Society

Douglas L. Anderson, PsyD I know, this is South Dakota, and in this state we have generally done our best to look away from COVID and its impact. But since it is the beginning of a new year, it is worth putting COVID into perspective, particularly from a psychological point of view.

David Scotton doesn’t remember finding out that he was adopted his parents told him from the time he was a baby in a crib. His world was turned upside down, however, when his birth mother unexpectedly reached out to him, longing to meet the 18-year-old son that she had only held once.

Lindsey McCarthy was recently honored with the Ann Schumacher Rural Clinic Practice Award at a conference in Boulder, CO, for her efforts in rural mental healthcare. Since December 2018, Lindsey McCarthy has been the executive director of Southern Plains Behavioral Health Services, a community mental health center in south-central South Dakota. Lindsey continues to provide therapy as a dialectical behavioral therapy skills trainer while working to advance services and outcomes through the executive director role. Lindsey has been a member of the Mountain Plains MHTTC advisory board since 2020, and an active member of the leadership academy cohort since 2021. She plans to use skills gained from her participation in these groups to continue expanding resources and training for rural communities located in HHS Region 8 states.

There was a time when news basically covered, well, news. And it came in the form of large sheets of paper (as it still does) filled with stories of the previous 24 hours or several days.

.

From a dream to a winner!! Dawn Atkins grew up in the Gregory/ Burke area. Since her Dad, Don Soesbe, is a member of the Burke VFW Post #9950, a lot of time was spent being involved in the Post and Auxiliary activities. As a little girl, Dawn dreamed of growing up and doing something for the VFW and Auxiliary - something special that they would do together.

The second half of the 2021 property taxes payable in 2022 are due and payable by October 31, 2022. If you mail your taxes to the Gregory County Treasurer’s Office, there must be an October postmark on the envelope to avoid paying an interest penalty. The Gregory County Treasurer’s Office is now set up to accept credit or debit card payments with a convenience fee charged to the customer.

The Gregory County FFA Chapter welcomed State FFA officers Megan Sanders and Kathryn Rausch to Gregory High School on October 17, 2022. While at the school, Sanders and Rausch met with chapter members and ag students, presenting workshops to agriculture education classes about the agricultural education 3-circle model, FFA emblem, goal setting, and the benefits of agricultural education and being an FFA member.

Surveying your surroundings for a few moments to help identify any electrocution hazards may save your life It is difficult to protect yourself from a hazard you don’t recognize. On the farm, electrocution claims the lives of approximately 62 agricultural workers each year (www.electrocution.com), people die in fires caused by faulty electrical systems, people are injured through electrical shocks and burns, and property is damaged or destroyed due to incidents involving electricity.

WHAT ARE MY WIFE’S BENEFITS WHILE I’M LIVING AND AS MY WIDOW? I will be 70 in January and my wife will be 65 in February, at which time we will both go on Medicare. I am currently working, and my approximate Social Security benefit will be around $2,900.