News Briefs - Feb. 11, 2026

Johnson’s D.C. office seeking interns
WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) announced that his office is seeking internship applicants for the summer in his Washington, D.C., Rapid City, Aberdeen, and Sioux Falls offices.

Duties of a congressional intern will include researching legislation, attending committee hearings and briefings, leading tours of the U.S. Capitol, handling constituent phone calls, sorting mail, and providing support to the staff and the Congressman. Interns will work closely with staff while developing their research, writing, and communications skills. Most importantly, they will gain an in-depth understanding of the federal legislative branch while helping to serve South Dakota constituents.

Applicants interested in federal tribal relations or Native American issues are encouraged to apply for the Ben Reifel Internship based in the Washington, D.C. office. The ideal candidate will intern for a minimum of six weeks and have a desire to serve South Dakota’s tribal communities.

“Interning in Congress is an exciting experience,” said Johnson. “House offices have small number of staff, so interns in my office get a hands-on experience of the legislative process.

Our office is a fast-paced, collaborative work environment that allows interns to truly be a part of the team.”

Interested applicants should complete the online internship application no later than March 6, 2026. More information about the internship program, along with the application, can be found online.

Resumes should be submitted at dustyjohnson.house.gov/services/internships.

Extension offers estate planning classes

BROOKINGS — South Dakota State University Extension will continue to assist farmers and ranchers with estate and farm transition planning through its final Sustaining the Legacy conference in 2026.

The final 2026 Conference will be held at the SDSU Extension Regional Center in Watertown, March 3, 10, and 17, 2026. Early registration is $70 per person up to two weeks before each conference, or $80 after that.

Registration is required at extension.sdstate.edu/events and search “legacy”.

Heather Gessner, SDSU Extension interim Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Director and Livestock Business Management Field Specialist, said finding the right professional help is key. Most farmers and ranchers know they need a professional to help with estate planning. Industry professionals can help the farm and family implement plans that accomplish their goals. However, not knowing where to find those professionals can hinder the development of the estate plan.

“When it comes to farming, there are many professionals involved. Farmers have their seed specialists, soil fertility specialists, and pest specialists as favorite contacts in their phone. They should also consider their estate and transition plan specialists and list them as favorites on their phone,” Gessner said.

The value of the assets being transferred and protected is considerable; the personalities of the family members involved may be varied, there are Farm Service Agency and Natural Resource Conservation Service programs to navigate, and a wide variety of personal assets to transfer as well. The variation in farm and ranch size, logistics, goals and experience requires professionals who understand the complexities involved in estate plan creation.

“Knowing where to go for help is a huge component of creating a successful plan. If you assemble a strong crop production team, you typically achieve good yields,” Gessner said. “If you put together a good transition team, you end up with a family that understands the family goals, the right tools in place to accomplish the goals, and a family legacy you can be proud of.”

The conference is designed for farming and ranching families at all planning stages. Participants will learn methods to pass on farm and ranch assets and businesses and provide a financial inheritance to non-farming and ranching children.

Estate planning and ranch transition attorneys, along with other industry experts, will present the material.

Topics will include:
• Trusts
• Business structures, LLCs, LLLPs and corporations
• Life insurance
• Wills and probate
• Titling property
• Contracts
• Retirement planning for landowners
• How to access retirement benefits (Medicare, Social Security)
• Elder and end-of-life care planning

“There are so many parts to consider in an estate or transition plan that it’s easy to put off. And it’s easy to put off doing things we don’t fully understand. I hope to teach attendees about the parts and take away the mystery about the process,” Gessner said.

For more information, contact Heather Gessner, SDSU Extension interim Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Director and Livestock Business Management Field Specialist, at Heather.Gessner@sdstate.edu or 605-782-3290.

Sioux Falls fifth grader wins state spelling bee

MITCHELL — A 5th grade student from Challenge Center Elementary School in Sioux Falls won the 2026 South Dakota State Spelling Bee Saturday in the 19th round.

Oscar Quezada, 11, claimed the state championship and will move on to the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington in May after correctly spelling “arrearage.”

For the second year, South Dakota News Watch and Dakota Wesleyan University sponsored the competition, which was held at DWU. Financial support for Black Hills area students also came from the Independent Insurance Agents of Rapid City.

Oscar was eliminated in the first round at last year’s state bee when a baby cried and he lost his concentration.

“Instead of spelling ‘flipperling,’ I spelled ‘flippering,’” he recalled Saturday. “I was like, I’m probably going to come back next year because I’ve gotten first place in my school bee twice in a row, last year and this year.”

His advice to other spellers: “Basically, just practice. If somebody’s in the spelling bee, just practice as hard as possible. It’ll, it’ll definitely pay off.”

Pleroma Otang, 11, a 6th grader from Brandon Valley Intermedia School, took second place and Ashika Gupta, 13, an 8th grader from Dakota Valley Upper Elementary Middle School took 3rd place.

Schools that qualified students to compete at the state bee:
Brandon: Brandon Valley Intermediate School; Robert Bennis Elementary School
Brookings: George S. Mickelson Middle School
Clear Lake: Deuel School
Estelline: Estelline Junior High; Sharon F. Delzer Elementary School
Florence Middle School
Garretson School
Madison Elementary School
Milbank Middle School
Mitchell: Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary School
North Sioux City: Dakota Valley Upper Elementary Middle School
Parkston Elementary School
Piedmont Valley Elementary School
Platte-Geddes Elementary School
Rapid City: Saint Elizabeth Seton Central School; Saint Thomas More Middle School
Scotland Middle Senior High School
Sioux Falls: Challenge Center Elementary School; Cornerstone School; Good Shepherd Lutheran School
Spearfish: Black Hills Christian Academy
Sturgis Elementary School
Vermillion Middle School; Vermillion Elementary School
Waverly South Shore School
Yankton: Sacred Heart Middle School
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— Carson Walker,
South Dakota Searchlight

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