JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER Emily Andersen didn’t just take the oath of office as a new member of Freeman Public School Board earlier this week, she was also elected board president. Andersen was elected on a 4-1 vote at the board’s reorganizational meeting Monday night, July 12. Slade Ammann, Doug McCune, Kyle Weier and Andersen all voted in her favor while Cody Fransen nominated and voted for former board chair Kyle Weier, who was ultimately elected vice president.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER Organizers faced multiple questions heading into last Saturday’s South Dakota Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale. Would the weather allow for the outdoor event as planned or would they be forced indoors? How many would show up? Would people be eager to be out and about or were some still operating out of an abundance of caution on the backside of the pandemic? And just how much money would be raised? That is, after all, at the heart of this benefit for all that MCC stands for — worldwide relief. Well, now they know.

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER Given concerns about the spread of COVID-19, Edie Tschetter said it was a no-brainer to cancel the South Dakota Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale last summer. “It wasn’t even a question,” said Tschetter, a relief sale committee member and key organizer who has worked with the fundraiser since it debuted in Sioux Falls in 1987. The real question was what to do in 2021, and Tschetter admits she was a little surprised earlier this year when the committee met and appeared eager to revisit the sale.

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER In his book, One Nation Under God by Dr. David Gibbs, the author notes that, in the Declaration of Independence, God is referenced four times in one way or another, and that in the founding era of our nation, from 1760 to 1805, the source that is cited the most in all political writings was the Bible.

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER There will be something for everyone in Menno this weekend as the community rolls out the red, white and blue carpet for its traditional Independence Day celebration. The weekend will double as the Menno-Olivet All-School Reunion, which will add an additional layer of fellowship and fun to the festivities. Saturday, July 3 will be a big day in Menno because it includes the parade in the morning and the all-school reunion and dance later in the afternoon and into the night. Here’s everything else you need to know.

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER At the recommendation of councilor Lonnie Tjaden, the city of Freeman will get an estimate of how much it would cost to include a new blacktop surface on the roadways extending one block off the B-1 business district as an add-on to the Main Street project slated for 2022. “We’re doing Main Street; we’re spending roughly $3 million on it,” Tjaden said at the Freeman City Council meeting last week Tuesday, June 15. “Have you guys drove a block off Main Street on these roads?”

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER In response to concerns shared by incoming board member Doug McCune about the preliminary plans for a new wrestling facility provided by CO-OP Architecture, the Freeman Public School Board agreed on Monday to table the discussion until more information can be obtained. McCune’s concerns with the 4,458 square-foot addition, proposed to be built on the east side of the elementary school gym and estimated to cost $500,000, include the lack of full specifications and inspections from a licensed architect.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER The numbers are sobering. In World War I — the war that many thought would end all wars because of its horror — more than 20 million soldiers were killed, 116,000 of those Americans. That’s particularly staggering considering the U.S. involvement spanned just 17 months of what was a five-year war. Twenty years later, in World War II, 52 million were killed. Of those, more than 400,000 of them came from U.S. soil.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER There were a number of questions that accompanied the Freeman Academy/Marion boys to last week’s State B Track Meet in Rapid City. Would the 4x800 live up to expectations and run to a win? How would the sprint medley do in a competitive field? And what would senior Titus Roesler’s final act as a standout runner with the Bearcats look like? By 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon, there were but two questions remaining: How should the boys stand for the team photo, and who should hold the hardware?

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER The firing squad of the Rames-Bender Post 152 of the American Legion stood at attention as former commander of the post and Retired Staff Sergeant Shirlene Simonsen read the names of 354 men and women from the Menno area who served in the Armed Forces and have passed away — some of them in combat. Moments later the men in uniform raised their arms and fired off a volley of three rounds representing the 21-gun salute, the sound of gunfire piercing the air of what was a picture-perfect, 70-degree Monday morning, May 31.