The end of the year means it’s time to remember the news stories that were a part of our lives for the past 365 days. Below is the player containing the Performance Radio News Year in Review, along with the photographs to go along with the biggest news stories of 2012.
For more detail on the photos, click on them. A description of each is below..
- January 3rd: Springs Auto in Wessington Springs burns to the ground. Fire Chief Keith Wetzel fought the fire at the business he worked for 22 years
- January 23rd: Jerauld County farmers and ranchers listened as officials took public comment on the closing of the Farm Service Agency office in Wessington Springs.
- February 14th: Wolsey firefighters spend Valentine’s Day battling a house fire.
- February 24th: The US Postal Service announces Dakota Central is in line for closure, although later in the year, they would confirm the Huron Postal Sorting Center would stay open through 2014
- March 9th: Huron Regional Medical Center holds a ground breaking for it’s new clinic, located south of the main hospital complex.
- March 29th: A Porter Distributing beer truck lost it’s rear trailer axle on Dakota Avenue. No one was injured.
- March 29th: Pete and Linda Marcus of Huron win $250,000 in a South Dakota Lottery game
- April 4th: Defense lawyer Jeff Burns speaks at the sentencing of his client, James Harris, a 28-year-old Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter for killing 16 year-old Zachary Eichstadt in 2011
- Judge Jon Erickson sentences Harris to 10 years in prison for the drunk driving accident he caused killing Eichstadt
- Harris reads as statement to the Zachary Eichstadt family in the Kingsbury County Courthouse in De Smet.
- April 16th: The water park at the former Huron University campus gets a name. Officials revealed “Splash Central” as the name for the water park at an official ground breaking ceremony. The community had direct input into the name by way of a contest.
- April 20th: After over 60 years of service, WP Beverage officials shut down bottling operations at it’s plant in Huron, previously owned by Huron businessman Early Nordby.
- May 25th: Long time Beadle County Highway Superintendent Jerry Batien lost his 10-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57. Point Blank, Jerry is still missed by many.
- June 13th: A rural house fire in southeastern Jerauld County killed 58-year old Robert Neilson. A cause for the fire was not determined.
- June 20th: Lightning struck the Northwestern substation behind Karl’s TV and Appliance causing a power outage on Huron’s south side. Street Department crews placed temporary stop signs at 21st and Dakota Avenue as severe storms moved through the area.
- July 16th: A Canadian Pacific freight train derails between Huron and Cavour sending five cars carrying wheat and sunflower off the tracks. An ethanol car was adjacent to the derailed cars but stayed on the tracks.
- August 8th: Huron takes part for the first time in the National Night Out event. Held in Campbell Park, Huron Police would say the event exceeded expectations, with approximately 1700 people attending.
- August 12th: Huron police investigate a number of vehicles that were set ablaze overnight. One vehicle that was burned included an RV.
- August 15: Werner Fajardo, a Sioux Falls man who had owned the El Cuervo Bar and Dance Hall was found guilty on 8 charges including multiple rape counts resulting from a night of underage drinking at his now closed bar. He would be sentenced to 225 years in prison to which he must serve 100 years concurrent. The remaining is consecutive.
- September 24th: Beadle County States Attorney Mike Moore files charges of selling mislabeled fuel against Corner Pantry owner M-G Oil of Rapid City and the 281 Travel Center in Wolsey. Both would plead no contest M-G Oil was fined $2500 and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. The 281 Travel Center was fined $500 and 15 hours community service.
- September 28: Huron begins talk of a texting while driving ban. Over the next two months a four-part ordinance would be adopted that makes texting and driving a primary offense and distracted driving a secondary offense. It is expected to become enforceable early in 2013
- October 14th: By way of military cuts, Detachment 2 Alpha Company of the 139th Brigade Support Battalion was de-activated in Miller.
- October 30th: Huron firefighters respond to a house fire in the 800 block of Wisconsin Ave.
- November 23rd: LSI in Alpena donates $70,000 to the Alpena Fire Department as part of a Community Development Block Grant for upgrades to the Alpena Waste water plant to accommodate and expansion at the Jack Links facility in Alpena.
- November 23rd: Huron firefighters were busy again with a house fire on Ohio Avenue.
- November 29th: A long process comes to a close as Cody, Huron’s drug detecting canine officer becomes certified with his handler Officer Derek Layher takes to the streets in the fight against drugs.