Stories
Area

Christmas celebrations around the county

With the holidays in full swing, there is much to do in Kingsbury County to catch that holiday spirit. Thurs. – Sat., Dec. 5 – 7: Lake Preston’s 2nd Annual Home for the Holidays Sale. Punch …

How to give back this holiday season

For many, the holidays are often a special time of year filled with fun, family and gifts. It’s a time of love and laughter and a time to be thankful for what we have. Unfortunately, there are …

Highway equipment replacement discussed

The Kingsbury County Commissioners met on Tues., Nov. 19 at 8:30 a.m. at the Kingsbury County Courthouse to discuss several topics, including future purchases for the highway department and the …

Some were excited about the snow; some were not ...

Several youth enjoyed a day off from school in De Smet Wednesday by playing a great game of tackle football on the courthouse lawn, while Belinda Barrett's dog didn't look too amused at the snow …

De Smet

Healthy holidays are happy holidays

The time for joyous celebration is now upon us. If you’re like me, you want to enjoy all the goodness of this season with family and friends. Yet, you don’t want to feel regretful for having …

First quarter honor roll announced

Superior Seniors: Alyssa Alseson, Mirra Beck, Sam Gigov, Gannon Gilligan, Josiah Roth, Tanner Tolzin Juniors: Harper Anderson, Aubree Blue, Audi Currier, Chauncey Driscoll, Megan Dylla, Anthony …

De Smet blood drive — a lifesaving success

The recent De Smet Community Blood Drive, held on Thurs., Nov. 7, was a success for the local community. Twenty-four donors stepped up to contribute, resulting in 20 units of life-saving blood …

Tower Trail receives donation

The De Smet City Council met on Wed., Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. at the De Smet Event Center to discuss donations toward the Highway 14 Tower Trail and construction updates. highway 14 tower trail donations …

Lake Preston

Phases of improvement projects

Lake Preston may be a small South Dakota town, but it is working to make big improvements. The project dates back to 2019 when the city council began discussing new road development. From there, the …

Concerns about math and social studies standards

The Lake Preston Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on Wed., Nov. 13, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Conference Room. There were some concerns shared about how math is …

Some residents complain about construction projects

The Lake Preston City Council held its regular monthly meeting on Tue., Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting began with the council convening as the Board of Adjustments to discuss a variance …

An amazing performance at All-State

Many enjoy music all their lives, and this weekend, students from across South Dakota came together to participate in the South Dakota High School Activities Association All-State Chorus & …

Sports & Outdoors
Outdoors

Crazy like a fox

Lane Holland of De Smet was all smiles as he showed off this predator with similar hair color to his own, which he recently bagged north of De Smet with his trusty .223 Remington rifle. Want to …

First geese

Young hunters Emmet Zell, left, and Jacob Luethmers, both of De Smet, were able to shoot their very first geese on a recent outing. (Submitted photo) Want to become Kingsbury famous? Hunters and …

First pheasant-opener experience

Eight-year-old Jett O’Dea of De Smet had his first pheasant-opener experience near Ipswich with a group of hunters, including his dad Nathan. The dry and windy conditions have made it tough for …

Cross Country
De Smet Bulldogs

Bulldogs building on experience

The De Smet High School girls basketball team is again under the leadership of head coach Brendon Pitts; he is assisted by Kyler Julius and Mychelle Donelan.  "We had a very good first week of …

Bulldogs beat Cardinals in close game

De Smet hosted the Arlington Cardinals for their last regular-season home game. The Bulldogs also dedicated the night to cancer awareness. The Bulldog team is and has been affected by loved ones with …

Four Bulldogs headed to state meet

On Wed., Oct. 16, the Bulldogs traveled to the Lake Region Golf Course to compete in the Region 2B Cross Country Meet. Four Bulldogs qualified for state. Boys - 5,000 meters 15th: Jordan Botkin …

Bulldogs win, on to playoffs in Freeman

The Bulldogs played their final regular-season game on Fri., Oct. 18, traveling to Estelline to take on the Estelline/Hendricks Redhawks. De Smet entered the game with a 3-4 record, and the class 9A …

I/LP Sharks

Small but mighty team ready to play

Winter sports season is about to ramp up, and the Iroquois/Lake Preston girls basketball team has been working hard in the gym in preparation. Many changes have occurred this year for the Sharks …

Final regular-season game ends in loss

The Iroquois/Lake Preston Sharks volleyball team traveled to Rutland to face the Oldham-Ramona-Rutland (ORR) Raiders in their final regular-season game. The Sharks had beaten ORR during the Dakota …

Busy week on the road

The Iroquois/Lake Preston (I/LP) Sharks volleyball team had a busy week on the road, playing in Elkton, Forestburg and De Smet. The first stop was in Elkton to take on the Elkton/Lake Benton Elks. In …

Features
Columnists
The holidays are wonderful for spending time together and celebrating traditions as a family. Every family celebrates in their own unique way and develops their own traditions. The Noem family has …
During my years as a history teacher, my greatest joy came when I encountered students who were truly teachable. They were not necessarily those who scored the highest or won the most academic …
“Come on, DeAnn. It’ll be fun!” My brother strode happily to the barn, the basketball bouncing on the frozen ground before him as he adeptly switched from right hand to left. I followed …
It’s been a crazy, busy week and an emotional roller coaster; things started out horribly. I lost my dog unexpectedly and then had to pull myself together to prepare for Thanksgiving with the …
Literature classes worldwide study Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), a great innovator of the short story. He wrote closely observed and deeply empathic slices-of-life with a great sense of humor; however, …
Our history
10 years ago December 3, 1, 2014 An angel tree, covered with angels holding lists of gifts for Kingsbury County children ages infant to 10, has been placed in the First National Bank lobby. Gifts …
25 YEARS AGO December 1, 1999 The Curt Eichacker home in De Smet is the first in the new Silver Lake Addition. It is less than 200 yards from the De Smet Forest, and some in the De Smet Development …
Around the county
Carthage
Trinity Lutheran Church worship: Dec. 8, 11 a.m. Visitors are always welcome. Troy and Dawn Hamilton’s family, including Landon and Nishi of St. Louis Park, Minn., Connor from Hartford and Karsten …
Spirit Lake
Spirit Lake Presbyterian Church worship service: Sunday, 10:30 a.m. Sunday School: 9:30 a.m. FM 88.1 Live Facebook Pastor Dick Poppen speaks on KXLG 8:30 a.m. Sunday Confirmation: Wednesday, 6-8 p.m. …
Esmond
Adaline Reilly was a Thanksgiving Day guest of the Dean and Carla Reilly family of Iroquois. Other guests were the Mike Harris family and Carla’s sisters Connie, Charlene and Catherine. Dale and …
Iroquois

Scavenger hunt food drive

Youth from Immanuel Lutheran Church, rural Iroquois, held their annual scavenger hunt food drive on Sat., Nov. 9. They began near the church and traveled around, stopping at church members' houses …

Dairy tour

Kaci Bechen, Iroquois agriculture teacher and co-FFA advisor took two different groups of agriculture students 7-12 for a tour at Washington Dairy, located north of Spirit Lake. They were guided by …

Ramona
The Francis T. Malone Scholarship Fund was established in 1998 to encourage academic excellence within the Oldham-Ramona School District. Francis Malone understood that community involvement is a way …
Bancroft
Ted and Kay Haug presented a Christmas program on Dec. 1 on the old, old story that is ever new. They told the story with solos and congregational songs as Ted told of the very first ones to hear of …
About the relaunch of our paper

THIS IS IT!

Our local newspaper is back and with a new name, a new look, a volunteer staff and a modern web site! Click on this headline to learn more about how it all happened.

We're in the news!

SD Public Broadcasting features Kingsbury Journal

The story of the Kingsbury Journal and how it became a reality was featured during the September 7th episode of Dakota Life on the South Dakota Public Broadcasting television channel. Broadcasters …

Join the Kingsbury Journal team!

We've managed to restart our local paper. But that's just the beginning. We need help keeping our local paper – and our communities – alive, active and connected.  Everyone can …