• A new weather warning. If you hear an outdoor weather alert siren (or see an alert pop up on your phone) it doesn't necessarily mean there's a tornado coming, but you should still take shelter. City officials this week announced they've added an additional severe weather type: "Destructive, severe thunderstorm warnings." That means a storm with 80 mph winds and/or baseball-sized hail.

“The addition of this weather type does not mean your phone is going to be buzzing constantly with alerts,” Emergency Manager Regan Smith said. “These destructive thunderstorms are rare but are as dangerous as tornados, which is why the NWS (National Weather Service) determined they warrant an outdoor siren activation and WEA (wireless emergency alert).”

• Fire is OK now. Minnehaha County Commissioners have lifted a burn ban in the county due to dry conditions. With a good amount of rain/snow over the last week, that burn ban was lifted on Wednesday.
• Southeast Tech sees surge in healthcare, trades students. Southeast Technical Institute saw record enrollment this fall, a 50% increase in enrollment in healthcare programs since 2019 and currently has about a dozen programs so full that students are on waitlists. That's according to information shared with the City Council Tuesday afternoon by college President Cory Clasemann. Up next: The school is in the midst of a large fundraising campaign and will start a master planning process this fall to look at accommodating the increasing demand for education in healthcare and trades.