Getting Involved in Government Locally Tip #5

I'm sure many of you, while making merry in various South Dakota establishments this holiday season, will wonder what became of the smoking ban that was originally intended to go into effect last July.

A week ago last Friday, Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Trandahl ruled that petitions filed to refer the smoking ban to a public vote met the required number of signatures. Both the State of South Dakota and the American Cancer Society have decided not to appeal the decision to the South Dakota Supreme Court, likely due to the expense of such an appeal.

And so it seems that the smokey or smokeless state of restaurants and bars will be put into our hands next November. Make sure to register to vote in plenty of time (more than 15 days before a SD election) in order to vote your opinion and GIGL.

(Regardless of the ban's status, some restaurants and bars choose to be smoke-free. If you're interested, the following is a link to a list of smoke-free restaurants in eastern South Dakota.)

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!

Getting Involved in Government Locally Tip #2

Ever heard of Nixle? Probably not, but it could save a life.

Nixle is a community alert service that sends you email, text, or automated phone messages when the government agencies in your area put out public notifications.

For example, any registered Nixle users in South Dakota would have received a message about the Endangered Persons Alert put out for a Pennington County woman last week. They also would have been notified when she was found and the alert cancelled.

Think of it as an Amber Alert for your phone or computer.

The best part? It's free to users, making it a great way to GIGL.

Getting Involved in Government Locally Tip #1

When I think back on what my hometown of Sioux Falls was like just ten

or fifteen years ago, I'm always surprised at how much it has changed.

The southeastern part of South Dakota has grown tremendously in

recent years. As we all know, change doesn't come easily, and our

region's growth has brought with it added challenges. Luckily we've had

some smart, forward-thinking citizens and administrators at the helm,

helping to plan our city's growth. The time has come to look to the next

25 years and think about how we'll keep up with the increasing demand

for housing, utilities, schools, and everything else citizens of the state's

largest city expect. Participating in discussions with Shape Sioux Falls!

is a great way to GIGL!

Not from Sioux Falls? Check out these other websites for some of

South Dakota's premier cities. They'll usually have a calendar of

upcoming events where you can learn about what's going on

in your community and voice your opinion.

Aberdeen

Brookings

Pierre

Rapid City

Yankton

My Recent Activities

On Monday, Aug. 17th, I traveled over to Parker, SD, where I was able to attend the Turner County Fair. I visited Old MacDonald's Barn, sampled the SD Pork Producers offerings, befriended some of the 4-H fair workers, cruised the streets in a Gator (and struck fear into the hearts of the foottraffic) with my escort DJ, and addressed the crowd in the Grand Stand as they eagerly awaited the begining of the tractor pull. It was definitely a good night.

On Friday, Aug. 21st, I helped entertain at the Autumn Rocks fundraiser for Holy Spirit Church in Sioux Falls. Other performers included the children's choir, adult choir, John Parezo, Andy Hey, Hannah Johnson, and the always fabulous Tonic Sol-Fa! Although it was a little chilly, the evening was a total success!

MAOT Recap

It has been a week since the crowning of Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2010 Jeanette Morelan, but I'm still buzzing from the excitement of my Orlando expirience.

On Friday, the interim night between prelims and finals, I filmed my TLC interview that will be posted online (make sure to vote for me on the TLC website! More details later...) and attended the 2nd Annual Miss America Fundraiser at the home of time-share magnate David Siegel. The house was spectacular, with hundreds of original works of art, a beautiful yard (complete with peacocks) and a grand staircase to rival Tara. The event itself was just as impressive, gathering hundreds of the area's philanthropists to dine on some of the most delicious and varied menus I have ever encountered. I really wasn't prepared to have the amount of fun I had with the other Miss America contestants. Once again, they took me by surprise with the depth of their good humor. I don't quite know what I expected, but I didn't expect to find what I did.

Following our night of mayhem, we had a business meeting on Saturday morning, where we discussed the necessary though slightly less exciting topics of ticket sales, sponsorships, and production elements for January.

Saturday night brought the announcement and competition of the top 10 Miss America's Outstanding Teen contestants, and the crowning of our 2010 titleholder. Jeanette Morelan from Racine, Wisconsin became our new MAOT!

After a lovely week of floating on Cloud 9, it was time to return to reality on Sunday morning, when my flight out of Orlando was delayed almost two hours. :P Oh well. Such is life.