• Council approves $68M bond for pools. The Sioux Falls City Council voted unanimously to give the city the green light to go ahead with a $68 million bond to fund a new outdoor pool at Kuehn Park, a new indoor recreation center at Frank Olson Park and improvements to the new Westside Recreation Center.
    • It's a vote that was years in the making. More background here:
Why Sioux Falls is one step closer to new pools - for real this time
After four years of planning, several delayed votes and nearly a year of debate, tweaking and tinkering, the Sioux Falls City Council has come to an agreement on future plans for new pools.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedMegan Raposa
  • A Farewell to Noem. Gov. Kristi Noem gave the annual State of the State address Tuesday afternoon, in what is expected to be her last public address as governor before she heads to Washington D.C. Her speech centered on the "top 10 reasons South Dakota will continue to be an example to the nation," citing the state's strong economy, agriculture, education, healthcare and "babies" (Noem noted the state has the highest birth rate in the nation.)
    • Next, Noem is expected to begin U.S. Senate confirmation hearings for her appointment by President-elect Donald Trump as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The Dakota Scout reports that hearing will begin Friday.
  • Task force pitches sustainable childcare solutions. The South Dakota Child Care Task Force presented a 60-page report last week detailing the challenge of a business model in which parents cannot afford care, providers struggle to break even and childcare workers remain among the lowest-paid employees in the state. The report also estimated the state economy loses out on $329 million annually due to the childcare deficit. Read the full report here.
  • What Sioux Fallsians want. City Council on Tuesday received an update on the Shape Sioux Falls 2050 plan, including a look at a statistically valid survey of more than 500 residents about what their main priorities and concerns are in the community. SiouxFalls.Business has a nice summary here.
  • Donation will fund bike trail expansion. The multi-use recreation trail will now connect between Lien Park and Bahnson Avenue, thanks to a $1.3 million donation from Jeff and Tammie Broin and the Ashby family. The new section will be one mile long.