- The top pork prize. Maribella Ristorante's "PLUMA" pork dish took home the top prize in the Downtown Pork Showdown. In total, 26 restaurants participated, and more than 5,000 pork dishes were sold as part of the annual month-long event.
- Council defers liquor license renewal. The City Council on Tuesday voted to defer a final decision on renewing the liquor license for Smokin' Deals at 1600 E. 10th Street after a few neighbors expressed concerns about alcohol being sold to people who are already visibly intoxicated and proliferating public drinking in the area. Representatives from the business said they are not selling to people who are already drunk, and city officials reported few complaints at that location. The council voted to take a bit more time to dig into the data before deciding one way or another.
- Sioux Falls schools to expand junior kindergarten. More students are showing up to kindergarten unprepared, district officials said during a work session on Wednesday, and so Sioux Falls schools are looking to expand to a full-day junior kindergarten program at 15 elementary schools next fall. The ultimate goal is to improve literacy rates and help kids more quickly catch up to grade-level by giving them a year of junior kindergarten before jumping into actual kindergarten. More information is expected in the coming months.
- A new indoor playground. Sioux Falls City Council on Wednesday took the first step in approving a $500,000 donation to fund an indoor playground at the new Frank Olson Recreation Center. The funds, from donors Paul and Mary Ellen Connelly, will be used for "Margie’s Tree House Playground." Design for the entire Frank Olson project is set to be completed yet this winter, and construction is expected to kick off in the spring with final completion in the spring of 2029. Here's a rendering of that indoor playground:
