An experienced traffic-accident reconstruction expert is casting doubt on the claim made by South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg that he thought he hit a deer with his car the night of Sept. 12 when in fact he had struck and killed a man.

Part 1 of 2 JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER From its earliest beginnings more than 30 years ago through the present day, the Menno Pioneer Power Show has strived to be a family-friendly event, with activities and attractions for folks of all ages.

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER A handful of Freeman residents appeared before the Freeman City Council Monday night, Sept. 14 to express their displeasure after receiving tickets without warnings for vehicles that were in violation of city ordinance 8.0224, which says vehicles cannot be parked on city property for a period longer than 72 hours. In at least one case, a property owner was ticketed for having a vehicle parked on the street in the wrong direction. While some were ticketed, others who were notified of violations received only warnings.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER A Main Street building that was home to The Kairos bookstore/gift shop for 30 years and most recently served as Delicious Flavor — a bakery owned and operated by Brenda Blue and her daughter, Harley — is back open for business under new ownership and management.

All adults will now be allowed to attend volleyball matches hosted by Freeman Public Schools, per board action Monday night, Sept. 14. Previously, the district was limiting the number of spectators to only those with date-specific vouchers; each rostered player was allowed five vouchers per match to try and limit the possible spread of COVID-19. Opposing teams were allotted the same number.

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER Families living in the Freeman area who want a more extensive selection of traditional Spanish foods no longer have to make a trip to one of the larger cities in the area to find it. A new store on the southeast corner of town, in the back room of a building that has long been a restaurant, is now open with the growing Hispanic population in mind.

If you missed the “A Day in the Life of Freeman” documentary that aired on South Dakota Public Television late Monday evening, Sept. 7, no worries. You can view the 25-minute film online by clicking here, and it is scheduled to air again on SDPB next Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m., so set that DVR.

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER For those who know Ray Schultz, it’s hard to imagine him doing anything other than what he has done professionally for the past five decades — build cabinets. But that’s not what the lifelong Freeman resident set out to do when he graduated from Freeman High School in 1963 and enrolled at Southern State College in Springfield. Instead, Schultz, who retired from cabinet making this year after 50 years in business, wanted to be an industrial arts teacher before quickly realizing that teaching wasn’t for him.

  JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER Those living in the Menno community as well as the surrounding area will want to mark their calendars for two big upcoming events in town — the Menno Volunteer Fire Department Car Show on Saturday, Sept. 19 and the Pioneer Power Show the following weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26 and 27. CAR SHOW

JEREMY WALTNER  -  PUBLISHER Enrollment at Menno High School is as high as it has been in at least the last six school years. According to numbers provided by the business office at Menno Public School, Pre K-12 enrollment stood at 294 at the beginning of the school year. That’s an increase of 19 students over the start of the 2019-2020 term. Enrollment numbers include students who are enrolled at both Jamesville Colony and Maxwell Colony, which are both in the Menno School District.