It has been nearly five months since South Dakota reported the first COVID-19 case. Our knowledge of the virus has dramatically changed over this time and advice on how we should respond has continued to evolve. This week we asked the outgoing and incoming Chief of Medical Staff at Freeman Regional Health Services, Ken Kirton, MD and Shakil Hafiz, DO, to answer questions to help us understand the current COVID-19 situation.

“It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Incumbent Justin Plooster and challenger Jon Schempp won three-year terms on the Menno School Board of Education in the Tuesday, June 30 election. Plooster earned the most votes with 191 while Schempp defeated Mary Schoenfish — a veteran and vice president of the school board — 153 to 138. Challenger Bryan Kludt won 54 votes.  By percentage, that breaks town to: Plooster          35.63% Schempp         28.54% Schoenfish      25.75% Kludt               10.07%            

The Freeman City Council took action Monday night, June 22 to fix the corner of Fifth and Main streets — the intersection near Mr. G’s Tires and Stucky’s Electric. The work will include, first, the replacement of the manhole by Hydro-Klean out of Sioux Falls, followed by the street work itself. Monday night, the city awarded the job to Koerner Construction of Freeman, which submitted a bid in the amount of $21,632.70. The city also received a bid from Puetz Corporation in the amount of $31,483.

The history books will note that there was no Schmeckfest held in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic that took its toll on that festival, along with a host of other spring and summertime activities. The history books will also note that Schmeckfest and Freeman Academy officials made the best of an unfortunate situation, as is evident in the second Schmeckfest-inspired drive-thru event this Friday, June 26. 

The public is invited to the Menno Junior Senior Prom Grand March on June 19 starting at 6 p.m. The grand march will be held outside around the Menno school. Students will exit the old gym doors and head south around the school grounds. They will walk all the way around and end back at the old gym doors.

When the Freeman School Board meets for its monthly meeting Monday, June 15, it will be the last one for Kerry Hofer, who first took a seat on the board in 2005 and spent four of his 15 years as president.  Hofer was defeated by challenger Cody Fransen in last week’s June 2 election. Fransen won 294-233, earning 55.7% of the vote. He will take office at the July meeting and join Slade Ammann, Corey Gall, Mark Miller and Kyle Weier on the five-member board.

It’s a new-look Freeman City Council. Twenty-eight years and two weeks after first taking the oath of office as Freeman mayor, Michael Walter is back in the chair after winning election over Terry Waterman in last week’s June 2 election. The 64-year-old was sworn in as the city’s highest elected official as the council reorganized at the Freeman Community Center meeting room for a new year Monday night, June 8.  Blaine Saarie also joined the council Monday night after running unopposed for the expiring Ward 2 seat held by Russ Becker.

To accurately and completely realize the impact the Freeman Community Foundation has had on local non-profits, all you have to do is look at the numbers: • $8,000 for the Freeman Public Library’s building project in 2004; • $2,000 to the Freeman Baseball Association to help with start-up costs for four new teams in 2006; • $2,000 to the Freeman Regional Health Services Auxiliary for a new stove in the dietary department at Oakview Terrace in 2008; • $5,000 for a new play system at Freeman Elementary in 2010;

We are put on this earth to serve. It is that closely-held conviction that has led Sam Sorensen to active work in his church and other causes he believes in: to a management role with his wife, Linda, at the Bethany Food Pantry; to the organizer of the Freeman Fishing Derby; and to volunteer with the Freeman Lions Club, of which he is finishing his term as president.