Your week, simplified: March 26, 2025

Megan Raposa -

Happy Wednesday! Megan here.

Weather check: Warm, dry and breezy

This week, you'll find an update on The Link downtown triage center and how officials are looking to make sure it's got a plan to keep doors open long-term. You'll also hear some school board members go off on state lawmakers, learn the latest on the Riverline District and, of course, find a round-up of stuff to do this week.

And now, news:

CITY

Simplified: Mayor Paul TenHaken told city and county officials Tuesday afternoon that, as his term as mayor comes to an end, it's time to figure out a new governance structure – and, more importantly, a sustainable financial model – for The Link.

Why it matters

  • Nearly four years ago, the city, county and both major hospitals banded together to open a triage center in downtown Sioux Falls aimed at helping folks in active addiction or mental health crises. Since then, more than 3,600 people have found support at The Link rather than heading straight to jail or an emergency room.
  • From a financial standpoint, The Link is funded by its four founding partners: the city, the county, Avera Health and Sanford Health. Up until this past year, that's been an even split, but TenHaken noted that Sanford has "stepped down" their financial contribution.
"I'm not going to go softly into the dark night and let that happen," TenHaken said. "So I'm having conversations with them about that ... but we are really committed to ensuring that we are all equal funding partners in this initiative."
  • Even with equal funding from the founding partners, The Link is still not financially sustainable, TenHaken said. That's why the triage center's board – of which TenHaken is a member – is developing a long-term funding model and looking at more ways to get subject-matter experts leading the organization and not "people like the mayor."

EDUCATION

Why school board members want you to vote, call your reps

Simplified: Several Sioux Falls School Board members expressed frustration with the recent South Dakota legislative session and the various bills aimed at harming public schools. They spent several minutes during Monday's meeting asking the public to help them advocate for local kids, urging folks to vote in local elections, and in the meantime, asking them to contact their state and federal lawmakers.

Why it matters

  • The Sioux Falls School District spent a lot of the recent legislative session "playing defense," as Business Manager Todd Vik put it to board members during a legislative recap at their regular meeting Monday afternoon. The district actively opposed more than 40 bills this session and supported only seven.
  • Board President Carly Reiter said, with a healthy dose of sarcasm, that lawmakers "worked really hard for education this year" in things like raising the costs of dual-credit courses for high schoolers, removing funding for some educational certifications and "attempting to solve bathroom problems that don't exist."
  • Board Vice President Dawn Marie Johnson shared similar frustrations, questioning who lawmakers are really representing if they're "working against average, hardworking people."
"I know that it can be easy to just not vote," Johnson said. "It's easy to skip over those days and be like, 'oh, oops, it was today,' but this is the direct result of us not engaging in our voting system."

So, what's the tea? Why are school board members mad?

TL;DR

Super Simplified Stories

  • Fill 'er up. A gallon of gas for less than $2? It's happening this weekend at Kwik Star locations in South Dakota. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, you can fill up on Unleaded 88 for $1.88/gallon as part of a partnership between Kwik Star and the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council.
  • Don't start fires. The Minnehaha County Commission on Tuesday enacted a burn ban due to extreme dry conditions in the county. The ban – which prohibits open burning – will be effective until the county "receives significant rainfall or the grassfire index changes," per a release from the county.
  • City one step closer to closing on Riverline District property. The city of Sioux Falls has met its latest deadline in the process to buy an $8 million parcel of land downtown: making sure a convention center would fit on the land.
    • The Riverline District Steering Committee met Tuesday afternoon to get an update from consultants on if it would be possible – if all else goes to plan (i.e. if a downtown convention center gets the requisite community buy-in) – to fit a 75,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 40,000-square-foot ballroom, 20,000 square feet of meeting space and a full-service hotel.
    • It's possible to make it all happen with a two-story facility, according to Brian Skrovig, associate principal architect at Co-Op Architecture. Skrovig shared some renderings of what that convention center could look like, including plans to have parking underneath the building to alleviate potential flood risks.
    • Here's a look at a potential site plan, noting that the little red dotted lines outline where a hotel (or two) could go. Consultants noted that at least 350 hotel rooms would likely be needed to support the convention center.

Level one (left) would include the exhibit hall, and level two (right) would have the ballroom and additional meeting space.

EVENTS

Stuff to do: March 26-April 2

  • Art, Apps & Taps.* Join Mosaic for an evening of art, food and fun on Friday, April 4. They'll have free food, root beer on tap (and other drinks available for purchase), face painting, a photo booth, art projects and discounted take-home crafts. Attendance is free, but registration is encouraged. All proceeds from the night will support Mosaic’s art program and ensure that art classes remain low-cost and accessible to all. Learn more and register here.
  • Raise the roof. Habitat for Humanity is hosting a pirate-themed murder mystery party to raise money to support homes built by local high school and college students. The "Raise the Roof Reckoning" will take place starting at 5:30 p.m. Friday at The District. Get your tickets here.
  • See a new building. The USD Discovery District is formally opening its first building at a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday afternoon. This ceremony marks a big step in furthering the research district, which is two decades in the making. More details here.
  • Tell your story through art. Rose and Eugene Presents is hosting an interactive community exhibition called "Echoes & Origins." You can visit the store at Nordic Hall sometime this month (through Friday), respond to creative prompts and add your artwork to the community installation. Learn more here.
  • Last chance for some Mash Madness. It's your last week to try the 'Mash Madness' drinks downtown, including beer, cocktails and non-alcoholic options. See the line up of competitors here.
  • Catch some music. The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra Dakota String Quartet will perform at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Augustana University Hamre Recital Hall. Learn more here.

*Denotes a paid event listing. Want to see your event featured here? Email megan@sfsimplified.com.

THIS AND THAT

What I'm falling for this week:

ICYMI

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