BrandonInfo.com

We are looking for an idea for a good story with a Thanksgiving theme to put in the Brandon Valley Challenger. Do you know of someone in the Brandon/Valley Springs/Garretson area who raises their own Thanksgiving turkey, or who spends every Thanksgiving serving food to the needy, or who has something significant and special to be thankful for this year? If so, we would like to meet them and write about them.

Please post your ideas here or send them to me at apthiele@argusleader.com.

Thanks very much.

Alica P. Thiele

Brandon Valley Challenger

Did you use the free city leaf drop off Saturday? The city hires Marv’s Sanitary to take away leaves that people bring to the garbage truck. I’m not sure what Marv does with the leaves. Do you?

My husband mowed over our leaves. Chopped them up into little pieces and left them on the lawn. No raking, no hauling. Eco-friendly. Do you know of any other eco-friendly ways to take care of fall leaves?

If you like the leaf drop off, you may be interested to know that the city has another one scheduled for Nov. 14 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the grocery store parking lot.

I got a birthday card from the governor the other day. My birthday isn’t until December, but I guess Gov. Rounds wanted to remind me that this year I have to renew my driver license.

I guess he also wanted me to know that the rates have gone up. I guess that was bound to happen. The rates of everything go up eventually.

So I will have to pay $20 to renew my driver license. I guess that’s not bad for four years of the privilege to drive.

One time I forgot to renew my license and didn’t realize it until March. That was scary. So you might want to check your expiration date right now. And if you give someone a birthday card, you might want to write a note in the card reminding them to check their expiration date.

Do you think the Brandon Golf Course green fees are too low, just right, or too high? The rates that were set in 2007 have stayed the same in 2008 and 2009, but it looks like there will be an increase in 2010. The rates for 2010 haven’t been set yet, but fees might go up as much as 5 percent.
Of course, the course needs income to stay open. If costs go up but green fees don’t, what suggestions would you have to get more income?

How much longer can you stand this weather? I can’t remember the last time I saw the sun. The rain makes my joints hurt.

On the other hand, there might be some advantages to the recent gray skies. If you know of any, please share. I’m eager for a positive outlook.

As soon as I turned 18, I registered to vote. I rarely miss an election, including primaries.

Up until now, people who are registered Independent couldn’t vote in primaries even if they wanted to. But starting in 2010, Indpendent voters will be allowed to vote in the Democratic primary.

What do you think of this? Some might say it is a good thing because it will get more people involved in the election process. Others might say it is just a ploy by the Democrats to get more power in government. Still others might say the Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot by inviting voters who might be registered Independent but have sympathies toward the Republican side. They might dilute Democratic power rather than strengthen it.
In South Dakota, 16 percent of the voters are registered Independent. Are you one of them? If so, will you take the Democrats up on their offer to vote in their primaries?

Brandon will get a new city administrator Dec. 1. Bryan Read of Iowa will take over the position from Dennis Olson, who has been Brandon’s city finance officer and administrator for 23 years. Bryan has 20 years of experience himself, in smaller towns in Minnesota and Iowa.
What advice do you have for Brian as he starts his new job? Dennis Olson will stay on with the city part-time, so he will be around to provide Bryan with background on city issues. What do you think of that?

A couple of co-workers have talked me into getting an account on Facebook. I had tried it once before but disconnected my account after about 10 minutes because there was so much there I couldn’t digest it all. (Actually, I could, but I wasn’t inclined to.)

Are you on Facebook? Do you like it? Does it enhance your life? What do you use it for? I see that many people I know are “friends” on Facebook. I’m not quite sure why I need to talk to them on Facebook when I see a lot of them in person every day, and when I have all their e-mail addresses. But maybe I will discover some advantages. Or maybe you can let me in on the advantages.

The Minnehaha County Historical Society is trying to find out the origin of the name of Six Mile Road. Was it named that because it was six miles from Sioux Falls? A quick Mapquest search reveals that it is six miles east of Western Avenue, so that theory seems unlikely.

Do you have any knowledge or guess why Six Mile Road was named that? Is it six miles long? Six miles from something?

The historical society would appreciate any leads at all. You can post them here or e-mail me at apthiele@argusleader.com.

Thanks.

State law requires schools to bus kids who live five or more miles away from their school. Brandon Valley, though, buses kids who live as close as 1.5 miles. Closer than that, kids can still ride the bus but have to pay $50 per semester with a cap of $125 per family. So a family with three or more kids riding the bus would pay $250 per year. Brandon Valley Superintendent Dave Pappone said nearly 700 children pay to ride the bus.
If you live in town, do you pay the fee? If so, why? If not, why not? Do your kids walk to school? Do you drive them? Do they ride with friends?

Do you think the fee is too high, too low, or reasonable?