Kevin Schuelke, fire chief of Milbank Fire and Rescue, said the Corona Volunteer Fire Department used “big water” to stop the spreading of flames from a barn fire on the Paul DeBoer dairy farm north of Corona on March 15, at 1 p.m. Schuelke said, “This is something first-on-the-scene departments... Read more

Keith Weber has been promoted to the new position of Information Technology Department Manager at Valley Queen Cheese Factory. Keith has been the company’s IT administrator for the past 17 years and has been instrumental in modernizing Valley Queen’s IT infrastructure and services to match the company’s growing dairy processing... Read more

Dave Page, general manager of the Whetstone Valley Electric Cooperative, summarized the power outages that occurred during the storm on March 14, and the restoration efforts that followed. Page said, “Shortly after noon on Thursday, March 14, Whetstone Valley Electric Cooperative members began experiencing blinks and short outages as a... Read more

The 94th Legislative session is officially over, with both chambers working through the night and adjourning at 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 13th. The session started with a survey of legislator’s priorities. Most everyone agreed that funding our nursing homes needed to be our highest priority. Then the governor came... Read more

In South Dakota we often adjust plans because of weather. The last week of the 2019 legislature was scheduled to run through Wednesday, March 13, but with a record-breaking storm forecast, we worked to shorten it. On Tuesday, we started early and were told to expect a long day. The... Read more

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) that provides assistance to eligible producers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather, disease and attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law. LIP compensates... Read more

The Valley Queen Board of Directors has approved an investment of $1.6 million into the Valley Queen Company Stock Profit Sharing Plan & Trust. The plan, which was created in 2017 and unveiled to employees in March of 2018, contributes company stock to eligible employees’ retirement accounts, making employees owners... Read more

I look for long days, short fuses, and a frenzied pace during the last three days of Session. We have a lot to get done before Session ends on Wednesday. Major bills heard this week included: Pipeline Riot Bills Construction of the Keystone XL pipeline may begin in SD as... Read more

Marvin “Bud” E. Gess Jr., age 87, of Ortonville, MN, passed away on Monday, March 11, 2019, at Milbank Care and Rehabilitation Center in Milbank, SD. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 16, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. at First English Lutheran Church in Ortonville, MN. Visitation will... Read more

Spring. You might not be thinking spring as you look out the window today, but it’s that time of the year again. Time to spring forward. Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 9, at 2 a.m. Most clocks turn back automatically if they are part of an electronic device. Some,... Read more