• Big money for The Link. The Greg and Pam Sands Foundation this week announced a $250,000 donation to The Link Community Triage Center to support folks battling addiction or mental illness. The investment will bring $50,000 per year for the next five years to The Link, and it marks the largest individual donation to the triage center. So far this year, The Link has provided 2,135 triages so far this year, and data shows as many as 70% of the people treated there are unhoused. Learn more about The Link here.
  • Hispanic Chamber cancels festival. The South Dakota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is canceling its annual Latino Festival and Parade, South Dakota Public Broadcasting reports. This comes amid increased immigration enforcement and state initiatives like Operation Prairie Thunder. Find the full story here.
  • Get smart about Midwest Street Medicine. You might remember an earlier story about the local nonprofit helping the unhoused population. Next week, Midwest Street Medicine is hosting an event of insight, lived experience and powerful storytelling with Tanya, a member of the Lower Brule Sioux tribe. The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15 at the Union Gospel Mission and is free to attend.
  • Help paint a mural. The community is invited to help paint a new mural in the tunnel of the Cherapa Place parking ramp during the Riverfest event next weekend. Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. received a $15,000 grant from the Gilchrist Foundation, and artist Joe Schaeffer will lead the creation of the 60-foot mural.
  • More college kids all around. Enrollment figures released this week by the South Dakota Board of Regents show growth in the number of college students at Dakota State University (a record number), South Dakota State University, and the University of South Dakota. Even the private schools are getting in on the action with Augustana University welcoming the largest-ever freshman class and student body in university history.