News

BROOKINGS,S.D.(03/13/2026)The following students graduated after the summer and fall 2025 semesters at South Dakota State University. More than 1,000 students completed all requirements for a degree and/or certificate program.

Big Congrats to Kaylee Luthy for earning second place in the VFW Patriot's Pen Essay Contest. Mrs. Thorpe’s sixth grade English students competed with over 60,600 students in sixth through eighth grades to enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen annual youth essay contest for a chance to win their share of nearly $1 million in state and national awards. Each first place state winner receives a minimum of $500 at the national level, and the national first place winner wins $5,000.

Perfect attendance for the 3rd quarter at the Cody-Kilgore Elementary School. Pictured are back row, L to R: Zoey Johnson, Maya Burress, Grady Rahn. Front row, L to R: Christian Hendrix, Henry Heinert. Not Pictured: Sawyer Galloway.

Hands shot into the air and bids echoed across the room - but this was no ordinary auction. The energy-filled evening marked the annual Valentine FFA Hired Hand Auction, a unique fund raiser where local chapter members auction off hours of their labor to supportive community members.

If you think nutrition is just about calories or cutting sugar, you’re missing the bigger picture. March is National Nutrition Month , created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Not only has my husband and I reached our so-called Golden Years, but most of our friends have too, and it’s easy to compare our lifestyles. Although most people in our age bracket are retired, or at least considered to be retired, we cannot help but question why some folks appear to be contented and happy, while others seem depressed and sad. Although neither of us are experts, and far from it, we have come to the conclusion that people who keep busy and entertain various hobbies are the contented ones.

Sand Hills Piecemakers Quilt Guild Calendar ~all meetings are held at the Baptist Church on Green Street unless otherwise noted. • March 28 - Saturday Sew Day, 9:00 a.m.

Many from the Lakeview area opened their homes to members of the Colorado Christian College band members, who performed in Cody on Wednesday night. The performance was excellent, and the band members also performed for the CK students Thursday morning. The Lakeview ladies served a Lakeview sized breakfast for the group of about 45, and made sack lunches for them as they traveled on to Holdrege for their next performance.

Congratulations to our talented Cody-Kilgore Speech Team, who are D2-6 Champions! Each of the team members earned a medal, making this a true team effort. Six of the categories, comprising of ten students, will be headed to state competition. Speech skills are an unsung component to success in the real world, and these kids are off to a great start. Kudos to Coach George Arnold for your hard work!

March 2026 Survey Results ata- Glance: The overall RMI dropped below growth neutral for March to its lowest level since October 2025. Weakness in the farm sector is spilling over into the business community with approximately 27.2% of bankers reporting that small businesses in their area were experiencing declines in business activity.