A task force meeting that included school leadership from Freeman Public, Marion and Freeman Academy held Wednesday night, Feb. 2 at Freeman Academy has provided some direction regarding the possibility of a sports cooperative between the three schools.

Donte Butler, a Marion senior, runs the court after a steal during Freeman Academy/Marion's home game against Marty Tuesday night. Butler and the Bearcats put up 93 points in a fast-paced game that saw multiple dunks by the FA/Marion boys and a team effort that produced 25 assists. The Bearcats stand at 10-1 and play two more tough games — against Oldham-Ramona/Rutland on Thursday and Viborg-Hurley on Friday. Both games are at Sterling Hall.

I have a lot of questions these days, and it feels exhausting. In light of the announcement that Schmeckfest as we know it is once again on hold, I wonder when the big tasting festival will return to form, and what form that might look like. Will the big meal, served buffet style in recent years, draw enough to fill the Pioneer Hall dining room like it once did? Will musical theater, a touchstone of Schmeckfest, be part of the celebration? And with an ongoing concern about the volunteer labor force — a reality before the pandemic hit — is the two-weekend festival sustainable?

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER For the third time in as many years, organizers of Schmeckfest have decided not to host the traditional festival as it has taken place for the vast majority of its six-decade run. Instead, they are once again pursuing a modified event designed to at least give the public a taste of Schmeckfest, although those details are still being worked out.

Those hoping that 2022 would be the dawn of a decline of Covid-19 cases may have to wait a few weeks to see if that trend takes hold. It didn’t start out well in South Dakota; the first three weeks of January showed a consistent rise in cases, although that rate slowed the last week of the month. The good news is that it appears that’s part of a national trend showing a welcome decline in new cases. Still the numbers are sobering.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER Conversations between school leadership at Freeman Public, Freeman Academy and Marion regarding the possibility of a sports cooperative are continuing. Freeman School Board President Emily Andersen and Superintendent Jake Tietje both confirmed with The Courier on Tuesday that representatives from all three school districts were scheduled to meet at Freeman Academy Wednesday night, Feb. 2.

A mild Jan. 31 day had people feeling hope that more than half of the "long cold winter" blues are over, so why not hit the car wash? The result was a lineup at Munkvold's Car Wash in Freeman on multiple occasions throughout the day.

There hasn't been much snow this winter, and what there has been in nearly gone. And with dry conditions expected as February begins, the chance of prolonged snowfall on the ground — and a hard winter season still waiting in the wings — lessons.

The front (east) side of the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Freeman is pictured on the last Sunday of January.

Many will remember when Casey's General Store operated from its Cherry Street location, where Sixth Street transitions to Fifth Street. The Iowa-based franchise opened here in 1979 amid controversy; this was before city zoning was in place and some disliked the fact that it was being built in a residential area. A petition was even turned in for the city to deny Casey's both a building permit and a beer permit, the later of which went to a public vote. The petition to deny the beer license was ultimately rejected by a vote of 427 to 275.