BrandonInfo.com

The city and school have reopened negotiations about where to move the skateboard park. But users won’t have any trouble finding it once it’s moved, because talk is of moving it only a stone’s throw, to just east of the water tower. That would cost $75,000. The ice skating rink would be moved too, to an area near McHardy Park, for $25,000.

It’s not set in stone yet, so there’s time to comment. What do you think of the plan? The school wants the skateboard park moved because of plans for a new band practice field at the spot where it is now.

Derick Lux, 19, of Brandon died in a motorcycle accident Saturday afternoon. He was driving a Honda CBR600 motorcycle north on Interstate 29 and lost control of the bike when he tried to exit at 12th Street. A tow truck ended up hitting him.

I did not know Derick. Did you? What kind of a person was he? Feel free to blog any memories you have of him or any thoughts you have on his passing.

South Dakota is one of 35 states raising its minimum wage today from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour, in line with federal regulations. Is that going to help or hurt the state’s economy?

If you’re working for minimum wage, you might be celebrating because you just got a raise. But if you’re a small-business employer, you might decide that the only way you can afford to pay your employees more is to have one fewer employee.

Restaurants and small town, mom-and-pop stores might suffer the most.

What do you think?

Have you had any trouble with your license plate sticker sticking? Some people in Minnehaha County have.

It seems the state received some defective labels among the good ones. Minnehaha County received 21 boxes of defective decals, each containing 400 stickers. Treasurer Pam Nelson said her office has distributed decals from 16 of those boxes.

It’s just one of several problems that have plagued the office recently. Lines for license plates have been long. Have you experienced this? Or do you avoid the lines by sending for your plates and stickers by mail?

That’s had problems too. People who go through the mail are supposed to add a $1 handling fee, but the instructions to do that were not clear, so many people haven’t been including it.

What has been your experience getting license plates? My family gets ours in November, and I don’t recall having any problems back then.

The US Senate could vote today on an amendment sponsored by Sen. John Thune.Thune’s amendment would let anyone with a concealed weapon permit carry a firearm across state lines in states that also issue permits. The amendment is attached to the Defense Authorization bill.

Right now, people who have a concealed weapon permit can carry their guns in other states, but only ones that have a specific agreement with the state in which they received their permit.

Sen. Tim Johnson so far hasn’t said how he would vote on the amendment.

How would you want him to vote? Do you think Thune’s cause is a good one?

Today is the 40th anniversary of the first man on the moon. What were you doing that day?

I was at Bible camp in the Black Hills. It was the summer after my sixth grade year. Typically, there are no televisions at Bible camp, but we had one on that day because of the historic nature of the event. Of course it was a black and white television, and the reception never was great in the Black Hills in those days, so the picture was pretty grainy. But I did sit and watch for a while.

I have a better memory of being at my grandparents’ house and watching Buzz Aldrin hit golf balls on the moon during a subsequent trip.

I just got an e-mail from Budapest, Hungary, from a reader who wanted to comment on a story he saw on www.brandoninfo.com. He said the story made his day.
So often, we go about our work and forget how far-reaching our efforts may be.

It’s good to remember that anything we do, at work or in our personal lives, may affect someone in ways we may never know. It is fun, though, to get feedback from time to time.

Have you ever had an experience where you learned that something you did affected someone else in ways you didn’t expect? Please, tell us about it.

A co-worker had twin girls this morning. She named them Prairie and Kerrie. Prairie is a pretty unusual name for a child. But then again, so is Alica.

I got the name because both my grandmothers are named Alice. My mother wanted to name me after them but wanted something slightly different, so she replaced the “e” with an “a” and called me Alica. Mom says it should be pronounced “Alice-ah,” with the emphasis on the first syllable, but she’s called me “Alissa,” with the emphasis on the second syllable, all my life.

My husband, Glenn, got his name because his parents liked the sound of it. His middle name, though, is after his uncle.
How did you get your name? How did you choose your children’s names? Did you choose family names or some variation thereof, or are they just names you liked or picked from a list?

The Brandon Arts & Crafts Festival, a long-time tradition in Brandon, moved in recent years from July to June. And now it will move to August, to coincide with Hometown Days.

Organizers say they are hoping for 30 vendors this year. I remember years where there were 100 vendors.

Do you think you will go to the event this year? Many of the vendors who will be there are regulars of the festival. Personally, I like the fine art booths the best.  Which vendors do you look forward to each year?

Have you ever stopped at a rest stop along the highway in another state and gotten free cookies and lemonade? Well, travelers do when they enter South Dakota at the rest stop near the Valley Springs exit on Interstate 90.

The Brandon Historical Society, the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce, the Jesse James Players from Garretson and the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau, and probably other groups, have welcomed visitors as they enter our state. Lots of times, people who are traveling west are headed to the Black Hills. These groups encourage travelers to stop on this side of the Missouri River to enjoy some of the sights in the Sioux Empire.

The state almost stopped groups from welcoming travelers. Some people said there was no way to monitor the groups to make sure they followed the rules of not soliciting donations. They said too much trash accumulated. They said the groups created congestion.

Other people said, though, that these welcoming events are a valuable tourism tool for our area. What are your thoughts?
If you were to welcome travelers, what places in Brandon would you encourage them to visit?

What do you think of the Brandon Police Department cars new paint jobs? They’re the traditional black and white, now.

At Monday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Larry Beesley said people have told him they think the cars look too big city-ish. Alderman Brett Karber said people have told him they think the cars now have a commanding presence.

What is your opinion?

If your neighbor were reshingling his house, would you be opposed to him putting a dumpster on the street for a few days? If a new city ordinance passes, that could be the scenario.

Now, no dumpsters are allowed on streets, but some properties don’t have room for a dumpster. When those homeowners need to use a dumpster, they have no place to put it. The proposed ordinance would let them put the dumpster in the street for a few days if they really need it and if they pay a fee. Dave Swier of the city’s zoning department would be the one to say if they really need it or not.

Do you think the proposed ordinance is a good one? How many days would be appropriate to allow people to have a dumpster in the street? Three? Five? Seven?

What do you think?

When I was a kid, there weren’t organized sports for girls. Not that I knew of, anyway. Not around here. It wouldn’t have mattered. As an asthmatic, I wouldn’t have participated anyway. I remember that my brother was in softball, or baseball, when he was a boy. I think he was in the upper grades when he played.

Both my children participated in sports, but not until they were old enough to play in school sports. My son wrestled for six years and played football for two. My daughter was a volleyball statistician for two years in high school.
These days, there are organized sports for both girls and boys, starting at very young ages. There is the Mat Cats wrestling, where kids as young as preschoolers can participate. The Brandon Tennis Association now offers Grand Slam Tennis for Kids as young as 5 years old.

Some people would say offering these sports to younger kids is great. It teaches them teamwork and discipline at a young age. Others might say it teaches them competition at a young age also. Some might say it conditions children so they are more competent by the time they are in, say, high school. Others might say that concentrating on one sport so young might prohibit kids from trying a variety of activities.

Some might say that club sports gives families a chance to spend time together. Others might say it turns parents into chauffers.

What do you say? Does enrolling young children in sports give them that athletic edge, or does it burn them out early? Does it give them a lifelong love for their chosen sport, or does it prevent them from becoming well rounded?