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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.

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.

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.”

With only one practice in over a week due to weather cancellations, Burke/Gregory Head Wrestling Coach Seth Webster was worried about what kind of shape his wrestlers were in going into the Winner Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, January 20.

South Dakota Housing, in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, will be hosting three listening sessions around the state to solicit comments on the 2024 Annual Action Plan and the allocation plans for the HOME, Housing Tax Credit, Housing Trust Fund, Emergency Solutions Grants, Community Development Block Grant, and Housing Opportunity Fund programs.