Kristofer's Blog

By Elisa Sand (Staff Reporter)

Horizon Health Care in Howard has received $795,580 in federal funding from the Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program.  The program helps health providers purchase various equipment to move towards electronic medical records and enhance telemedicine opportunities. 

Horizon CEO John Mengenhausen said about $400,000 will be used to buy software and hardware to help the clinic with its transition to electronic medical records.  Other funds will be used for enhancing telemedicine opportunities by purchasing specializied equipment that can be used during telemedicine consults.  The balance of the funding is being used to update other equipment including a digital process for x-rays. 

"It's a great opportunity for us to upgrade our equipment," Mengenhausen said.  Health care centers operated by Horizon provide service regardless of income and charge based on a sliding scale.  Horizon operated medical clinics in Bryant, DeSmet, Howard, Lake Preston, Martin, Mission, Plankinton, Wessington Springs, White River and Woonsocket.  It also operates three dental clinics in Martin, Howard, and DeSmet. 

Mengenhausen said this is the second round of stimulus funding that has been received by the clinic.  The first was a $275,000 award allowed for the hiring of additional staff.  Through that funding the system was able...

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Posted at: 02:51 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | | del.icio.us

I apoligize about the exact number of band members that we have.  I thought it was around 30 but I guess it is closer to 20.  We have 2 or 3 people that cover parts like trombone that are community members.  In addition, the audio specialization under the Digital Arts major originally had 4 electives of band or choir and the administration chose to take it out.  This still looks like an attack from the Dakota State administration on the music program as well as liberal arts on campus.

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Posted at: 11:23 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | | del.icio.us

I'm proposing to the directors of choir, band, drama, theater, and art a new coalition at Dakota State.  This organization will function much like the media board and have oversite of the various fine art clubs on campus.  My goal is to use this organization as a corner stone in funding and recruitment for the arts.  I have developed a website located at www.alphathetamu.org.  Unfortunately, I can only get a group together of the student presidents when school comes back to session.  I'm also working on Student Senate approval.  The overal mission of each club won't be affected.  I think this will also prevent any more cutting of programs.  Academically, the DSU administration is within their right to cut courses as need be, but to remove a club because of size is uncalled for.

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Posted at: 11:47 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | | del.icio.us

Local performers have followed their fathers' footsteps

Jay Kirschenmann
jkirsch@argusleader.com

The Hegg brothers are used to it by now.

People approach them at gigs and say, "You're Denny Hegg's boys, aren't you? I had him as my favorite teacher, and I love that man to this day."

That makes musicians Jeremy, Jonathan and Jason Hegg feel proud, being sons of a revered music teacher. They say a lifetime of seeing their dad involved in music, and all of them playing around the house, has rubbed off.

Like the Heggs, the sons of Rich Show - known for Violet, The Body Electric and other bands - say having music around during their growing-up years made them more musically inclined.

"There always were instruments in the basement," Isaac Show, 21, says to his dad during a recent get-together in Rich Show's downtown Sioux Falls apartment.

"I remember one day you just, unannounced, bought a set of drums, a guitar and bass at the same time, and two amps," says Eli Show, 24.

"Yeah, they were cheap," says a smiling Rich Show, 51. "I think you guys were in junior high or...

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Posted at: 05:52 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | | del.icio.us

This is the "official announcement" (via email) about the Instrumental Program at DSU being cut:

I am sending this email to students ( that we are aware of) who participated in band or received a Kingsmen Annual Scholarship recently. This spring the university made a decision to go in a different direction with regard to offering DSU students an opportunity to participate in an instrumental music activity. This decision and new direction was based on several issues.

1. Decreasing participation by students in the current instrumental/band program

Participation in this scenerio is being judged from the outside, Dr. Knowlton isn't present at the band rehearsals.  Rehearsals being located in different locations throughout the years due to the ability of the Dakota Praire Playhouse of being rented out to outside groups equaling more $$ for the univerisity.  I believe our numbers from last year are holding steady maybe they are overall down from when Dr. Knowlton first became president in 2004.  Also, when was the number of students a quantitative measurement in determining funding?  We have several clubs with small memberships below 40 students. Maintaining membership lists are not a requirement for the University  Here's a list

Student Senate
KDSU (radio station)
Art club...

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Posted at: 09:41 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | | del.icio.us