News

Gregory County registered as a category D3 on the June 22, 2021 National Drought Monitor. The D3 status opened up the Livestock Forage Program in our county.

The South Dakota Department of Education is seeking individuals to be part of the Social Studies Standards Revision Commission, which will work with the department to draft new state content standards for K-12 social studies.

The Sons of the American Legion will be holding their monthly meeting on Thursday, November 18th, at the Legion Post in Gregory. The meeting will start at 8:00 p.m. and all members and potential members are encouraged to attend.

Donna Steppat, long-time administrator at Silver Threads, announced on Friday, November 5, 2021, that management changes are underway at Silver Threads. Jim and Dulce Frank, formerly of Burke, SD, will be assuming management of the facility upon returning to the area.

Chief Justice David Gilbertson did much to improve South Dakota’s legal system during his 19 years as head of the state’s supreme court. Although he is now retired, one of his visions is becoming a reality, ensuring that those working in the criminal justice system have access to the resources they need to help people with mental illness, regardless of where they live.

The Gregory County Board of Commissioners met at 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 2, 2021, at the Gregory County Courthouse for a regular meeting. The neighbors are quiet Acting as a board of adjustment, they approved a conditional use application from James and Robin Baker to build a seven-unit commercial storage building in an ag district in the SE ¼ less cemetery in Section 30-95-67, Star Valley Township, as per the Planning and Zoning Board’s recommendation.

Various organizations provide us with data to help us think about public policy needs, adequacy of coverage for various medical and mental health needs, and so on. South Dakota is largely a rural state, and services are often lacking when it comes to mental health and physical health needs.

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg on October 29 joined a tenstate coalition led by Missouri in filing a lawsuit against the Biden Administration for imposing a vaccine mandate on federal contractors and federally contracted employees. The lawsuit challenges the Biden Administration’s use of federal procurement statutes to mandate vaccinations through Executive Order 14042.

In our modern world, we can agree there is no shortage of information. We are constantly surrounded by voices wanting to help us understand every subject under the sun, however, in our quest for gathering accurate information, we also realize that most of what we listen to, especially political news, is sprinkled with half-truths, speculations, and biased observations. The bottom line is that we actually know very little about facts and depend heavily on outside sources to relay to us what they have heard. Imagine what we would know if there were no television, radio, newspaper, telephone, internet, or any type of media communication. Knowing about state, national, or world events would be comparable to those who lived 200 years ago. Yes, we have certain convictions about social and spiritual issues, but for the most part, our views are shaped not by what we positively know to be a fact, but rather by trusting what someone has told us.

Traditionally, October and November have been two months that South Dakota celebrates and honors Native American heritage. During that time, we have many opportunities to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories, and to acknowledge the important contributions, achievements, and sacrifices of Native people.