News

On October 11, 2025, Governor Larry Rhoden announced he personally donated funds to illuminate the faces of Mount Rushmore National Memorial after the government shutdown forced the Memorial’s lights to go dark.

The United States imported a record quantity of beef in 2024, and when imported live cattle are converted to a beef equivalent, the year’s total imports represented approximately 22% of all beef consumed in America.

When snow covers the frozen ground, and most South Dakota farmers have sold or stored their products for the season, the operators of Cedar Creek Gardens are still able to grow vegetables and harvest a lucrative crop.

Do you know someone who is a “positivity bully?” Someone who is always upbeat and chipper? How about someone who is the opposite? Someone who is always negative and thinks the world is against them? Which one would you rather be around?

This week’s Gorilla Gathering at the Gregory School District was more rowdy than usual, and for good reason On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, the students at the school held a hat and pajama day to raise money for Suzanne Braun and family. The amount raised was revealed at Gorilla Gathering on Tuesday morning, October 14. But this was more than just a reveal; for each $1,000 raised, a student had the pleasure of “pie-ing” a staff member or teacher. For the first $1,000, Principal Jeff Determan was the recipient of the pie in the face. As the top fundraiser in the elementary, second grader Claire Jacobsen had the honor. Superintendent Sara Anderson was the willing victim for the second $1,000 raised. Third grader Emery Shoemaker was the lucky second place fundraiser who earned the job of applying the pie. And Sophomore Marissa Fischer had the distinction of pie-ing Mrs. Graber for the third $1,000 earned by the students.

At the regular meeting of the Gregory County Board of Commissioners, held at 9 a.m., Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the commissioners passed a resolution honoring the life and service of their friend and fellow commissioner Jeff Johnson, who had represented District 5 on the board since 2015.

What does an old farmer/ tractor repairman do to “slow down?” If he’s Byron Grim, he takes up a hobby that keeps him as busy as ever. As Grim decided to slow down in life, he started putting around with garden tractors.

South Dakota’s 2025 pheasant season opens on Saturday, October, 18, and the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks predicts it will be another banner year, similar to the 2024 season during which 140,000 hunters from around the globe harvested over 1.3 million pheasants, the most in the past decade. In fact, more roosters were harvested in two weeks of October in South Dakota than any other state during their entire season.

The therapists are inviting the public for their “Coffee with the Therapists” event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, October 17, 2025.

JJ Farner is the new director of equalization for Gregory County. He started in this position September 8, 2025, after spending the past 16 years as a gunsmith and working at the Winner Jail as a correctional officer, having achieved the rank of sergeant.