JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER Owen Andersen says that ever since he was a little kid he has liked to draw. But it wasn’t until he discovered and read Dog Man, the graphic novel series by cartoonist Dav Pilkey, who also authored the popular Captain Underpants books, that he decided to take his drawings to a new level. “I was like, Hmm, comics,” says Owen, a sixth grader at Freeman Public. “I should write some of those.” And so he did.

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER Less than a week after administration at Freeman Public Schools issued a mandate requiring students in grades 6-12 — as well as staff — to wear face coverings in the hallways in-between classes, the Freeman Public School Board voted 3-2 to rebuke that requirement.

More than four decades after his late grandmother, Pam Ortman, and her grandfather, John Weier, were named homecoming king and queen at Freeman High School, Ethan Ortman and Taylor Fransen were crowned royalty at the 2020 coronation held at the football field Monday night, Aug. 31.  Ortman and Fransen were part of a royal court that included Collin Helma, Clayton Smith, Madeline Hofer and Madison Hofer and will preside over homecoming week at Freeman Public that culminates Friday with a 1 p.m. parade and a 7 p.m. football game.

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER   Dennis Schrock, a former teacher and coach at Freeman Academy and a monthly humor columnist for the Freeman Courier for the past 17½ years, died in a two-vehicle accident north of Hurley Sunday night, Aug. 30. A memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 5 at 10:30 a.m. in Pioneer Hall.

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER Students at Menno Public School are no longer required to wear a mask, even if a teacher asks them to, per a resolution unanimously passed by the Menno School Board of Education in special session Monday night, Aug. 24. The resolution reads as follows: “The Menno School Board of Education strongly encourages anyone who wants to wear a mask, that they wear a mask, but it is the Menno board’s policy that it is not mandatory by anyone to wear a mask for students and staff.”

A dramatic scene unfolded on the western edge of Freeman on a hot Saturday night, Aug. 22, as Freeman firefighters and EMTs were called to a fire in an abandoned two-story house on Cedar Street once owned by Richard and Barbara Salis. The property is now owned by the city of Freeman.

After more than two hours of discussion in special session Thursday night, Aug. 27, the Freeman Public School Board voted 3-2 to stick with the back-to-school plan acknowledged earlier this month that uses a three-tiered system to determine what level of COVID-19 mitigation efforts are in place.

There was plenty to cheer about for Rijjy Peterson, Mesa Mehlhaf, Taylor Fransen and Cara Maske as the Canistota/Freeman Pride faced Chester Area in the 2020 season opener in Canistota Friday night, Aug. 21. The top-ranked and two-time defending champion Pride wasted little time jumping ahead to a multi-touchdown lead just minutes into the game before blowing past the Flyers 46-0. Canistota/Freeman travels to De Smet next Friday before hosting Oldham-Ramona/Rutland in Freeman on Sept. 4 — Freeman's homecoming game.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER Randy Koerner, who has owned Koerner Construction since he founded the Freeman-based business in 1979, is the new housing inspector for the city of Freeman. Koerner, appointed by Mayor Michael Walter, was approved for the position by the Freeman City Council at its first meeting of the month Monday night, Aug. 10.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER When Freeman Academy hosts its traditional opening convocation Sunday night, Aug. 23, it will look and feel much different thanks to efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The 6 p.m. service will be open only to students and their families and, weather permitting, will be held on the lawn south of Sterling Hall.