Construction crews in Spearfish demonstrated their genius recently. First, they stopped right in front of me with their work pickup on Jackson Blvd. Then, as I was manuevering around the pickup parked in the middle of the road, the workers jumped out and walked right in front of my vehicle without warning. I slammed on the brakes, yet they barely paid me notice.

OK, that can happen, I guess. We’re supposed to yield, right? Alrighty. I’ll let that one slide. What is totally outrageous is how the city blocked half the road all the way from St. Joseph Street down to the school crossing area – nearly a half mile! What were they thinking? Of course, they assumed they were going to chop holes around the wells/sewers/whatever and refill them with blacktop all in one day. Well, they should have checked the weather forecast. It snowed that night and left half the road in complete disarray.

Chaos ensued as drivers were unaware and unwarned that the lane they were driving suddenly came to an end. No gradual lane shifts – just plastic cones stuck across half the road. A job that should have taken a day to complete is now stuck because of the snowstorm.

How do these people get these jobs?

Interesting piece from RC Journal

I was just talking to my friend about Polka Dots in Spearfish yesterday. Fond memory… I guess, from a business perspective, it was a good place to build an office building in that part of town, but I still miss it.

The Northern Hills Drive-in was another fun memory from childhood. The one in Belle Fourche survived a little longer.

Deadwood isn’t the Deadwood I remember as a kid, of course. That quaint run-down old west atmosphere is gone, except in hidden corners here and there. I’m just glad I got to see it before it changed. They really sanitized it and painted it up (Disneyfied it) to look more polished than it ever really was. I like the new Deadwood too, don’t get me wrong. It just isn’t the same without the dangerous boardwalks, run-down streets, JC Penny store, and that taffy shop…

The house fire on Evans Lane in Spearfish claimed the life of 20-year-old Ryan Ames. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. One other person survived the blaze. Smoke could be seen rising from the ashes of the site 3 days after the fire.

Condolences to the friends and family of Ryan.

This tragic event is a reminder to PLEASE double check your own house to be sure you have fire alarms and other fire safety devices in place.

Such a headline might not be news in other places, but as most Spearfishians know, snow removal by the city of Spearfish is not exactly top-notch. This morning, however, the crews were working hard and must have had some extra crew and equipment. They are to be commended for their active response. The crews were out on roads all over town plowing and clearing roads. It was a delight and the hope is that this sort of quick removal wasn’t just a fluke.

Thank you to those who work hard to clear the roads of Spearfish!

Even polar bears have trouble traveling in Spearfish

by Bella O’Brien
An accident almost occurred this morning on Jackson Blvd near Rainbow Preschool. This preschool is located just a block from West Elementary, so there is heavy traffic in the area before and after school. The road was very icy and one SUV came very close to rear-ending a pickup. The vehicle behind both of these vehicles also slid to a stop.

As there were parents taking their children into the preschool and most of the other traffic had children in the cars going to West, this could have been a nasty situation. I am not sure why the City of Spearfish leaves the roads in such bad shape. Granted we do not have a lot of snow right now, but some sand over the sheet of ice that is currently serving as our roads would be nice.

It was a good first-ever showing at the national level, but today BHSU fell to Point Loma Nazerene, 2-3. The Lady Jackets finished the tournament with a 2-1 record. Not bad… Congrats to the Lady Jackets for such a strong showing!

Current standings:
NAIA 2008 Women’s Volleyball