History enthusiast and 30 year civil war reenactor, Dave Renli is looking for community support for a Lincoln County Historical Society. Dave Renli first began learning of the history of Lincoln County while listening to stories from loved ones.  “My family is from Lincoln County, and I always heard stories of the olden days that fascinated me and have always stuck with me through my life,” Renli said. Renli’s passion for history grew as he began his professional career as a

The Tea Area School Board held their regular board meeting on Feb. 16 and a special meeting on Feb. 19. At the special meeting, the board met for more than 2 hours in executive session before approving a motion allowing the superintendent to develop an assistant superintendent position that includes such responsibilities as curriculum, instruction and assessment. At the Feb. 16 meeting, superintendent Tonia Warzecha recognized Oliver Smith for receiving a perfect score on the

2026-2027 Kindergarten Online Registration is for all children living in the Tea Area School District who will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2026. Online Registration opens on February 16, 2026, for all incoming Kindergarten students. Register online at www.teaarea.k12.sd.us . Once Online Registration is complete, you will receive information about the Kindergarten Information Night & screening events. Note: All incoming Kindergarten students must complete screenin

The Tea City Council met Feb. 17 and held first readings on two ordinances.  City community development director Albert Schmidt presented the first reading of ordinance 331, subdivision ordinance. The ordinance looks at park land and green space. The ordinance would enact a 3 times the fee instead of 1.5 times the fee for money in lieu payments if developers want to pay a fee instead of donating the land for parks. The planning commission recommends approval. The city set the

Region II Instrumental Solo and Ensemble contest took place at Augustana College on Monday, Feb. 2. This contest is not required, the students get to choose if they participate or not. Eighty of the 114 high school band students chose to challenge themselves this year by taking at least one thing to contest. Many of them took three or four entries. Their options were taking a solo (35 students opted to do this), or taking an ensemble.   Ensembles can range anywhere from 2-16

The Tea Area Community Foundation (TACF) is accepting grant applications February 2nd - March 27th from Tea area non-profit organizations. Up to $15,000 is available and grants will be awarded in April.   This is the 21st year the TACF, an endowment fund of the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, is able to provide grants to non-profit organizations with plans for projects that will benefit and enhance the quality of life for residents of the Tea area community.  Projects

The Tea Area High School One Act Play cast and crew took the stage at the State One Act Play Festival, held February 5–7 at the Brandon Valley Performing Arts Center, where they performed  A Wrinkle in Time . Several students earned Superior Speaking awards for their performances, including Hannah Broughton, an 11th grader; Rachel Row, a 10th grader; Riley Clark, an 11th grader; and senior Ella Cambier. More pictures from State can be found on page 4 of this week’s Tea Weekly

Tea Second Assistant Chief, Steve Oberle, has been named the 2026 South Dakota Fire Instructor of the Year, an honor presented at the Fire Instructors Conference held in Mitchell in January. The award recognizes exceptional dedication to firefighter education, leadership, and the advancement of fire service training across the state. With three decades of service to the Tea Fire Department, Oberle’s impact extends far beyond emergency response. His commitment to training and

Tea graduate, Coleman Peterson is bringing his talents to the Washington Pavillion stage with a performance of his newest play, Parents’ Weekend . A 2016 graduate of Tea High School, Coleman Peterson got his start in playwriting at a young age.  “I started creating theatre with my mom and some local volunteers in the summers at the old Tea Intermediate/DEC building. From the 8th grade through my college career, I was adapting scripts for local elementary kids, and putting on

The City of Tea received a $2.6 million federal highway grant for pedestrian safety. The Safe Streets for All grant aims to improve pedestrian safety along Brian Street, Main Street and Heritage Parkway. The total project is estimated at $3.2 million. The grant is an 80-20 match grant where the city will be responsible for $600,000. City administrator Justin Weiland noted they completed a safety action plan when they did their comprehensive plan and master transportation plan