Stories
Area

New state’s attorney appointed for county

The Kingsbury County Commissioners held a special meeting on Mon., Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. at the Kingsbury County Courthouse to discuss the state’s attorney position after Gary Schumacher announced his …

Two sentenced in carjacking

Two individuals have been sentenced in connection with an incident that occurred Nov. 19, 2023, at the Handi-Mart in Arlington. In that incident a male and a female allegedly used a rifle to threaten …

Odegaards ready to enjoy retirement

In September of 2024, Randy and Glenda (Johnson) Odegaard, who have been married for 48 years and parents to two children, Michelle and Jason, decided to retire and enjoy themselves. “Now, we can …

CO2 pipeline meeting draws large crowd

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) held its third meeting across South Dakota on Thursday in De Smet, listening to the public regarding Summit Carbon Solutions’ planned Midwest …

De Smet

Two new Airbnbs on main street

Owner Adam Sorenson officially opened the doors to Doc’s Lookout in December 2024. One of De Smet’s newest Airbnbs, hosted by Jenney Grover, is located above the former Doodlebugs & …

AB&T gives back

In response to the increasing budgetary needs of local schools, American Bank & Trust was inspired to give back to communities through Spirit Cards. The Spirit Card is a debit card that showcases …

New administrator at The Village

The Village Assisted Living in De Smet welcomed new administrator Samantha Holida in December 2024. Holida attended Lake Area Technical College for nursing and is currently working to obtain her …

Old elementary to be torn down soon

The De Smet School Board met on Mon., Jan. 13 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the building, the beef program with the school, handling practices with early dismissals and the school’s audit company. …

De Smet blood drive

De Smet blood drive The recent De Smet Community Blood Drive held on Wed., Jan. 8 was a success for the local community, with 20 donors contributing 19 units of life-saving blood. FIRST-TIME …

Lake Preston

Board encouraging more development

The Lake Preston Economic Development Board held an annual meeting on Mon., Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Two residents, Linda Iverson and Darlene DeKnikker, also attended the meeting to ask …

Student athlete’s new role as student coach

A high school athlete always looks forward to the start of a new season. For Rexton Blue from Iroquois, the start of his junior basketball season looked unlike anything he could have imagined. Blue …

Two longtime teachers to retire

The Lake Preston Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on Tue., Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. in the superintendent’s conference room. The highlight of the meeting was the announcement that two …

LP Forward looks to future events

Lake Preston Forward recently held a board election, and members are looking forward to another great year of serving the community. Everyone is encouraged to get involved. OFFICERS • President: …

Brown encourages future firefighters

The Lake Preston Volunteer Fire Department has been blessed to have many members who have served for numerous years, and Todd Brown is one of them. Brown has been a member of the fire department for …

Sports & Outdoors
Outdoors

Filling the freezer

Hudson Ward of De Smet filled his deer tag west of town on a brisk Saturday, using a Remington 270 rifle. (Photo by Mike Tordoff)

Hunter goes huntin’

Hunter Halverson of De Smet bagged this nice mule deer with a Tikka 300 Win Mag near Hot Springs.  Want to become Kingsbury famous? Hunters and fishermen can send fish or game news to …

Annual visitors

Jeff Becker, left, and his dad Rocky Becker, both from Wisconsin, have been visiting South Dakota for many years to hunt pheasants in the Iroquois area and had good luck this season. Jeff said they …

Cross Country
De Smet Bulldogs

Big wins for the Dogs over Hawks, Cossacks

De Smet hosted the Colman-Egan Hawks on Fri., Jan. 31. The first half was dominated by center Grant Wilkinson. Good ball movement around the perimeter by the Bulldogs helped them find him in the …

Bulldogs battle against Hawks, Cossacks

The Bulldogs played at home on Tues., Jan. 28 against another top-rated Class A basketball team. With their tough defense, the Cossacks caused issues for De Smet, which left the Bulldogs unable to …

A Bulldog win over the Howard Tigers

De Smet hosted the defending state champions, the Howard Tigers, on Tues., Jan. 24. FIRST QUARTER During the first half, Sam Gigov hit a three-pointer from the corner, which was answered by Howard on …

Bulldogs come out on top over Tigers, Blackjacks

The De Smet girls hosted Howard in a doubleheader on Tues., Jan. 14. FIRST HALF The Tigers jumped out to an early lead in the first few minutes, with a strong attack on defense, getting the ball back …

Bulldogs win over Cardinals, Sharks

The Bulldogs hosted the Clark/Willow Lake Cyclones for their second home game of the week on Tues., Jan. 7. FIRST HALF The game was fast-paced and back-and-forth. The officials allowed a physical …

I/LP Sharks

Sharks rebound against Vikings

The Iroquois/Lake Preston Sharks boys basketball team experienced a weekend of highs and lows as they faced off against the No.1 state-ranked Castlewood Warriors on Thursday night, followed by a …

Sharks girls basketball finish week 1-1

The Iroquois/Lake Preston (I/LP) Sharks finished the week 1-1. I/LP VS CASTLEWOOD They first travelled to Castlewood to take on the Warriors, a Dakota Valley Conference opponent. It took the Sharks a …

Sharks beat the Vikings in tight game

In a thrilling opening night of the 281 Conference Tournament, the fourth-seeded Iroquois/Lake Preston (I/LP) Sharks boys basketball team edged out the James Valley Christian (JVC) Vikings, 68-64. …

Tough losses against De Smet, Hitchcock-Tulare

The Iroquois/Lake Preston (I/LP) Sharks faced the De Smet Bulldogs early in the week before starting play in the 281 Conference Tournament. FIRST HALF The Bulldogs began the game with a 7-0 run. …

Sharks fall to Patriots, Dolphins

The Iroquois/Lake Preston (I/LP) Sharks faced some tough conference foes this week, playing 281 Conference team Hitchcock-Tulare in Hitchcock and then facing Dakota Valley Conference opponent, the …

Features
Columnists
Some words were never, ever spoken at our house. We never said, “I’m bored.” Our parents never said, “It’s too cold for you to go outside.” The folks stressed the value of exercise in the …
In 1986, I was 14 years old. I worked on farms in the Watertown area, fixing fence, picking rock, shoveling grain, working hogs and cattle and putting up hay, among many other tasks. On the occasion …
This past week, I started a new job. After six years serving as your lieutenant governor, I had the opportunity to shorten my title. I’d like to take some time to share some things you might not …
My name is Amy, and I seem to have an addiction to goats. I don’t know if being addicted to goats is a real thing or not, but if it is, I can see that it might be a problem for us; we can’t seem …
It’s Monday morning. The sun is shining. Delmer informed me via text that it is five degrees in De Smet, South Dakota. On a similar January day nearly 70 years ago, our mother would have said, …
Our history
10 years ago February 4, 2015 The Lake Preston High School One-Act Play team traveled to Madison on Jan. 29 for a regional competition along with six other Class B schools, performing a drama. Baltic …
10 years ago February 4, 2015 Fifth-grade students at Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary School are using iPods to record and broadcast local high school and grade school events live over the internet …
Around the county
Carthage
Trinity Lutheran Church service: Sunday, 11 a.m. with the Sunday School singing. Visitors are always welcome. — lorelee nelson Feb. 15: Valentines Dance - Oldham Community Center 6-10 p.m. March 1: …
Spirit Lake
Spirit Lake Presbyterian Church worship: Sunday, 10:30 a.m. Sunday School, 9:30 a.m. FM 88.1 Live Facebook., Pastor Dick Poppen speaks on Radio KXLG 99.1 Sundays, 8:03 a.m. Confirmation: Wednesday, …
Esmond
Joanne Schlueter returned home after spending the weekend in Aiken, S.C. She is a member of the American committee directing the baton twirling competition with the winners becoming United States …
Iroquois

Fifth graders attend program

From Dec. 9 through Dec. 12, Mrs. Heidi Stroud and her Iroquois fifth-grade students had the privilege of attending the Department of Defense STARBASE program. STARBASE focuses on elementary …

Iroquois FCCLA shines at Region V meeting

Ten members of the Iroquois Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Chapter attended the Region V meeting in Brookings on Thurs., Dec. 5, showcasing their skills and leadership in a …

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
My! What absolutely beautiful days we have been having. It makes a person think that spring has sprung in January. However, then I remember that the groundhog may or may not see his shadow tomorrow. …
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 …