After discussing the need for better sportsmanship in high school athletics at its past meetings, on Thursday, July 28, the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) board of directors made increased sportsmanship one of its goals for the coming school year.

According to SDHSAA Executive Director Dan Swartos, the yearlong study will include looking at fan, coach and player behavior and try to formalize consequences for poor sportsmanship.

See full story in this week’s Leader-Courier.

The emergence of the latest COVID-19 variant, which makes up nearly 80 percent of new cases nationally, is raising additional health concerns due to its ability to infect people even if they are vaccinated or have had a prior infection, and health officials are increasingly recommending precautions such as masking indoors and staying up to date on booster shots.

But those concerns are not likely to sway South Dakota government, health care and school officials to move away from an official stance of “living with the virus” rather than pursuing active interventions this fall.

On Saturday, July 23 the Elk Point-Jefferson Cross Country team put on the Second Annual 5k Road Race and 1 Mile Walk/Run. With increased participation from the community, this event is gaining popularity in the area. Goals for 2023 include having over 100 total participants.

See full story in this week’s Leader-Courier.

The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) said chip seal and fog seal applications will be applied to several highways in the area, beginning the week of Monday, Aug. 8. The contractor will move from one project to the next in the scheduled following order:

• SD Highway 11 – Project will consist of a five-mile stretch, from the intersection of SD Highway 50 to the intersection of Franklin Street in Elk Point. The approximate time to complete the project on this route is one day.

See full story in this week’s Leader-Courier.