The South Dakota National Guard promoted Deborah Bartunek of Rapid City, to the rank of brigadier general during a ceremony at Joint Force Headquarters on April 1, 2023. Brig. Gen. Bartunek is the first female general officer for the South Dakota National Guard.

The Elk Point City Council discussed Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) at their meeting April 3 and how it could impact the city. City Administrator Derek Tuttle informed the city council that EAB has been detected in Union County, but not within Elk Point.

The Jefferson City Council meeting April 3 opened with an executive session for legal matters. After about 20 minutes, the council reconvened and decided to move forward with a lawsuit concerning the former Jefferson High School building. The city is seeking damages for breach of contract, nuisance and violations of city ordinances. According to Beacon, a website utilized by Union County, John Wakefield is the owner of the former Jefferson High School building.

The Dakota Valley girls and boys track squads represented well at the first outdoor meet of the season at Elk Point-Jefferson on Monday, April 3. The Panther girls were runner-ups at the meet behind Colman-Egan, while the Panther boys finished 4th as a team.

It was on Thursday, April 6 that senior Jaxon Hennies, of Dakota Valley, signed his commitment letter to play basketball at Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) in Mitchell, SD. “I chose Dakota Wesleyan because I thought it would give me the best chance to succeed academically along with athletically,” Hennies commented.

Mackenzie Keizer, a senior at Dakota Valley and resident of Dakota Dunes, signed with the dance and cheer teams at Morningside University on Thursday, April 6. Keizer was a part of the state championship dance team for Dakota Valley. She was also a pupil at 5678! Dance Studio in North Sioux City under the direction of owner, instructor and coach Melissa Strong.

Thursday, April 6 was a big day for Dakota Wesleyan University’s (DWU) mens basketball team as Randy Rosenquist, a Dakota Valley senior, signed to play there for his college career. His older sister, Rylee, already plays basketball at DWU and was an All-GPAC Honorable Mention in her first season on campus in Mitchell, SD.

Dakota Valley athletes named to all-state 11A teams from the South Dakota High School Football Coaches Association were: Offense: WR: Jaxon Hennies (SR); and Defense: DB: Randy Rosenquist (SR); and Honorable Mention: Ethan Anema (SR).

In a tight home game versus the Centerville Tornadoes, on Monday, April 3, the Panthers baseball team closed out with a win. The contest would be tied throughout the fifirst 3 innings. Scores by the Panthers in the 4th and 6th innings would give DV the victory by a fifinal of 5- 2.

The Panther softball team was able to stay close to home for their 3rd contest of the season. Originally, the game on Monday, April 3 was slated to take place at Tri-Valley, but instead Dakota Valley hosted due to harsh weather up north.