Erik Thorstenson

1 week ago | dakotanewsnow.com | Erik Thorstenson

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - “This is our son Ray. He’s named after Ryan’s grandpa. And this is our daughter Emma. And she is named after my grandma,” said Jessica Bak. Ryan and Jessica Bak have served their country in the Air Force for more than twenty years. It’s what brought this couple together. “We met in the military. We’ve been married for fifteen years now. And I’ve known Ryan since my last deployment, which was 2006 in Iraq,” said Jessica.

2 weeks ago | dakotanewsnow.com | Erik Thorstenson

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Fifty years ago, a friend offered to buy Darwin Sletten lunch. “He took me to a Cosmopolitan Club meeting. So I saw a little bit of what Cosmopolitan was all about,” said Darwin. Darwin joined the service club in 1975. “You know, I got involved right away. You were appointed to a committee, and we had over 100 members then,” said Darwin. Members of the Cosmopolitan Club volunteer in the community and raise money for different causes.

3 weeks ago | dakotanewsnow.com | Erik Thorstenson

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - ”To have that feel of it being a peaceful place for people to come and visit and being a part of, is always our goal,” said State Veterans Cemetery Director Erin Brown. That’s what the South Dakota Veterans Cemetery has been since it opened in 2021. Cemetery Director Erin Brown has been here since the beginning. “I’ve been out here since November of 2020. So I got to be a part of ordering all the equipment. We came out here when it was dirt.

1 month ago | dakotanewsnow.com | Erik Thorstenson

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Sioux Falls’ historical neighborhoods are filled with big, beautiful trees. “Trees have stories to show. And it’s just part of history,” said author Paul DeJong. That story is told in Paul DeJong’s book, ‘If Our Trees Could Talk,’ which features the trees of Sioux Falls. “The tree that made the impact on me the most is a tree that’s in a back alley near Pettigrew Museum, by the Cathedral area. If that tree could talk, because that tree was there pre-automobile.

1 month ago | dakotanewsnow.com | Erik Thorstenson

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - If you’ve ever eaten at the Sioux Falls Cracker Barrel, there’s a good chance you’ve been served by Donna Winberg. “Getting to know people. And I like staying busy. I’m not much of a sitter. I get kind of bossy at times. But that’s because I’ve been here so long,” said Donna. The Cracker Barrel opened up twenty-six years ago in Sioux Falls, and Donna was their first hire. “I was here before the building was even finished. Well, inside anyways.