Your weekend, simplified: Feb. 2, 2024

Happy Friday! Megan here.

🎉We have a winner! Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway! Since Dec. 1, we've added 67 paying members to the Sioux Falls Simplified crew, and I am blown away by your support. I literally couldn't do this without you guys.

Without further ado, drumroll please......
Paige Beck, you won! Congratulations, and thanks for being a supporter of Sioux Falls Simplified. It's cool that you support local news!

Weather check: Warm – but don't listen to me, it's the groundhog's day.

This weekend, I've got a look at how Sioux Falls-area lawmakers' bills are faring in Pierre so far this session, as well as a new effort in the county to help connect folks with resources. You'll also get a look at a brand new coffee shop and their new house blend. Plus, learn about a scholarship opportunity and get smart about IV therapy.

And now, news:

SODAK SIMPLIFIED

How local lawmakers are faring so far in Pierre

Simplified: Sioux Falls-area lawmakers are prime sponsors of more than 40% of the proposed legislation (including bills, resolutions and commemorations) in Pierre. Most of those 184 proposals are still alive and well. Here's a closer look at what's being considered.

Why it matters

Sioux Falls is the state's largest population center, so it makes sense that about one in every three South Dakota state lawmakers is from the area.
Part of the reason so much legislation is still alive is because many bills haven't yet been scheduled for a committee hearing. The legislative session is about halfway over at this point, and lawmakers will only have about three more weeks until "crossover day" when bills must have passed out of their chamber of origin, or they'll die.
Lawmakers from Sioux Falls have taken some losses – including attempts to redesign the state flag, fund more kids' school lunches, require the ACT and establish a minimum age for marriage.
But, there are significantly more bills still in play – including legislation to make it possible to donate the Delbridge Museum collection out-of-state, a pitch to get more money for private school vouchers for students, and a bill to prohibit the use of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines.

What else is still in play?

COMMUNITY

Check out Daylily Coffee's new shop and espresso blend

Simplified: Daylily Coffee's new shop is now open Fridays and Saturdays. Owner Ariana Vandersnick gave Sioux Falls Simplified a look inside, and we sat down to chat about the company's new espresso blend, De Día.

Tell me more about the shop

Vandersnick and her husband Andrew Fritz have been planning a brick-and-mortar location for Daylily Coffee for several months now. After some delays in getting the East Eighth Street location ready to go, they've officially opened with limited hours to start.

Their hope with Daylily is to create a coffee shop that's focused on the producers.

"Behind (our coffee) is all of the effort of people across the world," Vandersnick said.

It takes five years for a coffee tree to produce fruit, she added, so there's a lot of work and planning that goes into your daily cup. The goal with Daylily is to help educate people about what goes into their morning brew.

Tell me more about the new blend

TL;DR

Super Simplified Stories

Midco Aquatic Center breaks swim pass record. The Midco pool saw a record number of swim passes sold – 2,253 – as well as a total of 212,000 visitors in 2023. When the center was initially built, it was estimated it'd see 80,000 visitors per year. Assistant Director for Parks and Recreation Brett Kollars said the popularity of the center shows the need for another indoor aquatic center in town.
Want to talk about adding another aquatic center to town? Funny you should bring that up... The city is hosting two meetings next week to talk about potential indoor rec centers/pools to replace the aging Kuehn Park and Frank Olson pools. Get all the details (and give virtual feedback) here.
Local school administrators recognized. A number of school leaders in the region were recognized this week by the School Administrators of South Dakota group. Eight "Outstanding School Administrators" were named statewide, including Tea Superintendent Jennifer Lowry, Harrisburg Middle School Principal Darren Ellwein and Tea Elementary School Principal Samantha Walder.
Burger battle crowns winner. Crawford's wins it again. The restaurant was named champion of the 2024 Burger Battle on Friday morning for "The Gold Standard" burger.

GET SMART

Get smart about IV therapy with Melissa Bunkers

Melissa Bunkers is a certified nurse practitioner, a functional medicine provider and the founder of Revive Functional Medicine. She also recently opened up an IV Lounge in central Sioux Falls. She sat down with Sioux Falls Simplified to talk about IV therapy, what it is, who it's for, and how you can learn more.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity. Responses are from Melissa.

How did you 'get smart' about IV therapy?

With the growth of my functional medicine practice, I was really seeing a need for a way to get nutrients into people bypassing the oral route because of digestive issues I was seeing.

With the amount of nutrient deficiencies I was seeing in my patients, I really just got interested in a way to get them those nutrients quickly and help them feel better quickly.

I am a conventionally trained nurse practitioner, so I'm very familiar with administering medications and fluids through the IV route and how beneficial those things can be. I just felt like there was a great need for it in the wellness space, so that people don't need to go to the hospital to get hydrated.

We're all about simplicity here. Can you describe the experience of IV therapy in 10 words or fewer?

A wholistic approach to enhancing your health by delivering essential nutrients.

How does IV therapy work? See the full interview here.

ICYMI

What I'm falling for this weekend

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING?

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Reach out

What story do you want to see simplified? Falling for something local? Send any news tips, attaboys, missed typos or a few extra hours of sleep to megan@sfsimplified.com.

Thank you

Thank you to Sioux Falls Simplified sponsors, including Dakota Adventure Supply, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Panther Premier Print Solutions, the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, Barre3 Sioux Falls, Midco, the Great Plains Zoo, and the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. When you support them, you're also supporting Sioux Falls Simplified.