Lori Walsh

Dr. Kenneth Tice, Director of Choral Activities for Mount Marty College in Yankton, helps preview the college's annual Vespers service. The 2015 program, "ad verbum illuminatum" (the illuminated word) features music that reflects the text of the illuminations from the St. John's Bible.

Theologian Anna Madsen, founder of OMG Center for Theological Conversation, explores the Christian season of Advent. Madsen shares the difficult message of repentance and how Christians can honor the weeks leading up to Christmas by pondering the mysteries of the season.

Vascular surgeon and research scientist Dr. Patrick Kelly is working to develop a next-generation medical device that can save patients thousands of dollars and prevent repeat surgeries. He joins Dakota Midday host Lori Walsh to talk about his partnership with Gopinath Mani, Ph.D., and the culture of innovation in South Dakota.

The Queen Bee Mill is one of the most recognizable historical landmarks in Sioux Falls. Siouxland Heritage Museums director Bill Hoskins tells the story of the mill's origins, the drought that shut down operations and the fire, that gutted the mill in 1956.

Jill Johnson joins us to discuss how laughter can calm, restore, and heal. Yoga instructor Johnson and her husband own Joyful Living Therapy in Sioux Falls and teach others how to laugh with abandon and intention.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for music ... or maybe not. Federalist writer Richard Cromwell shares his Ten Worst Christmas Songs of all Time. George Michael and Mariah Carey are represented, alongside one nonsensical Christmas donkey and a roomful of English pop stars.

Mindfulness techniques combined with Native traditions are being introduced to students at Pine Ridge School. SDPB's Jim Kent visits Pine Ridge to see how mindfulness is being used to prevent youth suicide. Then Dr. Kathleen Farah, with the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, sits down with Lori Walsh to discuss how ancient techniques can address the effects of ongoing trauma.

The LiRa Dance Theater Company is bringing professional dance to local audiences. Artistic directors Raena Rasmussen and Lisa Conlin join us to discuss raising the caliber of dance performance in southeastern South Dakota.

The Lakota Nation Invitational is in its 39th year. What started as a way to build hope and community in the wake of racial tension and violence has blossomed into a multi-event, multi-culture tournament that draws thousands.

Founder Bryan Brewer sits down with Dakota Midday host Lori Walsh to discuss basketball, the evolution of LNI, and the intricate rules of Lakota-style Hand Games. 

Artist Jennifer White is planning a new gallery in Sioux Falls for established and emerging  artists. White talks about how art is the "most rebellious form of communication" and the importance of rethinking our expectations and experiences of Native art.

Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead and Chief Deputy Michelle Boyd say the time has come to begin work on a new jail in the state's most populated county. Milstead and Boyd discuss the reform initiatives designed to keep nonviolent offenders out of jail and the challenges to public safety of not having enough beds for local violent offenders.

You might not consider South Dakota a hotbed of creativity, but Hugh Weber does. Weber is the CEO of OTA, a network for the region’s creative class. He sat down with Dakota Midday host Lori Walsh to introduce 20 artists and innovators raising the connectivity of creatives throughout the region. Hugh Weber discusses the power of network theory, what it means to create and innovate in South Dakota,  and what’s next for his Bush Foundation-funded organization.

Erika Oppenheimer is a Sioux Falls native who now lives and works as a college admissions prep coach in New York City. Her book, “Acing it: A Mindful Guide to Maximum Results on your College Admissions Test” offers a whole body methodology that makes preparing for a test more about preparing for life.  

If you’re feeling exhausted, depleted, and burned out, you might have something in common with your doctor. Forty six percent of all physicians now report experiencing burnout. That’s a 16 percent increase in the past two years. 

Jill Kruse, DO,  is the medical director for Avera’s LIGHT program, a well-being initiative for healthcare providers. She talks about avoiding and healing from burnout with tips gleaned from the struggles and successes of exhausted doctors.

Horatio Ross accompanied General George Custer on the 1874 Black Hills Expedition and discovered gold on French Creek near what is now the city of Custer. Although Ross staked his claim to several local sites and remained in the town for 30 years, he died a pauper at the age of 66. He is buried in Custer Cemetery.

Gary Enright, director of the 1881 Courthouse Museum, explains the legacy of Ross and the coincidence that links him to James Marshall, who discovered one of the richest gold fields in history, 25 years before Ross tried to strike it rich in the Black Hills.