On January 6, 2022, Governor Kristi Noem and the Department of Health’s rule blocking telemedicine abortions was approved by the South Dakota Legislature’s Interim Rules Review Committee. “Chemical abortions are four times as likely to cause a woman getting an abortion to end up in an emergency room – and we have a duty to protect the lives of those women,” said Governor Noem.

MARRIAGES William James Marshall, 48, Gregory, SD, to Tessa Mere’ Jones, 50, Gregory, SD, December 10, 2021. Sagon George Ulrich, 20, Wagner, SD, to Kierra Esperanza Garcia, 20, Wagner, SD, December 22, 2021.

Funeral services are scheduled for Melvin Klein Funeral services will be held for Melvin Klein, age 94, of Norfolk, NE, on Friday, January 14, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at Clausen Funeral Home in Burke, SD.

Due to drought last summer and ongoing, Gregory County livestock producers became eligible for the Livestock Forage Program on June 22, 2021. Many producers have completed their applications and provided us with their supporting documentation. This is a reminder that if you have not completed your application or if you still need to provide our office with supporting documentation or sign your application, the deadline to complete this process in its entirety is January 31, 2022.

The Dakota Territory law makers met for the first time in Yankton on March 17, 1862. This was the first legislature in the territory. The two legislative bodies were referred to as the “house” and the “council”, and neither trusted the other. The entire legislative session was stormy and many of the relationships were frayed.

The South Dakota legislative session for 2022 opened at noon on Tuesday, January 11. Senator Erin Tobin and Representative Caleb Finck provided a glimpse into what they expect in the upcoming weeks. Representative Rocky Blare had not responded as of press time.