There hasn't been much snow this winter, and what there has been in nearly gone. And with dry conditions expected as February begins, the chance of prolonged snowfall on the ground — and a hard winter season still waiting in the wings — lessons.

The front (east) side of the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Freeman is pictured on the last Sunday of January.

Many will remember when Casey's General Store operated from its Cherry Street location, where Sixth Street transitions to Fifth Street. The Iowa-based franchise opened here in 1979 amid controversy; this was before city zoning was in place and some disliked the fact that it was being built in a residential area. A petition was even turned in for the city to deny Casey's both a building permit and a beer permit, the later of which went to a public vote. The petition to deny the beer license was ultimately rejected by a vote of 427 to 275.

This photo shows Freeman wresting standout Kirk Wallman competing in the state tournament back in 1989 — his senior season. Wallman memorably finished his high school career with a 201-0 record and six state championships — the first South Dakota wrester ever to achieve that accomplishment (and there has been only one since). Wallman, of course, was part of a Wallman wrestling dynasty that started with his father, Gary "Smoky," and also included older brother Troy and younger brother Cory, who each won four titles.

Kent Peterson, left of center, speaks in the governor’s conference room at the South Dakota Capitol during a Thursday morning press conference. Peterson is a District 19 representative from Salem and the House Majority Leader. His comments about what is happening in Pierre were heard by a number of journalists from across South Dakota participating in Newspaper Day - a yearly opportunity for members of the press to connect to a lawmakers during the session. 

The Freeman Public Library this week received a $1,000 grant from Giving Hope Inc., a Sioux Falls based non-profit that works for children. Pictured are, from left: Alissa Headrick Ford, operations manager at Giving Hope; LeAnn Kaufman, director of the Freeman Public Library; Crystal Gering Nelson, children’s librarian; and Neil Hlebichuk, founder of Giving Hope Inc. Read all about this in the Jan. 27 edition of The Courier.

It doesn't just feel cold out there — it looks cold as is evident in this photo taken Tuesday morning at the Freeman Prairie Arboretum. The temperature once again hovered around zero as day broke and isn't expected to climb much into double-digits today, representative of a cold trend that has been ongoing across the region. However, a significant warm-up is coming soon, and for those who like their January days to feature above-freezing temperatures, the rest of this week is for you.

This photo shows the front of Kleinsasser Heating and Cooling and its fleet of vehicles as they were in 1979. The longstanding Freeman business was started by Cal Kleinsasser in 1950 and has served the community and surrounding area ever since. Collin Kleinsasser and his wife, Jane, operated the business for many years, and after Collin's passing in 2009, their two sons, Morgan and Mitchell, took on a prominent role in the operation.

The Menno One-Act Play cast and crew will next week present “Before We Go” by Dennis Bush and produced under special arrangement with Brooklyn Publishers, LLC. The home performance will be held in the city/school auditorium on Monday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Through vignettes and monologues, characters introduce themselves as they grow up, face embarrassing addictions or feel like they will spontaneously combust at any given second. These journeys through rites of passages and challenges to survive this thing we call life touch us all.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER As of Tuesday — one week after school boards from Freeman Academy and Marion both deferred action on an all-sports proposal presented by a Freeman Public task force — the situation remained a fluid one.