A Donkey Soccer competition will take place at the Tripp County Building Facility/Fairboard on Monday, September 6th with Calcutta starting at 1:00 p.m. and soccer kicking off at 1:30 p.m. To enter a team or with questions one can call Bonnie Rutten at 605-530-0667 or Barb Watzel at 605-840-0674.

 The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) today announced that Rep. Dusty Johnson is a winner of a Democracy Award, CMF’s honor recognizing non-legislative achievement and performance in congressional offices. Rep. Johnson was selected for outstanding achievement for the category of Transparency and Accountability. The Transparency and Accountability category recognizes offices that provide clear and relevant information on their work and publicly acknowledge metrics for that performance.

“As a Democracy Award winner, Rep. Johnson’s office is clearly one of the best in Congress,” said Bradford Fitch, President and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation. “This designation demonstrates that Rep. Johnson has made a significant commitment to being the best public servant for his constituents in South Dakota. Rep. Johnson and his staff are to be congratulated for not only being a model for his colleagues in Congress, but for helping to restore trust and faith that our democratic institutions can work,” he said.

Eight House and Senate offices were honored as winners in four categories: Constituent Service; Innovation and Modernization; Transparency and Accountability; and “Life in Congress”-Workplace Environment. Representative and Senate personal offices nominated themselves using an online questionnaire for the four office categories. CMF followed up with offices as necessary to gather documentation and assess the office’s adherence to the established criteria. The winners were selected by a selection committee primarily comprised of former Members of Congress and congressional staff. The winners will be honored at a ceremony to be held in Washington, D.C. in the fall.

Details on the process and the history of the Democracy Awards can be found here: https://www.congressfoundation.org/projects/democracy-awards

CMF included the following reasons for selecting Rep. Johnson for an award:

“Priding itself as the “most accessible House office in South Dakota,” Rep. Dusty Johnson’s (R-SD) office responds to every inquiry from constituents, typically holds two telephone town halls per month and more than a dozen in person per year, and takes polls during town halls on issues and after tough votes, ensuring the results are published to constituents. During the pandemic, the office developed “Drive-Thru Dusty Town Halls” as a safe alternative to meet with constituents during COVID-19. After advertising in local newspapers that Rep. Johnson was going to be hosting a socially distanced town hall, constituents would “drive-thru” and talk to him in a parking lot for as long as they needed. The office was able to reach dozens of constituents in a safe manner during the pandemic.”

In addition to the eight offices selected for the 2021 awards, CMF this year is giving out a Special Democracy Award to the non-partisan floor staff of the US House and Senate for their courage and service to the Congress and the nation on January 6^th. “These men and women were the stewards of democracy when we needed them most,” Fitch said. “Most Americans never even notice their work. And yet, on January 6, 2021 they played crucial roles well beyond what was expected of them, displaying professionalism, resolution, and patriotism to help maintain our system of government,” he said.

Founded in 1977, the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit whose mission is to build trust and effectiveness in Congress. It advances its mission by enhancing the performance of the institution, legislators and their staffs through research-based education and training, and by strengthening the bridge and understanding between Congress and the People it serves.

The Jones County Crop Improvement Association, along with South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension, will be hosting the 32nd annual Winter Wheat Meeting in Draper, South Dakota on Aug. 26. A long-standing and popular event among winter wheat producers, this meeting will offer the most-recent SDSU wheat variety trial results, as well as other information on winter wheat production in South Dakota for the past 32 years.

Speakers this year include Laura Edwards, SDSU Extension State Climatologist. Edwards has been with SDSU Extension since 2011 and has been the State Climatologist for the past five years. She will discuss the climate outlook for the 2021-2022 winter wheat growing season.

Other speakers include Jonathan Kleinjan, SDSU Extension Agronomist and Sunish Sehgal, SDSU Winter Wheat Breeder. Kleinjan and Sehgal will discuss the 2021 SDSU Winter Wheat Variety Trial Results and other ongoing wheat research and breeding efforts.

The South Dakota Wheat Commission and SD Wheat, Inc. will also be represented at this event.

The meeting will be held at the Draper City Auditorium and will begin at 6:30 p.m. CDT. Anyone interested in wheat production in South Dakota is welcome to attend. Registration is not required.

A meal, sponsored by numerous area businesses, will be served prior to the program.

For more information, contact Kleinjan at 605-688-4211 or Jonathan.Kleinjan@sdstate.edu.

The Gregory City Council will hold their regular meeting tonight at  6:00 p.m. at Gregory City Hall which is located at 120 W 6th St.  Please note Gregory City Council meetings take place the first and third Monday of each month.

The Winner City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday night at the Winner City Council Chambers located at 325 South  Monroe Street. Please note that Winner city meetings take place the first and third Monday of each month.

The Chamberlain City Commission will meet Monday, August 16th at 6:00 p.m. at the Chamberlain City Offices located at 715 Main Street.  The Chamberlain City Commission meets on the first and third Monday of every month.

Be on the lookout for “Bears” in Winner. There will be 10 bears placed in 10 chamber member businesses. Find the bear and return it to chamber office and receive $50 of labor day carnival tickets. There will be 2 bears with a special keychain, find this special bear and win $250 of winner cash. Any questions one can contact the Chamber office 842-1533.

The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition will host its annual Soil Health School Aug. 25-27 in Mitchell, SD.

This two-and-a-half-day event combines classroom sessions and field exercises to provide approximately 30 participants with an intense course in soil health management. The event brings in experts from across the state and out of state to explain details like nutrient management, residue control, seeding issues, weed and pest management, growing cover crops, incorporating livestock, soil carbon, saline soil remediation, and much more. In the field, participants see plot trials and learn how to graze livestock on cover crops, apply manure with minimum soil disturbance, and conduct soil health tests. Mornings are spent in the classroom, and afternoons are spent in the field.

The evenings feature discussion panels so participants can ask experienced soil health producers what worked for them and what mistakes to avoid. These sessions tend to produce excellent conversations between participants and producers.

To learn more about the School, visit https://www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org/event-calendar/soil-health-school/.

Members of the press wishing to cover Soil Health School should contact Stan Wise, SDSHC communications coordinator, to arrange interviews. He can be reached at 605-368-4091 or stan.soilhealth@sdconservation.net.

U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D) will attend the Sioux Empire Fair today in Sioux Falls. He will also present a Vietnam commemorative pin in Lennox later in the day.

What: Sioux Empire Fair Visit & Speaking Event

When: Wednesday, August 11; 10:30 AM CT

Where: Mainstage at Grandstand at W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds

              100 N Lyon Blvd

              Sioux Falls, SD 57107

What: Ag Panel

When: Wednesday, August 11; 1:00 PM CT

Where: Mainstage at Grandstand at W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds

              100 N Lyon Blvd

              Sioux Falls, SD 57107

Fire crews worked over the weekend to contain and control the Iron Wildfire in the Black Elk Wilderness Area. The fire was started by lightning and was contained at 1.19 acres. The Trailhead parking areas and hiking trails that were closed are now open to the public.