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One of the disadvantages of rural life is what the big box stores think of us. We get smaller stores and less selection—and somehow the people doing the ordering don’t think we care about the cute stuff that our fashion-forward friends from larger communities are wearing. An increasing number of women in rural communities are providing an antidote by starting ... Read More »

Though school districts throughout the Dakotas are diverse in many ways, troubles recruiting and retaining bus drivers are not unique. “Every place I’ve worked at, we’ve dealt with issues with buses (and) transportation,” said 22-year superintendent Terry Eckstaine, who presently works in the Ethan, (S.D.) School District. Read More »

When it comes to the U.S. Postal Services’ cost for renting post office buildings in the Dakotas, price varies as much as population, and the reasons for those rental rates can vary just as much. “The government doesn’t understand these small towns ... They’ve just got a rate they pay, and they don’t adjust it for what the market will bear.” Read More »

The fourth in a series of regional events intended to spark community conversations sponsored by Dakotafire Media will be from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the Springs Café in Wessington Springs, S.D. It will serve as the program for the regular meeting of the Springs Area Community Club, and the public is welcome to attend. Read More »

The following is from Christine Sorensen, rural development coordinator for the U. S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development in Pierre, S.D. Read on for valuable resources for rural communities, including several grant opportunities. Read More »

Despite the challenge of finding enough volunteers—or in some cases, because of that challenge—many rural ambulance services have come up with creative ways to serve their communities better. Read More »

The following is from Christine Sorensen, rural development coordinator for the U. S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development in Pierre, S.D. Read on for valuable resources for rural communities, including several grant opportunities. Read More »

We're looking for submissions for our Postcard section. A Postcard is a short, evocative story about an event, person or place, written as if you were telling the story to a friend. Read More »

The following is from Christine Sorensen, rural development coordinator for the U. S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development in Pierre, S.D. Read on for valuable resources for rural communities, including several grant opportunities. Read More »

Britton hosted the first-ever Dakotafire Café event on Friday, and it served to fuel some thinking on how the community might do a better job of attracting workers. The event was the first in a series of group meetings planned by Dakotafire magazine to get people talking about the ideas presented in its latest publication.  The Britton event was also ... Read More »