Editor’s Note: This summer, the sports editor will be writing a six-week series on pickleball throughout the region. — BROOKINGS, S.D. — This past Sunday night, a casual drive on United States Highway 14 told the tale. Pickleball continues growing in Brookings, the fourth-most populous city in South Dakota. Four of the eight courts installed in Hillcrest Park were in use. “Honestly, it’s indescribable,” said Brookings resident Kim Carson regarding pickleball’s popularity. “The courts are used all the time. We’re seeing people of all ages, and families, out there. Carson said Deb Wolforth, a member of the Brookings Park and...

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Pipestone Area Youth Tackle Football sign-up is set for both Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 3-4. The site will be the Pipestone Area Schools’ elementary commons area. Equipment also will be issued on these nights. The fourth-grade sign-up session will be a 6 p.m. Aug. 3, with the fifth- and sixth-grade session at 6 p.m. Aug. 4. A 0 fee is due at the time of registration. Scholarships are available from the PAS administrative office. Registration is available through a Google document at the organization’s Facebook page.  For information, email Tyler Rippentrop at: [email protected].

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Both the Pipestone A’s and Elkton Snappers head to the postseason this week. After the completion of Sunday’s Gopher League and First Nite League games, Pipestone finished as the 10th seed with a Region 10C record of 3-11. Since Lakefield nipped Pipestone, 5-4, on Sunday, June 14, the Frogs earned the No. 9 seed despite a 3-12 mark. The top five seeds have earned a bye into the Region 10C tournament: No. 1 Windom, No. 2 Fairmont, No. 3 Milroy, No. 4 Luverne and No. 5 Hadley. Pipestone (4-14 overall) has drawn No. 7 Worthington, with the first game between...

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Pipestone Country Club conducted its first-ever youth tournament on Thursday, July 16, at the facility. Golfers were treated to warm, sun-splashed conditions. A reported 40 golfers participated in the tournament, which featured various age divisions from 5-6 year-olds. The age limit for a player was 17 years old. Youth ages 9-10 years old played five holes. Contestants in the 7-8 division played three holes from 150 yards out, and those ages 5-6 golfed Hole Nos. 3, 4 and 5 from 100 yards away. The event drew golfers from as far away as Russell and Luverne. Organizers reported PCC will conduct...

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TYLER — The yearly tradition known as Æbleskiver Days will begin on Friday, July 24 with several events. However, the signature æbleskiver bake-off originally set for Thursday, July 23, in the Lincoln County 4-H Building has been canceled. “We just didn’t get enough contestants to carry on with our plans,” said festival organizers on the Æbleskiver Days’ Facebook page. This year’s grand parade theme is “Disney Movies.” The parade is set for 6 p.m. Saturday, July 25. The line-up will begin one hour prior at the industrial park in the southeast corner of town. Tyler city administrator Terry East will...

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The Pipestone County Museum has two interns this year. Olyvia Weber returned for a second year and it’s the first year for Julia Berkenpas. Berkenpas is a 15-year-old 10th grader at Pipestone Area Schools (PAS). She’s the daughter of Brandon and Nellie Berkenpas. Berkenpas said she was interested in the internship because she likes social studies and she thought it would be a good opportunity to learn about her community. She started her internship on June 4 and will continue until Aug. 21. Her primary focus has been cameras. She’ll be doing a coffee talk and a presentation at Ridge...

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Lincoln Pipestone Rural Water (LPRW) increased its net position by 5,813 in 2025. That’s according to the audit report presented by LPRW General Manager Jason Overby during the July 14 Pipestone County Commissioner meeting. Total revenue for the year was ,454,778. Of that ,230,973, which is about 69%, was from charges for services. Another ,481,934, which is about 24%, was from capital grants and contributions. The rest was from interest income and other sources. Expenses totaled ,878,965. Almost all of that was operating expenses, which totaled ,263,071. Revenue minus expenses left the 5,813 increase in LPRW’s net position. That brought...

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Pipestone Area Schools (PAS) students have had several opportunities to travel this summer. French students went to France, Spanish students went to Spain, members of the Pipestone Area Marching Arrows went to Chicago, and a group of high school students went to New York. Below is a brief summary of each of those trips. Spain Seventeen students and three adults took a trip to Spain from June 10 to 21. Spanish teacher Jamie Danks said the trip to Spain takes place every other year and is available to students completing their junior or senior year of high school who are...

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Pipestone County Commissioners during their July 14 meeting approved an agreement whereby the county would share its highway engineer with Murray County. If approved by the Murray County Commissioners, the agreement would be in effect until Dec. 31. Highway Engineer Nick Bergman said Murray County asked if Pipestone County would share his services on a temporary basis until it can fill the position long-term following the retirement of Murray County’s previous highway engineer. He said he was willing to try it and that he expected it to work based on a decreasing workload as the construction season winds down. According...

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Pipestone County Commissioners are considering added funding for Southwest Health and Human Services (SWHHS), which serves Pipestone, Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood, Murray and Rock, in response to a variety of financial challenges facing the agency beginning in 2027. SWHHS Director Stacey Timm told the commissioners during their July 14 meeting that the federal government reduced the amount of funding it provides to counties to administer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from 50% to 25% of costs. Starting in the fourth quarter of 2027, the federal government will also assign a benefit cost share based on the payment error rate of...

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