News Briefs - April 1, 2026

Pub Crawl arrests spike
BROOKINGS — The Brookings County Detention Center experienced an increase in activity during the 2026 Pub Crawl event in Brookings.

From Friday, March 27 at 5:00 p.m. through Sunday, March 29 at 6:00 a.m., the Detention Center recorded a total of 32 intakes. Of those, 24 intakes occurred during the primary event window from Saturday at 6:00 a.m. through Sunday at 6:00 a.m.

By comparison, during Pub Crawl 2025, the Detention Center recorded 17 total intakes, during Hobo Day 2025, the Detention Center recorded 28 total intakes during the same timeframe.

Charges Breakdown
The following charges were associated with the 2026 Pub Crawl intakes:

• Assault: 3
• Eluding: 1
• DUI: 6
• Felony DUI: 1
• Fictitious/False Identification: 18
• Drug Offense: 1
•Entering or Remaining in a Building: 2

All listed charges are Class 1 Misdemeanors or higher. This total does not include citations issued for Class 2 Misdemeanors, such as Underage Consumption of Alcohol.

Agencies contributing to these arrests include the Brookings Police Department, Brookings County Sheriff’s Office, and South Dakota State University Police Department.
— Brookings County Sherrif

Free apple trees for kids
BROOKINGS — A Brookings-area Master Gardener is donating 30 apple trees to local youth for the sixth annual Fruitful Children Project.

The project is sponsored by South Dakota State University Extension Master Gardener Perry Johnson and provides an opportunity for children and youth to experience the benefits of planting and caring for an apple tree.

Qualifying youth will receive a bare-root, semi-dwarf Honeycrisp apple tree. Distribution will be at 1 p.m. CDT on April 24 and 3:30 p.m. on April 25, 2026, at the Brookings County Outdoor Adventure Center.

A key part of the project is its requirement that the youth recipients accept responsibility for caring for their tree. There is a mandatory 45-minute orientation prior to distribution. As part of their orientation, the youth will take home the children’s story “The Sharing Apple Tree: Toni’s Journey,” about a child’s desire to plant an apple orchard.

After the orientation, the child will receive a tree, a motivational story to read, and a Honeycrisp owner’s manual. Brookings Area Master Gardeners will be available at distribution to answer individual questions.

To qualify, children must be 6 to 12 years old and have an adult sponsor to help them with the tree. Youth are also encouraged to name their trees. Johnson said the trees will grow to be 12 to 17 feet tall and should start producing apples in 3 to 7 years. Due to apple tree pollination needs, only one apple tree per site will be allowed.

Reservations are recommended to ensure availability. To reserve an apple tree, the adult sponsor can email Johnson at perbar4@swiftel.net with the distribution date they will attend and the youth recipient’s grade level.

Since its inception, the project has distributed over 200 trees in the Brookings community. It is held close to Arbor Day, which is the last Friday in April. Like Arbor Day, the project hopes to instill youth with a lifelong passion for planting trees.

For more information, contact Perry Johnson, SDSU Extension Master Gardener, at perbar4@swiftel.net.

— SDSU Extension

Shop to support Dolly
BROOKINGS — The Brookings Area United Way is giving community members a chance to win $2,026 in Hy-Vee gift cards while supporting the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

“We wanted to do something different to let people support such an important program, but in a fun way,” Brookings Area United Way’s Development Director Randy Grimsley said. “One lucky winner will walk away with enough grocery dollars to last a long time, and the young readers in Brookings County can benefit.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has provided free books to children up to age 5 in Brookings for the last 25 years. The national program grows a love of reading and support during early childhood development, leading to a more positive outcome once the student enters school.

Raffle tickets are $26 each and are available to purchase now thru April 30, with the drawing held May 1st. One winner will receive $2,026 in Hy-Vee gift cards that can be used toward anything storewide – from grocery to pharmacy to gas, deli, or floral.

“The winner can stock their pantry, fill the freezer, or spend however they want at any Hy-Vee,” Grimsley said.

“And the youngest children get a leg up toward their education, something that helps everyone in the community in the long-term.”

Tickets can be purchased exclusively at the Hy-Vee Customer Service Desk in Brookings or anytime online at brookingsunitedway.org.

For more information, visit brookingsunitedway.org or call 605-692-4979.

Spring book sale planned

The Friends of the Library spring book sale is planned for April 15-19.

The event kicks off with the Friends of the Brookings Public Library early access to the sale on Wednesday. There is a suggested donation of $10 to become a Friend. Donations are accepted at the door, or join online.

All funds raised go to the BPL’s needs. Most items at the book sale are priced at $2 and under. Cards are accepted with a $10 minimum charge. Some things you will find at the sale include:

-Wide genre of books, including children’s, YA, fiction, self help, and more.

CHS earns accreditation
Children’s Home Society has earned accreditation from the Council of Accreditation. In February 2026, CHS transitioned from Joint Commission accreditation to COA to better align with all of the services it provides.

COA is a globally recognized, independent nonprofit that partners with human service organizations nationwide to help them meet standards of best practice.

To earn accreditation, CHS completed an extensive process that included detailed documentation, program and operational evaluations and an in-depth site review performed by experienced peer reviewers.