SCOUTING REPORT | Dakota snowplow battles, raising taxes, dirty cockroaches, creative teachers

A weekly digest of interesting local, state, national and even international developments

Let’s be honest. Some of us here in the Upper Great Plains enjoy a little winter weather. As we march into fall, we remind ourselves about what’s to come. Governments declare an end to “construction season,” and people pull snowblowers that were mothballed for the summer from garages or sheds.

To that end, the South Dakota Department of Transportation is hosting its annual Snowplow Naming Contest. Now in its sixth year, the contest averages about 700 submissions annually from individuals, classrooms and businesses.

The contest is open through Friday, Dec. 12. And some people thought that only the Department of Tourism was allowed to have fun.

“While we cannot predict the winter weather, all of us can control how we prepare and respond,” Transportation Secretary Joel Jundt said in a release. “The Snowplow Naming Contest helps us build awareness about SDDOT’s winter maintenance operations and the many resources available to the traveling public to make safe travel decisions.”