SD high school student develops system to improve crop growth

(1)

By Kerry Drager

Public Opinion Staff Writer

Food security is an ongoing issue within much of the United States. For many families with children that live in rural South Dakota, access to healthy food options is a struggle that has been made even more difficult since the COVID-19 pandemic. Interlake Com-munity Action (ICAP) in Clark, South Dakota, is doing its part to ensure that children find nourishment during the weekends when they do not have access to the school lunch program.

“We are currently helping 26 children

in Clark. Willow Lake has a youth group that is doing a backpack program, and they are currently sending out 14 bags,” explained ICAP Community Service Worker Misty Riter.

The ICAP backpack program has been going on for several years now. It is a pro-gram entirely funded by contributions from the community.

“In order for our program to work, especially for our smaller community, we need donations,” said Riter. “We just had one of our local churches drop off a $500 check for us. Land O Lakes and Integra Foods made $6400 in donations last year.”

The money is used to purchase goods from the grocery store. The program also takes food donations like garden surpluses and home-baked goods.

Each backpack includes two break-fasts, two lunch entrees, snacks, juice, a fruit product, and now consists of a loaf of home-baked bread. The bread dona-tions come from the Two Old Broads, who shared that they wanted to find ways to help their community after watching the documentary “A Place at the Table.” Already elbow deep in

flour with their baking, they decided to make extras so that hungry children eat a hearty bread product during their weekend meals.

Riter also realizes that many within the community are prideful and may not accept the help even though they are in need.

“We don’t pack the food products in clear backs. The elementary school puts them into their backpacks so that other children don’t know who is getting the food. They are very discrete about handing them out,” said Riter.

For families looking for help, Riter will gladly make accommodations so that their privacy is respected.

Aside from the backpack program for children, the Clark community can also take part in Feeding America and Feeding South Dakota.

The Feeding South Dakota truck visits the second Friday of every month, but Riter expressed that it is hard for working families to pick up the food boxes at 8:00 a.m.

The Feeding America boxes are another way to receive high-quality

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Helping hands and hearts

Courtesy photo

Dala Albright (left) and Donna Hilsabeck volunteer their time by helping pack the backpack program foods in discrete paper bags.

Families receive

fresh bread,

meals thanks to

efforts of Clark

community

By Connie Groop

Special To The Public Opinion

Seven words challenged a young woman from Groton to improve soil testing.

By applying what she learned through her FFA experiences and agriculture classes, she developed Erdmann Precision Field Analysis as a winning project in the Agriculture Innovation category in December’s Big IDEA Competition for high school students.

In her presentation on her pro-posed nutrient sampling business, Tessa Erdmann said, “The most dangerous seven words in the En-glish language are, ‘we have always done it this way.’ For the past 50 years, farmers have been soil sam-pling and getting their results in the same way. Our new methodology will revolutionize ag production for those highly technical progressive operators. It is on the leading edge of technology. It is for the producers interested in profit-centered anal-ysis applied to production agricul-ture and especially for those simply interested in composite sampling prior to planting corn as your coop salesman recommends.”

She explained the method she would use. “What we do at Erdman Precision Field Analysis is collect four points of data in a 1-meter circle and use that as a benchmark against the rest of the field and across other fields. We provide the farmer with the data. We don’t always need to do things in the same way every time. There may be a better way.”

She explained how dangerous that thinking can be: “Farmers need to embrace innovation so they can save money.”

As she grew up, Tessa often helped her dad Darrin Erdmann with planting. During those years, she learned about issues in agri-culture. She’s active in FFA and 4-H besides taking ag classes.

“I learned the basics of a busi-ness by setting up my supervised ag experience project where I track the finances of my Boer meat goat business,” she said.

As a freshman, she learned of the competition and began planning

ways to provide a better way of soil sampling. By talking with her dad and other farmers, she developed this project as part of her indepen-dent study as a senior for a Groton High School ag business.

“Basically, the overall goal is to dial in the right amount of nitrogen for the field, not overdoing or not adding enough. Nitrogen is expen-sive and so farmers want to apply the right amount.

“I picked a couple of spots in a field as soon as we planted the crop and flagged the areas so I can go back each year. I took one test at that stage, another at V4 or when the plant had four leaves. I did tissue sampling to see if there was a good nitrogen level or if the plant needed more fertility in season before harvest.”

As the corn was harvested, she’d take all the ears of corn in 1/1,000th of an acre, count the kernels, weigh the kernels and figure out the bushels per acre.

“My figures show how much ni-trogen was available and these tests

determine how much nitrogen is used and how much will need to be added in the future.”

The emphasis of the project developed.

“My first time, I used a tool with an iPad to track what the planter was doing. It was very in depth and complicated. My revisions focused more on the soil side of it. From my work, I know the economics of farming play into the amount they want to spend on testing.”

From her research, she said, “I would say in our areas, it could help farmers save money.”

Adam Franken, an ag teacher at Groton High School, said Tessa is very committed to agriculture. She is running for a state FFA office and is up for the Star Farmer award at the South Dakota FFA Convention held in Rapid City in April.

“We work with the seniors on their ideas for the Big IDEA compe-tition in our ag business class and it really fits well with the curriculum. South Dakota is a very business

SD high school student develops

system to improve crop growth

Courtesy photo

Tessa Erdmann of Groton developed Erdmann Precision Field Analysis as a win-ning project in the Agriculture Innovation category for the Big IDEA Competition.

Please see CROP, page 8A

By Stephen Perez

Sioux Falls Argus Leader

In 2006, 191 people died in traffic crashes in South Dakota. Ever since, fatalities have been trending downward, with 102 reported in 2019 — the lowest total since 1947.

Until last year, that is.

The pandemic kept more people at home in 2020, yet South Dakota recorded the highest traffic fatality rate since 2006, with 141 deaths reported on state roadways.

During the late spring and early summer months, home-office work was high. Though the state didn’t close down, many businesses chose to. Vacations were canceled and travel may have been down, but the exact answer to why traffic fatalities rose for the first time in more than a decade remains unclear.

“It is always hard to say from year-to-year why those numbers increased,” said Amanda Hossle, the Office of Highway Safety director. “We are seeing consistent contributing factors that include speeding, impaired driving, and then not wearing a seat belt. There really aren’t any outliers.”

Alcohol-related crashes up 11% in ‘20

In 2020, alcohol played a contributing factor in 36% of fatal crashes on the roadways. That is close to an 11% rise from 2019 data.

“Obviously we have had a challenging year due to the pandemic,” said Shawn Steward, Manager of Public and Government Affairs with AAA In-surance. “A lot of people turned to alcohol to cope with uncertainty, stress, job losses, you name it. If more people are consuming, there’s a good chance more people are driving after drinking.”

According to a study conducted by Network Open, alcoholic consumption among adults in the country increased 14% from 2019 to 2020. The study acknowledges that alcohol is a readily available option and is marketed as a way to cope with stress and can lead to that increase in consumption.

Though the number of fatalities involving alcohol increased from 2019, the overall rate is on par or lower than many previous years. In 2018, 42% of crash fatalities attributed to alcohol. In 2009, that number was 47%.

Fewer people on roadways

Beginning in May of every year, the South

Despite fewer cars

on the road, fatal

crashes increased

in 2020. Why?

Please see CRASHES, page 8A Please see CLARK, page 8A

(2)

2A Public Opinion <thepublicopinion.com> Tuesday, April 27, 2021

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TEMPERATURES

UV Index & RealFeel Temperature®

PRECIPITATION (inches)

LAKE OAHE LAKE KAMPESKA

POP: Probability of precipitation. Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice.

The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. 0-2 Low; 3-5 Moderate; 6-7 High;

8-10 Very High; 11+ Extreme. The patented AccuWeather.com RealFeel Temperature is an

exclusive index of effective temperature based on eight weather factors.

8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m.

CONDITIONS TODAY

ALMANAC

LAKES

SUN AND MOON

WATERTOWN WEATHER WATCH

NATIONAL CITIES

REGIONAL CITIES

City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W

REGIONAL FORECAST

Watertown Florence South Shore

Revillo Canby Dawson Ortonville Wheaton Milbank Wilmot Sisseton Bradley Webster Langford

Hecla Britton _Veblen

Columbia

Conde

Clark Doland

Willow Lake Bryant Hayti Bruce Castlewood Clear Lake Ivanhoe De Smet Huron Andover Summit Henry

24 hours ending 1 p.m. Mon. 0.04 Month to date 2.43 Normal month to date 1.71 Year to date 4.60 Normal year to date 3.90 High/low 48°/38° Normal high/low 61°/37° Record high 82° (1952) Record low 17° (1931)

Last New First Full

May 26 May 19 May 11 May 3

Sunrise 6:24 a.m. 6:22 a.m. Sunset 8:29 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Moonrise 9:34 p.m. 10:58 p.m. Moonset 6:55 a.m. 7:28 a.m.

Elevation 1606.65 ft. Oahe Dam average discharge 20600 cfs Level

Level last year

Record high (4/7/97) 71” Ice out 2021 Mar 24 Ice out (2020 / 2019) Apr 11 / Apr 14 Earliest ice out Mar 8, 2000 Latest ice out May 8, 2013

Cooler with a couple of showers Wind: NNE 10-20 mph POP: 60% A morning shower in places; warmer Wind: NE 8-16 mph POP: 40% Sunny to partly cloudy and breezy

Wind: NNW 12-25 mph

POP: 5%

Partly sunny and milder

Wind: N 6-12 mph

POP: 5%

Partly sunny and warmer Wind: S 10-20 mph POP: 10% 32 38 42 45 45 40 SATURDAY FRIDAY THURSDAY WEDNESDAY TODAY

Stats ending 1 p.m. Mon.

TODAY WED.

Forecasts and graphics provided by

48°

78°

46°

65°

36°

58°

40°

60°

39°

53°

Anchorage 50/35/s 49/37/s Atlanta 83/64/pc 83/64/pc Boise 65/42/pc 71/47/pc Boston 68/51/pc 64/52/t Chicago 85/62/pc 72/49/t Dallas 79/70/t 81/65/t Denver 53/38/sh 56/38/c Detroit 83/62/pc 78/54/t Houston 83/73/c 87/72/c Kansas City 84/62/c 73/55/t Las Vegas 68/59/pc 84/65/s Los Angeles 68/55/pc 81/60/s Memphis 81/70/pc 82/69/t Miami 83/74/sh 84/74/s New Orleans 84/72/pc 84/73/c New York City 66/57/pc 85/64/pc Oklahoma City 76/62/t 73/55/r Orlando 82/64/s 83/65/pc Philadelphia 74/60/pc 86/66/pc Phoenix 73/56/c 84/63/s St. Louis 85/67/pc 73/63/r San Francisco 64/50/s 69/50/s Seattle 63/46/pc 67/49/pc Washington, DC 84/64/pc 89/69/pc SOUTH DAKOTA Aberdeen 59/37/sh 68/41/pc Brookings 54/42/c 60/40/pc Huron 57/41/sh 66/41/pc Madison 54/43/sh 60/40/pc Mitchell 59/45/sh 63/43/pc Mobridge 63/38/c 72/42/c Pierre 57/39/sh 68/42/s Pine Ridge 52/41/sh 69/39/pc Rapid City 51/37/sh 65/41/pc Sioux Falls 58/46/c 62/42/pc Sisseton 57/41/sh 69/43/pc Yankton 59/46/t 64/41/sh OTHER Bismarck 67/37/c 71/34/c Cheyenne 47/34/sh 56/36/c Des Moines 82/57/c 69/50/c Fargo 60/37/c 67/38/c Mankato 58/44/t 59/45/c Minneapolis 58/43/c 61/44/pc Norfolk 66/49/t 65/43/pc Omaha 81/54/t 69/47/c St. Cloud 53/40/sh 60/38/pc Sioux City 69/48/t 66/42/pc TODAY WED. TODAY WED.

A couple of showers today. Winds north-northeast 10-20 mph. Expect less than 2 hours of sunshine with a 60% chance of precipitation and average relative humidity 85%. Drying conditions poor.

53/39 53/39 50/40 54/43 55/43 56/42 53/41 55/40 52/41 55/41 57/41 54/38 55/38 57/37 58/38 54/36 _58/40 58/38 58/38 54/38 56/38 54/39 54/40 53/41 53/42 52/41 _52/41 53/43 54/41 57/41 57/38 52/39 53/39

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

(inches, April 26) +1.2” +14.4”

Thunderstorms can be capable of giant hail, up to baseball or even softball size at times, as well as tornadoes, powerful winds and locally torrential downpours which can flood drainage ditches and roadways quickly, according to Accu-Weather Meteorologist Jake Sojda.

What will begin as an eruption of se-vere thunderstorms across the southern Plains late Tuesday could turn into a dangerous flash flooding situation as slow-moving downpours unload half a foot of rain or more across the south-cen-tral United States.

The typically swift west-to-east pro-gression of storm systems across the nation will be slowed down significantly this week thanks to a broad area of high pressure building in the East, which will contribute to summerlike warmth from Chicago to New York City. Broad high pressure systems such as this can essen-tially act as a roadblock in the atmo-sphere, slowing the forward movement of storms and potentially increasing the risk of repeating downpours and flooding.

Such will be the weather setup this week that will lead to the heightened flood risk, according to AccuWeather forecasters. A storm system bringing a little relief to drought-stricken areas of the Southwest will slow down as it emerges from the Rockies and into the High Plains from Tuesday into Wednesday before it finally reaches the East later in the week.

"Warm and humid air surging north-ward from the Gulf of Mexico will be met by cooler air coming out of the Rockies, leading to a recipe for thun-derstorm activity," AccuWeather Senior

Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.

Thunderstorms are forecast to erupt late Tuesday afternoon from western Texas to portions of the Oklahoma Pan-handle.

These thunderstorms can be capable of giant hail, up to baseball or even soft-ball size at times, as well as tornadoes, powerful winds and locally torrential downpours which can flood drainage ditches and roadways quickly, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda.

Once the thunderstorms get un-derway, they will slowly expand eastward Tuesday night into Wednesday.

"This is when the most widespread coverage of rain and thunderstorms is expected to unfold," Sojda said.

Among the cities at risk for drenching and potentially damaging thunderstorms late Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night include Lubbock, Abilene and Wichita Falls, Texas; Woodward and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and perhaps up to Wichita, Kansas.

By the middle of the week, the severe weather outlook becomes a bit murkier. Cloud cover and downpours leftover from Tuesday night are likely to put a cap on the severity of thunderstorms on Wednesday for at least part of the region, but forecasters cannot rule out feisty storms entirely.

"While there's likely to remain at least some threat for damaging wind gusts and maybe hail and isolated tornadoes right through Wednesday night, the overall setup may turn into more of a heavy rain and flooding threat for a majority of the region," AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Mike Youman said.

Severe storms to evolve

into big flooding threat

across central US

(3)

Public Opinion <thepublicopinion.com> Tuesday, April 27, 2021 3A

Waves of tornadoes killed more than 300 in six states in 2011

By Jay Reeves The Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For Tom Sanders, it’s the void left by the death of a cousin and the man’s wife, killed when a tornado mowed through a placid Ala-bama valley. To Markedia Wells, it’s the stolen inno-cence of her sons, who still get nervous anytime it starts raining. Darryl Colburn laments a lost way of life in his hometown, which was all but leveled in seconds.

Waves of tornadoes pum-meled the Eastern U.S. over four days in the spring of 2011, killing more than 320 people in six states, includ-ing about 250 who died in Alabama on April 27 of that year. A decade has passed, but time has been unable to erase the pain or replace the losses inflicted by the terri-fying storms.

Homes and businesses were rebuilt and new trees have grown; empty seats around dinner tables were filled as babies were born and a new generation came of age. Yet there’s still a sense of absence, a lingering feeling of sorrow, in com-munities where so much was lost so quickly.

“I don’t know if it’s a day to remember, but it’s a day you can’t forget,” said Colburn, the mayor of tiny Hackleburg, where 18 died in

an EF-5 twister with winds estimated at 210 mph. The same twister hit nearby Phil Campbell, where a granite monument at the center of town honors 27 who were killed.

Storms that began in east-ern Texas mushroomed by the time the line reached Mississippi, where one twister was so intense it scoured 2 feet of dirt from the ground. More than 60 tornadoes then struck Ala-bama, including one that was captured on video as it decimated the city of Tusca-loosa, and storms continued as far north as New York state.

Another major tornado

outbreak had killed more than three dozen people across the South about two weeks earlier, and a spring of pain got even worse two weeks later, when an EF-5 ripped through Joplin, Mis-souri. About 160 people died there.

The government funded construction of hundreds of residential safe rooms and community storm shelters following the outbreak, still one of the deadliest in U.S. history, and meteorologists improved forecasting sys-tems. One study suggested better ways of communicat-ing weather threats through live TV, including the con-stant presence of maps

on screen so viewers can understand where danger-ous storms are located.

But better preparation for future disasters has done little to ease the pain of those who still relive the horror of past storms and the loss of loved ones.

In east Alabama’s Shoal Creek Valley, where 12 died, families are still coping with unforgettable images and stories like that of Albert Sanders, 44, who died in the arms of his father, Buford Sanders, after being flung by a twister in a field.

“He basically held him in his arms, and then finally Albert told him that he felt like he was fixing to die and

(said), ‘I just want you to know I love you, daddy,’” said Albert’s cousin Tom Sanders. “And then he died right after that.”

Tom Sanders’ home was badly damaged. Another relative, Jim Wilson, dug the graves for Albert and his wife, Angie Sanders, a few days later. A shiny black tombstone marks the spot in the cemetery of a country church. The couple’s three daughters, teens at the time, were injured but survived, Wilson said.

Located about 95 miles northwest of Birmingham, the town of Hackleburg lost nearly all of its 30 or so businesses, two schools, 180 homes, several churches, a doctor’s office, pharmacy and most municipal build-ings to the twister, said Colburn, the mayor. He can still point out the under-ground shelter where he survived the storm with 11 others.

Fewer than 60% of the town’s homes have been rebuilt, and bare foundations are all that remain of the old brick storefronts that used to make up Hackleburg’s downtown.

The city’s 1,500 or so residents still struggle with a lack of housing and retail options, he said.

The story is much the same about 70 miles away in Cor-dova, where four died. The entire downtown was badly damaged by twisters, and what little remained caught fire a few weeks later.

Pain,losslingerdecadeafterstorms

More than 60 tornadoes struck Alabama on April 27, 2011, killing four people in Cordova, Ala., where the entrance to the old Tallulah Hotel is seen April 5.[JAY REEVES/ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO]

By Julie Carr Smyth The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a 10-term representa-tive from Ohio’s blue-collar Mahoning Valley, officially launched his bid Monday for a coveted open Senate seat in Ohio.

Ryan, 47, becomes the Democratic frontrunner as the party goes after Repub-lican Rob Portman’s seat in what stands to be one of 2022’s most closely watched Senate contests.

“I am running to fight like hell in the U.S Senate to cut workers in on the deal,” Ryan said in a video announcing his candidacy. “Ohioans are working harder than ever, they’re doing everything right, and they’re still fall-ing behind.

Former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken, and Cleve-land businesspeople Bernie Moreno and Mike Gibbons are among Republicans who have already entered the race. “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance and several GOP members of Congress are also considering running.

Portman decided earlier this year not to seek a third term.

Republican candidates are vying for former President Donald Trump’s backing for a race likely pivotal in GOP efforts to win back a U.S. Senate majority.

Ryan becomes the first announced Democratic can-didate, after Dr. Amy Acton, a virus specialist who became

the face of Ohio’s early virus response as health director for Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, decided against running.

“I think Tim Ryan needs to run and I think the Republi-can Party needs to run one of their Trump-supporting extremists, and I think we can win it,” former Gov. Ted Strickland said in a recent Associated Press interview. Ryan has nearly two decades of Washington experience. He has nuanced positions on abortion — he is pro-abortion rights and Irish Catholic — and guns — he has gone from an A to an F rating from the National Rifle Association. He also engages in the spiritual practice of mindfulness, about which he has written a book.

Others, however, are strongly pushing for the party to put forth a woman or person of color for the job, arguing Democrats have taken the Black vote for granted and run white male candidates for top jobs before who lost.

Ohio Republican Chair-person Bob Paduchik said Ryan supports “radical left-wing policies,” such as the Green New Deal, that do not represent the values of working Ohioans.

Ryan ran for House speaker in 2016, responding to disenchantment inside the caucus with Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Sixty-three repre-sentatives supported Ryan’s candidacy, by far the largest defection Pelosi had suf-fered since she began leading House Democrats in 2002.

US Rep. Tim Ryan

to seek open US

Senate seat in Ohio

By Busaba Sivasomboon The Associated Press

BANGKOK — Authori-ties in Thailand are imposing fines of up to 20,000 baht ($640) for people who fail to wear face masks in public in 48 prov-inces, as the government struggles to cope with a new wave of coronavirus cases that is straining the medical system.

The capital, Bangkok, which has the largest number of cases, is also closing more than 30 types of businesses and services, including cinemas, parks, zoos, bars, pools and mas-sage parlors. Gatherings of more than 20 people are banned. Shopping malls and department stores may continue operating, but with abbreviated hours.

Despite rapidly rising numbers, there currently are no nationwide lock-downs, curfews or travel bans, though individ-ual provinces have been allowed to issue their own restrictions, including mandatory quarantines for visitors from other prov-inces. Forty-eight of the 76 provinces have imposed fines for not wearing face masks.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was among the first to be fined for the offense on Monday, when the rule took effect in Bangkok. A photo on his official Facebook page showed him maskless as he chaired a meeting about COVID-19 vaccina-tions, drawing criticism online.

The city’s governor,

Aswin Kwanmuang, said he, the city police chief and another officer went to collect a $190 fine from Prayuth, since it was his first offense under rule. The incriminating photo was deleted from the prime minister’s account.

Health authorities on Monday announced 2.048 new infections and eight new deaths, the fourth day in a row with more than 2,000 new cases. That brought the country’s totals to 57,508 cases and 148 fatalities.

The high number of cases has created shortages of hospital beds and intensive careunits.Ithasalsounder-lined the government’s failure to obtain adequate supplies of vaccines. Less than 2% of Thailand’s 69 million people have been vaccinated.

Thailand has struggled to cope with the new out-break, which originated in March in nightspots in and around Bangkok, as Prayuth’s government has been reluctant to impose

harsh restrictions that would further hurt busi-nesses already battered by the pandemic.

A p i s a m a i S r i r a n g -san, a spokeswoman for the national Center for C O V I D - 1 9 S i t u a t i o n Administration, said the government on Thurs-day will discuss whether to impose additional measures in some areas, including the country’s two major cities, Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Apisamai said finding beds for everyone who tests positive is a problem but the government will stick with its policy of having all patients placed under med-ical supervision. She said the government is adding more beds to hospitals and setting up more field hospi-tals, including at stadiums in Bangkok that have been turned into primary care places for patients await-ing spots in hospitals.

Thailand has also banned the entry of visitors from India, with the exception of its own citizens.

Thailand’s prime minister fined

for breaking face covering rule

A shop assistant wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus stands in front of her shop Monday in Bangkok, Thailand.[ANUTHEP CHEYSAKRON/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]

(4)

4A Public Opinion <thepublicopinion.com> Tuesday, April 27, 2021

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where you lodge, I will

lodge; your people shall

be my people, and your

God my God.”

Wors

Making

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Cell: 605-237-0766 501 10th St. NW , Watertown [email protected]

Public Opinion <thepublicopinion.com> Tuesday, April 27, 2021

5A

LAKE NORDEN — Ronald E. Kangas, age 83 of Lake Norden, passed away Saturday, April 24, 2021, surrounded by his family and friends at his home.

Funeral Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 29,

2021 at the Old Ap-ostolic Lutheran Church near Lake Norden. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the church. Geise Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Ronald E. Kangas was born on February 8, 1938, in Estelline, SD, the son of Edward and Evelyn (Lehtola)

Kangas. He was baptized, confirmed and a lifelong member of the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church. He grad-uated from Bryant High School. He was united in marriage to Ruth A. Blakeman on April 3, 1958 in Bryant, SD. He farmed for a number of years in Cleveland Township and started Ron’s Saw Shop in 1968 and remained involved in the chain saw business until retiring in 2003.

He enjoyed neighborhood visits and spending time with grandchil-dren as well as traveling and visiting Christian companions in other lo-calities.

Ron is survived by his children, Darla (Dallas) Rasmussen of Lake Norden, SD, Edith (Alan) Kaski, of Lake Norden, SD, Joann (Lee) Jouppe,

of Lake Norden, SD, Carol (Randy) Reddig, of Bryant, SD, Linda Woods of Lake Norden, SD, Dallas (Molly) Kangas, of Yacolt, WA, Shane (Alayne) Kangas, of Dollar Bay, MI, Reazo (Elaine) Kangas of Bryant, SD and Ed-ward (Amy) Kangas, of Lake Norden, SD; 53 grandchildren; 47 great grand-children; two sisters, Marilyn (Lance) Wilen, of Lake Norden, SD and Mavis (Chris) Van Schoiack, of Hayti, SD and one brother Roy (Luana) Kangas, of Dodgeville, MI.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Ruth; three sons, Faron, Walden and Ricky and son-in-law, Brian Miller.

Condolences may be sent to the family through www.geisefuneral-home.com

ESTES PARK, Colo. — Ann (Annie) Melva Racine, age 73 of Estes Park, Colorado, died at her home in Long-mont, Colorado, on April 10th, 2021 after a valiant fight with cancer.

Ann was born on May 1st, 1947 in Watertown, South

Dakota to Roger and Melva Pederson. A n n g ra d u a t e d from Watertown High School, class of 1965. She spent her junior and high school summers at Lake Kampeska as a Red Cross

swim-ming instructor and lifeguard. After graduation from high school, she worked in her parents’ travel agency,

Pederson Travel Service, then moved to Boulder, Colorado where she worked for Travel Center.

In the late 1970s, Ann joined Range Realty in Estes Park. She acquired Range Realty in the late 1980s. In 1987, she was the company’s Broker of Record and established Range Reality as a leading property manage-ment firm in the resort community.

Ann was active in the Estes Park Quota Club, a nonprofit service orga-nization dedicated to helping hearing and speech impaired individuals and disadvantaged women and children. She also led fundraising efforts to pro-vide state-of-the-art emergency vehi-cles for use by the Estes Park Medical Center. Ann loved helping people and she had a reputation of being pure

fun, the “life of any party”—she had a million-dollar giggle.

Ann is survived by her husband, David Racine, her children Darren (Leslie) Rosener and Stacy Rosener. She was lovingly known as Nana to her grandchildren, Paul and Lela. She has three sisters, Jane (Richard) Hegstrom of Crownsville, Maryland, Remona (Ken) Toyama of Kanaga-wa-ken, Japan, Margaret (Robert) Spears of Watertown, South Dakota, and a brother, Larry (Cheryl) Ped-erson of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Preceding Ann in death were her parents and her brother, Roger (Merry) Pederson of Amherst, South Dakota.

No funeral services are planned at this time.

Ruth L. Lowery, age 83 of Water-town, SD, passed away surrounded by her family, on Sunday, April 25, 2021. Funeral services will be at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at Wight & Comes

Funeral Chapel in Watertown with Pastor Cheryl Ron-deau-Bassett offici-ating. Judy Everson will be the soloist accompanied by A.J. Sherrill.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on

Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at Wight & Comes Funeral Chapel.

Burial will be at Mount Hope Cem-etery, Watertown, SD.

Pallbearers will be Justin Swoboda, Brian Rehder, Tanner Sittig, Kyle

Fischer, Norman Luken and Rick Brownell.

Ruth Lenore Lowery, daughter of Ole C. and Hilda E. (Boxeth) Froke was born on March 23, 1938 in Summit, SD. She graduated from Summit High School and married her high school sweetheart, Duane Lowery on February 25, 1956 in Or-tonville, MN. The couple moved to Watertown and had five children.

Ruth was employed in retail for most of her working career. Her fa-vorite job was working at Walmart, especially in the layaway department. During retirement, Ruth and Duane enjoyed maintaining their rental property and ensuring each tenant felt at home. They always found time to go fishing and spending time with their grandchildren.

Grateful for having shared in her

life are her children, James (Diana) Lowery of Kokomo, IN, Vicki Rehder (Joe Ortmeier) and David (Ruby Ann) Lowery of Watertown, SD, Debra (Rick) Swoboda of Brookings, SD, and Sandra (Rick) Thyen of Watertown, SD; 11 grandchildren; 14 great grand-children; one great-great grandson; her sisters-in-law, Pam Lowery of Pierre, SD, and Sharon Johnson of Marvin, SD; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Duane; five brothers, Herman (Doris) Froke, Bud (Gladys) Froke, Arnie Froke, Verne (Lucy) Froke and Clint (Esther) Froke; and her brothers-in-law, Gary Lowery and George Johnson.

Arrangements by Wight & Comes Funeral Chapel, www.wightand-comes.com.

xxx

Ronald Kangas

Ann Racine

Ruth Lowery

Dale Stark

SOAP LAKE, Wash. — Dale Stark, age 69 of Soap Lake, WA., passed away on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Wenatchee, WA.

A Celebration of Life will be scheduled in August 2021 at Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel.

Carol Koch

Carol Koch, age 74 of Watertown, SD, passed away on Monday, April 26, 2021.

She was the widow of Dennis Koch.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 30, 2021, at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church. The service will be livestreamed on the church website and Craw-ford-Osthus website. Visitation will be at Crawford-Os-thus Funeral Chapel on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. Burial at Mt. Hope.

Arrangements by Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel.

Lowery Racine Kangas RUTH LOWREY Age 80, Watertown SD Funeral Service: 1:30 p.m. Wed., Wight & Comes Funeral

Chapel.

Visitation: 5-7 p.m. Tues., Wight & Comes Funeral Chapel.

www.wightandcomes.com

FUNERAL CHAPEL & CREMATION SERVICES WASHINGTON (AP) —

The U.S. will begin sharing its entire stock of Astra-Zeneca COVID-19 vaccines with the world once it clears federal safety reviews, the White House said Monday, with as many as 60 mil-lion doses expected to be available for export in the coming months.

The move greatly ex-pands on the Biden ad-ministration's action last month to share about 4 mil-lion doses of the vaccine with Mexico and Canada. The AstraZeneca vaccine is widely in use around the world but has not yet been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The White House is increasingly feeling as-sured about the supply of the three vaccines being administered in the U.S., particularly following the restart of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot over the weekend. The U.S. has also been under mounting pressure in re-cent weeks to share more of its vaccine supply with the world, as countries like India experience devas-tating surges of the virus and others struggle to ac-cess doses needed to pro-tect their most vulnerable populations.

"Given the strong port-folio of vaccines that the

U.S. already has and that have been authorized by the FDA, and given that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not authorized for use in the U.S., we do not need to use the AstraZeneca vaccine here during the next several months," said White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients. "Therefore the U.S. is looking at options to share the AstraZeneca doses with other countries as they become available."

More than 3 million people worldwide have died of COVID-19, in-cluding more than 572,000 in the U.S. The U.S. has vaccinated more than 53% of its adult population

with at least one dose of its three authorized vac-cines from Pfizer, Moderna and J&J, and it expects to have enough supply for its entire population by early summer.

About 10 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been produced but have yet to pass review by the FDA to "meet its expectations for product quality," Zients said, noting the U.S. regu-lator is recognized as the "gold standard" for safety around the world. That pro-cess could be completed in the next several weeks. About 50 million more doses are in various stages of production and could be

US to share AstraZeneca shots with world after safety check

available to ship in May and June pending FDA sign-off. The U.S. has yet to finalize where the AstraZeneca doses will go, Zients said. Neighbors Mexico and Canada have asked the Biden administration to share more doses.

Visitation:

Thurs. 4 to 7 p.m. Our Chapel

Funeral Service:

Fri. 10:30 a.m. St. Martin’s Lutheran Church

*Live-Streamed on Church Site and Our Website*

CAROL KOCH

Age 74, Watertown, SD

DALE STARK

Age 69, Soap Lake, WA Services: At a later date www.crawfordosthus.com www.osthusfuneral.com

Osthus

Funeral Home WASHINGTON (AP)

— The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear an appeal to expand gun rights in the United States in a New York case over the right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense.

The case marks the court's first foray into gun rights since Justice Amy Coney Barrett came on board in October, making a 6-3 conservative ma-jority.

The justices said Monday that they will re-view a lower-court ruling that upheld New York's restrictive gun permit law. The court's decision to take on the case fol-lows mass shootings in recent weeks in Indiana, Georgia, Colorado and California and comes amid congressional ef-forts to tighten gun laws. President Joe Biden also has announced several executive actions to combat what he called an "epidemic and an in-ternational embarrass-ment" of gun violence in America.

The case is especially significant during the coronavirus pandemic, said Eric Tirschwell, the

Supreme Court to take

up right to carry gun

for self-defense

legal director of Every-town for Gun Safety, a gun control group backed by former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. "Gun vi-olence has only worsened during the pandemic, and a ruling that opened the door to weakening our gun laws could make it even harder for cities and states to grapple with this public health crisis," Tirschwell said.

The court had turned down review of the issue in June, before Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death.

New York is among eight states that limit who has the right to carry a weapon in public. The others are Cal-ifornia, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Is-land.

In the rest of the country, gun owners have little trouble legally carrying their weapons when they go out.

Paul Clement, repre-senting challengers to New York's permit law, said the court should use the case to settle the issue once and for all. "Thus, the nation is split, with the Second Amend-ment alive and well in the vast middle of the nation, and those same rights dis-regarded near the coasts," Clement wrote on behalf of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association and two New York residents.

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6A

Today in History

Today’s Highlight in History:

On April 27, 1978, 51 con-struction workers plunged to their deaths when a scaf-fold inside a cooling tower at the Pleasants Power Station site in West Virginia fell 168 feet to the ground.

On this date:

In 1521, Portuguese ex-plorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed by natives in the Philippines.

In 1791, the inventor of the telegraph, Samuel Morse, was born in Charles-town, Massachusetts.

In 1810, Ludwig van Beethoven wrote one of his most famous piano com-positions, the Bagatelle in A-minor.

In 1822, the 18th presi-dent of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio.

In 1865, the steamer Sul-tana, carrying freed Union prisoners of war, exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee; death toll estimates vary from 1,500 to 2,000.

In 1941, German forces occupied Athens during World War II.

In 1973, acting FBI Direc-tor L. Patrick Gray resigned after it was revealed that he’d destroyed files re-moved from the safe of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt.

In 1982, the trial of John W. Hinckley Jr., who shot four people, including President Ronald Reagan, began in Washington. (The trial ended with Hinckley’s acquittal by reason of insanity.)

In 1994, former President Richard M. Nixon was re-membered at an outdoor fu-neral service attended by all five of his successors at the Nixon presidential library in Yorba Linda, California.

In 2009, a 23-month-old Mexico City toddler died at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, becoming the first swine-flu death on U.S. soil.

In 2010, former Pana-manian dictator Manuel Noriega was extradited from the United States to France, where he was later convicted of laundering drug money and received a seven-year sentence.

In 2015, rioters plunged part of Baltimore into cha-os, torching a pharmacy, setting police cars ablaze and throwing bricks at offi-cers hours after thousands attended a funeral for Fred-die Gray, a Black man who died from a severe spinal injury he’d suffered in police custody; the Baltimore Orioles’ home game against the Chicago White Sox was postponed because of safe-ty concerns.

Ten years ago: Powerful tornadoes raked the South and Midwest; according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-tion, more than 120 twisters resulted in 316 deaths. An Afghan officer, Col. Ahmed Gul, killed eight U.S. airmen and one U.S. civilian during a routine meeting at an Afghan air force headquar-ters compound in Kabul; Gul died in an exchange of fire that followed his attack. Responding to critics’ relentless claims, President Barack Obama produced a detailed Hawaii birth cer-tificate in an extraordinary attempt to bury the issue of where he’d been born and confirm his legitimacy to hold office.

Five years ago: Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was sentenced in Chicago to more than a year in prison in a hush-money case that revealed accusations he’d sexually abused teenagers while coaching high school wrestling. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill allowing mental health counselors to refuse to treat patients based on the therapist’s religious or personal beliefs.

The family of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was shot to death in her home by officers serving a narcotics warrant, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Lou-isville, Kentucky and its police department. (The suit would be settled in September.)

The guilty verdict against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on all counts was correct, based on the evidence, but the theatrics leading up to that trial and after the jurors had made their deci-sion was outrageous.

Demonstrations, riots and looting around the country since the death of George Floyd had to have influenced the jury, the media and public opinion.

Comments before, during and after the trial by politicians were unhelpful to put it mildly. Rep. Maxine Waters represents a district in California. Why did she go to Minnesota to urge people to “stay on the street” and “get more confrontational” if Chauvin was acquitted? She did something similar when she urged those opposed to Donald Trump to show up at restaurants, gas stations and other public places and get in the faces of Trump officials. Waters denied she was inciting lawless behavior, but she had no problem claiming Trump

encouraged the January 6 in-surrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi ridicu-lously said George Floyd sacri-ficed himself for justice.

President Biden called the Floyd family before the verdict and said he was “praying for the right outcome.” One doesn’t have to be a mind reader to know the signal he was sending. It is safe to say he wasn’t hoping for Chauvin’s acquittal. He and Vice President Kamala Harris called again after the verdict. Biden later repeated his asser-tion that systemic racism infects many Americans. In medicine, systemic means, “affecting the whole body, or at least multiple organ systems.” Apparently, there is no cure for systemic

racism and the Civil War, civil rights legislation and trillions of dollars spent on programs to help mainly poor African Amer-icans is not sufficient atonement for slavery and discrimination. White people are born racist according to this point of view.

With his calls to the Floyd family, perhaps Biden was following the example of John F. Kennedy, who called Coretta Scott King during the 1960 presidential campaign. Her husband, Martin Luther King Jr., had been arrested for violating probation. Kennedy, who was reluctant to lead on civil rights for fear of losing the Southern vote, offered Mrs. King his support. The call was leaked to the media. King was released from jail the following day. The phone call was credited with garnering large support among African American voters.

As for the riots and demon-strations leading up to the Chauvin trial, a Wall Street Journal editorial put it best: “It would be nice to think all

of this would prompt reflec-tion among those who have exploited Floyd’s killing for po-litical purposes. But it probably won’t. Even after the verdict, commentators who applauded the jury gave last year’s riots in American cities the credit for inspiring it. Not the facts. Not the law. But lawless protests. If a large faction of Americans really believes that only mayhem in the streets can guarantee justice in America, then this verdict will mean little, and we are in for far more unrest ahead.”

Three other officers remain to be tried in the Floyd case, but the verdict may already be in on them as well. How can a jury not have been influenced by the lawlessness and the outcome of the Chauvin trial?

Is this the way our justice system is to proceed in the future? Will we have trials by mob rule? Someone should ask Attorney General Merrick Garland these questions.

Chauvin trial theatrics were outrageous

Mark S. Roby, Publisher Roger Whittle, Managing Editor

The Public Opinion welcomes the opinions of our readers on public issues of general interest to the communities we serve.

Guidelines for publication:

• All letters must be 300 words or less.

• We reserve the right to edit all letters for libel, good taste and clarity.

• Preference will be given to letter writers who reside in our general delivery area of northeast South Dakota and west central Minnesota.

• We will publish letters that represent original ideas of the writer. We will not publish form letters or blanket e-mails.

• Writers are limited to one letter every 30 days.

• All letters referring to elections must be received in our office by 5 p.m. the Thursday before the election. No letters

after that time will be published. Letters endorsing a specific

candidate (pro or con) will be forwarded to the advertising department.

Letters may be sent to [email protected] or through our website at thepublicopinion.com.

If you prefer to send your letter through traditional mail, address it to:

Letters to the Editor Public Opinion P.O. Box 10

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All letters must include a sender’s name, complete address and a telephone number. Only your name and city will be published with your letter.

Letters policy

By Barb Brinkman

Guest Columnist

Do you feel that call? The sun warms up, the winter snow is gone and the grass starts to turn green and then it happens – the scraps of paper, beverage cans and bottles, cigarette butts and discarded facemasks appear. They holler PICK ME UP! Throw me in a proper waste container or recycle me!

It is spring and prior to COVID-19 the city-wide Spring Litter Blitz was held at this time. With the COVID guidelines still in place we are having a self- guided Spring Litter Blitz. No need to sign up or report your collection but organize a pick-up party on your own! This could be just you on a calm

walk to enjoy the fresh air or walking a pet. Family members, friends, a club or organization can have fun together and feel good about improving the look of their community.

There might be some com-petition to see who can find the weirdest item. During the past 8 years that our community has focused on a Spring Litter Blitz there has always been coins and folding money found. What will you find?

Set a time and choose a public area that you can see needs attention or get permis-sion for private land. Prioritize safety by wearing gloves and being aware of your environ-ment (such as water hazards and traffic), and maintaining physical distancing as needed.

LITTER JUST DOESN’T APPEAR. It’s the result of careless attitudes and improper waste handling. Litter is blown about by the wind and traffic or carried by water. It moves until trapped by a curb, building, or fence. Once litter has accu-mulated, it invites people to add more. Develop a sense of ownership for the parks you visit and other public places. No one is picking up after you. Do your part. Clean up after yourself (and your dog — that is litter too).

Even if it is ONE potato chip bag, pick it up. Set a good example. Feel good for doing a good thing. Keep a litterbag in your vehicle for collecting trash. On a windy day avoid opening both the driver’s and

the passenger’s car doors at the same time. It’s a wind tunnel that will cause unintentional litter.

Cigarette butts never com-pletely decompose. Discard into a waste container. Espe-cially during these COVID days recycle plastic store bags and cardboard so they don’t add to the litter issue.

So PLEASE help reduce litter and make our community look better!

You are part of the solution! If you have questions call Barb Brinkman at 605-881-7271

---Barb Brinkman is coordinator of the Watertown Clean & Green Committee, which is part of Watertown H2O-20.

Cal

Thomas

Columnist

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Professional Cards

DIRECTORY OF OPTOMETRISTS

Dr. Michael Johnson

1519 9th Avenue SE - Suite A, Watertown, SD Phone 882-9424

Dr. Bruce Siegling

Located at 1520 4th Street NE, Watertown, SD (N. Hwy. 81) Phone 882-1818

Dr. Chad D. Beynon

905 29th Street SE, Watertown, SD Phone 882-2020

Dr. Matt Kunkel & Dr. Beth Kunkel

1225 4th Street NE, Watertown, SD Phone 882-4175

WT-934905-1

Stormwater and Winter

Rock salts

have also been

known to harm

ﬁsh eggs and

kill vegetation

in streams. Rock

salts can also

Harm Landscaping,

concrete and metal.

Remember, only rain

down the drain!

WT-945458-1 WT-945458-1

7A

TV WORD SEARCH

Let’s have some fungi

BEECH BLACK TRUM-PET BLEWIT BOLETE BUNT BUTTON CAPS CHANTE-RELLE EDIBLE ENOKI ERGOT FUNGUS GILLS HEN OF THE WOODS JELLY KING TRUM-PET MOLD MORELS OYSTER PIOPPINO PLEUROTUS POISONOUS PORTOBELLO PUFFBALL SHIMEJI SMUT SPORES STEMS TOADSTOOL TRUFFLES YEAST

*Hidden Phrase: LIFE THAT SPRINGS OUT FROM DECAY

Wednesday

• Alcoholics Anony-mous, Gilbert Group, 1021 Gilbert Ave., 12:15 p.m. (open). Handicap accessible.

• Alcoholics Anony-mous, Gilbert Group, 1021 Gilbert Ave., 5:15 p.m. (closed). Handicap accessible.

• Alcoholics Anony-mous, Gilbert Group, 1021 Gilbert Ave., 8:15 p.m. (closed). Handicap accessible.

• Alcoholics Anony-mous 24-hour help line, 880-2227.

• Bramble Park Zoo, North Hwy. 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Chess Club, Family Games, 7 to 9 p.m.

• Codington County Heritage Museum, 1 to

5 p.m.

• Co-dependent Anon-ymous, 12 Step Meeting, 4:30 p.m., Encounter, 201 1/2 E. Kemp, contact phone 605-881-6991. • Drivers License, 2001 9th Ave. SW, Suite 100, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. • Narcotics Anony-mous, 8 p.m. For more information call 884-6362.

• Redlin Art Center, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Senior Exercise Group, 1st United Meth-odist Church, 9 a.m.

• TOPS 460, Grace Lu-theran Church, 10:30 a.m.

• Watertown Regional Library, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Please contact news@ thepublicopinion.com for calendar changes.

Calendar

Dear Annie: My daughter-in-law

could probably have written the letter about the person trying too hard to please their disapproving mother-in-law.

The reality is that there are always two sides to every story. Mine is that at some point, I did or said something to hurt my daugh-ter-in-law. But I am not allowed to know what that was. So, any apology seems empty, although I have tried.

She now treats our entire family with complete apathy. We try. We send cards and acknowledge birthdays, anniversaries and hol-idays, despite having received no reciprocation for years. We offer to visit cross-country but are told it is a bad time. We offer to video chat but are often rejected. Our son does contact us with the grandchildren on occasion.

We would love to be a part of our grandkids’ lives, but rejection gets harder and harder with time. We are blocked from Facebook posts and are not allowed to know our granddaughter’s cell number. It is all very sad indeed.

Our daughter-in-law is loved and cared for, but her perception is that she is not. Please encourage others to forgive and reconcile. Life is too short to allow bitterness to fester

and relationships to be destroyed. A bright note is that our son’s in-laws treat us with love and respect, and they are thankful that they have us in their lives. — Two Sides to Every Story

Dear Two Sides to Every Story:

Thank you for this different per-spective. Forgiveness is a gift for you to give yourself as well as your daughter-in-law. The problem with her seems to be caused by her issues, not yours. But keep trying. Her parents’ kindness is reason for hope.

Dear Annie: My brother lives

next door to my parents and me and is driving me crazy. He refuses to get vaccinated despite my par-ents being in their 60s, and we have an immune-compromised family. He lives with a pregnant nurse, and she refuses to wear a mask or get vaccinated.

They still come into our home and to small family events, and they don’t follow requests to mask

up properly or socially distance. They also recently came over to our home and tried to diagnose my nephew with autism. He sees a team of professionals, including doctors, who have all stated that he is not autistic.

I tell my parents this is unac-ceptable behavior that crosses the line. Unfortunately, they do not agree with me, and it’s causing conflict. I understand that I cannot control my brother’s actions, and I have voiced my concerns about our safety to him directly, but he brushes me off. What else can I do? — Living Next Door to Peter Pan

Dear Living Next Door to Peter Pan: It sounds like your parents

side more with your brother, though I’m not sure why they would. Start by ironing out the rules of the house and letting them be known to all, including your parents. If you want guests — in-cluding family — to wear masks and socially distance, then they must wear masks and socially distance. As far as your brother attempting to diagnose your son, tell him to MYOB and that you are relying on professionals.

---Send your questions for Annie Lane to [email protected]

Mother-in-law getting ignored

NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of prototype Nikes worn by Kanye West during his performances of "Hey Mama" and "Stronger" at the Grammy Awards in 2008 has shattered the re-cord for a pair of sneakers ever sold.

Sotheby's announced Monday that West's so-called "Grammy Worn" Nike Air Yeezy 1 fetched $1.8 in a private sale. It was acquired by RARES, a sneaker investment mar-ketplace.

The sale marks the highest publicly recorded price for a sneaker sale and the first pair of sneakers to top $1 million. Sotheby's brokered the private sale.

The size 12 shoes de-signed by West and Mark Smith are made of soft black leather with perfo-rated detailing throughout the upper, and the heel overlay is branded with a tonal Swoosh. The design features the iconic Yeezy forefoot strap and signature 'Y' medallion lacelocks in bright pink.

The price is nearly triple the auction record for a sneaker set in 2020 at Chris-tie's for $615,000. That was a pair of '85 Jordan 1s that the basketball superstar wore when he famously shattered the backboard during a pre-season game in Italy.

"We are thrilled with the result, which has nearly tri-pled the highest price on record," Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's head of street-wear and modern collect-ables, said in a statement.

Kanye West

sneakers fetch

record $1.8M

at private sale

Dear

Annie

Advice Columnist

The Watertown High School Class of 1957 will meet at 11:30 a.m. Monday, May 3 at Pizza Ranch.

For more information contact Jan (886-0857) or Sandy (886-8144).

Class of ‘57 to meet

‘Nomadland’ wins best picture at socially distanced Oscars

By Jake Coyle

AP Film Writer

Chloé Zhao's "Nomadland," a wistful portrait of itinerant lives on open roads across the American West, won best pic-ture Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards, where the China-born Zhao became the first woman of color to win best director and a historically diverse group of winners took home awards.

In the biggest surprise of a socially dis-tanced Oscar ceremony held during the pandemic, best actor went to Anthony Hopkins for his performance in the de-mentia drama "The Father." The award had been widely expected to go to Chad-wick Boseman for his final performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." The night's last award, it ended the ceremony on a down note, particularly since Hopkins wasn't in attendance.

Hours later, Hopkins made a belated victory speech from his Welsh homeland

and paid tribute to Boseman, who he said was "taken from us far too early."

The "Nomadland" victory, while widely expected, nevertheless capped the ex-traordinary rise of Zhao, a lyrical film-maker whose winning film is just her third, and which — with a budget less than $5 million and featuring a cast populated by non-professional actors — ranks as one of the most modest-sized movies to win Hollywood's top honor. (Zhao's next film, Marvel's "Eternals," has a budget approx-imately 40 times that of "Nomadland.")

A plain-spoken meditation on solitude, grief and grit, "Nomadland" stuck a chord in a pandemic-ravaged year. It made for an unlikely Oscar champ: A film about people who gravitate to the margins took center stage.

"I have always found goodness in the people I've met everywhere I went in the world," said Zhao when accepting best di-rector, which Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker") was the only previous woman to

win. "This is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold on to the goodness in themselves and to hold on the goodness in other no matter how difficult it is to do that."

With a howl, "Nomadland" star Frances McDormand implored people to seek out her film and others on the big screen. Re-leased by the Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures, "Nomadland" premiered at a drive in and debuted in theaters, but found its largest audience on Hulu.

"Please watch our movie on the largest screen possible," McDormand said. "And one day very, very soon, take everyone you know into a theater, shoulder to shoulder in that dark space, and watch every film that's represented here tonight."

Soon after, McDormand won best ac-tress, too — her third such win. Only Katharine Hepburn, a four-time winner, has won best actress more times.

The most ambitious award show held during the pandemic, the Oscars rolled

out a red carpet and tried to restored some glamour to a grim year. For the first time ever, this year's nominees were overwhelmingly seen in the home during a pandemic year that forced theaters to close and prompted radical change in Hollywood.

More women and more actors of color were nominated than ever before, and Sunday brought a litany of records and firsts across many categories, spanning everything from hairstyling to composing to acting. It was, some observers said, a sea change for an awards harshly criticized as "OscarsSoWhite" in recent years, leading the film academy to greatly expand mem-bership.

The ceremony — fashioned as a movie of its own and styled as a laid back party — kicked off with opening credits and a slinky Regina King entrance, as the camera followed the actress and "One Night in Miami" director in one take as she strode Please see OSCARS, page 8A