JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER The Freeman City Council made two significant decisions during its regular meeting Wednesday night, Feb. 3. 1. The council agreed to spend $220,000 for Sayre and Associates’ design of a new Main Street and committed another $2 million to the $3 million project — something that is expected to help leverage the city’s position as it seeks additional funding through grants.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER “We’ve never had a place to call our own.” That statement from Freeman High School head wrestling coach Chris Sayler set the tone for a request of the Freeman Public School Board to approve a new wrestling facility on the district’s campus — specifically, in the grassy area near the bus lane immediately east of the Freeman Elementary gymnasium.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER “Pandemic,” the Menno High School one-act original that recounts the first two months of the coronavirus pandemic, won a superior at the State One-Act Festival held remotely in Brookings Friday and Saturday, Feb. 5 and 6. Menno performed late Saturday morning and was notified of the top honor early Tuesday evening, Feb. 9. Additionally, Kyle Kyriss, Carly Herrboldt, Caden Fischer, Adrian Nusz, Brady Fergen, Kaelea McCoy, Chandler Dant, Salome Carr, Alexis Hogeland earned honors for outstanding performances.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER The “Pandemic” lives on. Less than a week after giving the home performance of their original one-act play recalling the early months of the cornavirus pandemic, Menno students advanced to the State One-Act Festival by placing second in the Region 1B competition last week Wednesday, Jan. 27. The 35-minute play will be presented by a cast of 17 and a crew of three as part of the state competition in Brookings Saturday, Feb. 6.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER “The question is not, ‘What should be happening in my life?’ but, ‘What is happening in my life?’ The present moment, the present set of circumstances, the present relationships in our lives — this is where God meets us and gives us life.”

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER The Freeman School Board last week reversed a long-standing policy that states that students who use the district gym must be accompanied by an adult. Meeting in regular session Monday night, Jan. 11, the board voted 5-0 to allow students in grades 7-12 to use the elementary gymnasium without supervision, with access to the facility via the district-issued student badge through the north door.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER The new football cooperative between Menno and Scotland will be known as the Jim River Trappers and will compete at the 11-man level — not 9-man as was originally expected. Both announcements came last week after football players settled on the team name and the South Dakota High School Activities Association denied an appeal from Menno Superintendent Tom Rice, on behalf of the cooperative, to remain 9-man.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER The Freeman Public School Board wants more information about what consolidation with Marion would mean for the local district — particularly as it relates to finances — and also agreed to an informal conversation about what a sports cooperative would look like, not only with Marion, but also Freeman Academy. No action was taken on either matter, but the board agreed to take a closer look at all options during its regular monthly meeting Monday night, Jan. 11. Here’s a breakdown of what’s on the table.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER Fifty-five years after Orville A. Waltner established Valley Electric Service as his own business — named for Valley Township south of town, where Waltner lived — the Freeman-based business is under new ownership. Ryan Sorensen has purchased it from Ted Pidde Jr., in a sale that was finalized Tuesday, Dec. 29.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER One month after showing little interest in what a possible partnership with neighboring Marion could look like — sports cooperation in the short-term and, later, school cooperation — officials from Freeman Public agreed to revisit the issue with the help of Tom Oster, who works with school districts on long-term planning and has his own consulting firm based in Volga.