Long before Shayla Polanchek received the gift of a lifesaving heart transplant, she was fully aware of the bittersweet reality of organ donation — and continuously prayed for her donor and her donor’s family.  “I pray for my donor’s family and for my donor,” Shayla explained to the True Dak…

WS Area Chamber & Development Local Business Spotlight

As Mike Easter reflects on his calling as not only the new pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Wessington Springs, but also his initial path to ministry in his hometown of Roseville, California, he reveals that he never expected, or even wanted to be a pastor. 

With traditional, door-to-door trick-or-treating an uncertainty in the era of COVID-19, Wessington Springs Area Chamber and Development and local business owners served up a fun event last Friday  to help give kids a Halloween they won’t soon forget. 

SD introduces new Precision Ag and Conservation Specialist for Pheasants Forever

AP interview with Dr. Dean catapults Jerauld Co. onto national stage 

Wessington Springs rancher  Elton Kaus is featured in a powerful, moving collection of 170 portraits of Americans and their handwritten statements about what the American dream means to them. Shot by Canadian photographer Ian Brown over twelve years, fifty states, and eighty thousand miles, …

As Wessington Springs resident Eileen Schooler rounded the corner of Third Street and  College Avenue during a Sunday afternoon walk, she couldn’t help but notice Freddy Bacher pedaling north on his self-supported, long-distance touring bicycle equipped with 50 pounds of gear. In search of S…

Soft clouds of dust dance in the sunlight as quiet hoof beats hit deep sand in perfect rhythm.  The smell of sweat-lathered horses and buttery, soft leather fill the air of Amy Schimke and Brett Borkowski's training facility.  In this Jerauld County barn, quiet hours of constant preparation …

Wagons pulled by a twenty-mule hitch traversing across rugged terrain flanked by horse-mounted cowboys doesn’t immediately conjure up images of America in the late 1960s — but was in fact the reality of Wessington Springs resident Kenneth (Tiny) Gohring during a fantastic adventure documente…

The clickety-clack of horse teams pulling wagons met folks in town aiming to greet riders on the 2020 Kyle Evans Memorial Wagon Train. After a two-day ride celebrating the western way of life and the memory of Kyle Evans, riders and teams made their way from camp at Crow Lake toward their fi…

At the end of a dusty road, tucked between rolling prairie hills sits a pretty little ranch that’s become a familiar path for many a cattleman. 

Community gathers for bean bag tournament and meal to help send off local solders for deployment  

The 21st Annual Relay For Life of Jerauld/Sanborn County, this Thursday in Wessington Springs, will look a little different from the norm. But then nearly everything does this year. With the theme “Cruisin’ for Cancer,” the event will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a cruise down Main Street. Driver…

“Cruisin’ for Cancer” Aug. 20

The Springs Area Community Club Consignment Store in Wessington Springs will reopen on Wednesday, August 12.  The store  has been closed since March due to coronavirus concerns.

Thousands of would-be auction items collected over the course of more than six decades perched expectantly on various trailers positioned throughout Kraft Repair, awaiting a new owner who would take them home for the highest bid. Lloyd Kraft’s fingers graced the neatly organized collector’s …

With two packets of seeds — radishes and cosmos — a passion for gardening bloomed early on for Maggie Higgins as a seven-year-old girl in England. 

Communication and teamwork prove to be important pieces of the puzzle for Alpena Co-Op’s success 

After moving to curbside service and delivery for the past several months due to the coronavirus, Wessington Springs Carnegie Library announced that starting this week, patrons are welcomed inside with CDC and state library precautionary guidelines in place. 

Although Mike Huether may be well known to many South Dakotans for serving eight years as former mayor of Sioux Falls and current television host on KELOLAND, Jerauld Conservation District Manager Lisa Sall describes Huether as her “longtime, most enthusiastic conservation customer.” 

Wessington Springs grandparents follow their “calling” during pandemic 

The True Dakotan brought home 11 news/editorial and advertising awards from South Dakota Newspaper Association’s annual contest. The contest spotlights some of the best work done by newspapers across the state.

The Weskota Foundation of Wessington Springs recently donated $1000 to assist Wessington Springs Area Chamber & Development’s (WSACD) mission to place hand sanitizer stations in local businesses. With the assistance of the Wessington Springs Area Community Foundation, the funds will be s…

On March 27, 2020 President Trump and Congress enacted legislation that created a $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for small businesses thrown into a tailspin by the coronavirus. The premise of the program relied on banks to get the money flowing quickly to their customers. Ope…

As she watched more and more friends and acquaintances cancel their spring weddings due to restrictions around the coronavirus, Paige (Jacomet) Clover couldn’t imagine putting off her own nuptials that she had been planning since last fall — or waiting any longer to tie the knot with fiance …

Springs Inn Cafe owners celebrate 40 years of dishing up comfort

“One for the record books,” may be a term synonymous to 2020 as a whole, and certainly applies to last weekend’s Easter celebration in Jerauld County. 

Starting last week, a new sign alerted visitors to stop before entering Spring Valley Colony in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus into the colony community.

Several days before the City of Wessington Springs passed a resolution and ordinance to move all restaurant, bar and local business to curbside, drive-thru or delivery only, Springs Food Market made the tough decision on their own to prohibit shoppers in their store.  

Wessington Springs Schools faculty and staff have risen to the challenge when it comes to keeping students engaged and offering a myriad of resources for parents as we take on the task of remote schooling during the COVID-19 health crisis.  

Area women enjoy refreshments, entertainment and good company

Mamie Shields Pyle was walking by a polling place on Election Day in Huron — a place where women were not welcome in the early 1900s — when she overheard a conversation that changed not only her life, but the course of South Dakota history. A man was holding up a ballot and showing a group o…

Sweet Grass Eatery to reopen March 9 The storied history of one of the oldest buildings on Main Street in Wessington Springs begins a new chapter next week, as Sweet Grass Eatery reopens its doors March 9 after being closed for renovations to repair a January water line burst.  

Spartans Got Talent

Members of the Wessington Springs Volunteer Fire Department gathered for their annual Valentine’s Day supper last weekend at the American Legion Prairie Lounge. 

For former Wessington Springs resident Jeffery Caffee, a photographic journey that began as a creative outlet evolved into a deep desire to shine a light on those who are struggling on our American streets.A body of work aimed at illuminating the large gap between those living in poverty and…

For Wessington Springs native Jeffery Caffee, a photographic journey that began as a creative outlet evolved into a deep desire to shine a light on those who are struggling on our American streets — and more importantly, to encourage kindness and empathy for the subjects who Caffee photographs. 

Local youth thank last-living tow-rope builder for 64 years (and counting) of outdoor winter fun

Hailstorms, fires, tornadoes and a dedication to treating folks the way they’d like to be treated, created the framework for three decades of providing insurance coverage at Krohmer Agency.

At the beginning of this year, staff at Weskota Manor Avera  celebrated longtime volunteer Cecile Knight. As the calendar turned over to 2020, the date marked 18 years of Knight’s volunteer service at the nursing home. 

A 10-minute window marked a life-changing moment in a Huron man’s existence. 

Enjoying Christmas Day Food and Fellowship

Jerauld County employees helped area folks turn up the dial on Christmas spirit last Friday during their annual Parade of Trees event. 

A Christmas special featuring nine Wessington Springs musicians will premier next week on a TV or computer screen near you. “Faith and Music: A Wessington Springs Christmas Special,” will debut Christmas week on YouTube and Venture Cable’s “Video on Demand.” The producer is Rev. John Paulson…

Voices and Christmas Spirit Soar at Cantata