Child to get heroes award

Storm Popham, a 4-year-old diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer that affects children between the ages of 1 and 5, will receive the Young Heroes Award from a cadre of South Dakota Army National Guard soldiers in a special ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 19, at the Northern Hills Holiday Inn.

Popham is enrolled in the Youth & Family Services Rural Head Start program in Belle Fourche and was diagnosed with Wilms' Tumor last August.

Sioux Land Road to close permanently beginning Monday

On Monday, April 21, Sioux Land Road at Exit 48 Cross Road will close permanently. According to Department of Transportation officials, the closure is necessary because Sioux Land Road is too close to the I-90 ramps, creating a potential safety hazard.

Red diamond reflectors and barricades will be installed at the end of the pavement on Sioux Land Road approximately 100 feet from Exit 48 Cross Road.

A drainage ditch will be constructed between the end of Sioux Land Road and Exit 48 Cross Road.

Access to the grocery store and gas pumps will be available from Exit 48 Cross Road. Access to the remaining businesses on Sioux Land Road will be available from the Sturgis Road and Sioux Land Road intersection. Sioux Land Road will remain open from the Sturgis Road intersection to the east driveway to the grocery store and gas pumps.

For more information, contact Kevin Howland at (605) 394-1637.

Juniors can check out the School of Mines

High school students can find out what life at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is all about during Junior Preview Day, scheduled for Saturday, April 19.

Events begin at 9 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. During the day, several administrators will talk about the School of Mines, the admissions process, financial aid, student life, and other topics. There will also be campus, department, and lab tours with student ambassadors, an academic fair, residence hall visits, and lunch.

Junior Preview Day is specifically targeted to high school sophomores and juniors, but there are a variety of tours and events available to all ages.

To RSVP, call (877) 877-6044 or visit http://sdmines.sdsmt.edu/jr to register online.

Program aims to keep teens safe behind the wheel

South Dakota will launch an interactive program, the Alive at 25 Defensive Driving Course, to help keep inexperienced drivers safe on the roads.

The program encourages drivers between the ages of 14 and 24 to take responsibility for their driving behavior. It will be unveiled at two separate events.

The first is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 29 at the Douglas High School gym in Box Elder. The second will be May 1 in Chester.

Each event will begin with an assembly. Speakers include Alive at 25 instructors, families of teenagers who died in crashes and officials from schools that piloted the Alive at 25 program. Each event will include a multi-media presentation and a drunken-driving simulator.