Imagine you have to leave your home without a moment’s notice. You can take nothing but the clothes on your back. Imagine you are five years old, 10 years old, or maybe even 13. Favorite blanket? Gone.  Stuffed bunny? Gone. School backpack, lunchbox, or jammies? Gone. Then imagine it... Read more

Paige Zempel, née Frazee, a 2015 graduate of Milbank high School, has been named the 2025 Trooper of the Year by the South Dakota Highway Patrol. The award was presented on June 3 during the 14th Annual Highway Patrol Awards Ceremony in Sioux Falls. Zempel has served with the... Read more

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced payment rates and the enrollment period for the Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers (ASCF) program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will issue $1.625 billion in payments to eligible specialty crop producers in response to elevated input costs and market disruptions... Read more

It is fitting that the two opponents heading into South Dakota’s first-ever runoff election for governor are being touted as mavericks. Larry Rhoden, the incumbent governor, a rancher, who also served six years as lieutenant governor, is aiming to be South Dakota’s first non-elected governor to win his own... Read more

Longtime Milbank Mayor Pat Raffety has resigned. Mindy Rogers, president of the city council since July 2025, was named the mayor pro tempore of Milbank effective immediately. Per state law, Rogers will remain in that position until an election can be held. She is also employed as a recruiter... Read more

Online applications for agencies and organizations seeking funding from the upcoming 2026-27 Grant County Combined Appeal drive are now available. Jolene Rick, head of Grant County Combined Appeal, says,  “After coming off a great community campaign, in 2025-26, we were able to allocate $178,150 to 21 agencies that applied... Read more

Jeremy Steffensen has been elected as the Grant County Sheriff. The race was called late Tuesday, June 2, after all the votes cast in Grant County during the 2026 South Dakota Republican Primary Election were delivered to the courthouse and counted. Grant County Auditor Kathy Folk announced that with... Read more

Have you witnessed a graveside flag-folding ceremony performed as a tribute to a member of the military? Heard an “end of watch” call made over the radio for a recently departed police officer or firefighter? Both of these time-honored rituals recognize the professional service of the honoree.They also provide... Read more

Bailey Schwagel and Bri Hicks, both of Milbank High School, are experiencing government up close and personal this week as delegates to South Dakota’s 2026 Girls State. The delegates chosen from across the state, converged on the campus of the University of South Dakota in Vermillion on Sunday May... Read more