News

It is a new year and we may find ourselves feeling a nudge to make some shifts or healthy changes within our lives. While turning towards physical health is a beneficial thing, it is also important to explore how we think and the stories we tell ourselves in the process. It can be normal to feel motivated to do something different; to go on a diet after all the extra calories that come with the holiday season, or start a fitness routine, or whatever your new “thing” is. It is a common misconception that shame can push people to improve. Common sayings like, “you should be ashamed of yourself” or “shame on you” imply that shame has the power to correct. But more often, shame often leads to avoidance, defensiveness and an overwhelming feeling of being stuck. I want to invite you to explore shame and how it can impact how we think, feel and behave.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley joins 17 other Attorneys General in supporting the state of Louisiana law that requires all K-12 schools and statefunded universities to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

Are you confident that God is watching you, listening to your words, and searching your heart during times of difficulty or making a request? It’s not that uncommon to hear people say that sometimes they feel their prayers are bouncing off the ceiling and cannot explain why or how this could be happening. These times of spiritual discouragement are fairly common, but it does not mean that our messages are going to voicemail. He is Omnipresent, which means He sees and hears everything instantaneously. Others will testify at times they sense God’s tangible presence and believe He is actively intervening. So what makes the difference?

Standing before a crowd of hundreds of carbon dioxide pipeline opponents Monday, January 1, at the South Dakota Capitol, a lawmaker announced her bill to ban the use of eminent domain for carbon pipeline projects.

Last winter the snow waited until Christmas time to grace us, making the land white with almost 16 inches of snow within the five days surrounding the holiday. This year, temperatures remained mild through Christmas with temperatures in the upper 40s and low 50s until December 30, when we received four inches.

The final 2024 meeting of the Gregory County Board of Commissioners was held at 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 31, 2024. All year end bills were approved for payment, and the formal budget supplement hearing was held at 9:30 a.m.

January Dave Engelmeyer of Burke traveled to Pasadena, CA, to fulfill a lifelong dream of helping build a float for the Rose Parade. In a collaborative effort between the economic development groups of Bonesteel and Gregory, the Burke Business Promotion Corporation was awarded a grant from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to study childcare in the county.

At the regular meeting of the Gregory City Council, held Monday, January 6, 2025, City Finance Officer Trudy Waterman discussed the yearend balance sheet. She noted that the sales tax revenue for 2024 exceeded the budget projection by $122,000, but fell behind the 2023 total by $47,000. The third cent sales tax revenue, however, came out ahead of both the budget projection (by $21,000) and 2023 total (by $13,000).

The Sons of the American Legion will be holding their monthly meeting on Thursday, January 16th, at the Legion Post in Gregory. The meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. and all members and potential members are encouraged to attend.

More than 2,500 students at the University of South Dakota are being honored for their high achievement during the fall 2024 semester with the release of the Dean’s List and Academic Honors. Full-time, undergraduate students are named to the Dean’s List if they received a 3.5 GPA for courses they took in the fall 2024 semester, and they had no incomplete or failing grades: Mya Determan, Coy Determan, Cassidy Keiser, Jordan Jo Svatos, Jessy Jo VanDerWerff..