Happy Wednesday! Megan here. First things first, this issue is sponsored by White Space Studio. White Space Studio is a natural light photography studio and event space owned by local photographer and business coach Maddie Peschong. White Space opens this week in a new location in Tea, with more than 2,500 square feet of rentable space for creatives to dream, build, host and collaborate. Learn more here. P.S. White Space Studio is partnering with Sioux Falls Simplified to offer a free headshot mini-session to one lucky person who upgrades to a membership using Maddie's special link. (Must be ..read more

Simplified: The Sioux Falls City Council will decide in the coming weeks whether the city should invest $77 million in new aquatics and indoor recreation facilities. If they say yes, here's a look at what changes are coming for Frank Olson and Kuehn Park pools. Why it matters Both the Frank Olson and Kuehn Park pools are aging and need to be replaced. The city has been working for the last few years to seek community feedback and figure out how best to meet everyone's needs with new facilities. Throughout that feedback, Sioux Fallsians said loud and clear that they want more indoor recreatio ..read more

Simplified: The Sioux Falls school board on Monday unanimously approved the name of the new northwest elementary school: Marcella LeBeau Elementary. It's named after LeBeau, a Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe member, World War II veteran and long-time nurse known for her spirit of service. How was the name selected? The name was chosen by a committee of 25 people – including representatives from students, teachers, parents, community members, administrators and representation from the school board. Who is Marcella LeBeau? Here, let me defer to Anna Brokenleg, who leads the district's Office of Indi ..read more

Happy Friday! Megan here. Weather check: Don't plant your garden just yet – freezes on the way. This weekend, I'll share Mayor Paul TenHaken's annual highlight reel in the State of the City address, as well as details of a proposed $77 million aquatics bond. Plus, you'll learn how the city team was able to respond quickly to the 9-1-1 outage Wednesday night. I've also got some Super Simplified Stories and a quick round-up of local sustainability nonprofits to follow in honor of Earth Day early next week. And now, news: COMMUNITY What's in the city's proposed $77M aquatics bond? Simplified: May ..read more

Simplified: Mayor Paul TenHaken on Thursday delivered the annual State of the City address to scores of Sioux Fallsians at the Convention Center. He covered a wide variety of topics – here's a quick run-down of some of the newsiest tidbits. Why it matters TenHaken is now halfway through his second term as mayor, so, frankly, this isn't his first rodeo. His addresses in previous years have focused on managing growth, city values, and a pivot from an infrastructure-focused first term to a second term emphasizing quality of life investments. This year's address focused on how Sioux Falls has hi ..read more

Simplified: Mayor Paul TenHaken this week unveiled initial details for a planned $77 million bond to fund a new pool at Kuehn Park, and indoor pool and recreation center at Frank Olson and the purchase of the Sanford Wellness Center on Tea/Ellis Road. Why it matters The city has been talking for the last several years about replacing the aging pools at Kuehn Park and Frank Olson Park, as well as the wading pool at McKennan Park. The parks department has held over 20 community meetings and sought feedback via online surveys in the last couple of years in preparation. Fairly early on in the co ..read more

Simplified: The team at Metro Communications and the broader city communications team didn't miss a beat on Wednesday night when they realized the system that accepts 911 calls wasn't working. Here's a look at how their quick response set the tone for the entire state. What happened? At about 8 p.m. Wednesday night, Metro's team confirmed a 911 outage. They were able to notice it right away because of more sophisticated analytics in their new facility, Director Mike Gramlick said. The dispatchers were unable to accept calls made directly to 911, but they could still receive calls made to the ..read more

Happy Wednesday! Megan here. Weather check: Cool and breezy This week, I fully geeked out about voter turnout data – mostly because I couldn't believe how few people turned out for the April 9 election. I could've very easily written about how even as Sioux Falls' population (and number of registered voters) grows, fewer and fewer individuals turn out to vote, but I basically already told that story two years ago. So, I decided instead to focus on where people are and aren't voting. Maybe that'll help provide clarity or lead to new questions or something. Maybe? Who knows. Either way, we get ..read more

Simplified: Overall voter turnout for the Sioux Falls city and school election earlier this month was 7.7% – the lowest turnout in a municipal election in recent history, per city data. Sioux Falls Simplified analyzed precinct-level voter turnout data to see which neighborhoods saw the most – and least – folks going out to vote. Why it matters Voter turnout data shows us who is making decisions about local government officials – who then, in turn, make decisions that affect everyone who lives in Sioux Falls. Looking at the data is also the first step in forming hypotheses as to why the elect ..read more

There's a lot to celebrate this week in Sioux Falls. Here's a look at what's going on: Celebrate Earth Day. Start your day Saturday by giving back to Mother Nature with the annual Big Sioux River Clean-Up event hosted by Friends of the Big Sioux River. Then hop over to Remedy and grab a Big Sioux Brew – a German pilsner made with purified river water. Details here. Celebrate Record Store Day. Stock up on vinyls and good vibes on Saturday. Last Stop will have the Black Iris coffee truck and video game tournaments from Siouxpercon at its 10th Street location. Total Drag will be partying with t ..read more