Courthouse remodel almost done

Posted: Friday, May 24th, 2013
Brookings County commissioners get a first look at the new third courtroom inside the Brookings County Courthouse, a room that will be used for non-juried trials.Commissioners toured renovations to the courthouse following their Tuesday meeting. Commission Assistant Stephanie Ellwein said the $987,000 project is at substantial completion and is set to be wrapped up within a few weeks.
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People moving here for housing help

Posted: Friday, May 24th, 2013
• Local housing program short on funds, money must follow recipients
BROOKINGS, It's 2010, the recession has dramatically slowed sales for your company and you find yourself out of a job. Your wife has been searching for work for over a year now. You've already shut off the cable, canceled your trip to see family and sold your second car. ...more

Too much concrete, too little green?

Posted: Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
• Council takes up issue of ‘too many' parking spaces in R-3 apartment districts
BROOKINGS, Is the City of Brookings too tough on apartment building developers? Is there too much pavement being dedicated to parking lots and not enough to landscaping?
Those questions could soon get an answer: the Brookings City Council has referred that discussion to the planning commission ...more

Neighbors ask for help dust-proofing Western Ave.

Posted: Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
• Commissioners hand them application for economic development funding
BROOKINGS, A stretch of Western Avenue to the south of Brookings is intolerably dusty, and it's not all due to neighborhood traffic.
That's the case a resident and a township supervisor made to the Brookings County Commission Tuesday morning, as they asked the county to kick in a share of ...more

BHS to create outreach specialty clinic

Posted: Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
• Brookings Health updating master campus plan after repurposing part of Brookview Manor
BROOKINGS, City councilors heard plans this week for a new specialty outreach clinic at the Brookings hospital.
Brookings Health System CEO Jason Merkley visited the council study session Tuesday to provide details on the "repurposing" of a part of Brookview Manor to house visiting specialists who would ...more

Dowtown center becomes new storm shelter in Brookings

Posted: Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
• Parks & Rec building will be open to public when storms hit
BROOKINGS, It's beginning to look a lot like severe storm season. And while the former storm shelter has been taken over by the Brookings Police Department, the county's emergency manager wants everyone to know there's still a safe place for them when the skies threaten something more ...more

Old DOT building reduced to rubble

Posted: Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
Workers from Prussman Contracting get a good start on tearing down the former local Department of Transportation headquarters on the northeast side of the Interstate 29-U.S. Highway 14 interchange on Tuesday afternoon.
DOT engineer John Rittershaus says the land where the vacant DOT office and shop once stood is still state owned. The demolition team was hired to clean up ...more

Make This House a Home campaign exceeds its goal

Modified: Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
• Final total to be unveiled at The Neighborhoods at Brookview event
BROOKINGS, Brookings Health System Foundation has exceeded the goal set for the "Make this House a Home" campaign.
In January, the Foundation announced its intent to raise $600,000 in funds by June 1 for The Neighborhoods at Brookview, the new skilled nursing facility.
The total raised will ...more

Her three sons

Posted: Monday, May 20th, 2013
• Single SDSU prof always knew she wanted a family, so she found one
BROOKINGS, It started with three empty bedrooms.
When Jeannie French moved into her house in Brookings 18 years ago, people asked why she chose one with so many bedrooms. Why would a single, ceramics professor at South Dakota State University want so much extra space? For ...more

Athletic training program joins regional exchange

Posted: Monday, May 20th, 2013
BROOKINGS (AP), South Dakota State University's master's-level athletic training program is joining a regional exchange. The exchange will qualify students from participating states for the resident tuition rate.
The Western Regional Graduate Student Exchange includes: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The program offers about 275 programs ...more

Council probes ‘city nitty-gritty’ at study session

Posted: Monday, May 20th, 2013
• Storm drainage, street maintenance, zoning highlight roll-up-your-sleeves session
BROOKINGS, If you've never quite understood the difference between "asphaltic concrete" and "Portland cement concrete," or if you've been waiting impatiently for the latest information on the city's storm water management program, Tuesday's city council study session is the one you should attend.
The regular monthly meeting, which begins at 5 ...more

El Rancho Restaurant moves ‘west of border’

Posted: Monday, May 20th, 2013
• Owners invite diners to ‘become part of the family'
BROOKINGS, They were a hit in Montevideo, and they were a hit in Marshall. Now the Leon family wants its Mexican restaurant to be a hit in Brookings.
El Rancho Mexican Restaurant opened its doors for business in downtown Brookings this week, bringing fajitas and margaritas to a Main Avenue ...more

SDSU to add major, online degree

Posted: Monday, May 20th, 2013
BROOKINGS, The South Dakota Board of Regents this week approved plans by South Dakota State University to begin offering an undergraduate degree in American Indian studies starting this fall.
Also, its popular master's degree in journalism will soon be offered with an online-only option geared to professionals already working in news and media-related fields.
While a minor in American ...more