Getting Involved in Government Locally Tip #4

Ever wonder if there is a warrant out for your arrest in Minnehaha county? Of course not.

But have you ever wondered about your neighbor with the annoying dog? Or the babysitter you hired, but don't know very well? Or what about the people who live in the apartment above yours and frequently have raucous dance parties?

Well, now you can find out online by checking out GotWarrants.org. Most of the warrants are for traffic offenses or driving without insurance. Not too serious. However, some are for robbery, rape, and other scary things. Helping the Sheriff's Office by tipping them off if you know the whereabouts of one of these individuals is a great way to GIGL.

Getting Involved in Government Locally Tip #3

Several billions of dollars have gone out to the states this year in an effort to stimulate economic activity. Do you know how it is being spent? The information is just a mouse click away.

South Dakota operates a website to track state government's stimulus spending. At Recovery.SD.Gov, you can investigate the type of projects federal dollars are funding in South Dakota. It is fun to look out for the projects in your communities once you have read about them on the website. I'm sure many of you noticed the seemingly endless cone-zones across the state this year, and we can thank more than $77 million of the $183 million allocated for transportation projects for providing us with endless hours of amusement on the road.

Plenty of other states have similar websites to track their spending as well.

Check it out. It's a great way to GIGL!