S.D.— Governor Larry Rhoden visiting communities around the Northern Hills Thursday during his open for opportunity tour The Governor stopped at Black Hills State University in Spearfish before heading to Belle Fourche where a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the police department The visit bringing the Governor back to his old stomping grounds "I represented this area in the legislature for a number of years and then to have the opportunity to be back in Belle Fourche today touring their community and and then culminating with groundbreaking for a new law enforcement center The new police facility will also serve as a training center for west river law enforcement The chief says it's a much-needed upgrade that ensures the department can keep up with the growing community Belle Fourche Police Chief Ryan Cherveny says "Our current building is almost 80 years old and the maintenance on it is becoming atrocious but a new facility really can bolster a lot of opportunity" Work on the new police department has been contracted to RCS Construction This year’s Spirit of American cheer team at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will feature seven members of the Belle Fourche cheer team and Hunter Brown are the individuals who were selected after an audition process to join this year’s squad Spirit of America selects 600 kids to participate at the parade in New York “I would say it's a pretty big deal because Belle Fourche really has rallied behind the kids This is our third year sending cheerleaders from Belle Fourche We started out with three our first year and then only one of them went last year and so this is our largest group that is gone but the community is very supportive,” said Belle Fourche cheer and dance coach Michaela Horn We have an organization called ‘Spirit of cheer and dance’ here in Belle Fourche that is run by some active board members and parents and so they have helped with all the fundraising and yeah they have really rallied behind them and made it a possibility to get their make their dreams come true.”  there are also some long days of rehearsing in the days leading up to the parade Each participant is also allowed to bring one of their parents along “Their hotel is right on the main drag where the parade will pass through so their parents can sit and watch the parade there,” explained Horn “They will be in rehearsals for the majority of the days A couple of them being about eight-hour days.” as the kids are still granted some time to be kids and take in some of the tourist hot spots “They do have chaperones that they have and they get divided into groups and they get to tour the city as well so they get to go see the Statue of Liberty They get to see the Rockettes holiday performance and do a couple of group activities,” Horn stated or they can stay with their chaperone and do that with the friends that they make there.” Belle Fourche’s cheer team made history at the state cheer and dance competition in Rapid City this October by being the first cheer team to compete in the newly created co-ed division is one of the seven who will perform during Thursday’s parade Coach Horn mentioned how cheer and dance is a growing sport in Belle Fourche I know our assistant coach Lacey Doyle is extremely proud Our parents are very proud of us and we get a ton of support that comes through from our school and community Going to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade can add up on the financial end and even did a car wash to help raise funds “The community has really rallied behind them and given them opportunities but they worked hard for it too,” said Horn The 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will begin at 8:30 am CT on NBC and stream live on Peacock as well Sioux Falls Lincoln’s marching band will also be part of this year’s parade in New York News | Jan 17 One of the region’s iconic livestock enterprises is coming under new ownership approved an auction market license for Travis Linch of Belle Fourche who is taking over Belle Fourche Livestock Market from Baxter and Skyler Anders Jaxon (12) and daughter Sameen (5) will all have their roles at the barn The boys will have responsibilities in the yards and Sameen “likes to make people smile,” he said who owned the barn for over six years also owned Philip Livestock Anders is out of the livestock auction business and Linch plans to keep the operation going smoothly Linch said that he very much appreciates Anders not only for giving him the opportunity to buy the business that is truly a staple to the community but he also credits Anders for spending the time to show him the ins and outs of the business in recent weeks “Baxter is going to stay here until I feel comfortable on my own There a lot of things he can teach me,” said Linch The new owner said the staff will remain mostly unchanged and he appreciates the longevity and experience of the employees – from field men to yard help “Most of the crew has been there a long time and I’ll lean on them to help me learn the day to day workings and the seasonal flow of the business,” he said Auctioneers Jade Harper and Collin Gibbs will continue to call bids “I think they are wonderful,” said Linch “They’ve grown so good at their jobs I’ve had a great relationship with both guys and I appreciate their knowledge and experience,” he said who grew up involved in his dad’s trucking business and eventually established and grew his own trucking company said the salebarn was always one of his favorite places to be as a kid That’s where I developed an interest for this we’d go pick up cattle for ranchers and haul them to Belle Fourche We built relationships with ranchers.” It was those relationships that were the foundation for his trucking company and will be the basis for his foray into the auction barn business “That built me a good customer base and helped me to learn about all aspects of the livestock marketing business,” he said Linch said his 11 trucks regularly haul cattle from Montana His trucking business isn’t going anywhere but he may have to hire someone to help manage it Linch says he has “the gift of gab” and he looks forward to getting to know ranchers in the area “I want to personally connect with the buyers and sellers,” he said He expects to hear from customers and says he will take the good with the bad “I’m not going to blow them off He hopes to make some incremental improvements to the yards The Livestock Marketing Association staff was helpful in completing the paperwork and bond application “Bryce Dibbern with LMA helped make the process as seamless as possible,” he said Bonds protect both buyers and sellers as well as the auction barn owners themselves from potential downfall from bad checks or clients whose credit isn’t trustworthy said he has done business at Belle Fourche Livestock for most  of his life and believes Linch will continue to carry on a tradition of success “All of the owners of Belle Fourche Livestock have done a great job Travis is a hometown boy and heavily involved in the cattle industry in a lot of different aspects and that will help bring some customers in It’s good for the area,” he said helping coach wrestling and just “being there” when needed he’s honest and trustworthy,” he said Linch said success in the auction barn industry relies on good livestock and said his region is elite in this regard Belle Fourche Livestock has enjoyed great success “I appreciate Baxter and Skyler for this opportunity This is an exciting time in the industry,” he said Anders said his family’s experience owning and operating the auction barn was great and he very much enjoyed the work and the people he encountered “We are really thankful for the business from cattle owners We appreciate so many people trusting us with their livestock and for those who helped us along the way,” he said for all she did over the years to keep the sale barn and our family all taken care of.  There were so many sacrifices made to make it all happen and I couldn’t think of a person I would rather have tackled this business with than her My family is everything to me and I really look forward to spending more time with them.”   The staff will remain relatively unchanged so the change of ownership should be seamless “Travis Linch has built a successful trucking business and I’m sure that will carry over into the salebarn business.” Baxter and Skyler have greatly enjoyed their time in the auction market business “Looking back after buying the Belle Fourche salebarn in 2018 We are grateful for the indispensable lessons that owning a business has taught us You see the world through different eyes after owning your own business,” said Baxter “It is a very demanding business and we couldn’t have done it without our committed employees In a world where it seems like work ethic can be waning we were blessed with some stand out employees that were there for the sale barn day in and day out In a world where loyalty and support can also be hard to come by we thank those loyal consignors that entrusted us with their livelihoods,” he said Skyler said that going out on a limb and taking the risk of buying this business was daunting at first “I can’t imagine choosing to sit on the sidelines and watch that opportunity pass by,” she said “You can avoid risk and you can avoid failure I never wanted to be that person standing outside the fire and that is why we went for it We are instilling this value in our five children: Merit (12) we have a silly saying in our family that the children repeat often: ‘If you want the biscuit Skyler said a quote her father shared often has stuck with her for all of her years “The Man in the Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt “We had this printed in our last couple market reports I have carried that quote with me during my lifetime and will continue to do so If there is one piece of advice I would like to give Travis it would be to always remember the message in that quote.” The Anders family looks forward to continue involving their children in their cattle operation “The livestock industry is not a business for the faint of heart We owe it to the children of today to teach them how the agriculture industry works and involve them This doesn’t come by just throwing a cowboy hat and wranglers on them There are intricate details of the industry that need to be understood and these must be taught to future generations to ensure success and stability in the industry I am filled with gratitude to have shared this experience with my husband I look forward to educating our children so they are able to be an integral part in the livestock industry in years to come,” she said Anders said he will continue as a Superior Livestock representative and will conduct other cattle marketing as opportunities come up this surely isn’t the end of anything in the industry for me – it’s just the beginning.” The competitive bidding environment is alive and thriving “I don’t think the salebarn business is going anywhere and I think it’s going to stay really good for a long time,” he said “Cattle quality and genetics have gotten better and better the cattle are as good as you can find anywhere.” Linch said which sells around 120,000 head of cattle per year will continue with regular Thursday sales and special sales as needed Sign up for daily and breaking news headlines Manage Subscriptions S.D.— Travelers at Rapid City Regional Airport can now journey back to the time of dinosaurs A new educational exhibit is set up near the TSA checkpoint featuring real fossils from the Black Hills The display is made possible through a partnership with the soon-to-open Dinosaurs of Hell Creek Museum in Belle Fourche The museum offers visitors the chance to experience paleontology by digging for their own fossils The RAP exhibit part of the airport's rotating arts program designed to highlight the region to travelers RAP Communications Manager Megan Johnson says "We really want to give passengers a sense of place We are the first impression of the black hills on their travels we can really showcase some of the great information and exhibits that we have."