On Thursday, Oct. 20 at 4:39 p.m., the Vermillion Fire EMS Department was dispatched to a fire at 607 Cottage St., Vermillion. First arriving units found heavy smoke and flames coming from rear of the structure, and the command officer declared a working fire. All occupants of the home had been safely evacuated. Fire personnel conducted a primary search of the structure and quickly extinguished visible flames. Mutual aid from Gayville, Wakonda, Yankton and Elk Point Fire Departments was requested. Firefighters continued to extinguish fire in the roofline and interior walls. The building sustained major damages.

At times six cranes grace the downtown skyline in Sioux Falls. Cranes are located at the 10-story Cherapa project along the Big Sioux River. Nearby is the nine-story Steel District at the former site of Sioux Steel. It is adjacent to the southend of Falls Park and is along the Big Sioux River.

Union County Community Health Nurse Lisa McInerney presented her resignation to the Union County Board of County Commissioners at its meeting Oct. 18. The board accepted her resignation and thanked her for her years of service to the county. Her resignation becomes effective Oct. 28.

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Fifty-nine years ago, a mother saved her daughter’s life by giving her daughter one of her own kidneys. Nancy (Wennblom) Ludwig was 18 at the time of the kidney transplant.

Cassandra Schmith, a 6th-12th Grade Special Education teacher with the Elk Point-Jefferson School District, has partnered with the Elk Point Food Pantry to bring hands-on learning experiences to her students. Every Tuesday, Schmith’s class goes to the food pantry to help stock and face shelves, help carry in food that has been delivered and help clean if needed. This type of life experience is known as Community Based Instruction (CBI).

The Panther volleyball team was busy through the end of regular season play. Dakota Valley travelled to Vermillion on Oct. 21 and hosted Tea Area Oct. 24. Both matches had the Panthers coming away with victories.

It was the grand finale to a successful cross country season for the Panthers at the state meet Oct. 22. The varsity rosters, consisting of 6 girls and 6 boys, ran and represented Dakota Valley well at the Broadland Creek Golf Course in Huron.

The South Dakota Well Drillers Association (SDWDA) announced that it is offering the “SDWDA Quality Groundwater Scholarships” totaling $10,000 to be divided between five deserving students. There will be one $4,000, one $3,000 and three $1,000 scholarships awarded.

Dakota’s graduating class of 2022 earned an average ACT composite score of 21.5, which is above the national average of 19.8 and the highest among neighboring states. Considering the state’s public school test-takers only, the average composite score was 21.6. The ACT is used to gain admission into colleges and universities throughout the country and for scholarship consideration.