Happy Wednesday! Megan here.
Weather check: Keep an eye out for thunderstorms today
📝Can I ask you a couple questions? We've got a number of new faces here, and I'm incredibly grateful for that! I'd love to get to know you better – as well as those of you who've been following along for some time. Can you help me by filling out this quick survey?
- Oh, and if you take two minutes to fill out this survey, I'll enter you into a drawing for a $25 gift card to the local coffee shop or brewery of your choice.
This week, you're invited to join Sioux Falls Simplified and a whooooole bunch of community partners for the only public debate in the mayoral run-off election. 🎉 Extremely cool stuff. And, you'll find more details on a community-wide, county-led effort to address homelessness. Plus, don't miss our event guide.
And now, news:
2026 CITY ELECTION
Why Sioux Falls Simplified is co-hosting a mayoral debate (and you should come)
Simplified: Sioux Falls Simplified is teaming up with the Sioux Falls League of Women Voters, Sioux Falls Live, The Dakota Scout and a whole bunch of community groups, nonprofits and neighborhood associations to host a public debate between mayoral run-off candidates Christine Erickson and Jamie Smith on Friday, June 12. Here's what you need to know.
Why it matters
- The debate – which will take place at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Carnegie Town Hall – is going to be the only truly public debate between the two run-off candidates. Other forums are limited to specific membership groups like the Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Rotary.
- The goal is to ask candidates specific, policy-related questions compiled with the help of a wide group of community stakeholders. More than a dozen groups contributed questions, which journalists will then refine and consolidate to fit the time allotted.
- For folks who can't make it in-person, the debate will also be shared online, including being broadcast on the City of Sioux Falls' CityLink TV channel. You can also catch a replay on Sioux Falls Simplified's YouTube channel, or follow Sioux Falls Live for a livestream (those folks really live up to their name!) I'll also have written summaries of the candidate's responses to share in next week's newsletter.
Tell me more about the community partners
COMMUNITY
Why the county says this homelessness plan is different
Simplified: Minnehaha County is leading the charge in creating a three-year strategic plan to address and prevent homelessness in Sioux Falls. The plan is bringing together dozens of community partners, including the City of Sioux Falls. Here's what you need to know.
Why it matters
- There have been plans to address homelessness before, but County Human Services Director Kari Benz said "this time is different." That's in-part because it's not just a plan looking at the problem – it's a plan looking at all of the people who are already out there trying to help solve it.
- This time around, the strategic plan is also being developed and funded by, as Benz put it, a neutral third party. Jim Lake, CEO of Vern Eide, is the financial backer, and the county is working with Sharon Chontos of North Star Solutions to facilitate the plan's creation.
- Chontos told the Minnehaha County Commission this week that her team will create a three-year strategic plan as well as a workbook that a homelessness steering committee can use to track progress on goals and hold everyone involved accountable.
"The benefit of having a strategic plan is everybody is basically playing off the same sheet of music," Chontos said. "And everybody knows what each other is doing and how they're responsible for helping individuals and families."
Tell me more
SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS
New owner, same family values: Barrow Orthodontics enters the next generation
This is a paid piece from Barrow Orthodontics.
Simplified: Keri Barrow was in the first grade when she told her dad she wanted to be an orthodontist – just like him. Now, she is running the business her father started over 40 years ago with the same philosophies he's embodied from day one. Here's what you need to know about the next generation of Barrow Orthodontics' legacy of smiles.
Why it matters
- Kevin Horner, Barrow's father, first opened what was then called Horner Orthodontics in 1984 on East 26th Street. At that point, the field of orthodontics was a lot more analog than what Barrow Orthodontics uses today, but Horner kept up with (and ahead of the curve on) the latest technologies as the business grew.
- As the practice continued to grow, he moved to the current building on 57th Street between Western and Louise Avenues in 2009. Soon after, Barrow finished her residency and joined the practice alongside her father in January 2011.
- Today, Barrow and new associate Lauren Witte run the practice with some of the best technology in town. They're some of the only orthodontists in the region using 3D printing to create models and fabricate clear plastic liners – similar to the name-brand Invisalign – right in-house.
"That's something people appreciate and want – customization and attention to detail," Barrow said. "We can provide a more customizable treatment for, possibly, a lower cost because we're not paying for the brand name."
Tell me more
EVENTS
Stuff to do: June 10-16
- Go blonde.* The Premiere Playhouse is ending its season with a bang this month with "Legally Blonde: The Musical" running June 12-21. Bend and snap your way into summer with the ultimate pink-powered musical comedy. Snag your tickets on The Premiere Playhouse website.
- 🌈Go to Pride. It's Sioux Falls Pride weekend with a whole bunch of events including the parade downtown Saturday morning at 10 a.m. followed by a festival in Yankton Trail Park from noon to 5 p.m. Event details here. You can also keep the party going with Icon's annual drag brunch Sunday morning. Tickets here.
- Don't want to wait 'til the weekend? You can also catch the Rainbow Chorus with two performances Wednesday and Thursday. Details on those shows here.
- Check out Bubble Bonanza. The Ronald McDonald House near the Sanford campus is hosting a family fun day and "bubble bonanza" from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Activities include live music from Phil Baker, face painting, hair braiding, a plant sale, raffles and a chance to drop off pop tabs. Details here.
- Shop some local vendors. The Second Saturday Market is back at 8th and Railroad this weekend with more than 30 vendors, four food trucks, music and more. It's all going down 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Details here.
- Hang in Harrisburg. It's "Harrisburg Days," which means the Tigers are out to play. There are events for all ages Friday through Sunday, including live music, a hot dog eating competition, face painting, car show, beer garden, baseball and a pancake feed Sunday morning. See the full line-up of events here.
- Learn to skate. The Siouxer is hosting drop-in skateboarding lessons at Drake Springs throughout June and July. For $15 you can show up and learn some skateboarding skills. Details here.
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
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Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
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Thank you
Thank you to Sioux Falls Simplified sponsors, including SafeSplash Swim School, Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center, Startup Sioux Falls, Encompass Mental Health, the Sioux Falls YMCA, EmBe, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Barre3 Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium, the Washington Pavilion, The Premiere Playhouse, The Good Night Theatre Collective and the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. When you support them, you're also supporting Sioux Falls Simplified.
Oh, by the way
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