lcherald.com

Thumbs up and thumbs down

Thumbs up to a rainy Saturday. It was the kind of rain farmers hope for, a real soaker.

It started raining across much of Lyman County early Saturday morning and continued to rain most of the day. Rainfall reports range from near 1 ½ inches to well over 2 inches.

Thumbs down to the slick conditions of Hwy 83. The newly constructed 9-miles of divided highway north of Vivian is known to be extremely slick when wet. Local residents know it and respect it. Unfortunately, travelers new to the area who don’t pay attention to the small yellow highway sign that indicates ‘slippery when wet’ are likely to find out the hard way. The Lyman County Sheriff’s office has responded to 14 accidents within the nine mile section since November of 2003. Hopefully, a rock chip sealer can be added before a fatality is recorded.

Thumbs up to the return of South Dakota National Guard units around the state. Although some returned with injuries and a few remain in treatment, we’re thankful none were killed in the line of duty.

Thumbs up to all those who rose early Monday morning to help form a welcoming committee for the 200th Guard Unit as they passed through Kennebec and Vivian on their way to deactivation ceremonies in Pierre. Fire trucks, flags, and plenty of yellow ribbons and balloons greeted the soldiers along the route through Lyman County.

Thumbs down to the price hike in gasoline. It seems like warm temperatures and the thought of summer travel is all it takes to spike the price of gasoline at the pump. According to AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report the average price of per gallon in South Dakota is $1.75, which is 12 cents more per gallon than this time last year. But, it’s still below the record setting average price of $1.86 set in May 2001. Driving is a major part of many peoples lives especially for those who commute daily to work and school. We may grumble at the cost but it’s become a necessity of life for many.

Thumbs up to the Lyman High School band for another excellent evening of fine dining. The theme of the 17th Annual Band Dinners was ‘Swing, Swing, Swing.’ The musicians and their directors treated audiences to numerous familiar tunes. The vocal numbers were great, but the show stopper of the evening was the band’s finale, the 1940 Glen Miller hit "In the Mood."