Your weekend, simplified: Feb. 21, 2025

Happy Friday! Megan here.

Weather check: Above zero, time to paaaaarty!

Hot tip: Don't ever say, "we've been super lucky no one has really gotten sick in our house this year," unless you want to get a stomach bug around the house literally the next day. (So, sorry for a late issue this week, but my whole world is very pukey at the moment.)

This week, there is so insanely much happening, I had a really hard time deciding what to pull into a full story and what to keep "Super Simplified" – which means the Super Simplified section this week has a TON of important stuff. Plus, as we get closer to "crossover day" in Pierre, there's going to be a lot of legislation moving real quick over the next couple of days. I can't cover it all myself, so make sure you're following South Dakota Searchlight if you want daily updates.

And now, news:

COMMUNITY

How Stockyards Ag Experience is working to become a year-round destination

Simplified: New renderings unveiled Thursday night give a glimpse at what a year-round, expanded Stockyards Ag Experience building could bring to Falls Park. Here's what you need to know.

Why it matters

The Stockyards Ag Experience was initially founded in 2012 as a way to pay tribute to the stockyards, which helped shape the local economy for nearly a century. The museum at Falls Park opened in 2017 and has since seen more than 40,000 visitors.
Plans to expand have been in discussion for several years, but were delayed somewhat by the pandemic and the city's ongoing master planning process for Falls Park. That pause helped establish the need for year-round programming, Executive Director Abby Bischoff said.
The new facility will also further the mission of the existing museum in connecting people with agriculture, letting them know where their food comes from and raising awareness of career possibilities in the agricultural sphere.

"We know that our younger generations are interested in careers that help solve social problems as well as spark their creativity," Bischoff said. "So we’re really excited to be able to show kids they can solve big problems like hunger and sustainability right here in South Dakota, and they don't have to leave to do it."

Tell me more about the new facility

TL;DR

Super Simplified Stories

Get signed up for summer camp.* Sign-ups are open for YMCA's Camp Leif Ericson this summer, and 1,600 kids have already claimed their spot. There's still plenty of space for more, but act quickly because some camp sections have already filled. The camp is a one-of-a-kind summer camp experience to connect kids age 4 to 15 with the outdoors, and this year, kids will get a chance to play on the brand new outpost play structure.
- "You go into another world for a couple of weeks, and you’re going to learn not only skills but stories and friendships that are going to last a lifetime," Camp Director Justin Lassen said.

Parents can sign up their kids for camp here. And know that if cost is a barrier, the YMCA also offers scholarships, as well as a sliding fee scale.
"We never want finances to be the reason someone can't go to camp," Lassen said. Learn more here.

Kids left without legal help after funding cuts. Dozens of kids in the Sioux Falls area will be left without help navigating the legal process for seeking asylum as an unaccompanied minor after South Dakota Voices for Peace received a stop work order from the federal government. It's important to note, as Executive Director Taneeza Islam shared, that this is the established legal process for kids to seek asylum, and these kids are not entering the country illegally. You can learn more and offer support here.
New forums on homelessness. Good NAtured this week announced a new, community-led forum for dialogue and action in addressing the needs of unhoused folks in the community. The monthly forum will kick off Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. at Good NAtured, and will recur the last Wednesday of each month.
Bishop Dudley sees record high need. With frigid temperatures this week, the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House is facing extreme challenges in serving everyone who needs help, according to an email from Executive Director Madeline Shields.
- "To say our shelter is full is an understatement," she said. "It’s 'standing room only' and at night guests sleep wherever they can find floor space. Our kitchen has been running out of food every day this week due to the huge increase in guests we are serving."
- You can help by volunteering or offering financial support.
Help determine the future of Sioux Falls parks. The city is ready to start talking about the next master plan for Sioux Falls park system, which will guide decisions about parks, trails, facilities, programs, events, and open spaces in Sioux Falls for the next five years. You can learn more and share your thoughts here.

*Denotes a sponsored story.

SODAK SIMPLIFIED

Four things from Pierre

'Librarians in handcuffs.' The state House this week advanced a bill that would enable for criminal prosecution of librarians who allow children to view materials defined by the state as harmful or obscene. The bill would also apply schools, universities, museums, libraries and their employees. South Dakota Searchlight has a great explanation here on what this could mean and how the state would define "obscene" material.
Fewer freedoms for trans folks. Lawmakers this week also advanced a bill that would prohibit transgender people from using their preferred bathroom/locker room facilities in public schools and state-owned properties like prisons and universities. Similar "bathroom bills" have been introduced in the legislature several times since 2016.
- Meanwhile, another bill aimed at limiting trans rights failed by default when the House was split 35-35. This one would've prohibited people from updating their birth certificates and driver's licenses to reflect their gender. South Dakota Searchlight has more on both of those measures.
One of two child care bills advances. House Bill 1132, which would allow qualifying child care providers to access child care assistance for their own children, has passed out of the state House of Representatives and moved along to the Senate. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 126 was effectively killed. That bill would've changed how providers are compensated through the state's child care assistance programs – essentially meaning more money for child care providers.
Crossover Day is coming. Tuesday is "Crossover Day" in the South Dakota state legislature – which means any bills that don't pass out of their house of origin (i.e. a senate bill passing out of the senate and over to the house) die by default. So, if there's something you want to see passed (or killed), this is a good week to reach out to your representatives.

THIS AND THAT

What I'm falling for this week:

ICYMI

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Oh, by the way

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