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National Register status can mean financial help for renovation projects

Having a building on the National Register of Historic Places can provide a point of pride for a community, as well as some financial benefits, according to state preservation officials. The register is the “official list of the Nation’s historic… 

Community conversation event on rural health care is Nov. 18

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.

Resources for rural communities, October 29, 2014

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.

A community fundraising effort helped the Marshall County Ambulance Building become a reality. Photo by Doug Card/Britton Journal

Challenges for rural EMTs spark innovations

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.

Members of the Frederick community determined they could no longer guarantee 24/7 response with the EMTs available, and so they gave up their license. Here, Cole Adema, director of the Frederick Area Ambulance, explains some options. Photo by Heidi Marttila-Losure

Life-saving rapid response in jeopardy in some communities

As rural ambulance services struggle to find enough volunteers to maintain their services, it’s the moments of that crucial golden hour that tick away when help takes longer to arrive, or even fails to arrive.

The Douglas County Ambulance. Photo by The Corsica Globe

Rural ambulances face their own emergency

Rural ambulance departments across the Dakotas, which have struggled for years to have enough volunteer EMTs, are hitting a tipping point: Some are not able to continue as they have for decades. Others will face decisions in the next few years. What’s changed? How will it affect rural communities? How are people thinking differently about how to treat medical emergencies in rural communities?

Resources for rural communities, August 25, 2014

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.

Visiting alumni are potential returnees, researcher suggests

By Heidi Marttila-Losure, Dakotafire Media Reporting by Doug Card, Britton Journal   Scott Amundson left Langford when he went to college at Black Hills State, and stayed in the Black Hills for his first working years. But when he wanted… 

We know you have a story in you. We want to hear it.

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.

Resources for rural communities, July 18, 2014

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.