Renaissance man could well describe William Karels. So could groundbreaker. At the close of the past school year, the mechanical engineering senior learned he would receive the Duane Hanson Scholarship, becoming the first South Dakota State University student to receive the $5,000 award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and... Read more

Edward DeVere Jr., 78, of Marvin, SD, passed away on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at Prairie Lakes Hospital in Watertown, SD. Memorial services will be held on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Mundwiler Funeral Home in Milbank, SD. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service... Read more

What’s the best part of the South Dakota State Fair? Is it looking down on everything from high up on the Ferris Wheel? Getting nose to nose with a prize pig? Or winning a bear or a blue ribbon?  These are all  thrills, but the spills are just as fun.... Read more

Joel Foster might not be as famous as Marie Kondo, but both have built their careers on keeping other people organized. Marie is a genius when it comes to spiffing up your closet, but Joel has the corner on your farm. He has been the Farm Service Association (FSA) program... Read more

David “Hooper” Gruenwald, 61, of Ortonville, MN, passed away on Friday, August 22, 2025, at Ortonville Area Health Services in Ortonville.  A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, August 29, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Charles Catholic Church in Big Stone City, SD. Fr. John Helmueller will celebrate... Read more

Milbank FFA members Isaak Weston, Kalli Moser, Cody Wiik, Kayla Schweer, Ashlynn Lamp, and Megan Wiese attended the annual leadership retreat put on by the South Dakota FFA Association at Storm Mountain Christian Camp in Rapid City from July 22-25.  Sara Colombe and Hannah Schrader, the Milbank chapter’s co-advisers, accompanied... Read more

Sara Colombe, the agriscience teacher and FFA adviser at Milbank High School, successfully completed the 21st Annual National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy in Lexington, Kentucky. She joined over 522 outstanding agriscience teachers from across the country who have also earned the title.  The academy... Read more

Jack Christenson, age 84, of Milbank, SD, died on July 25, 2025, at Peaceful Pines Senior Living in Milbank. Family services will be held at a later date. Jack Douglas Christenson was born on August 3, 1940, in Milbank, SD. He was the son of Douglas and Marion (Jorgenson) Christenson.... Read more

Rylan Wendland, a rising sophomore at Milbank High School, won a Gold Medal at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Leadership Conference (NLC). Wendland won his award in the Intro to FBLA competition. The event tests members’ knowledge of the FBLA organization itself. It involves an objective test... Read more

Milbank members of HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America), who qualified for the International Leadership Conference (ILC), were in Nashville, Tennessee, from June 18-22. Students from all over the world competed. More than 14,000 participants – members, advisers, health professionals, and alumni – attended the conference. Workshops, keynote speakers, and... Read more