time. 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