News Briefs - May 27, .2026

Truck fire in Arlington
Brookings County first responders responded to a call for a vehicle fire in Arlington on May 20. The vehicle owner, Gordon Converse told first responders he was working on a fuel pump on the 1995 Chevrolet truck when it backfired and started on fire.

Attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful, and first responders were called to the scene.

The Arlington Fire Department arrived on scene and quickly extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported, and no other property was damaged as a result of the incident.

Converse estimated the value of the truck at approximately $3,000.

Agencies responding to the scene included the Arlington Fire Department, Arlington Ambulance and the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office.

BHS reunion planned

In 2001, Brookings High School celebrated a Class AA State Football Championship, a state champion debate team, and a knock-out theater production of Camelot, not to mention surviving the first year of the new millennium. Students built a foundation that has positively impacted the Brookings community and beyond.

After a quarter century, the class is gathering in Brookings to reconnect, and we need your help to reach as many classmates as possible! If you know a teacher or a member of the class of 2001, please help us reconnect with them for this special event.

Save the Date: Friday, July 10-Saturday, July 11. Reunion festivities will take place the weekend of the Brookings Summer Arts Festival, featuring a reception Saturday evening at the Comfort Inn, catered by our own classmate Chef Matt Chapman, owner of Domellie’s.
For more information, teachers and members of the Class of 2001 are encouraged to email the committee at bobcats25th@gmail.com

Zimmerman speaks to Rotary

Kristen Zimmerman, director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry for the City of Brookings, shared an ambitious vision for a summer filled with community events, recreation projects and opportunities to honor veterans during a recent presentation to the Brookings Rotary Club.

Zimmerman highlighted the department’s ongoing mission to create vibrant public spaces and strengthen connections throughout the community through parks, trails and events.

“One of my personal goals is to always make sure that we’re activating our spaces as much as possible,” Zimmerman said. “This summer, we’re full of activities.”

Among the season’s marquee events will be the arrival of the Wall That Heals, a three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Brookings is the only community in South Dakota selected to host the traveling memorial during the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration year.

Zimmerman said the city received a perfect score on its application to host the exhibit.

“That was really exciting for me, but it was because of our community,” she said. “We have a tremendous network of partners that are making this happen.”

The memorial will arrive June 9 with a community escort involving motorcycle groups, classic cars and law enforcement agencies, including the Brookings Police Department, Brookings County Sheriff’s Office and the South Dakota Highway Patrol.

Community members will also have the opportunity to help assemble the wall June 10 at the Fishback Soccer Complex.

“We worked with people that may have family members that are on the wall, and they’re able to carry those panels up and put those specific panels up,” Zimmerman said. “It’s a pretty exciting opportunity.”

The memorial will remain open to the public 24 hours a day throughout its stay in Brookings. A special welcome home ceremony for Vietnam veterans is scheduled for June 11.

“To me, that’s really huge,” Zimmerman said. “I’m a military child, born and raised. My grandfather was in World War II, my other grandfather was in the Korean War, my dad was in Desert Storm, Vietnam and all other conflicts in between. It’s just something I grew up with, and I think it’s a great way to bring our community together.”

Zimmerman encouraged residents to volunteer during the event, including overnight shifts while the memorial is open around the clock.

In addition to the Wall That Heals exhibit, Zimmerman outlined a packed summer calendar that includes baseball tournaments, the Brookings Summer Arts Festival, Juneteenth celebrations, Pride events and a new hot air balloon festival planned for late July at the Fishback Soccer Complex.

“Every weekend, we are booked solid, which is great,” Zimmerman said. “That’s what you want to do all summer long - have a party outside when the weather’s nice.”

Zimmerman also updated Rotary members on several parks and recreation improvement projects underway across the city. A new splash pad originally planned for the Fishback Soccer Complex will instead be constructed at Moriarty Park due to underground water table concerns.

“We still wanted it in that neighborhood,” Zimmerman said. “We wanted to make sure our kids still had access along the trails and that sort of stuff.”

Additional projects include replacing the skate park equipment near the high school with a professionally designed poured concrete skate park and expanding trail connections near schools and neighborhoods.

“Our mission is to create spaces where people want to go,” Zimmerman said. “Increasing the connectivity between schools, parks and neighborhoods is kind of our three-legged stool that we go on.”

Zimmerman said the city’s investments in parks, recreation and public spaces are designed to strengthen community connections while providing more opportunities for residents and visitors to gather, stay active and enjoy Brookings throughout the summer months.

State tuition going up again

The board overseeing South Dakota’s public university system increased in-person tuition by 2.4% systemwide at its Wednesday meeting in Custer, while approving a higher increase of 5% for South Dakota Mines.

Heather Forney, South Dakota Board of Regents vice president of finance and administration, told board members the increase is tied to staff and faculty salary increases. The Legislature approved a 1.4% raise for state employees during its 2026 session.

Forney said the tuition increase is also driven by “significant” increases in technology costs across the system, which rise annually around 4% to 7%.

Griffin Petersen, the student representative to the South Dakota Board of Regents, called the increases “pretty modest.”

“It ensures we continue to deliver a level of quality that prepares our students for the workforce and for their lives beyond school,” Petersen said.

Tuition at South Dakota Mines will rise 5% due to more experiential and “cost intensive” learning, Forney said.

The Rapid City university specializes in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

This is the second straight year the system has increased tuition, after three years of legislatively aided tuition freezes. The average annual tuition and mandatory fee cost for an in-state undergraduate student will increase from $9,651.50 to $9,914.90, an increase of $263.40.

In a regional survey of surrounding states during the 2025-26 school year presented to the board in April, South Dakota ranked fourth highest among seven states for undergraduate resident tuition and fees and third highest for graduate resident tuition and fees. For nonresidents, South Dakota ranked second lowest for both undergraduate and graduate tuition and fees.

Tuition will also increase beyond 2.4% for several programs: an 8% increase in Ph.D. programs at Dakota State University and 5% increases at the University of South Dakota’s law and medical schools. Forney said the medical school increase is tied to “significant costs we’ll be dealing with” as the school moves from Vermillion to Sioux Falls.

The board also approved a 2.2% increase in the mandatory general activity fee students pay systemwide, with exceptions at South Dakota State University and Black Hills State University where the fees will hold steady.

At South Dakota State University, a wellness center bond will be paid off, and the $1.83 per credit hour general activity fee previously covering that debt will be redirected toward career development, student organization funding and student union maintenance. Black Hills State University is in a similar position — a bond expiring there will free up $6.57 per credit hour, which the university will redirect to comparable student services.

Dual credit tuition for South Dakota high school students taking college courses will increase 2.4%, raising the student cost per credit hour to $80.37. The state Department of Education covers the other half.

— Makenzie Huber, SD Searchlight