BROOKINGS, S.D. (9-1-26) — Kristi Tornquist, dean of Hilton M. Briggs Library at South Dakota State University, has announced her upcoming retirement after more than 15 years of service to the university. Tornquist’s last day at SDSU will be Jan. 21, 2027. Significant accomplishments during Tornquist’s tenure include leading Briggs
BROOKINGS (9-2-26) — Last month, country music legend Dolly Parton passed away. Among her many achievements was Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which distributes free books to preschoolers. Heidi Gullickson is Executive Director of the Brookings Area United Way, a longtime partner of the program… “Those books come directly from Dolly
BROOKINGS (9-1-26) — South Dakota State University has opened a “Center for AI Innovation and Emergent Technologies” to promote on-campus AI literacy. Dennis Hedge is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at SDSU. He said students need to be prepared to live and work in a world strongly influenced
BROOKINGS (9-3-26) — A six-year old girl is injured in a car-bicycle accident. Brookings Police say it happened yesterday (Wednesday, Sept. 2) shortly after 2:30 p.m. at the intersection of Medary Avenue South and Fifth Street South. The six-year old girl was riding eastbound on the south sidewalk of Fifth
BROOKINGS (9-1-26) — Ribbon-cutting was held Saturday to dedicate a new piece of public art at SDSU. The sculpture honors researcher Edgar McFadden who developed a type of disease-resistant wheat in the 1920s. SDSU President Barry Dunn said with that strain of wheat — named “Hope” — McFadden helped feed
BROOKINGS (8-27-26) — Major changes could soon be coming to Dacotah Bank Center. At this week’s Brookings City Council meeting, Deputy Mayor Nick Wendell said the Dacotah Bank Center Work Group is recommending the event center — currently managed by an out-ofstate firm — revert to local management by City
BROOKINGS (8-27-26) — This week, a group of local residents petitioned the Brookings City Council to reconsider its use of flock cameras. The cameras — sometimes called automated license plate readers — are AI-powered cameras that conduct round the clock mass surveillance. Like many other communities across the nation, Brookings
BROOKINGS (8-26-26) — A Brookings County grand jury returns an indictment on charges of child pornography and rape. In a press release issued Wednesday (August 26), Brookings County State’s Attorney Dan Nelson said Daniel J. Groon was indicted following a Division of Criminal Investigation search of his residence and electronic
BROOKINGS (8-25-26) — During their August 25 meeting, the Brookings City Council unanimously voted against appointing Jeff Struwe to the Brookings Human Rights Commission. On August 4, the Brookings County Commission voted unanimously to nominate Struwe. The appointment also required City Council approval. Brookings Mayor Ope Niemeyer made a motion
BROOKINGS, SD – Back by popular demand, the Brookings Historic Preservation Commission (BHPC) will host the Central Residential Historic District Trolley Rides on Thursday, Aug. 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. in conjunction with Downtown at Sundown that evening. The free trolley rides will start at the southwest corner of
VERMILLION, S.D. — August 24, 2026 Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Plains (BGCNP) is celebrating a year of significant growth and impact while launching a community-wide fundraising campaign aimed at expanding opportunities for children and families across eastern South Dakota. Over the past year, the organization has continued to
BROOKINGS, S.D. — Aug. 24, 2026 — Sheep have been a part of nearly every chapter of Patty DeZeeuw’s life — first as a Custer County 4-H member, then as a South Dakota State University wool judge. And since 1979, she and her husband, Rufus, have raised purebred Suffolk sheep.
