The Tea City Council met Dec. 15 for their last meeting of 2025. At the meeting, they held a public hearing on the first reading on a rezone for the property at 1601 E. First Street from R1 single-family residential to L1 light industrial district. Ellen Martin, assistant planner, presented on the subject in the absence of community development director Albert Schmidt. The rezone would match properties to the east and west. They did not receive any comments from the public. C

The Tea Area School Board met Dec. 8 and reviewed the five-year plan. Business manager Chris Esping updated the board on the five-year general fund plan. She noted this is just a plan that includes projections for revenue and expenses for the next five years. The projected enrollments are conservative with 25 additional students next year and 10 additional students per year for the next four years. Superintendent Tonia Warzecha said in the Tea Area district, 25 percent of fun

The Tea Santa Claus is spreading holiday joy and will be present this Saturday at the American Legion for Breakfast with Santa. Back in 2019, a simple request to fill in for a friend resulted in a passion for portraying the Tea Santa Claus. “I had such a good time filling in for my friend that year, I immediately asked if I could play the part again the next year. I had such a good time that I bought my own suit and became the Tea Santa Claus,” Tea Santa Claus said. Visiting

By Jodi Schwan A new interstate interchange so long in the making that even those most intricately involved can’t remember exactly when the concept began officially broke ground last week. The interchange at 85th Street and Interstate 29 will be the first new interchange in Sioux Falls since the one at Marion Road and Interstate 90 opened in 2010 — and the vision for it began even before that. The official kickoff for the new diverging diamond-style interchange was last Tuesd

The Tea City Council met Dec. 1 and scheduled second readings for two ordinances. Community development director Albert Schmidt presented the first reading of ordinance 330, a car wash ordinance, which would be the city’s first permitted special use. The planning commission recommended approval. The council will hold a second reading at the Dec. 15 council meeting. City administrator Justin Weiland presented the first reading on ordinance 332, 2025 supplemental budget. Financ

Samantha and Joshua Berg are pictured above. Samantha and Joshua Berg have taken an old family recipe and are sharing it with the world in hopes to provide a better life for their own family. The Berg family has created Cosmic Creations as a way to share their all natural, low ingredient products. Samantha and Joshua Berg met as freshman in high school and have been building a life together since. After graduation in 2011, the couple got married and are raising three children

Jaden Schumacher capped off his Doin’ My Rounds 2025 Tour with a Halloween-night performance on Broadway in Nashville, marking the end of a fall headlining run that took his country-soul sound from Tennessee to Colorado with stops in eight Midwestern states. The tour delivered a high-octane entertainment experience while showcasing Schumacher’s growth as both a performer and songwriter. Throughout the tour, Schumacher released two new songs that bookended his fall schedule. B

Junior Achievement touches the lives of a large percentage for the students in the Tea Area School District. In 2025 they were one of the recipients of a grant from the Tea Area Community Foundation. They are pictured above receiving their grant. If you are affiliated with a 501(c)3, school or government agency and have a project that needs funding, please apply on line at sfacf.org/tea between February 2, 2026 - March 27, 2026. If you would like to donate to the endowed

The Tea community is gearing up for an evening full of holiday cheer, festive lights, and family fun as the 2nd Annual Tea Parade of Lights returns on Friday, Nov. 29. Events will run from 2 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., offering activities for all ages and plenty of opportunities to embrace the spirit of the season. Festivities will take place at the Tea American Legion, with the parade route beginning at Tea High School. Floats will travel east along Brian Street before turning south

Pastor Tanner Sutcliffe and his wife, Caelin Pastor Tanner Sutcliffe has taken over pastoral duties at Risen Savior Lutheran Church, bringing with him a fresh perspective of God’s word and a strong urge to build a better community together. Since the age of 13, Pastor Tanner Sutcliffe of Risen Savior Lutheran Church has known he wanted to spend his life in ministry. “This came, I think, from my first solo walk through the Scriptures, when I began to really consider for myse