Happy Friday! Megan here.
Weather check: First freeze on the way
This week, you'll meet the candidates for Lincoln County Commission – and, because of how things shook out this year, they're also your only options. BUT it still matters how they view different policies, so we talked to them anyway. You'll also meet a very selfless golfer at O'Gorman and find some Super Simplified Stories to take you through the weekend.
And now, news:
SPORTS
Karma on-par: O'Gorman golfer wins after show of selflessness
By Tom A. Savage
His is a story of inspiration, humility, sportsmanship and mental toughness.
All of those attributes together resulted in a Class AA individual state golf championship for O’Gorman’s Drew Simon, who won the title in a sudden death playoff last week at Lee Park Golf Course in Aberdeen.
The intriguing, and inspirational, thing about this story isn’t so much that he won in a pressure-packed playoff that would make most golfers queasy under the gravity of the situation, it’s how he got there.
Show me the full story
2026 SD ELECTION
Meet the candidates-elect for the Lincoln County Commission
By Michaela Ramm
Simplified: Three candidates are on the ballot to fill three open seats on the Lincoln County Commission in the general election after securing the Republican nomination in the primaries. Because no candidates from other parties have thrown their hats into the race, these three individuals are looking at a clear path into office.
Why it matters
- Three candidates – Joel Arends, Amy Harms and Joni Ekstrum – emerged as the Republican nominees for the Lincoln County Commissioners race in the June primary election. They are not facing any challengers in the general election, meaning they should be elected without any additional hurdles.
- Only one candidate on the ballot – Joel Arends – is an incumbent. He also ran unopposed in the June primary election.
- The remaining candidates, Amy Harms and Joni Ekstrum, will be new faces on the commission. Harms defeated incumbent Tiffani Landeen to earn the District 3 seat and Ekstrum succeeded Commissioner Jim Schmidt, who opted not to run for re-election for District 5.
- Lincoln County is the fastest growing county in South Dakota, thanks to the growth of Sioux Falls and neighboring communities. Policy decisions made by this county commission will have a broad impact on many residents, and could shape the future direction of county development.
Let’s meet the candidates
TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- Council approves tax increase on downtown properties. The Sioux Falls City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved changes to how downtown properties are taxed as part of the Business Improvement District (BID). The BID is an extra property tax that downtown property owners pay to help provide additional services like graffiti response, waste removal, cleaning, beautification, etc. Changes remove exemptions for industrial properties and multi-family housing, and 21 properties are affected by the change. Those places will now have to pay in to the BID at a higher rate.
- Parking fee changes advance. The Sioux Falls City Council also passed the first reading of changes to downtown public parking, which would increase rates on Phillips Ave, decrease rates in certain ramps, adjust hours to charge later into the evening for on-street parking, and increase fees for parking tickets. That moves now to a second reading next week where the council will vote on final approval.
- Southeastern breaks ground on new facility. Southeastern Directions for Life held a groundbreaking this week for its new Community Support Services Building that'll be constructed at 300 S. Summit Ave. on the site formerly known as the Mercado block. In addition to support services, the facility will also have a number of low-income housing apartments.
- City completes phase two of Jacobson Plaza construction. More green space, a new scenic overlook and improved walking trails around Jacobson Plaza are all part of this second phase of construction. The $2.6 million project was 90% funded by donations from Garry Jacobson and Rob Everist through the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation. The city kicked in $200,000, which was approved by the city council in March. Here's a look at the updates:
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
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