Author: andrewatwal

Theater Gala

http://www.yankton.net/articles/2013/02/11/community/doc5118459a3d89f804964382.txt

Stage Set For L&CTC Gala Saturday

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Monday, February 11, 2013 1:06 AM CST

The Lewis and Clark Theatre Company (LCTC) is set to hold its annual gala this weekend, with all proceeds from the event benefiting the Dakota Theatre in downtown Yankton.

The event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 16, at Minerva’s in Yankton. Tickets can be purchased by calling Michele Leibfarth at 605-661-0303. Tickets will also be sold at the door if the event does not sell out.

“There will be a live auction, silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and a dessert auction as well,” Leibfarth said. “Back by popular demand this year will be Yankton’s version of the’ David Letterman Show’ featuring Chris Hilson as David Letterman with Mike Hilson as Paul Shaffer with a band, too.”

The band will feature music from Jay Gilbertson, Mark Johnson and Tom Zoss, with Ted Powell on the piano and Scott Olson playing the role of Doc Severinsen.

“Each year, the live auction has been very popular and will feature a number of dinner options,” Leibfarth said. “New this year, there will be a fishing excursion with Cabela’s master Walleye circuit world champion Curtis Olivier on the Missouri River.

“However, the main draw to the event has always been our version of the David Letterman show. Everyone that goes loves it, and people that don’t go say they’re sorry they missed out every year.”

Other live auction items include a dinner with the president of USD, a dinner with the president of Mount Marty, a big barbecue party put on by Steve Huff, and a Chilean dinner. There is also another boating trip with a tour of the Gavins Point power plant.

Leibfarth added that Chris and Mike Hilson add a lot to the annual show. Chris Hilson, playing Letterman, a former radio personality, making him a natural for the role. Mike Hilson is a very in-demand area musician.

“They put the band together just for this show so it should be really nice to see,” Leibfarth said. “There will also be various ‘stars’ that come out to the show — some back by popular demand and others who will be brand new this year.”

The actors playing the stars for the show come from around the region, including some from Minneapolis, Sioux Falls and Nebraska.

“They all have a history here in Yankton and are popular individuals in town and have done performances in the past with the theatre company or high school theater,” she said. “The show, as a whole, is really funny and is really professionally done so people that go love it. Terry Winter has been a director for many plays in Yankton, including for the Yankton School District and theatre company.”

Leibfarth thanked the sponsors of the event and said they can only put on a show due to their generous help.

“Last year, the event raised more than $14,000 for the theatre company, and this year we’re hoping to push that number up above $15,000,” she said. “All of the proceeds go to the theater. Last year the funds we received really helped to keep the theater open. Our goal is to keep live theater up and running in downtown Yankton.”

The 20212 fundraiser attracted approximately 300 people. Committee members hope to push that number to more than 320 this year.

Leibfarth added that many people don’t know how much it takes to keep the theater doors open. The theatre company must have the rights to the shows its presents, plus have directors and costumes, plus the building upkeep — all adding up to a lot of expense.

“We began doing these fundraisers four years ago to keep the theater here open,” she said. “After each event is over, we immediately began making the plans for next years event, including putting together our ideas and gathering the entertainment for the night. It takes more than six months of hard work and planning to get each event off the ground.”

Leibfarth said she enjoys gathering all the people together that love theater in Yankton to share in the enjoyment of a show that helps out the theatre company.

“This is a very popular event and a really fun night out. I can’t describe it any more than, you just have so much fun at the fundraiser,” she said.

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Legislative Forum

http://www.yankton.net/articles/2013/02/11/community/doc511845bfa8b43756263201.txt

 

Legislators Discuss Education, Medicaid Issues

Rep. Mike Stevens
By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Monday, February 11, 2013 1:06 AM CST

When District 18 legislators met at a Saturday morning cracker barrel at the Avera Professional Pavilion, education funding and Medicaid were two of the more vigorously discussed topics.

Legislators agreed that there are a lot of issues with Medicaid that must be examined, but there were disagreements on when the state should approach the issue.

“There are a lot of issues that are going on with the Medicaid program that we need to address,” said Rep. Bernie Hunhoff. “However, I spoke with someone who has worked in Medicaid for years who said South Dakota has the best functioning Medicaid program in the nation and have had that for many years here.”

He added that he supports a medical bill, which a similar form was passed in Nebraska, that would give pre-natal care to babies regardless of the mother’s citizenship status.

Sen. Jean Hunhoff said she thinks there must be more funding available for the Medicaid program.

“The reality here is that we all must go through the process and see what kind of money is left over at the end of the session,” she said. “If there is any money left over, the money added to various programs is only a one-time allotment. However, we do need to have more money in Medicaid but there is really no new money out there.”

Rep. Mike Stevens said if the Medicaid program was so simple, other states would have signed up for it in a snap.

“Once you get into the program, it is highly unlikely you’ll be able to get out of it,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a stupid idea to wait and get more information about the program.”

However, Rep. Hunhoff thinks the program would help South Dakota immensely and doesn’t believe the state should wait any longer before signing up for Medicaid expansion.

“We have always been trying to provide care for working poor adults,” he said. “Some of the provisions in the Affordable Care Act provide coverage for those adults. Having the program here would be a big thing for healthcare and the work force in the state.”

Rep. Hunhoff added that Medicaid expansion in South Dakota is inevitable, but it is more of a matter of how fast it happens. He said the program is critical to both large and small hospitals across the state and region.

On the other hand, Sen. Hunhoff said she is concerned with the federal allotment of money for states to fully enact the Medicaid program.

“Are the feds going to be able to provide all the funding they are promising?” she asked. “It’s the real elephant in the room in this situation. I’m for expansion, but I don’t want the burden to eventually be put on the taxpayers of South Dakota.”

Another hot-button issue discussed was education funding.

Stevens believes that, if there is a one-time funding allotment this year, the money should go back to local school boards to make the decision on how to use the funds.

“There have been a lot of different ideas about education funding floating out there,” he said. “I think it is up to local school boards to decide how to best educate their children — local control is the best way to do that.”

Rep. Hunhoff agreed, and said there are a lot of funding discussions going on in the Legislature each day.

“The big debate has been whether we start to micro-manage education again versus having more local control over it,” he said. “It seems like we’re moving back towards categorical aid for education. There is only so much money to go around, and we’ve fallen way behind in education funding in the state.”

Sen. Hunhoff said it is always the same discussion each year and legislators must work together to find a comprehensive plan for education and education funding.

Also discussed Saturday was the Human Services Center (HSC) and its proposed demolition of some of its old, unused buildings.

“It’s been about 30 years since the (old) campus of the HSC closed,” Rep. Hunhoff said. “Gov. Daugaard assured us that he wants to see the historic buildings saved, if possible. Since we’re only a few years away from demolition, this is really the last shot to find developers for the historic buildings.”

Sen. Hunhoff agreed, saying if the community wants to redevelop the buildings, people must step up now because the Legislature can’t continue to postpone the demolition plans.

Stevens said Daugaard is serious about getting input from others on the buildings and what can be done to potentially save them.

Legislators also discussed the recent passing of a prison reform bill, each saying how important the bill is for the prison system and its future.

The next cracker barrel will be held in Yankton on March 2.

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Cafeteria Renovations

http://yankton.net/articles/2013/02/08/community/doc51148843450b3393560716.txt

 

MMC Cafeteria Gets Overhaul

Mitch Pinkelman, an executive chef with the A’viands food service of Minneapolis, Minn., stands next to the floor plans of the renovation being done to the Mount Marty College cafeteria area. The $325,000 project is expected to be completed later this month. (Kelly Hertz/P&D)

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Friday, February 8, 2013 1:06 AM CST
The Mount Marty College cafeteria in Roncalli is undergoing a major face lift.

The renovations began around Christmas, right as students left campus after finals.

One of the major parts of the renovation is the reconfiguration of the serving line. The new layout will offer students multiple hot and cold stations for food, an area just for pizza, a new griddle and an Asian wok station.

“One of the goals we had for the renovation was not to disrupt students during the process,” said Sarah Carda, vice president and dean of Student Affairs. “For now, we have been able to accommodate students by serving buffet-style meals, and there still have been a few wok-style concepts in place during the renovations.”

In addition to improvements with the serving line, the main dining room will also get a makeover featuring new decor, banquet quality chairs and tables, shades for the windows, decorations for the walls and new paint.

The estimated cost of the renovations is about $325,000 and is projected to be completed around Feb. 18.

“We haven’t done too much with the kitchen, so most of the major ovens and grills we have are intact,” Carda said.

“Before the project began, the dining hall was original to the building built in 1967 and the serving line was just one long buffet style line,” she added.

The first major event for the new dining hall will be the Women of Distinction luncheon, set to take place on Feb. 18.

“The event will allow a lot of the people from the community to see the changes we have made,” Carda said.

Tiling for the renovations will go in this week, while the new cabinets and serving line will go in next week.

“We were hoping everything would be done by this week, but it didn’t work out that way,” she said. “Even if we could get everything done by this week, there are still a lot of things that need to get done, like getting inspections done and getting all the necessary building codes.”

Another recent change to the food service on campus is Mount Marty switching from its previous food service provider, Aramark, to Minneapolis-based A’viands on a 10-year contract. The change took place when the students came back to campus in August.

“A’viands brings in chefs from Minneapolis to go over menus with our employees here,” Carda said. “We’re not just serving students the same kinds of things all the time. We want to offer them new and healthy foods and expose them to different foods.”

Another big reason for the switch is because officials from A’viands talked to Mount Marty staff members about their concepts of foods, including new, fresh foods and trying to use local resources whenever         possible.

“We knew we had to do something for the students with the cafeteria,” she said. “Students were frustrated with the food so we knew we had to make a change.”

She added that the new dining service will be much better for students when everything is in place, with far more options for students than there were before.

“It’s important to show the students that we are always trying to grow and evolve and make things better for them,” Carda said. “It’s nice to see those kinds of things happening on campus.”

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Cancer Center Machine

http://yankton.net/articles/2013/02/07/community/doc511329f97d27c679701718.txt

A New Tool In Fighting Cancer

Avera Sacred Heart Cancer Center dosimetrist Lindsey Olson (left), therapist Julie Steffen (center) and therapist Christy Jensen stand next to the center’s new Varian Linear Accelerator, which is currently being installed. The device will provide far more accuracy in radiation therapy, and will work much faster than current equipment. The new accelerator is expected to be operational later this winter. (Kelly Hertz/P&D)

Cancer Center Adds New Varian Linear Accelerator For Radiation Therapy

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Thursday, February 7, 2013 1:06 AM CST
The Avera Sacred Heart Cancer Center in Yankton is adding a new technology to make radiation treatment more comfortable for patients, and more accurate for doctors.The Cancer Center is getting a new Varian Linear Accelerator, which is the device that produces radiation beams for radiation therapy.

“This type of accelerator is very advanced. With the old accelerator we had, it only let us take x-ray pictures of patients, which are two-dimensional,” said Dr. Michael Peterson, radiation oncologist at the Cancer Center. “This one can do three-dimensional CAT scan images, which allows us to get much more detailed information about where the patient is positioned in relation to the beam the way we want them to be.”

He added that the new machine can detect skin marks and how they shift in relation to the organ that doctors are trying to reach.

“If you actually have a CT-like image, it gives you much better assurance that doctors will be able to hit the treatment area in exactly the way they want to,” Peterson said. “This means there is less of a need to treat normal tissue around the tumor to make sure you’re hitting the area you want every time.”

The machine will do a special type of treatment where its head can rotate around the patient, allowing doctors to conduct a treatment during which the dose prescribed goes exactly where they want it to around the tumor. The new treatment is also faster than it was before. With older machines, radiation therapy treatment could take around 20 minutes, but with the machine it could take fewer than 10 minutes.

“This machine not only does some things better and more accurately with improved treatment quality, but it also does them faster as well, making treatment more comfortable for the patient,” Peterson said. “This machine will be helpful, not only in terms of voluntary motion by the patient, but also by minimizing the amount of involuntary movement of the patient.”

The new device could mean the difference between a patient getting some of the long-term side effects of radiation or not getting them at all because of how precisely the new machine is.

“Patients on the new machine will be treated more comfortably as well. Instead of having them try to hold still for more than 20 minutes when a certain part of their body is hurting, they will have less pain on the treatment table and will be more convenient for them as well,” Peterson said.

Another advantage of the new machine is that it has thinner leaves then the old one, meaning it is able to treat infected areas more precisely.

“If we want to be able to treat a certain area, having wider leaves on the machine is not good,” he said. “We are able to treat areas with more accuracy with thinner leaves on the machine.”

The new accelerator has leaves that are about 1/2 cm wide, whereas the old machine had leaves that were about 1 cm.

Although doctors have the machine at the Cancer Center now, they will not be able to treat patients with it until later this winter.

“We can’t say for certain when we will be able to treat our first patient with the new accelerator until physicists do their final checks on the machine,” Peterson said. “There is a very extensive quality assurance process that all new radiation machines have to go through to make sure, when we prescribe radiation to a patient, that it’s the amount that comes out of the machine and that no beams are stronger than others.”

The machine was delivered to Sacred Heart in December and some other hospitals have had them for a few years, but Peterson notes it does almost all the latest treatments that machines coming out even this year are able to do.

“We couldn’t get the same detail with the older machines,” he said. “The machine we have been using has been here for about seven years. We’re not getting rid of it because it’s on its last legs — we’re getting rid of it because we’re committed to having the best new technology here for treatments.”

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

COLUMN: Heart-To-Heart Talk

http://yankton.net/articles/2013/02/07/opinion/editorials/doc51131a4e794b5398663415.txt

 

Writer’s Block: Let’s Have A Heart-To-Heart Talk

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Thursday, February 7, 2013 1:06 AM CST
Congenital heart defects are the No. 1 cause of birth defect related deaths.

One out of every 100 children is born with a congenital heart defect.

In the United States, twice as many children die from congenital heart defects each year than from all forms of childhood cancer combined — yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than it is for heart defects.

I am one of those born with a heart defect, but just by looking at me on the outside, you’d think I was a healthy adult.

I had open-heart surgery at about two months of age to repair a condition Tetrology of Fallot back home at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. My second open-heart surgery came at 23 years old, on Dec. 6, 2012 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. By the time many children with heart defects reach their teenage years, they’ve needed several surgeries to stay alive.

Tetrology of Fallot is a condition where blood that does not have oxygen spills out to other areas of the body, causing obvious problems if not treated.

I underwent pulmonary valve replacement surgery on Dec. 6, a recovery that lasted six weeks at home — including four weeks without driving. However, I was able to return to work in the middle of January.

February is American Heart Month, and Feb. 7-14 is Congenital Heart Awareness Week. Thanks to new technology, many children are able to survive their defects, but others are not so lucky. Each child with a defect, however, now has someone to look up to in Shaun White, who has won multiple Olympics and X-Games medals who was born with Tetrology of Fallot.

I live a fairly normal life, aside from needing surgery as well as going to a cardiologist to get checked on every year. I graduated from high school, got my bachelor’s degree and then moved to Yankton to work for the Press & Dakotan. Without the surgery I had, particularly as an infant, none of this would have been possible. Without the surgery I had in December, things would have continued to deteriorate.

My surgeon said because the deterioration has occurred over an extended period of time, I never felt how bad it actually was — that is, until after this surgery when I saw how big of a difference it made and how much better I feel because of it.

As technology continues to improve, more babies will have these problems detected sooner, making survival and living a normal life more possible than it ever has been. State Sen. Jean Hunhoff (R-Yankton) has seen the need, as she introduced SB 168, which requires newborns to be screened for congenital heart defects. The bill was passed on Feb. 4.

Although survivorship into adulthood is a strong possibility for those with a heart condition, more research must be done to find out why so many born with a heart condition do not have it detected until they reach adulthood — or until after it’s too late.

I live a fairly normal life, and from outside appearances you’d never know I was born with a heart defect or that I’ve had two surgeries to correct it. Congenital heart defects are a real problem — a problem that must be solved in order to have more and more children survive their defects and live a normal life.

You can follow Andrew Atwal Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Hutchinson County Schools

http://www.yankton.net/articles/2013/02/06/community/doc5111ddfe109ca022708928.txt

Hutchinson Co. School Officials Leery Of Sentinels

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 1:06 AM CST

Officials from Hutchinson County schools are expressing their disinterest in legislation making its way through the state Legislature that would allow local school boards to place armed, trained personnel in their school buildings.

Some officials believe the bill has raised more questions than it answers.

Chris Christensen, Menno’s superintendent, said he doesn’t think some of the legislatures around the nation have thought through all the implications that the bill would cause.

“There would be liability issues with the training,” he said. “Would schools be able to get liability insurance to cover accidental shootings or students killed from friendly fire? Do guns only go off when they are supposed to, and do they always hit only the intended target?”

He added that he doesn’t think they do, so one cannot conclusively say that guns are safe.

HB 1087, which passed the House last week, says that the school board must obtain the approval of the local law enforcement official who has jurisdiction over the school campus before implementing the sentinel program. In addition, any person who is hired for the position must complete a school sentinel training course and nothing in the bill authorizes any person to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

The bill also states that any discussion by a school board regarding the program will be conducted in a closed meeting without any printed materials or record available to the public.

Pam Tieszen, principal and superintendent at Freeman Academy, a private, Mennonite school, said the core values at her school teach service, nonviolence and respect for all people.

“I do not anticipate our board considering the idea of placing a sentinel in our school,” she said. “We feel as if it’s more appropriate to discuss and train staff to be aware and recognize community members who are in need, or facing mental crises, rather than placing a sentinel in the school.”

“Our teachers strongly feel that peace and nonviolence carries more power than a sentinel or weapon. That doesn’t mean that violence can’t happen here, but we have a different perspective on how to deal with each other and our students.”

Tieszen added that having a sentinel in Freeman Academy would not bring the security school officials are looking for, but would only draw more attention to fears that can be addressed in more peaceful ways.

Lynn Vlasman, superintendent at Tripp-Delmont, said he believes the bill was brought forward with good intentions, but it places too high a burden on local school boards and sheriffs in answering a rather lengthy list of questions on how to implement such a program.

“How much training would be needed for staff members?” he asked. “What happens when the trained staff member takes employment elsewhere?”

Vlasman also asked who would own the weapon — would it be the individual or the district? Also, who is liable for the employee that is trained?

“I believe that a majority of our school district staff members would not feel comfortable serving as a sentinel, but there probably are some that would consider it,” he said. “However, in it’s current form, I see the bill creating more questions than answers, and I think our local school boards may be overwhelmed in trying to answer those questions.”

Shayne McIntosh, who serves as superintendent at Parkston schools, said he appreciates the Legislature listening to schools and helping them identify a potential problem and working to fill that gap.

“We take school safety very seriously,” he said. “However, I am not convinced that the creation of a school sentinel program is the answer. Rather, I would like the Legislature to provide the funding so that schools can make a serious effort to hire resource officers and communities to hire mental health experts.”

Christensen said every teacher he has heard from is against having guns in schools and believes schools will be no safer if the bill passes.

McIntosh agreed, saying he believes most teachers and administrators feel they do not have the skill set or mental preparation to be put in such a position.

“I do not believe that a person who is in the state of mind to shoot defenseless children would be deterred by this law,” he said. “They would find other opportunities like waiting for recess, a ball game, lunch hour or some other opportunity.”

There was no response at press time from officials at Freeman Public School.

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

School Sentinel

http://www.yankton.net/articles/2013/02/05/community/doc5110877b898fe489049569.txt

YSD Officials Don’t See Local Need For ‘Sentinel’

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 1:06 AM CST

Yankton School District officials are expressing their disinterest in legislation making its way through the state capitol that would allow school boards to place armed, trained personnel in school buildings.

HB 1087, which passed the House last week, says that the school board must obtain the approval of the local law enforcement official who has jurisdiction over the school campus before implementing the sentinel. In addition, any person who is hired for the position must complete a school sentinel training course and nothing in the bill authorizes any person to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

The bill also states that any discussion by a school board regarding the program will be conducted in a closed meeting without any printed materials or record available to the public.

Both Yankton school board chairman Chris Specht and YSD Superintendent Joe Gertsema do not expect the sentinel program, should it become law, to be implemented in Yankton.

“I’m glad the Legislature chose to allow the local school boards to make the decision,” Specht said. “I can’t understand what it would be like to make the decision in a smaller community where the police force could take more than 30 minutes to get to the school in an emergency.”

Gertsema said he doesn’t anticipate the board embracing the proposed program.

“YSD has always had a good relationship with the Yankton Police Department and they have quick access to our facilities in the event of an emergency,” he said.

Specht agreed, saying he doesn’t think he’d be in favor of it in Yankton, but said local school boards can each make their own decisions.

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Superintendent Search

http://www.yankton.net/articles/2013/02/05/community/doc5110874fd1230861560858.txt

 

School Hires Firm For Supt. Search

Company Contracted To Assist In Regional Hunt
By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 1:06 AM CST

The Yankton School District (YSD) school board approved Dakota Education Consulting (DEC) as the firm to lead YSD’s search for a new superintendent.

The decision was made at a special school board meeting held Monday at the administration building.

DEC is headed by Tom Oster and Rick Melmer, both of whom had previously served as the South Dakota Secretary of Education. Melmer currently serves as the dean of the School of Education at the University of South Dakota, while Oster is the superintendent of the Sioux Valley school system in Volga.

“Oster and Melmer run an independent search firm that helps school districts search for administrative personnel to help fill open positions,” said school board president Chris Specht. “In their proposal, they clearly pointed out that superintendent vacancies throughout South Dakota over the last 15 years have been primarily filled through people living in, or from, South Dakota, so we felt as if we didn’t need a national search firm.”

Specht added that the school board looked out how to fill the position in both the most efficient and economically reasonable way. Based on this, the board decided that the hiring DEC to lead the search was the best option.

The cost of the contract with DEC is $8,000.

“The price includes all of their travel and all of the advertising they do,” Specht said. “If the school board decides to advertise in other newspapers like the Omaha World-Herald or the Star Tribune (of Minneapolis), that is a cost we have to pay for ourselves.”

DEC will conduct all the advertising for the search and also be the recipient of all the candidate applications that are generated. The DEC is anticipating receiving between 60-80 applications for the position.

“I thought the number of applications they expect to get was a little high, but that’s the number they expect to see,” Specht said. “DEC will look through the applications and bring the board a top number of candidates that we want, which could be the top 10 or 20 candidates.”

The search group will assist the school board with paring down the search based upon applicants’ qualities, expertise and experience to the top candidates, which could be two candidates or more. The board will then decide how many rounds of interviews to conduct.

At its next meeting on Feb. 11, the school board will spend time talking with Rick Melmer about the process, including how long it takes to get applications in, how long it takes to go through them and the characteristics the board will look for in a candidate. All of those questions must be answered before DEC can begin advertising for the position.

“Our goal is to have someone hired by the end of May,” Specht said. “We think it’s a realistic time frame. If the process moves along faster than this, then great — but we would hate to see it drag on longer.”

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Music Director

http://yankton.net/articles/2013/02/02/community/doc510c5b4f34c87724754040.txt

Former YHS Music Director Takes New Path

Now Retired, Powell Pursues His Early Interest In The Funeral Business

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Saturday, February 2, 2013 1:06 AM CST
While he was growing up, Ted Powell told his dad he would either like to pursue a career as a music director or a funeral director.

His father quickly told him to go into music instead of working funerals.

Now, following a 32-year career as a music instructor — including a 20-year caree working with musicians in the Yankton School District (YSD) — Powell has turned to his other passion — working funerals.

Powell now works for the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Yankton as a family service counselor.

Although he retired, Powell said he still wanted something to occupy his time.

“I retired from working as a band director and I really needed something to do and I wasn’t quite ready to be a greeter and give out carts at Wal-Mart,” Powell said. “I wanted something to do and I wanted to do something fulfilling.”

“Because I have known Kevin (Opsahl) for a long time, I trust him and his family implicitly so I said yes and decided to work along side him at the funeral home,” Powell said.

Kevin Opsahl, Funeral Director and owner of Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home, said he’s enjoyed having Powell on the staff.

“He spent some time getting used to his role here and he’s been fitting in really well,” Opsahl said. “He’s always had a desire to serve with funeral services, and after he retired this desire was realized for him.”

Powell started out at Opsahl-Kostel in August and helped with visitations and then working funerals as an employee. After a few months had passed, he began to work with funeral pre-arrangements and helping people that come into the funeral home to make their final plans.

“I had to start studying so I could take the Insurance Producer test, which I passed, and am now licensed in South Dakota and Nebraska,” he said. “I really enjoy helping people make their final decisions. I get to help people line up how they see their funeral service happening and what they would like to have happen at their funeral.”

Powell added that people sometimes feel relieved that the plans are in place and the survivors and their children won’t have to arrange a funeral after they pass away.

“When people come in to arrange their final plans, it can be as simple as them filling out a sheet with what they would like to have done,” he said. “They can also pay for everything up front to make it easier on their survivors. A lot of people that come in are relieved that their kids won’t have to arrange anything.”

Although Powell said he enjoys his new job at Opsahl-Kostel, he admitted there are still a number of things he misses about working as a band director.

“I miss seeing kids all the time at school,” he said. “But I did have a great 32-year career and really enjoyed teaching in the Yankton School District. I had 20 years of outstanding kids here and making outstanding music.”

Powell said he enjoyed traveling with his students all over the United States to concerts and summer shows, but added it was time to do something new.

“It was a really tough decision for me to retire, and I thought about it for a year,” he said. “I had a friend tell me if it isn’t fun anymore, don’t do it. While the job was still fun, I felt as if it was time for someone else to have the opportunity to be the band director in Yankton.”

Powell added that although there are a lot of differences between the two positions, working as while director has prepared him for his new job.

“The main similarity is that when you teach, you’re working with the public so you know how to talk to people and how to approach people,” he said. “However, the position I was in when I worked in the school district had a lot of competitions and contests which really doesn’t occur working for Opsahl-Kostel.”

Powell said he has no regrets with taking the position any sooner than he did.

“If my career wasn’t as successful as it was, I may have said I made a mistake by not working here sooner,” he said. “But I don’t feel as if that was the case.”

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Social Security

http://www.yankton.net/articles/2013/02/01/community/doc510b4517d9cdc015851688.txt

 

Paper Benefit Checks To End March 1

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Friday, February 1, 2013 1:06 AM CST

By March 1, all Social Security checks and other benefit recipients who are receiving their checks by mail must register for direct deposit or the direct express deposit card.

“In January 2011, we sent out about 11 million checks each month,” said Treasury Department spokesperson Walt Henderson, director EFT strategy division of the U.S. Department of Treasury Financial Management Service. “As of this January, we are down to only about 5 million checks a month. This shows that people are listening and are making the switch. We hope to get the remaining recipients registered by the March 1 deadline.”

One of the main reasons for the switch is that sending checks out by mail is significantly more expensive than electronic payments. It costs about $2 a check to be sent by mail, but only about 10 cents for an electronic payment.

“This is really good savings for taxpayers,” Henderson said. “There is also added safety and convenience of doing electronic payments, and it’s the best way for Social Security and other benefit recipients to get their payments.”

It is estimated that converting the remaining paper check recipients to electronic payments will save American taxpayers about $1 billion over the next 10 years.

Henderson added that there are no lost, stolen or delayed checks, or issues delivering checks in bad weather, with the new electronic payments.

Although it is the law to switch, if someone doesn’t switch by the March 1 deadline, Social Security officials said they will be sensitive to the fact that these are needed payments for many people.

“We won’t interrupt their payments if they don’t comply with the deadline, but we will reach out by mail to them to get them to switch,” Henderson said. “However, there are waivers for people in certain situations, including geographic barriers, like people living in a remote place without access to an ATM or infrastructure for electronic payments. There is also a waiver for someone with a mental impairment and anyone over 90 years old.”

In order to make the switch to electronic payments, there is a call center setup to help people register at 1-800-333-1795. You can also visit the bank or credit union with whom you have an account and they can help you make the switch. People can also visit the Social Security office in Yankton at 121 W. 3rd Street.

When you go to make the switch, you should have the following information with you:

• 12-digit federal benefit check number;

• Amount of most recent federal benefit check;

• Financial institution’s routing transit number, which is often found on person checks (direct deposit only)

• Account number, which is also often found on personal checks, and type — checking or savings (direct deposit only)

“I really think the electronic method is the best way for people to receive their payments,” Henderson said. “You don’t have to wait for your check to arrive in the mail, the funds are in your account on the morning of the payment date. You also don’t have to make an unnecessary trip to the bank and electronic payments wipe out the possibilities of difficulty delivering checks in inclement weather.”

For more information on switching to the electronic payments, visit www.godirect.org.

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal