Structure fire; Prison assaults; High weekend temps
A structure fire could be seen on the northeast side of Sioux Falls on the 2200 block of West 8th Street. We were able to capture the smoke through our downtown Sioux Falls live cam.
Structure fire burns apartment in north Sioux Falls
The Division of Criminal Investigation is looking into reports of several assaults on the South Dakota State Penitentiary's campus this week. This latest incident concerns Project Prison Reset task force members for a number of reasons.
Task force reacts to inmate assault reports
Temperatures will be rising into the weekend, well into the 80s in most locations. We do expect a few scattered hits of rain in central SD tomorrow morning.
Smoke arrives this weekend; Thunderstorms likely next week
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Yahoo
Prison task force picks Sioux Falls, caps price at $650 million for 1,500 beds
South Dakota State Engineer Stacy Watters, left, and Vance McMillan of JE Dunn testify to the Project Prison Reset task force on July 8, 2025, in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) SIOUX FALLS — South Dakota can't build the prison it needs at the price it wants without sacrificing quality and longevity. That was the message delivered Tuesday to the Project Prison Reset task force by the state's construction manager, the state engineer and the consultant hired earlier this year to evaluate the options for addressing prison overcrowding. The message didn't take. Citing the political realities of a skeptical Legislature, the task force voted unanimously to recommend that lawmakers support a men's prison at a price point of $650 million during a special session whose date has yet to be set. Prison task force rejects original Lincoln County site, tightens budget for new facility That's $50 million higher than the limit the group set last month. It's also $75 million less than the experts said the group's preferred project would cost hours before the vote. Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen, who leads the task force, said the figure is a compromise that moves the state toward a replacement for the 144-year-old penitentiary in Sioux Falls. 'There is no appetite, none, for going above $650 million,' Venhuizen said. House Speaker Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, said securing a two-thirds majority in both chambers — required for spending bills — will mean convincing lawmakers that the job can be done without cost overruns and supplemental budget requests. 'We're going to need to know that we can actually do it for $650 million,' Hansen said. The group also endorsed two vacant plots of industrial land in northeastern Sioux Falls just off Interstate 229, near Gage Brothers, a precast concrete company. The choice of which was left to legislators. The task force voted to shoot down options in Mitchell or Worthing early on during its final meeting Tuesday, which took place at the Military Heritage Alliance in Sioux Falls. Other site options were ruled out during earlier meetings, and some communities, including Box Elder, removed themselves from consideration after submitting proposals. Unlike the residents of Mitchell and Worthing, Joe Bunker of Gage Brothers told the group his company had no qualms with having a prison as a neighbor. 'I just want you to know that we're not opposed to it,' Bunkers said. The buildings on the recommended prison campus should be designed to last 100 years, the task force decided, with 1,200 beds for higher security inmates and another 300 for lower-security inmates. That configuration was one of 14 options presented Tuesday morning from Arrington Watkins, the consulting firm hired to assess the prison system's space needs. The price estimate for the northeastern Sioux Falls prison complex is $725 million. That's $100 million less than a 1,500-bed men's prison proposed for Lincoln County, whose failure to earn the support of the Legislature back in February spurred the creation of the task force. The two sites in northeast Sioux Falls selected as potential prison locations. Mike Quinn of Arrington Watkins ran the task force through the options Tuesday morning. None came in below $600 million, the price cap the task force adopted previously. In addition to brushing off Mitchell and Worthing as site options, the group's final recommendations eliminated options that would have placed buildings in multiple locations. Those included a small prison just north of the penitentiary across a Big Sioux River diversion channel and an additional dormitory-style building in Springfield, current site of Mike Durfee State Prison. Those options were an outgrowth of questions from task force members about the need for a single high-security facility. Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead, a task force member, asked Quinn if any of the multi-building setups would be 'the best option for the taxpayer.' The answer was no. Each prison site, regardless of size, Quinn said, would need to have recreation areas, kitchens and mess halls and other support areas. 'When you build three facilities, you're building those buildings three times,' Quinn said, adding 'it's never more economical to split it up into smaller units.' Hansen was one of several task force members to ask about a 1,512-bed Nebraska prison priced at $313 million for inmates at a variety of security levels. South Dakota State Engineer Stacy Watters said the state of Nebraska has refused to release specifications for that facility, and denied a records request from South Dakota for more details, citing nondisclosure agreements with its contractors. What the state did learn, Watters said, was that the $313 million price only includes construction, not site preparation or design, and that it doesn't include the intake area or medical facilities that South Dakota's proposal does. Nebraska has already spent $130 million on buildings with those services over the past seven years, she said, and plans to use cheaper piping for its plumbing in the new prison project. The design and materials being used in Nebraska are unclear, but 'we had to assume that at that price, there was a reduced level of construction,' said Vance McMillan of JE Dunn, the state's construction manager at-risk. Hansen questioned why Nebraska would hold back on sharing its design features for a public project. Venhuizen suggested that Nebraska is building a 'sub-par' facility, and 'that's not something they're really looking to admit.' McMillan told the group it had done all the due diligence necessary to keep its estimates low, bidding out every piece of the project. A cheaper price would mean building a prison that would need replacing sooner. Comparisons to Nebraska or other states weren't 'apples to apples,' he said. Report: Tough-on-crime policies could push prison construction costs as high as $2.1 billion But House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach, R-Spearfish, said lower reported price points in other states have created enough doubt to put a new South Dakota prison in political jeopardy at the prices offered Tuesday. 'I'm sitting here as majority leader trying to figure out how I can sell this to a two-thirds majority of the Legislature not knowing all the answers,' Odenbach said. The state has $566 million set aside in an incarceration construction fund, a balance built by infusions of COVID-19 relief money and earning interest. About $50 million of that is earmarked for a women's prison in Rapid City, which is currently under construction. The fund will grow by $23 million of interest in August, Corrections Department spokesman Michael Winder said Tuesday. That the state has the money set aside makes the project more palatable, but Rep. Greg Jamison, R-Sioux Falls, said worries about ongoing operational costs and concerns that the state might not be getting the best deal have left some lawmakers unwilling to trust the experts. 'Other states are doing it for less. There's a shadow of doubt, and we need to rebuild that trust,' Jamison said, to get legislative approval. Jamison suggested that the group vote for 1,500 beds, cap the price at $600 million, and recommend looking for a new construction manager at-risk, as JE Dunn and Henry Carlson's single proposal was the only one the state fielded back in 2023. McMillan, as well as some task force members, bristled at the idea of dispensing with JE Dunn and starting from scratch. McMillan told the task force that every month wasted carries the potential for greater costs. He urged them to make a decision, and insisted that the team that's worked on prisons for the state for the past two years could meet whatever design specifications that lawmakers want. 'We would be happy to build you a steel structure that would last you 50 years. That's a decision that you guys have to make,' McMillan said. McMillan said it would be 'a tall order' to build a 100-year facility for $650 million. Judge Jane Wipf Pfeifle, a task force member, said switching gears on a construction manager would ultimately cost taxpayers. She also questioned the wisdom of setting an 'arbitrary' cap on costs that could hamstring a new prison's ability to meet the state's needs. Two consultants' reports since 2022 have pointed to inmate population growth that will outpace the state's ability to house prisoners without major policy shifts or new construction. The experts, she said, have shown their work to explain their prices and how their designs can address the problem. Prison task force is offered sites east of Box Elder, near unbuilt hog operation in Sioux Falls 'They're not saying 'Gosh, I read in the newspaper that it's cheaper in Arkansas or Nebraska,'' Wipf Pfeifle said. Sen. Jamie Smith, D-Sioux Falls, was among the task force members to worry aloud about what the state would lose — including space for things like rehabilitation programming — by placing a cap of $650 million on the project. Smith said he had little choice but to support the lower-cost compromise figure, but that 'there are going to be corners that will have to be cut in order to get to that number, based on everything that you've seen today.' Sen. Jim Mehlhaff, R-Pierre, expressed similar concerns. Based on a question from Mehlhaff, Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko told the group that after closing up the penitentiary, she could likely fill 1,500 beds with the state's current prison population. 'We might build a facility that is overcrowded the day we move in,' Mehlhaff said, adding that spending $600 million of saved-up money without solving the problem would be 'a poor stewardship of taxpayer money.' Even so, Mehlhaff said, he recognizes that his fellow lawmakers need to be willing to move forward. Mehlhaff moved that the task force recommend the Legislature to direct the Department of Corrections to 'come up with a plan' to build 1,500 beds 'in the most efficient way possible,' with 300 beds for lower-security inmates. Attorney General and task force member Marty Jackley suggested a $650 million price cap as an amendment. Prison work group peppered with public testimony in first Sioux Falls meeting That addition was 'not necessarily friendly,' the Mehlhaff said, 'but if we could move the ball forward, I could accept that.' Before the final vote, both Venhuizen and Hansen, a 2026 gubernatorial candidate, lauded the result as a win. Venhuizen said the task force had produced a workable compromise. Hansen said the group was able to find a location that, unlike the original Lincoln County proposal, is palatable to neighbors. When asked if the lower price might force the Legislature to build a facility meant to last less than 100 years, Venhuizen said 'I would rather build it smaller' than cheaper. Compromises will need to be made, he said, but those decisions will need to come from the Legislature. Hansen said he also wants to see a durable facility. He couldn't speculate on what kinds of compromises might be necessary, but said there's no question that a higher price tag is off the table. 'We'll have to see what these guys bring to the Legislature,' Hansen said of the design team. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Yahoo
Storm Center PM Update: Severe Weather Chances Return
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It has been a warmer day for KELOLAND with much more sunshine. We got the chance to dry out East River after significant rainfall over the last few days. We aren't quite done with the unsettled weather though as an incoming trough will bring the chance for thunderstorms late this afternoon and through the overnight hours. A majority of KELOLAND is in a slight risk for severe weather and all hazards are possible with any supercell storms that fire up. Make sure to stay weather aware and keep an eye out on our social media pages for updates. The recent model outputs shows scattered thunderstorms in North Dakota potentially forming a line and moving southeast, the main threat would then shift towards severe wind gusts. There is a chance the line could clip northeastern KELOLAND overnight. Besides the thunderstorm chances, most of us will see partly cloudy skies with lows in the 60s. Going into tomorrow, the heat will become more widespread with highs in the 80s and 90s. Dew point values will be in the 60s and 70s East River, this means heat index values could be close to the triple digits. Overall, it will be a quiet day and the atmosphere will try to recharge. As a cold front moves through, there will be more energy for thunderstorms to form during the evening. The conditions will likely form storms in clusters and the activity West River will move into East River overnight. Another slight risk of severe weather is in store for most of KELOLAND with the main hazards being damaging wind gusts and hail. We will take a break from rain chances at the beginning of next week as a high pressure system settles in. Highs will be seasonable before we become slightly warmer into the end of the week with periodic chances for showers and thunderstorms. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Yahoo
Overdose deaths, gang violence draw charges in some — not all — recent prison incidents
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley speaks at a press conference on prison violence on June 24, 2025, in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) SIOUX FALLS — Attorney General Marty Jackley announced a flurry of criminal charges Tuesday in a series of incidents that have played out since February on the grounds of the South Dakota State Penitentiary. Two people stand accused of providing the drugs that killed two of the four inmates who've overdosed this year in South Dakota prisons. The charges in the overdose deaths of 20-year-old Anthony Richards and 39-year-old Jason Garreau were unsealed Tuesday. Legislative group studies SD's high incarceration rate, overrepresentation of Indigenous prisoners An inmate allegedly supplied the synthetic marijuana that killed Richards in February at the penitentiary's Jameson Annex. The methamphetamine and cocaine that killed Garreau in the penitentiary in May was allegedly delivered hand-to-hand by an on-site visitor who lives in Sioux Falls. There are two other suspected prison overdose deaths under investigation, Attorney General Marty Jackley said Tuesday at the Law Enforcement Center in Sioux Falls. Charges may come soon in those cases, which involved the May 18 death of 24-year-old Joshua Arrow and the June 10 death of 42-year-old Nicholas Skorka. Jackley said the state's still awaiting toxicology results in those cases. Also unsealed Tuesday were felony assault and rioting indictments for 24 inmates reportedly involved in a 40-man gang skirmish at the Jameson Annex on May 27 that injured 14 and sent four to the hospital. There were nine gangs involved in that fight, Jackley said. The violence was 'coordinated' by the gangs, he said, but he declined to say if any of the eight inmate victims who are named in the indictments were targeted specifically. Two of the people whose names are listed as assault victims were themselves charged for felony rioting, defined under South Dakota law as an incident in which three or more people break things or hurt others on purpose. 'I'm going to suggest to you that of the 24 indicted, they might all be taking the position that they're victims,' Jackley said, noting that the Division of Criminal Investigation concluded that only eight of those involved could legally be classified as such. The number of gangs involved – nine – is 'probably more than I'm normally involved with in a particular investigation,' Jackley said. But he also said he recognizes that 'there is gang prevalence at the penitentiary.' The charges relate to some, but not all, of the recent high-profile prison grounds incidents. An inmate broke the nose of a female correctional officer in late March at the penitentiary. Another, unrelated bout of violence at the Jameson Annex between inmates came hours later. On May 7, a male correctional officer was injured by an inmate at Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield. None of those incidents has drawn charges. Fight breaks out at penitentiary one month after similar violence that injured officer Several investigations have commenced this year into situations like those, Jackley said, as well as into a prison drug ring the Department of Corrections announced it had broken up. A late May press release on that investigation said criminal charges would follow 'if warranted.' The attorney general declined to say Tuesday if more charges were imminent in any of those situations. 'Like all investigations, you may reach a point where you're prepared because there's probable cause and a reasonable likelihood that a jury would convict, where you move forward, but those investigations are not at that charging decision stage,' Jackley said. He did suggest that autopsy results in the overdose deaths of Arrow and Skorka would be necessary to make the call in those specific cases. After Tuesday's press conference, Jackley spokesman Tony Mangan told South Dakota Searchlight that the state is waiting for final reports in the officer assault cases. The Department of Corrections, meanwhile, suspended in-person visits in Sioux Falls in response to the drug ring investigation. That decision has led to some consternation among inmate families, some of whom planned to hold the latest in a series of protests against the DOC Tuesday evening. The charges and investigations this year have taken place as state officials consider sites for a new men's prison to replace the oldest parts of the penitentiary. The first meeting of the Project Prison Reset task force came days after the late March assaults. Penitentiary and Jameson Annex inmates were on a security lockdown when the task force members toured the grounds for that April 2 meeting. The officer in Durfee was attacked a week and a day after the group met in Springfield. The next task force meeting is scheduled for July 8 in Sioux Falls. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
