Patrick Lalley

2 days ago | siouxfallslive.com | Matt Zimmer |Patrick Lalley

Senate Majority Leader John Thune , R-South Dakota, is one of the most powerful members of Congress. But even he is not immune from thieves who’ve been raiding the accounts of politicians and political committees with near-impunity. Thune’s leadership political action committee, Heartland Values PAC , lost $5,949 in a “check fraud” incident on Nov. 1, according to Federal Election Commission records .

6 days ago | siouxfallslive.com | Patrick Lalley |Stu Whitney

Sioux Falls city councilors got a glimpse at where the city’s revenues are headed Tuesday, and they aren’t up. Sales tax growth slumped in the first quarter of 2025, expanding at just a smidge above 0 percent compared to last year. The 2 percent sales tax that Sioux Falls collects on goods and services is the most important revenue source – funding many employee salaries, including public safety workers – as well as road construction, maintenance and other capital projects.

6 days ago | siouxfallslive.com | Patrick Lalley |Stu Whitney

SIOUX FALLS – Keeping cattle waste out of the river that runs through the state’s largest city will cost about $11 million over the next five years, and the city will pay more than half the price. One of the designers of the water quality program that money pays for, however, told an audience in Sioux Falls that past investments have paid off. The Big Sioux River is polluted with dissolved soils, agricultural chemicals and livestock waste beyond levels safe for uses like fishing and swimming.

6 days ago | siouxfallslive.com | Patrick Lalley

John and Kimberly Pederson flip through an album of photos from the early years of their family. The snapshots are misty mirrors of the hopes and dreams of the past, the kind we all collect of toddlers and Christmas trees and bright summer days. For the Pedersons, there also are pictures of cracks in the walls, a little water damage on the ceiling, a light switch plate and stripping years of paint from a hardwood door.

6 days ago | siouxfallslive.com | Patrick Lalley

South Dakota State is hosting a massive party to kick off the school year in August with Jacks Bash 3, featuring country music stars Blake Shelton and Thomas Rhett. The outdoor concert at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of the university’s football complex. SDSU and First Premier Bank announced the event on Friday during an event at the bank’s headquarters in downtown Sioux Falls.