GBU: Meth, flu and NAU

By Journal Editorial Board | Tuesday, March 25, 2008

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THE GOOD: Somebody forgot to tell Box Elder about the housing and mortgage lending crisis. New homes are under construction in five different subdivisions of the bedroom community, and more housing building permits were issued in February for Box Elder addresses than for either Rapid City or Pennington County.

THE BAD: The housing construction slowdown in Rapid City. Rapid City issued just 13 residential building permits in February, compared to 28 such permits one year earlier.

THE UGLY: The wrench thrown into many National American University students’ future education plans with this week’s announcement of  changes in leadership, athletic programs and curriculum  offerings at the longtime Rapid City school. NAU will end its rodeo and volleyball sports programs, as well as phase out its popular equine management program. The Rapid City campus is one of 17 NAU schools in seven states.

THE UGLY: The methamphetamine-fueled savagery that killed Troy Klug in 2004 has sent another man, James Kusick of Belle Fourche, to jail for being an accessory to murder and perjury. Kusick got 15 years for lying on the stand about a horrendous crime that prosecutor Rod Oswald creatively described as “a shish kebab of stupidity, lack of courage, lack of morality and evil.”

THE UGLY: The ninth influenza death in South Dakota occurred during Week 11 of the 2007-08 flu season. The victim was a woman from Pennington County.

THE GOOD: Egg-salad sandwiches for lunch this week, courtesy of all those left-over Easter eggs.

THE BAD: The price of a dozen eggs at the grocery store has skyrocketed to almost match the price of a gallon of gas at the pump.

THE BAD: Western Dakota Technical Institute will miss the leadership of outgoing president Richard Gross, who leaves after five years at the helm of the school to take a position with a community-college consulting firm.

THE UGLY: Technical school students will face a tuition hike of $4 per credit hour, starting with the 2008-09 school year. The increase boosts tuition to $78 per credit hour at the state’s four technical institutions, including Western Dakota.

THE GOOD: Foodstuffs with an Albertsons label will be donated to the Cornerstone Rescue Mission when the downtown Rapid City grocery store changes its name to Family Thrift Center later this month. Kudos to both grocery store chains for setting an excellent example of how to be a good corporate neighbor to the less fortunate among us in Rapid City.