Speech and debate competitors from Dakota Valley ended January strong at the Cavalier Invite in Sioux Falls. Multiple Panthers traveled to Jefferson High School, on Saturday, January 31, 2026, to take part in the 5th annual event. Panther speech and debate coach, Andrew Stewart, was pleased with the effort given by all.

The inaugural event, organized by the Dakota Valley Parent‑Teacher Or‑ganization and presented by Peoples Bank, brought together K–8 students who spent weeks creat‑ing products, planning displays and learning the basics of running a small business. More than 75 students filled 50 booths, offering handmade items and creative goods to families and community members.

The North Sioux City Commission on Tuesday approved the vacation of a small tract of land tied to a planned Kwik Trip development and moved forward on two land‑ac‑quisition matters during a special meeting that also featured a lengthy discussion about access to a privately owned parcel.

A three person political panel of Sydney Davis, Chris Kassin and William Shorma were in Elk Point on January 31, 2026 for a Legislative Cracker Barrel. The event was hosted by Elk Point’s chamber and held at The Nifty Nine, in Elk Point, from 11:30 am to 1 pm. Property taxes, teacher’s pay in the state, issues regarding past flooding, data centers and more were discussed at the event with the District 17 leadership members.

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The North Sioux City Commission on Jan. 20 approved the final close‑out of the Southwest Lift Station project, received detailed economic data from local employers and advanced several admin‑istrative items during a brief regular meeting.

The Union County Com‑mission on Jan. 20 approved combined election agree‑ments, updated committee assignments and adopted a seasonal weight‑limit reso‑lution during its regular meeting at the courthouse.

The Union County Commission on Jan. 20 approved combined election agreements, updated committee assignments and adopted a seasonal weight‑limit resolution during its regular meeting at the courthouse.

The junior high math department at Dakota Valley has reason to celebrate after multiple students garnered top awards at the 6th Annual Regional Math Bee on Friday, January 16, 2026. Multiple Panthers were at the competition which was held at Northeast Community College in South Sioux City, Nebraska. They were accompanied by Jennifer Pottorff and Laura Stokes who both teach math in the DV middle school.

Last semester, Dakota Valley high schoolers in Jill Sponder’s Introduction to Business class stayed busy developing projects that centered around an innovative business idea. They took those ideas and entered the projects in the 2025 Big Idea South Dakota (SD) Competition. It was an excellent learning experience for all. In addition to being thrilled with her class’s involvement, Sponder was excited with the strong showing by DV when it came to awards.