A weathered piece of Union County pioneer history has been restored following a volunteer preservation effort along South Dakota Highway 50. The Fort Brule monument, located five miles north and one mile east of Elk Point near Brule Creek, underwent roughly 50 hours of maintenance to clean the stone marker, repaint the wooden perimeter fence and restore faded informational signage.

Representatives from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve organization visited the Elk Point-Jefferson School District’s staff inservice meeting Wednesday, Aug. 19, to present a statewide recognition honor.

The North Sioux City Fire Department has been recognized as a Gold Hel‑met Department by the Na‑tional Firefighter Registry for Cancer, marking the first time a South Dakota depart‑ment has earned the distinc‑tion.

Dakota Valley El‑ementary Principal Kristi Maloney has been named the 2026 Instructional Leader of the Year by the South Dakota Association of Elementary School Principals, a statewide organization that rec‑ognizes administrators who strengthen teach‑ing and learning across their districts.

Preparing for the 2026‑27 school year, the Dakota Valley School Board used its Aug. 10 annual meeting to finalize staff‑ing changes, approve major curriculum purchases and authorize several facility upgrades. The meeting lasted 56 minutes and covered more than $2.2 million in ex‑penditures across district funds.

Jefferson Beer Supply will celebrate Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 19 at the craft brewery and restaurant. The annual community celebration will feature a full afternoon of Oktoberfest-themed fun for all ages, including the debut of the Jefferson Beer Mile, along with traditional games and activities such as hammerschlagen, straw bale throwing and stein-holding contests.

Crittenton Center invites the community to join its annual fundraiser, Passport to Possibilities, on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Susanne Pilani, USPS Clerk is retiring as of August 31st, 2026, from the North Sioux City, SD Post Office. Susanne has been with the organization for 27 + years, starting back in 1999 being a Postal clerk.

Finding time and resources to get young children to the dentist may be difficult in our rural and frontier communities. Horizon Health is here to help.

The commission’s approval of a new roadway safety plan, men‑tioned in our Aug. 3 meeting cov‑erage, reflects a broader shift in how North Sioux City evaluates transportation needs. The Safe Streets for All plan details five priority corridors, recent crash patterns and new performance measures intended to guide fu‑ture safety improvements.