Pennington County Commissioners designate the Courant as legal newspaper

At their first meeting of 2022 the Pennington County Commissioners once again designated the Pennington County Courant newspaper as one of their official newspapers to serve the county. The Pennington County Courant has been an official newspaper for the county since laws were put in place stating that government entities would be required to keep the public informed on their actions. "Being an official newspaper for the county has been a great responsibility for us," said Don Ravellette, publisher of the Pennington County Courant. "Since we purchased the newspaper in 1978, we have not taken the responsibility lightly. It is an honor to represent the county and keep the eastern half of Pennington County's citizens aware of the commissioner's actions." "We have a unique county where it comes east into a great deal of ranching and farming land," said Ravellette. "The commissioners recognize the fact that the eastern side of the county is a very important part of their business, and have always supported us with the (public's right to know) information that comes through the county commissioner meetings." "Serving as an official newspaper for a government entity is an important role for newspapers," said Dave Bordewyk, General Manager of the South Dakota Newspaper Association. "Citizens can depend on the official newspaper to provide information such as meeting minutes, bid notices, tax information, and much more. Official newspapers are key in ensuring that local citizens know what local government entities are doing and how they are using taxpayer dollars." The commissioners elect officers at their first meeting of the year, and Gary Drewes was re-elected to serve as chairman for the year 2022. Lloyd LaCroix was elected to serve as vice chairman. A recent statewide readership survey commissioned by South Dakota Newspaper Association showed that an overwhelming majority of South Dakotans prefer that local government information such as meeting minutes be published in the local newspaper as the preferred way to keep them informed. Community weekly newspapers such as the Pennington County Courant, continue to prosper with the help of the city, school and counties they serve. The Courant is the official newspaper for the City of Wall, Wall School Distirct, New Underwood School District, City of New Underwood, Pennington County, and several other government entities. "A quality school, and aggressive city and business community helps support the residents and keep rural communities healthy," said Ravellette.