News

Our regular readers know this column is about the Christian life, but you certainly do not need to be a Christian or even a religious person to at least consider the content as thought-provoking. Everyone has their own philosophies and interpretations about spiritual topics, and this is understandable since we all have a choice to believe whatever we want. Only God knows everything and He is perfect in all His ways. I will add that no theologian or Bible scholar is correct about every doctrine or exegesis of scripture as we are all in a daily process of learning. What’s more important, arguing or evangelizing? Jesus promised, “Seek and you will find.”

High school seniors residing in the Golden West Telecommunications service area can now apply for one of 45 $1,000 scholarships available to qualifying students. Now in its 26th year, the Golden West scholarship program awards scholarships to help offset tuition for graduating seniors who will pursue post-secondary education.

ERSPECTIVE Hope all made it well and warm into 2024. On January 4th, when schools opened, we had the first school shooting in Iowa. A 17-yearold with a shotgun and handgun killed a sixth grader and wounded other students. Recently the principal who intervened, saving others, also died. Interviewed later, some students said that this shooter had been bullied for most of his school life. I’m guessing it might have been over gender identity like last year’s school shooting at a Christian school in Nashville. There are those who would rather censor books available in school libraries, putting their 2nd Amendment weapons ahead of children’s lives. California and New York State have enforced the basic red flag laws over weapon acquisition and storage. If these laws were more widespread many of the 30,000 annual deaths from gun violence could be prevented.

.

January is National Mentoring Month, and the Department of Labor and Regulation (DLR) is celebrating the month aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more individuals with quality mentors.

Hank and Melissa Wonnenberg’s girls, Elizabeth (12) and Lydia (10), don’t have a gaming system to occupy their time. Instead they have a barn full of animals they raise and show, from rabbits, chickens, dogs, and companion animals to pigs and beef and dairy cattle.

Boaz Swift is the new veterinarian at Gregory Animal Clinic. Swift grew up north of Burke, and was homeschooled through high school.

Mrs. Bartling’s 2nd grade science class was the topic of Gorilla Good News at the Gregory School District Board of Education regular meeting on Tuesday, January 9. The meeting had been postponed a day because of weather-related cancellations.

Over the weekend Guhner Kepler and Brody Boes beat the weather to get to Box Elder and compete in South Dakota’s first “Battle of the Badges” on Saturday, January 13. “Battle of the Badges” (BOTB) is a nonprofit amateur boxing competition to raise money for local charities. Originally, a showdown between police and firefighters in Louisiana, BOTB has expanded across the country and includes veterans from the armed services and other first responders in addition to police and fire fighters. Occasionally the competitions are dodge ball and blood drives.

More than 3,400 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance over the fall 2023 semester at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD, by being named to the dean’s list. To earn dean’s list distinctions in SDSU’s colleges, students must have completed a minimum of 12 credits and must have earned at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale.