Kelly Hertz

Buy Now Members of the Astec team are shown competing in the “Human Forklift” event during the 2026 Yankton Manufacturing Olympics, held Friday at the NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center. In this event, teammates must work together with elastic bands to lift plastic cups into a pyramid formation. Other events Friday included the "Cone Toss," “Floor is Lava,” “See It, Do It” and the obstacle course. Four teams competed in these Olympics, which capped Yankton’s annual Manufacturing Week observance.

Buy Now Emergency crews were called to a single-engine plane crash late Friday afternoon west of Yankton. According to Yankton County Sheriff Preston Crissey, the pilot was attempting an emergency landing in a bean field south of S.D. Highway 50 near Highway 314. There were two occupants in the plane, and there were no fatalities. One person was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Crissey, saying it’s the “best possible outcome” when his office gets called to a plane crash. The site will be secured by the Sheriff’s office until the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board arrive to investigate. The Yankton County Emergency Medical Services, Yankton County Emergency Management and the Yankton Fire Department all assisted the Sheriff’s office at the incident.

Buy Now Marching bands entertained the large crowd on hand Saturday for the annual “March to the Meridian” band festival in Yankton. Twenty-five bands, plus an exhibition by the Wayne State College band, high-lighted the downtown performances, which featured a little bit of everything. That included Sioux Falls Lu-theran (SFL) using a fiddler and a banjo player for its “Wild West” street performance. SFL won the Class AA Street Show category, with Colman-Egan (A), Beresford (AAA) and Tea Area (AAAA) also claiming street titles. Winners in the parade division were Elk Point-Jefferson (both MS and AA), Crofton, Nebraska (A), Pierce (AAA). Field competition winners were Crofton (A), Pierre (AA) and Tea Area (AAA). To see more photos, visit www.yankton.net.

Buy Now Levi Langloss of Crooks and Maci Nemetz of Atkinson, Nebraska, were crowned Lord and Lady Marben during Mount Marty University’s Lancer Days pep rally, held Tuesday night at the Laddie E. Cimpl Arena. The nighttime pep rally, which was new this year, featured speeches from several coaches as well as MMU President Mark Brown, as well as a “burning of the MM” in the area parking lot. Lancer Days activities will continue throughout the week, including Brown’s official inauguration at 4 p.m. Thursday at Bishop Marty Chapel. Both the Lancer football and volleyball teams host Midland Saturday.

MENNO — Pheasants Forever and the Southeast Dakota Prescribed Burn Association have announced a collaborative Prescribed (Rx) Fire Workshop on Oct. 28 in Menno.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of two profiles of the candidates for the District 18 Senate seat. Early voting is underway; Election Day is Nov. 3.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of four profiles of the candidates running for the Yankton City Commission. Early voting is underway; Election Day is Nov. 3.

Yankton County is going to take its time to study the economic and environmental effects of electrical energy storage facilities.

The students of schoolmaster Ichabod Crane (Damien Larson) scatter after a beehive is thrown into their classroom in this scene from the Yankton High School fall play, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” which debuts Friday at the YHS main theatre. The play is based on the classic Washington Irving short story. Performances are set for Friday, Saturday and Monday, with showtimes at 7 p.m. each night. To see more photos, visit www.yankton.net.

Downstream Missouri River states have worried for decades about receiving an insufficient flow of water from upstream dams.