Irene B. Becker was called to her heavenly home on July 15, 2020. She was born March 22, 1931 in Mt. Lake, Minn. to Benjamin H. and Anna I. (Penner) Ratzlaff. Irene was the seventh child in a family of eight children. She graduated from Mt. Lake High School in 1949. After high school, Irene spent two years as a volunteer at the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) headquarters in Akron, Pa., where she met her future husband, Harold Becker. On Nov. 9, 1956, Harold and Irene were married at the Mt.

Workers from Maquire Iron of Sioux Falls are getting ready to finish up their first week of work on the city of Freeman’s water tower maintenance project, which is seeing general repair as well as a complete inside/outside overhaul of the paint job. Led-based paint that is chipping is partially what drove the city to take on the project, which is costing $50,000 annually for the next five years, and then $10,000 a year after that.

  JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER In an effort to continue enforcing ordinances on the books, the city of Freeman will soon be sending letters to property owners who have neglected to maintain their lawns and weeds per city ordinance Chapter/Title 4.02, which falls in the category of “Vegetation.”

One year ago, discussions were taking place in some circles in and around Freeman about the idea of improving the youth baseball and softball experience for what has been a robust Summer Recreation Program.

To The Community Senior Citizens: The Senior Citizen Center has been going for more than 50 years. The membership at this time is very low. We need your participation to keep it going for the future. Dues are minimal and the coffee is always on. We play games and would be happy to learn new ones from new members. Bingo, potluck and birthday party with entertainment are also some of our activities. Choir will resume on Aug. 10. Come and enjoy singing together. Please consider becoming a part of the Senior Citizen Center. Marlene Herman

If you ever get an email from Tom Rice, the tagline below his signature will read “attitude matters,” because if there’s anything that the new superintendent at Menno Public School carries with him on his broad shoulders, it comes in the weight of those two words. What’s your message to the staff in Menno, Mr. Rice? “Attitude matters.” What’s your message to the students, Mr. Rice? “Attitude matters.” What’s your message to the parents?

"Tree work ahead" signs have been common around Freeman the past could of months as Jacobsen Tree Experts out of Sioux Falls has been trimming and taking down trees. The project is one of NorthWestern Energy as a way to clear power lines. This photo was taken looking south on Wipf Street and shows the east side of the Freeman Regional Health Services campus.

The red of a stop sign contrasts with the green of summertime growth and the dark blue of a summertime sky Tuesday morning, July 14. While showers moved across much of the region overnight and early Tuesday, the local region saw just enough moisture to get the ground wet.

Freeman residents who water their lawns are being asked to do so in the evening/at night rather than during the day. More water was used on Monday then city water reserves can handle (37 feet dropped to 19 feet); the reserves are being utilized during the city's 45-day water tower maintenance project.

The lot on the northeastern corner of Main and Fourth streets is now an empty one following the removal of the building that many remember as the home of Kaufman Optometric/Eye Care. The brick building was taken down late last week after sitting empty since Vision Care Associates moved to the North County Road a decade ago. The former Kaufman Eye Care property is owned by the Johnny Stahl estate.