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Blog Archives
Editorial: In a Good Light
Something about the air and land here makes for particularly beautiful scenery—scenery that might otherwise be ordinary or monotonous becomes breath-taking. Read More »
Editorial: Doing better
“We are not afraid of better.” That was the rallying cry of one of the most powerful speeches at the National Rural Assembly in June, and that’s not faint praise, as that includes competition with two cabinet secretaries. The speaker was Kim Phinney, who is director of rural and tribal development for YouthBuild U.S.A. The power in her speech, however, ... Read More »
Rural Wealth Makes a Quiet Exit
The process of assets changing hands as they go from one generation to the next is called the transfer of wealth, and it represents an incredible opportunity for rural Dakota communities if they can take advantage of it—or a significant threat to them if they cannot. Read More »
Postcard: Taking on the South Dakota Gran Fondo
Why would anyone pay $90 for a one-day ride in northeastern S.D.? Ah, but a gran fondo is no ordinary ride. Read More »
People Still Gather at the Galley, Thanks to Local Investors
When the Bunkhouse Motel and Get Away along Highway 12 in Webster was set to close, a group of people came together to save it. Read More »
At Dakota Foundry, Employees Are Also the Bosses
In 2004, corporate owners of Mereen-Johnson Machine Company announced plans to sell the Foundry Division in Webster. Josh Bartos soon discovered the company was more likely to close than sell, meaning laying off all of the company employees. Bartos, who is now the vice president of Dakota Foundry, and others didn’t want to let that happen. So they came up with a radical plan to save the company. From a kitchen table meeting, the idea of an employee-invested company was born. Read More »
Club Eden Wings its Way Upward with Local Investors
In a town with a population of 89, the new owners of Club Eden knew they needed to do something different to succeed. So Club Eden opened in May 2005 as an investor-owned bar and cafe. The business gives their financiers the opportunity to work off their investments. Read More »
Lake Grocery Takes a Step Up Under Community Group
Willow Lake Area Advancement didn’t intend to go into the grocery business. “It fell into our lap,” explained Kristin Vandersnick, WLAA president, about Lake Grocery. Read More »
’Kulm Is My Town’
By Sarah Gackle, Kulm Messenger Rural Resident Puts Her Money Where Her Home Is When Esther Lindgren saw that some of her friends needed to leave town for doctor care, she didn’t just offer a ride. She bought a van. Eighty-seven-year-old Lindgren of Kulm, N.D., has taken this approach to giving for years: She wants to do as ... Read More »