BrandonInfo.com

Any flood or other damage at your place today after last night’s rain? Any trouble getting to work? Roads flooded along the way?

I am writing a story for the Brandon Valley Challenger about a new policy for the school food services. The new policy will affect children with nut allergies, and I’m hoping to be able to talk to a parent of one of these kids.

If your child has a nut allergy, will you please e-mail me at apthiele@argusleader.com? I need to talk to someone today (Friday), and I need to be able to use your name in the paper.

Thanks.

Alica P. Thiele

What Brandon issues are on your mind? Or statewide issues, for that matter. What topics would you like to see addressed on this blog? I’m happy to accept topic suggestions any time at apthiele@argusleader.com, or on the blog itself.

Do you have any questions about Brandon that I can help answer? Criticisms? General comments?

Speak now or forever hold your peace. Actually, you can speak any time.

Do you live near the house that had a fire on Sunday? Several pets died from smoke damage, but no people were in the house at the time.

Did any damage spread beyond the house? Do you know of any organized efforts to help the people who own the house?

The Brandon Valley School District recently conducted a general satisfaction survey. The results will be released soon, and I am writing a story about the survey for the May 5 Brandon Valley Challenger.

Did you take the survey? If so, would you be willing to comment about your answers to the satisfaction questions? For example, for “I believe that students are safe at school,” did you put “strongly agree,” “agree,” “disagree” or “strongly disagree”? And why?

I would have to be able to use your name in my story. No matter what your answers are, you have a right to your opinion and your reasons behind it. My story could appear to be one sided if no parents comment for it. Won’t you please contact me at 331-2376 or apthiele@argusleader.com?

Thank you.

Alica P. Thiele

Brandon Valley Challenger reporter

I’m working on a story about cleaning up after the effects of winter. My daughter lives in Bridgewater. She doesn’t have a basement, just a crawl space under her house. Yesterday, there was 15 inches of water in that crawl space. It took many hours for the sump pump to clean that water out.
Have you had any trouble with flooding on your property or the streets around your house? If so, please post here or send to me at apthiele@argusleader.com.

Do you have any friends or relatives in Hawaii, the Pacific rim or a Pacific island state right now? If so, have you been in contact with them? How are they preparing for possible tsunami damage in the wake of a Chilean earthquake?

The Argus Leader and neighboring community papers are looking for local people who have connections with Haiti. Do you have a friend or relative who lives there or was visiting there? Are they ok? Were you scheduled to visit there? Have you ever been there before?

Do you have connections with a mission group that will help after yesterday’s earthqueake, the largest to hit Haiti in more than 200 years?

If you have any information of local connections, would you please post here or e-mail me at apthiele@argusleader.com?

Thank you.

Alica P. Thiele

It looks like the Brandon Volunteer Fire Department got to put its newest fire truck to work the night it was unveiled.

The fire truck was to be unveiled at last night’s city council meeting, which began at 6 p.m.

By 9 p.m., several fire departments were at a home on S. Splitrock Avenue, where a detached garage burned.

As I write this, details of the fire aren’t available. Stay tuned to brandoninfo.com and argusleader.com to learn more. Or post here anything you might know, or questions about the fire.

The recent shootings at Fort Hood in Texas are a tragedy. Are you following the story?

We are looking for anyone who has ties to Fort Hood or ties to anyone who was killed or injured in the recent shootings. If you do, would you please post here or e-mail apthiele@argusleader.com. Or call the Brandon Valley Challenger office at 582-6025.
Thank you.

Alica P. Thiele

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

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.

I am gathering comments for a story about the national Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s decision to allow homosexuals who are openly in a relationship to be ordained.

Would you be willing to be included in the story? I would have to be able to use your name.

What do you think about the church making a policy like that? Do you say “it’s about time” or do you say “this is a step on the slippery slope” or do you say “doesn’t matter to me” or … something else?

Feel free to post comments here for blog discussion, or contact me by Friday afternoon at apthiele@argusleader.com if you are interested in commenting for the story, to be published in the Brandon Valley Challenger next week.
Thank you.

Alica P. Thiele

Brandon Valley Challenger reporter

The Sioux Falls School District sells student names and contact information to companies that ask for it. Brandon Valley School District does not. What do you think about that?

Most of the companies who buy the names are places like photography studios that are targeting high school kids for senior pictures.

Feel free to blog about your opinions of this practice. Also, I am writing a story about this for the Brandon Valley Challenger. If you are willing to speak to me for my story (I would have to be able to use your name), please contact me at apthiele@argusleader.com. I have to have the story written by Thursday evening, though, so I would need to hear from you very soon.

Thank you.

Alica P. Thiele

I am writing a story on a plan the city council will consider for a park in The Bluffs. I need to talk to a resident or two for my story.

If you live in The Bluffs, do you like the idea of a park? What would you like to see in it? Do you think it would be a good idea to put it off Heritage Road? Or maybe you don’t like the idea of a park. If not, why not?

Whatever your thoughts, would you contact me please so I can include your comments in my story?

Please call 331-2376 or e-mail apthiele@argusleader.com.

Thank you a lot.

Alica

I am writing a story about a new mailbox ordinance the city council will consider at their first January meeting.

I need to talk to someone, anyone, about their mailbox. Do you have mailboxes on both sides of your street? Are all the mailboxes on your street clustered in one spot? Are they in front of your house, perhaps? Do you mind that? Whether you do or not, I’d like to talk to you on Friday.

Please call 331-2376 or e-mail apthiele@argusleader.com.

Thank you a lot.

Alica

I am working on a story for the Brandon Valley Challenger about traffic problems getting in and out of The Bluffs and Eagle Creek. If you live in either of these neighborhoods and have had any trouble making turns onto or off from Holly Boulevard, will you contact me please?

There have been several comments about this topic in another thread on this blog, but I can’t use any of those comments. I need to be able to use the person’s name along with the comment.

If you are willing to talk to me for my story, and let me use your name in the paper, please contact me at apthiele@argusleader.com or 941-0216. I would need to hear from you by end of day Thursday at the latest in order to meet my deadline.

Thanks very much.

Alica P. Thiele, Brandon Valley Challenger reporter

Have you or anyone in your family received harassing or threatening text messages? I’m working on a story about this for the Brandon Valley Challenger and am looking for someone who would be willing to be quoted, using their name, in the paper.

If you are someone like that, would you please e-mail me at apthiele@argusleader.com or phone me at 331-2376?

Thank you.

Alica P. Thiele

Challenger reporter

Have you ridden in a MED-Star ambulance because of a medical emergency? How was your experience? Good, bad, or indifferent? Would you be willing to talk to me a few minutes for a story I am writing for the Brandon Valley Challenger?

Sorry, I can’t use blog posts in the story. Only comments with names.

If you are willing to be in the story, please e-mail me at apthiele@argusleader.com today. I need to finish the story by tonight.

Thank you.