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
The Grant County Christian Service Council in conjunction with Feeding South Dakota will host the second food giveaway of 2026 in Milbank on Wednesday, June 10. The event will be held from 1-2 p.m. – an earlier time than usual. “Because of route changes for the Feeding South Dakota... Read more
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northern Plains (BGCNP) and the Milbank School District will host a community meeting on Monday, June 15, at Milbank Elementary School. Two informational sessions, each followed by a question and answer period will be held. Bilingual services will be offered at both... Read more
Sam Rick won the state Triple Jump title for Milbank at the 2026 South Dakota State High School Track and Field Championships held at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls from May 28-30. Rick also won second place in the Pole Vault competition and eighth place in the Long... 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
The 35th Annual Valley Queen Cheeseburger Day was celebrated with plates of sizzling burgers topped with buttery, melted cheese. The Milbank FFA Chapter, along with Valley Queen employees, served the meal to the community at the Milbank 4-H Grounds on Tuesday, June 2. A free will offering was taken... 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
