• Soak up the last bit of summer.* Want to have a little "end of summer" celebration? Consider taking the family out to The Lodge at Jacobson Plaza for burgers, fries, ice cream -- and even an adult beverage for the grown ups. Plus, after a tasty and affordable meal, the whole family can enjoy Sioux Falls' largest playground. Check out the menu here. 
  • Cliff Avenue to reopen. The city announced this week that Cliff Avenue at Interstate 229 will be open to one lane of traffic in each direction starting Thursday, Aug. 21 (also the first day of school for the kids at Lincoln High School). It'll still be an active construction zone, so if you're already in the habit of avoiding it, probably continue to do that.
  • While we're at it, remember to drive safely. School starts back up in Sioux Falls next week for thousands of kids, and that means drivers oughta pay a little extra attention.
    • The city shared a few safety tips this week, including reminders to follow the speed limit – especially in school zones, put your phones down, watch for kids at crosswalks, prepare for a little more traffic than usual to account for the back-to-school crowd, and use alternate routes around schools when you can. Oh, and if you see a school bus stop with red flashing lights, you should stop, too.
  • Lotsa teachers, need subs. The Sioux Falls School District has filled nearly all open teaching positions for the upcoming school year, as Director of Human Resources Becky Dorman told the school board Monday afternoon. The district hired 130 new teachers (down from previous years) and promoted 56 existing district employees to teaching positions. The district has also seen fewer rejected job offers this year, with 87% of people accepting offers.
    • Dorman said the district still needs 250 substitute teachers for the year, and ideally those folks would be trained in before cold and flu season hits.
  • No more livestock show. The Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce this week announced that it'll no longer do the annual Sioux Empire Livestock Show, with 2025 marking its final year. The chamber stated the decision was due to "long-term financial challenges, staffing and volunteer limitations and facility constraints." See the full release here.

*Denotes a paid partnership