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.
By Kristin Brekke Vandersnick, Special to Dakotafire Media At a time when many rural volunteer-driven groups are struggling to maintain their missions and memberships, the 50-year-old Willow Lake Lions Club is just reaching its stride. In 1965, 25 men…
The wheels are turning at the Dakota Fresh Food Hub, as producers gear up for delivery Spring 2016. Kari O’Neill, Community Development Field Specialist at South Dakota State University’s Extension Office, she considers herself a very active facilitator to the…
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.”
by Wendy Royston, Dakotafire Media staff writer with reports by Doug Card, Sarah Gackle and Bill Krikac Editor’s note: This is the first story in a two-part series. See the second story here. A small-town post office serves as a…
What’s the state of the soil throughout the Dakotafire region? “There’s no way to know,” according to officials, but “there’s always room for improvement.” South Dakota State University Extension and the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition have joined forces in…
The latest Dakotafire Café, a series of events intended to spark community and regional conversations, will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, at the Front Porch restaurant in Langford, S.D. Dakotafire Cafés intend to get people talking…
Businesses in the rural Dakotas struggle to fill seasonal and temporary jobs with young employees, whose summers are filled with camps, clubs and athletics.
As cell phone use grows, some connections harder to make by Wendy Royston, Dakotafire Media Additional reporting by Bill Krikac In today’s fast-paced, digital era, people are “connected” more than ever. But tasks that used to be simple—such as finding…
by Wendy Royston, with additional reporting by Doug Card The Dakotas may be geographically secluded, but technology has made rural life less isolated. “(Facebook) is a way for me to stay connected to the world, because I don’t leave the…