Beautiful weather and large crowds were present at the Adams Homestead Celebration on Saturday, August 8, 2026. This annual event is held to honor the anniversary of Ad‑ams becoming a state park which happened back in 1997. The event was free to the public and many from across the tri-state area at‑tended.

The July meeting for the Dakota Dunes Community Improvement District (CID) was held on the 20th of the month, at 6:00 pm, at 335 Sioux Point Road. Members present included Ken Beau‑lieu, William Shorma, Dal‑ton Hanson, Janet Finzen and Brian Goeden. Also on-hand were: Larry Wi‑ese, Boyd Allison, Wayne Bradsha, manager An‑drew Tramp, legal counsel Darrell Jesse and CID em‑ployee Katelyn Irby. It was noted that Goeden left the meeting at 7:48 pm.

The Panthers represent‑ed well at the Best Buddies leadership conference, on the campus of Indiana Uni‑versity, on July 17-19, 2026. Dakota Valley (DV) teacher and Best Buddies advisor Madison Kenney accompa‑nied six students from DV as they attended education‑al sessions and met peers from across the country. Students at the conference included: India Orr, Emily Olhausen, Payten Kono‑pasek, Tyce Emrich, Ian Weber and Logan Brandon.

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The Jefferson City Council accepted a res‑ignation Monday and ad‑vanced zoning updates while approving a hous‑ing study and addressing park equipment needs. Ward 1 Council Mem‑ber Mark LaFleur, who has served on the council for many years, resigned following a brief execu‑tive session at the start of the meeting.

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Union County’s relocation of several courthouse offices to the Turner Building began this week as commissioners advanced a re‑zoning request, closed out a high‑way project and approved personnel changes during their Aug. 4 meet‑ing at Elk Point City Hall.

The Elk Point City Council discussed re‑peated garbage service complaints, reviewed on‑going project work and outlined steps in the city’s lead‑pipe inventory dur‑ing its Aug. 4 regular meeting. The council also scheduled a special ses‑sion later this month to begin work on the 2027 budget.

Strong play at the 2026 South Dakota Class B Senior Legion state tourney had Dakota Valley battling hard from July 31-August 4, 2026. The seasoned Panther squad played well on their way to a state runnerup finish. They showcased grit and talent after a 4-6 loss to Madison, in the 1st round, on July 31, 2026. However, Dakota Valley (DV) was not done in the double elimination tournament. The Panthers would go on a win streak that had them making it to the finals on Sunday, August 4, 2026.

A well-known face recently embraced a new leadership role within the Dakota Valley (DV) school system. With ease and excitement, Jeff Hamm became DV’s high school principal for the 2026/27 school year. As is to be expected, he is settling in well thanks to his familiarity with the school and local community. In February, the DV school board voted to offer the position to Hamm who already had an established history within the district. His first official day as the Panther’s high school principal was on July 1, 2026.