Archives October 2025

by Carl “Bull” Crapper

The United States is a great country, and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. But, there are some bad things that have occurred throughout our history, and slavery and the treatment of Native Americans are at the top of the list. Of course, there is nothing we can do about those atrocities now, but we can definitely learn from them and make sure they never happen again.

A new trend called land acknowledgements has started in the past few years where speakers at public events or gatherings acknowledge the event is on stolen land that was once owned and occupied by Native Americans. This has generally happened in big cities, at universities, and more liberal areas of the country. I’ve never heard a land acknowledgement, and I don’t know anyone else in The Valley that has heard or experienced one until this week.

Valley Tech is an online college located in Valley City, and they host a Fall Festival at their campus each year. It’s a very popular event that Valleyans and their kids look forward to each year. They have games, jump houses, candy and more. Things were going well until new Valley Tech Chancellor, Bernie Jeffries-Cortez, addressed the crowd. Jeffries-Cortez is from California, and he was an Assistant Admissions Director at San Francisco Community College before becoming the Valley Tech Chancellor this summer.

Jeffries-Cortez introduced himself and thanked the crowd for coming, and then he did the land acknowledgement. He stated that the event was being held on stolen land from the Six Town Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Native Americans were treated very badly. After he finished the land acknowledgement, the crowd immediately started booing him. There were reports that a few items were even thrown at Jeffries-Cortez.

One attendee said, “I’ve heard of land acknowledgements, but I’ve never actually heard one myself. I was shocked this guy did one. Thattaway to endear yourself to the community! This is not California or New York man. People were not happy about it, and those poor kids heard some pretty bad words. I bet that’ll be the last land acknowledgement at Valley Tech.”

One Valley Tech employee who wanted to remain anonymous said, “I think Bernie has done a pretty good job so far, but he really screwed up with this land acknowledgement. No one knew he was going to do it. I wish he would’ve ran it by somebody. He got the heck out of there real quick; he didn’t want to talk with anyone. You’re not in San Francisco anymore Bernie!”

Jeffries-Cortez couldn’t be reached for comment. Valley Tech put out a statement on Facebook apologizing for the land acknowledgement and thanking Valleyans for another successful Fall Festival. The comments on the post were not very nice and forgiving, however. We’ll see if there’s additional fallout from the land acknowledgement.

by Emma Embellischer

Data centers are being built across the U.S. to create computing capacity for the AI boom. There was a recent announcement that one was going to be built in Brandon, and now there are plans to build one in Valley County. These data centers are huge facilities that occupy many acres of land, and they also require massive amounts of energy and water. Many people are excited about the AI centers and the jobs they’ll create, but many people are not happy about the data centers. Most of the detractors are local residents that are concerned that their power and water bills will increase substantially because of the data centers.

Now, you can add another group of people that is not happy about the data center coming to Valley County- hunters. The data center in Valley County will be built on land off Hwy. 31 that is adjacent to the Riverbend Hunting Club. The proposed data center will occupy approximately 150 acres in total. There will be an estimated 900 construction related jobs during the building phase, and there will be an estimated 50 permanent jobs once the data center is completed.

Riverbend Hunting Club and their members are incensed about the new data center. Club President, Buck Tynes said, “Our club has been here since 1958, and we have prime deer and turkey hunting habitat. This data center is going to permanently alter our land and wildlife, and we’re not going to sit back and let it happen. We organized a protest on Tuesday at the Valley County Courthouse at 3:00 pm, and we had a huge crowd. We had around 500 Valleyans show up to let their voices be heard, and we hope BoomAI and our county leaders were listening. It wasn’t just hunters; we had people from all walks of life that voiced their concerns.”

BoomAI, the new data center owner, is excited about the data center, and they’re excited about the construction jobs and permanent jobs that it will create. Spokesperson Algoh Rhithm said, “We strategically selected The Valley to build this data center, and we’re excited about the jobs that it will create for Valleyans. I know there are some concerns, but we feel the pros will far outweigh the cons in the long run.”

I attended the protest, and I spoke to multiple protesters. One hunter said, “Look, I’m all about progress and creating jobs, but don’t mess with my hunting land. This is prime hunting land along the river, and they’re gonna totally screw it up forever. I’m mad at BoomAI, but I’m really ticked at our county leaders. One of them is in our hunting club, and he’s acting like it’s no big deal. I bet he’s getting paid off; he has to be. We’re not happy, and we’re gonna fight this tooth and nail.”

Another protester said, “I’m ticked about the fact that my power and water bills will probably more than double. That’s a bunch of crap, but I can deal with it. But look, don’t screw around with us hunters. I’m more ticked about the how this is going to affect our hunting club. We can forget about any deer and turkeys being on the west side of our land now; they’re gonna be gone. It’s a real slap in the face to our way of life. Couldn’t they find somewhere else in Valley County to build this monstrosity? We’re gonna fight it and fight it hard.”

The protesters that I spoke with said they are not backing down. They’re planning another protest this coming Tuesday at the same time and place. They’re expecting even more people to attend this one. Construction on the new data center is expected to start within the next 4 weeks. Will these protests be enough to sway the minds of county leaders to halt the project? We shall see.

by “Stretch” DeTrooth

According to multiple recent studies, umpires at all levels are getting worse. Some say it’s because of climate change, and some say it’s because they don’t care and they just want a paycheck. Others say it’s because of the constant yelling and berating by parents, grandparents, and fans, but we don’t truly know the root cause of the issue. Fall ball is in full swing now, and there’s been multiple incidents between parents and/or grandparents and umpires in and around The Valley. Hopefully, this is going to stop because of a new idea (yell boxes) that’s started appearing at tournaments.

Johnny Dewright has worked for the county for years, and he’s always managed The Valley Ball Complex. The complex has been hosting travel/select balls tournaments for around 10 years now. Dewright can run one of these tournaments in his sleep now. Dewright said, “We love having folks come in on the weekends for these tournaments. It’s great for our county, and it’s great for the ball complex. We make a lot of money, and I make a lot of money. But, the umpires keep getting worse, and the parents and grandparents keep getting crazier. I felt I had to do something about it.”

Dewright came up with the idea of the “yell box” (patent pending). It’s just a 4’x4′ portable box on wheels made of 2x4s and plywood; it’s almost like a mini shooting house. Angry parents or grandparents can pay $3 for up to 1 minute to yell and vent as much as they want. So far, the yell box has been a hit.

Dewright said, “There’s always a line at the yell box. Parents and grandparents are loving it. We have a person there collecting money, and they also have a timer. If our worker is under age 18, we require they wear ear muffs to drown out any obscenities and/or vulgar language. The yell box is always placed away from the concession stand and far away from the bleachers and dugouts. Most of the time, it’s setup in the parking lot and away from the fields. The yell box is insulated, but you can still hear people if you’re close to it. We also tell parents not to let their kids come within 50 feet of it, because you never know what you’re going to hear. It’s been great, and it’s helped raise a lot of money.”

Dewright plans to build more yell boxes to rent out to other ball parks and/or ball organizations. So, if you haven’t seen one yet, you’ll see one soon at a tournament. I was able to talk to multiple people that have used yell boxes. One mom said, “I love the yell box! I get fired up, and it gives me an outlet to let out my frustrations. I wish we had one a long time ago. Since, we got the yell box, my husband actually sits by me at games, and I haven’t gotten kicked out of a game either.”

One grandparent said, “Most of the time, I stand up and walk around and try to avoid the crazies. Now, I spend a good bit of time close to the yell box for entertainment. It is hilarious. Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve recorded a few of them, and they are absolute gold. The moms are the best.”

Dewright added that confrontations between parents and/or grandparents and umpires and coaches have been reduced drastically since adding the yell box. We all need to vent sometimes, and the yell box has allowed people to do that. Dewright needs to start building more yell boxes as soon as possible to help the travel ball community. The yell box could go down as one the greatest inventions in human history.

by Emma Embellischer

There has never been a better time throughout human history to be alive than right now. We have every modern convenience imaginable. You can order an item on a small handheld computer/phone/camera in less than 30 seconds, and it’ll show up on your doorstep 2 days later. You and your family want to have movie night; you don’t even have to get off the couch. You can pick a movie among thousands available on your smart tv and watch it for free. In the past, you’d have to drive to Blockbuster and actually rent a physical tape or disc to watch a movie. It’s mind-blowing when you stop and think about how great things actually are for us now. However, not everything is hunky dory.

Many people are yearning for the good ole days especially when it comes to our food. Our food is a problem. We’re very busy these days which means we don’t have time to cook fresh food. So, many people eat out or eat processed food all the time. It’s not good for us, and it’s causing a myriad of health problems. Plus, most fresh food has been grown with pesticides, and additives and harmful preservatives are added to many foods. You’ve started to see people take matters into their own hands in the past few years. More people are growing their own food, keeping chickens for eggs, having cows for milk, and more.

Let’s Homestead, LLC has started developing a unique neighborhood outside of Valley City. This neighborhood is being built around a farm instead of a golf course. The neighborhood will be called Nostalgia Farms, and ground was broken on it last week. Let’s Homestead, LLC President John Farmer said, “We’re excited to bring this new concept to The Valley. We’ll have 50 lots in this development, and they’ll surround a 25 acre farm. The farm will have multiple barns for livestock, and it will have a nice large chicken coup. There will also be a sizable pond on the back of the property. We expect a ton of interest in the lots when we put them on the market.”

Residents of Nostalgia Farms will have to sign an agreement and agree to certain terms to live there. Everyone will have to work on the farm to grow and tend to the fruits and vegetables, and they will also have to tend to the animals. Noncompliance could result in expulsion from the neighborhood. Farmer said, “We’re working on ironing out the requirements for the residents, but everyone will be required to work and do their share to live there.”

Also, pesticides and herbicides will not be allowed in Nostalgia Farms, and only classic and regenerative farming practices will be allowed. Residents will enjoy fresh organic fruits and vegetables, fresh farm-raised eggs, raw milk, and more. Also, 5G will not be allowed in the neighborhood because of its potential harmful effects. It will be heaven on earth for some, but some aren’t crazy about the idea.

One Valleyan said, “I don’t know about this new neighborhood; I’m pretty leery of it. I heard they were going to build wall around it. Is this supposed to be utopia for a bunch of hippies and granola people? This could turn into a compound for a crazy cult, and I don’t like it. I hope law enforcement keeps an eye on these people.”

Another resident said, “I love this idea! I’m not sure I can talk my husband into moving there, but it would be great. Fresh veggies, fresh eggs, raw milk, fresh sourdough bread, and more! We could teach our kids the value of hard work. I’d love to get out of our subdivision and live in this heaven on earth.”

This is definitely a unique concept, and it will be interesting to see how it goes. I could see this concept being a hit, and I could see more of these neighborhoods being built going forward. We’ll be here to cover the progress of Nostalgia Farms.

by “Stretch” DeTrooth

Six Town Hollow High football has been an afterthought for years now. They have made the playoffs only once in the past 10 years, and it’s been 22 years since they last won a playoff game. The small 1A school plays second fiddle to other schools in The Valley like Valley City, Strong River Bend, and Valley Prep. We didn’t even include them in our Valley football preview, but I guess we should have. They have gotten off to a hot 5-0 start, their best since 2007.

Six Town Hollow is coached by Steve Dundee. Dundee is in his first year as a head coach at any level. Dundee is from Melbourne, Australia, and he came to the U.S. 7 years ago to punt at Central MS Tech (CMT). After graduating from CMT, he was a backup punter in the Canadian Football League for 2 years. Dundee married Mary Jane Jones, who hails from The Valley, and they moved back to Six Town Hollow a few years ago. Dundee got into teaching and coaching at Six Town Hollow last year as assistant coach, and he was promoted to head coach this year after their previous coach was let go.

Dundee said, “The administration offered me the job in May, and I had a weak moment and said yes. That night I started thinking that I’d lost my mind. I have no idea what I’m doing, and we just came off a 1-9 season. I started thinking that we had to do something unique and out of the box to gain an advantage on our opponents. I played Australian Rules Football (rugby) growing up, and I started thinking about ways to incorporate rugby into our offense. Well, ChatGPT and I started a dialogue, and I’d created the Aus Toss offense within 30 minutes. It’s crazy when you think about it.”

At first glance, the Aus Toss looks like other modern offenses. They’ll sometimes go empty with 5 wide; at other times, they’ll go 4 wide with one back. On occasion, they’ll even use two back sets. Things start to look differently after the ball is snapped. Dundee said, “We will have at least 2 pitch men on every play to lateral the ball to. Generally, we’ll have one on the left and one the right, but if the play is ran to the sideline, we’ll have two pitch men on either the left or right of the ball carrier depending on which sideline the play is ran toward. If our ball carrier or receiver is getting tackled or about to get tackled, they’re taught to pitch the ball to the nearest pitch man. It took me a while to teach rugby style pitches with spin, but the guys have it down now. Coaches have never seen anything like it before, so it’s been very difficult to stop.”

The Aus Toss even gets the linemen involved in the pitch game. On certain plays, offensive linemen are pitch men and get an opportunity to carry the ball. It’s interesting to see Six Town Hollow’s linemen doing pitch drills in practice; you definitely won’t see that anywhere else. Dundee added, “We’ve gotten a lot of buy-in from our offensive linemen. They love being able to carry the ball and get involved besides just blocking. We work really hard on our conditioning; you have to be in great shape to run this offense. So, we like to reward our big guys when we get a chance.”

Six Town Hollow has won every game this season by at least 21 points, and they wear opponents down in the second half of games. It will be interesting to see how defensive coordinators adjust to the Aus Toss going forward, but up to this point, they’ve had no answers. Some think the Aus Toss will eventually be mentioned among other iconic offenses such as the Wing T, Wishbone, Air Raid, and more. We’ve got a long way to go before that happens, but I bet you’ll see more coaches studying and copying the Aus Toss.