Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 1st, at 10:00 a.m. — 11:30 a.m. at the Burke Civic Center! This year, 15 talented 4-H youth will showcase their culinary skills as they prepare a dish, participate in a nutrition interview, and create a place setting. This exciting event helps them prepare for the Special Foods Contest at the South Dakota State Fair. We invite the community to stop by and cheer on these young chefs as they put their skills to the test! For any questions, please contact the Gregory County 4-H office.

On Wednesday, February 19th, members of the high school band took part in the instrumental small group contest hosted again in Gregory. The day had a slow start as a lot of schools arrived later in the morning due to the cold weather. Gregory had 14 entries in the contest. Twelve of those entries scored high enough to earn a superior and get a medal. Groups need 31-35, solos need 26-30, percussion groups/solos need 21-25 to earn a superior. Those earning a superior were: Savanah Lozano — French horn solo (26), Piper Bartlett- flute solo (26), Madi Graber — timpani solo (24), Madi Graber — marimba solo (24), Madi Graber and George Timanus — marimba duet (24), George Timanus- piano solo (27), Madi Graber-piano solo (26), Piper Bartlett and Heydan Westfallflute duet (33), Percussion Group (24), Clarinet Choir (32), and Saxophone Ensemble (35) Those missing out on medals were Charissa Ring- alto sax solo (25) and Mia Haines piano solo (25) The jazz band received scores of 34, 32, and 26 from the three judges.

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Dear editor, Government can do good Federal aid is intricately connected to the well-being – indeed the very survival – of small farms, small livestock producers, and small towns in rural South Dakota. Making up a significant portion of South Dakota’s yearly budget (on average around 31% but up to as high as 43% during the Biden Administration), federal financial aid funds essential land and water infrastructure projects in rural areas, as I have pointed out in my previous “government can do good” letters to the editor. Federal financial aid also comes in the form of cost-sharing grants and low-income loans that enable individual small farmers/livestock producers and small rural communities to modernize, gain new sources of income, and survive natural disasters. Federal policy aid aims to balance the small/ large industrial farm relationship. Federal aid, in other words, supports small farm and community viability, enabling farmers to successfully hold onto their land and communities to hold onto their young people. Federal aid, however, is in mortal danger. Applying the agenda of the Christian Nationalist Project 2025, the Trump/ Musk duo has placed federal aid on the chopping block. Challenging the “government is bad” claim upon which the Trump/Musk action and 2025 Project agenda rests, my today’s letter uses my own small farm experience to factually illustrate the far-reaching beneficial impact of federal government aid to individual small farmers and the tragedy that looms for rural South Dakotans should the Trump/Musk rampage succeed.

Milestones are an important part of any process. They’re a good opportunity to reflect on where we’ve come from, assess where we are, and look ahead to what comes next. Every legislative session, there comes a day called “Crossover” that is a major milestone in the legislative process.

Daniel Curtis Davidson, 82 years, December 21, 2024, Gregory, SD. Lori Ann Koenig, 59 years, January 11, 2025, Burke, SD.