News Briefs Feb. 25

Burglaries at Twin City Fan in Elkton

ELKTON — First thing Monday morning, the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office took a report of two burglaries at Twin City Fan in Elkton.

An employee told the Sheriff’s Office that there were two separate after-hours incidents involving an unknown individual entering the building and removing tools. The first incident occurred on Friday, Feb. 13, between 10:50 and 11:00 p.m. The second incident occurred on Sunday, Feb. 22, between 6:50 p.m. and 7:10 p.m.

Surveillance footage from inside the building shows an unidentified individual entering through the north side of the building, walking through the production area, and collecting tool batteries and chargers. The individual then exited through the south side of the building.
Between the two incidents, approximately 20 items were reported missing, with an estimated total loss of $6,000.

Anyone who observed suspicious activity in the area during the reported timeframes is encouraged to contact the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office or Crimestoppers at 605-692-STOP (7867).

This case remains under investigation by the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office.

Wreck near White injures pair

WHITE— At approximately 5:50 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21, Brookings County first responders were dispatched to an injury crash on 207th Street just east of 476th Avenue near White.

A white 2002 Ford F-150 was traveling eastbound when it left the roadway, overcorrected and overturned into a field on the south side of the road. Two occupants were in the vehicle, and both were ejected during the rollover.

The driver, a 35-year-old female from Brookings, reported an ankle injury. The passenger, a 32-year-old male from Arlington, reported a chest injury. Both were transported by ambulance to the Brookings Emergency Room for evaluation. Neither occupant was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

The Brookings County Sheriff’s Office responded along with the South Dakota Highway Patrol, White Fire/EMS and Brookings Ambulance.

DUI checkpoints planned for March

PIERRE — The South Dakota Highway Patrol will hold sobriety checkpoints in 15 counties throughout the month of March.

Checkpoints are planned for Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Clay, Codington, Day, Hughes, Hutchinson, Jones, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lyman, Meade, Minnehaha, and Pennington counties.

The enforcement effort is aimed at reducing impaired driving and improving roadway safety. Funding for the checkpoints is provided by the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety, and operations will be carried out by the Highway Patrol in coordination with local law enforcement agencies.

Motorists are reminded to make responsible choices and avoid driving after drinking alcohol, whether or not a checkpoint is planned in their area.

Drivers who plan to drink should arrange for a designated sober driver or use public or commercial transportation.

Both the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety and the South Dakota Highway Patrol are agencies of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.

Man treated for hypothermia

BROOKINGS — On Saturday, Feb. 21, at approximately 7:31 a.m., Brookings Police Department received a 911 call reporting a male subject in the alley between Office Peeps and Foss Studio ( the alley connecting Third Street and Front Street) suffering from a medical emergency.

Officers arrived on the scene and assisted Brookings Ambulance in transporting the man to the Brookings Hospital. The man, a 23-year-old from Milbank, was later transferred to Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls for advanced treatment for hypothermia.

Museum elects boards

The Children’s Museum of South Dakota Board of Directors has elected officers and board members for 2026:

President Janet Brown, former president and CEO of Grantmakers in the Arts; vice president/secretary Dr. Anne Karabon, director of the Marlys and Wendall Thompson School of Education, Counseling, and Human Development at South Dakota State University; treasurer Erick Rangel, chief financial officer at Outdoor Gear, Inc.

Directors include: Anelis Coscioni, executive director of the Toy Lending Library of South Dakota; Nikki Eining, statewide pediatric mental health care access program coordinator for USD Center for Disabilities; Bridget Larson Ennevor, founding board member; Nancy Halverson, executive director at Levitt at the Falls; Mike Holbeck, vice president for finance and budget at South Dakota State University; Carmelle Jackson, founding board member; Dale Larson, founding board member and former CEO and President of Larson Manufacturing Company; Maree Larson, founding board member and executive director of the Larson Family Foundation; Gail Lust, chief financial officer of Sawmill Trust Company; Sarah White founder and executive director of the South Dakota Education Equity Coalition; Robert Yelllowhawk, business manager at Rural America Initiatives.

The Children’s Museum of South Dakota has named 17 members to its Kidoodle Council Youth Advisory Board:

Adalyn Laufman
Charlie Diedrich
Declan Halverson
Eli Suedbeck
Emmanuel Enyi
Everly Andrew
Madi Casper
Micah Moore
Mya Diedrich
Palmer Green
Phoenix Hopewell
Regan Olson
Rylan Halverson
Thad Ochsner
Veda Casper
Will Donelan
Zanna Schuh

Made up of 8-13-year-olds, the Kidoodle Council Youth Advisory Board is tasked with being ambassadors for the Children’s Museum of South Dakota. Their duties include generating ideas for programs and exhibits, providing feedback to museum staff guiding direction in future operations, and taking part in regular volunteer activities.

Learn more about the Kidoodle Council, including videos of the work of previous councils at prairieplay.org/join-us/join-the-kidoodle-council/.

The Children’s Museum of South Dakota, located in Brookings, SD, promotes learning for children of all ages and abilities through interactive, informal, hands-on exhibits and demonstrations. More information is available at prairieplay.org.