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Donita Trump Noem Kristi Noem Matt Althoff South Dakotans

New South Dakota DSS director has history of trying to cover up abuse

l3wis 9Comments

Don’t take my word for it, listen and read this interview done in 2017;

After the priest council got her letter, Matt Althoff and Diocese Attorney Dan Fritz called for a meeting with Cindy, which she also secretly recorded on her phone. 

“You are the victim of sexual harassment,” Althoff said in the recording.  “And you are the victim of somebody that crossed professional boundaries.” 

“And Matt said to me if I sent another report, I lose my job,” Cindy said. 

“Let me tell you… I don’t like to be threatening. But because it’s an employee situation. I think now that we have this established arrangement or understanding, you need to understand (Cindy) that that complicates the church’s ability to employ you if you disobey that. If you continue to send things out,” Althoff said in the recording.  

Besides Althoff clearly defending the abuser I have heard he has taken similar stances while defending the current mismanagement of the Bishop Dudley house, unfortunately I can’t get anyone to go on record to verify these accusations but it seems people need to start recording convos with this guy.

This isn’t the first time the SD Catholic Diocese has attempted to infiltrate state government. Back in 2008 they recruited John Madigan to register as a fake Democrat in District 15 while trying to keep his profession as the Diocese employee a secret. They failed.

Maybe Kenneke can make a guest appearance and refresh the memories of KELOLANDERS and Althoff’s past guidance in the Diocese. Not sure having a person who defends sexual predators is the best person to run DSS. What’s next? Appointing Ravnsborg to run the DOT?

Mayor TenHaken Sioux Falls

What is the ‘REAL’ population growth of Sioux Falls?

l3wis 12Comments

There will be one constant in 2023, more fluff & puff bluster from our esteemed leader;

“$1.9ish billion in building permits we’re going to hit this year. Probably added another 7,000 people to the community, so trying to sustain and keep up with the demands of that growth in 2022 has been challenging,” Tenhaken said.

I would love to see the correlation between population growth and commercial building permits, if one exists (you know, like homelessness and Rec MJ). I would also like to know where the ‘probably’ in population growth comes from? If you do some quick googling, you will see the average population growth in Sioux Falls is about 4,000 people a year yet when the talking heads get in front of a camera they have thrown all kinds of numbers out there. Over the past few weeks I have heard 3.5K, 4K, and even 10K. I guess the mayor is just cherry picking another number from the sky.

I would love to see the breakdown of this supposed population growth;

• How many were newborns? When I researched this a few years ago, it was determined that almost HALF of the new population growth in Sioux Falls was newborns from existing residents.

• How many were dependent minors, stay-at-home parents and retired seniors that are NOT in the adult, full-time workforce?

• How many are working full-time jobs?

• How many are working remote jobs with NO economic ties to the local economy?

• How many have permanent housing they either purchased 100% or are paying a mortgage?

• How many residents have either died or moved away?

• How many simply use Sioux Falls as a permanent address but live 50% or more out of state?

• How many are living in poverty?

It’s easy to pull numbers from your ass but a breakdown would be helpful. One thing I personally have seen over the past 2 years is a constant rotation of these supposed new people. In other words I have seen a lot of newcomers realizing Sioux Falls just isn’t for them and they move on quickly.

The biggest reasons newcomers leave?

• Lack of diversity in healthcare options and insurance

• A lackluster and deficient public transit system and unsafe streets for peds and bicyclists.

• Lack of a living wage

• Lack of affordable permanent and short term housing

• Job growth opportunities in the blue collar sector

When people from out of state tell me they want to move to SD because of all the freedom and liberty here I remind them we do have quite a bit of freedom here, freedom from earning a living wage and having access to affordable housing and healthcare, other than that, it’s a pretty great place to live . . . probably.

Planning Commission SF City Council Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls City Council Agenda, Jan 3-4, 2023

l3wis 1Comments

CALENDAR OF MEETINGS

Informational Meeting • 4 PM • Tuesday, Jan 3

• Transit Development Plan by Sam Trebilcock, Senior Planner

• 2026 Housing Action Plan – Year 1 Update by Logan Penfield, Housing Development Manager; and, Jeff Nelson, Accessible Housing Advisory Board Chair

Regular Meeting • 6 PM • Tuesday, Jan 4

Item #47, A  RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS RECERTIFYING THE COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM (CRS) PROGRAM.

Background & Objective: A required annual report from the CRS program on the Hazard Mitigation Plan. The current plan is at the end of its usefulness and a new plan is in the early stages, so no new efforts have been put into adding new items to the existing one. This is why the report is so short this year.

(I have never seen this program before, so I would be curious how long it has been since this has been updated considering we have been hit by tornados, severe storms, and flooding over the past few years requiring FEMA reimbursement. Would have been nice to have an informational meeting presentation.)

Planning Commission Meeting • 6 PM • Wednesday, Jan 4

Sioux Falls South Dakotans

What location will the state build its new prison?

l3wis 26Comments

Will it be built in Sioux Falls? I would assume that they would either have to build it in the city limits or in a suburb of Sioux Falls in order to have the workforce. A rumor swirling around is to build it at the 1880 Cowboy Town or the Buffalo Ridge Ghost Town (which is on I-90).

Patrick Lalley with his new digs at siouxfallslive.com throws around an interesting idea;

Here’s the question, what land?

There’s not much left on the current site, perched as it is on the bluff overlooking a packing plant, Falls Park, downtown and the verdant city beyond.

There’s the diversion channel to the east, rail lines and the airport to the north and housing to the southwest.

Where oh where will our prison go?

What an opportunity to transform the industrial and penal character of that high-profile section of the city, not just on the top of the bluff, but down below.

Maybe, and this is crazy dreamy stuff, the prison and the packing plant are a package deal.

The whole debate over where Wholestone Farms should build their plant only refocused the reality of the legacy of Smithfield.

Lalley is suggesting we tear down the old prison AND Smithfields and use the area for redevelopment. Yeah, it’s a pipe dream and Lalley knows it.

Smithfields isn’t going anywhere and as for the prison, I wouldn’t be surprised if the state sells it to a private developer who may remodel the existing prison for a different use like Dakotabilities did with the former Jefferson elementary. Take the bars off the windows and you could repurpose it for a pretty cool apartment building.

We will see if the legislature even passes the funding. $52 million seems like a lot of coin just for land acquisition and design. And where would we get money to actually build it? This facility could easily cost north of $100 million.

Prison building is just a scam on the taxpayers to make the private vendors who service the prison money and little else.

Will local leadership like Sioux Falls district legislators, council and mayor fight to keep the prison in the city limits? Likely not, but I would encourage the state and the city to do an economic impact study of the financial benefits of the prison. Personally I think we could save taxpayers millions by releasing all non-violent offenders with ankle monitors and drug tests while on parole. But that would require our legislature to have compassion, something they locked away decades ago.

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