January serves as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, an important time for reflection, awareness, and action. This month is a solemn reminder of the urgent need to protect the most vulnerable among us from one of the most insidious crimes in our society. Today, I want to speak directly to you about what this means for us and how we can all make a difference.

On January 3, the new Republican majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives were sworn in and I officially took over as Senate majority leader, and in a few weeks President Trump will take the oath of office. We have our work cut out for us to get this country back on the right track, and we are not wasting any time getting to work.

Over the past four years, Americans have been burdened by the results of the Biden Administration’s policies, like an open border, high inflation, mandates that are increasingly difficult to meet for energy production, vehicle emissions, health care, firearms, and more.

After the Bronco fundraiser, a matching pledge challenge up to $200,000 was issued, beginning July 9. Since that time, various fundraisers have been held, and the total amount of money toward the matching funds is currently at $42,538.00.

At the regular meeting of the Gregory City Council, held Monday, January 6, 2025, City Finance Officer Trudy Waterman discussed the yearend balance sheet. She noted that the sales tax revenue for 2024 exceeded the budget projection by $122,000, but fell behind the 2023 total by $47,000. The third cent sales tax revenue, however, came out ahead of both the budget projection (by $21,000) and 2023 total (by $13,000).

January Dave Engelmeyer of Burke traveled to Pasadena, CA, to fulfill a lifelong dream of helping build a float for the Rose Parade. In a collaborative effort between the economic development groups of Bonesteel and Gregory, the Burke Business Promotion Corporation was awarded a grant from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to study childcare in the county.