• We're goin' up, up, up. Sioux Falls added just over 5,000 residents in 2025, bringing the total population to 224,676. For context, when Mayor Paul TenHaken first took office eight years ago, the population was 182,500. That's a 23% increase – and who knows what'll happen over the next mayor's term.
  • In tandem with a growing population, the city also saw lots of construction last year. The city surpassed $1.3 billion in total construction permit valuation – the second-best year on record.
  • The top three highest-value projects were CJ Foods at $170 million, Avera’s women’s and children’s expansion at $131 million and Good Samaritan’s Founder’s Crossing at $109 million. 
• This one's for you, late-night snackers.* Locally owned Fat Shack is serving up the freshest comfort food in town with never-frozen burgers, wings cooked the minute you order them, cooked-fresh Philly cheesesteaks and sandwiches. They're also open until 1 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays and until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Learn more here.
• What's happening in Pierre. The bills are rolling in, including one that would require state employees to have a "cooling off period" before leaving state jobs to take work at private companies benefitting from state funds. South Dakota Searchlight has the full details here. (And they're also churning out several stories a day on the legislative happenings – you can follow all of that work here.)

*Denotes a paid partnership