News briefs - May 6, 2026

Indivisible to host candidate forums
BROOKINGS — In place of regular meetings, Brookings Area Indivisible will host candidate forums open to the public in May.

Brookings School Board Candidate Forum, Tuesday, May 12, 6:30-7:30 pm at Brookings United Church of Christ; candidates- Marcie Dierks and Kelsey Bowman

Brookings County Sheriff Candidate Forum, Monday, May 18, 6:30-7:30 pm at the Brookings United Church of Christ; candidates- Dave Biteler and Shawn Hostler.

Kids coloring contest

BROOKINGS — To celebrate Emergency Medical Service Week, Brookings Health System’s Ambulance Service is holding a coloring contest for area elementary children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Coloring sheets are available for download on Brookings Health’s website, brookingshealth.org/ColoringContest. Entries are due May 22 and winners will be announced May 29. Completed coloring sheets may be submitted at Brookings Hospital’s front reception desk or mailed to Brookings Health System Ambulance

– Attn. Megan Sinner; 300 22nd Ave., Brookings, SD 57006. Please be sure to include the child’s name and grade and the parent’s name and phone number.

EMS Week celebrates the dedication of emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, first responders and other professionals who provide lifesaving services to our community.

As the frontline of medicine, EMS teams are ready to provide lifesaving care to those in need 24-hours a day, seven days a week. By providing quality emergency care, emergency medical services dramatically improve the survival and recovery rate of people who experience a sudden illness or injury.

Brookings Ambulance, which Brookings Health System assumed operations for in 1974, runs five modern ambulances. The team of professional paramedics and EMTs average over 2,500 calls in a year, providing advanced life support (ALS) services for the City of Brookings and much of Brookings County, including Aurora, Bruce, Bushnell, Sinai and Volga. In addition, Brookings Ambulance also assists Arlington, Clear Lake, Elkton, Estelline, White and Lake Preston with ALS calls when requested. More can be learned online at brookingshealth.org/Ambulance.

Scholarship awarded

BROOKINGS – Laura Jones from Brookings High School earned a $1,000 scholarship from BankStar Financial.

Jones is the daughter of Dave & Tasha Jones of Brookings. She was active in both high school and club soccer as well as competitive golf and has spent several summers working for the Boys & Girls Club in Brookings. Lauren plans to attend Augustana University in the fall to pursue a degree in nursing.

BankStar offers a $1,000 scholarship each academic year to graduating seniors of the local high schools served by each of our three branch location communities. We review all complete applications which meet our eligibility criteria including academic qualifications, activities and community service projects, character and goals, and overall presentation.

The Elkton scholarship recipient is Jocelyn Prosch, and the Volga branch recipient is Carter Wosje.
BankStar’s scholarship program is advertised each spring, the application window is open February and March, and winners are announced in April. The bank is proudly celebrating its 100th anniversary in business this year.