SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Sioux Falls police arrested an 18-year-old man early this morning for allegedly stealing a car from the Connexions II Casino on South Grange Avenue.

Steven Anderson Garcia was pulled over on West 41^st Street at Norton Avenue. He was stopped after a short pursuit on 41st with Garcia driving at a high speed.

Police accuse Garcia of ramming the stolen vehicle into a parked car damaging both vehicles.

Garcia is charged with grand theft, felony intentional damage to property, aggravated eluding and reckless driving.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - An effort to repeal the 4% state sales tax on food failed today in the House Taxation Committee.

Jim Terwilliger with the State Bureau of Finance and Management says South Dakota’s sales and use taxes are broad by design.  Terwilliger says the idea is to have a lot of residents pay a little so taxes are kept low.

The bill’s sponsor, Democratic Representative Ray Ring of Vermillion, says the tax is regressive. Ring says the poor's purchasing power is already low and taxes take a bigger piece of their budget.

Ring's bill would have been revenue neutral, he says, by fractionally increasing taxes on other goods and services.             

The bill was sent to the 41^st day effectively killing it.

SIOUX FALLS (KELO AM) - Mayor Mike Huether is passionate that the Sioux Falls Indoor Aquatic Center be built correctly the first time for the people of Sioux Falls.  

"The people want this pool, the people need this pool and I am going to see that it is done right," said Mike Huether, Mayor, Sioux Falls.  "It was the people who put this project on the ballot and they deserve to have a first rate facility."

The Mayor explained that the Events Center and the Indoor Aquatic Center are apples vs oranges issues.  

The city had time to do the schematics and designs and get the details to tell the voters what the Events Center would cost and give citizens a chance to vote.  The Aquatics Center was put on the ballot by the people and they crafted the language to replace the outdoor pool at Spellerberg.  

"We tried to build and approve a prudent budget to build the facility.  Now we have additons and improvements that we want to put in this pool," Huether says.

"No one has called my office to complain about the additional costs to this project. We are living within our means, and we are going to get this thing done with no additional cost to the citizens of Sioux Falls."

"This is no different than someone building a house and deciding to do additions before it is complete," said Huether.  "We will work together to find common ground, use compromise and common sense to get this done."

SIOUX FALLS (KELO AM) - Mayor Mike Huether is passionate that the Sioux Falls Indoor Aquatic Center be built correctly the first time for the people of Sioux Falls.  

"The people want this pool, the people need this pool and I am going to see that it is done right," said Mike Huether, Mayor, Sioux Falls.  "It was the people who put this project on the ballot and they deserve to have a first rate facility."

The Mayor explained that the Events Center and the Indoor Aquatic Center are apples Vs oranges issues.  The city council had time to do the schematics and designs and get the details to tell the voters what the Events Center would cost and give citizens a chance to vote.  The Aquatics Center was put on the ballot by the people and they crafted the language to replace the outdoor pool at Spellerberg.  

We tried to build and approve a prudent budget to build the facility.  Now we have additons and improvements that we want to put in this pool.

"No one has called my office to complain about the additional costs to this project," said Huether.  "We are living within our means, and we are going to get this thing done with no additionsl cost to the citizens of Sioux Falls."

"This is no different than someone building a house and deciding to do additions before it is complete," said Huether.  We will work together to find common ground, use compramise and common sense to get this done.

Huether said this is no different from anything we do to make our city better despite the things we dort out during the journey.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Mayor Mike Huether today announced LIeutenant Matt Burns as the new Assistant Chief of Police.

Burns is currently working in crimes against people division in the Sioux Falls Police Department.

Huether appointed a blue-ribbon panel to whittle-down the 11 candidates, all from within the department, so he could interview the finalists and make appointment.             

Chief Doug Barthel says Burns taught officers a course in ethics so he knows Huether picked the right man for the job.

For now, Lieutenant Matt Burns is a 19-year police veteran.  He says he's had the distinct honor and pleasure to work with an incredible group of professionals, who do a job that has many outcomes.

Burns starts his new assignment March 16^th.  That's when current Assistant Police Chief Patti Lyon will step down.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Legislators favor a pay raise for themselves but what do constituents think about it.

Pierre legislator Jeff Monroe doesn’t see public support.  Monroe says he's been making the same $6,000 dollars he made since becoming a legislator 20 years ago.  He doesn't think there's much support for the measures.  One sets the minimum at $6,000 and the other ties legislative salaries to increases in state worker's paychecks.      

Pierre legislator Mary Duvall says the increase should be proposed by voters.  Duvall is unsure if legislators should be the ones supporting their own raises.   

Pierre legislator Tim Rounds says low pay keeps good people from serving.  Rounds says a better paycheck may get better candidates, adding that you get what you pay for.

The bills go to the full house.

(Thanks Tony Mangan KCCR Pierre)

Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) - Just a couple of months before the issue goes to Sioux Falls voters, the SF School District is trying to meet in the middle on a later start date for the school year. On Thursday the board proposed a start date of the 4^th Monday in August, while a parent’s group is calling for the school year to start after Labor Day.

Wendy McDonnel lead the citizen’s group that petitioned to get the issue on the ballot, she says if this proposal would have been on the table last fall she would have listened. “It would have strongly been looked at” she told KELO Radio.

Parents have cited several reasons for wanting to push back the start date, from planning Labor Day vacations to avoiding hot days in schools with little or no air conditioning. Schools say getting kids in the classroom earlier can help improve standardized test scores by maximizing classroom time ahead of such exams.

As it stands, the issue will be decided during April’s school board election.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Sioux Falls Fire Rescue says residents safely escaped their burning home on South Sherman Avenue around 8:30 last night.

When crews arrived, smoke and flames were coming out the second floor and the residents were leaving.

The fire was controlled in fifteen minutes and the house sustained moderate smoke and fire damage.

Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

The house is located just east of Nelson Park in central Sioux Falls.

SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO AM) – The results have been tallied from the Downtown Burger Battle that took place during the month of January.  Featured burgers from six downtown restaurants included: Elements on 8th,Grille 100, JL Beers, Phillips Avenue Diner, Skelly’s Pub & Grill and Wild Sage Grille.  Participating customers at each restaurant rated five categories: Patty, Presentation, Toppings, Bun and Value.  Customers could assign up to five points in each of the five categories for every featured burger they tried.

The restaurant’s burger with the highest average points and our 2014 Downtown Burger Battle winner is Skelly’s Pub & Grill.  Skelly’s featured a Truffled Leek and Creamy Blue Cheese Burger. The popular burger included 8 ounces of certified Angus beef topped with leeks sautéed in truffle oil, bacon, french fried red onions, and creamy herb blue cheese.

Skelly’s customer Gayle Larson Gibson commented, “O.M.G. Awesome burger! You should put this on the normal menu!”  Customer Rockie Singney commented about the burger, “Sooooo Good! Loved the Leeks!”

Individual category winners include:

Best Burger: Skelly’s Pub & GrillBest Presentation: Skelly’s Pub & GrillBest Toppings: Skelly’s Pub & GrillBest Bun: JL BeersBest Value: Skelly’s Pub & Grill

“We love the Burger Battle! It lets us show that we have quality food here and we hope that by winning we get more people to stop in and try it. This victory is a good chance for us to get our name out there,” Ben Cunnigham, Assistant Gereral Manager Said.

Over 1,500 rating slips were submitted by the six participating restaurants during the promotion. 

Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. would like to thank the businesses that participated in the Burger Battle and community members who visited these downtown restaurants.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Police harvested the thirty deer under a management plan to reduce the herd in southeast Sioux Falls.

Lieutenant Troy Bensen says most everyone was happy about the lethal reduction.

Bensen says property damage has been extensive and deer-car collisions have produced $200,000 in damage

Benson says the goal is to manage the health of the herd and some of the deer taken showed signs of disease.

He says deer counts with Game, Fish and Parks will determine future thining.

SIOUX FALLS. S.D. (KELO AM) -  In 2002, when Tom Daschle was a U-S Senator, state Republicans passed a measure preventing candidates from running for president or vice-president while holding an elected office.

State House Minority Leader Spencer Hawley of Brooking says now Republicans want to repeal the law.

Hawley says it's suspicious that state Republicans wish to abolish the law now that our senior U.S. Senator is sometimes linked to running for president or vice-president

The House State Affairs Committee today passed the measure on to the full House

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) -  A bill expanding the definition of a veteran in South Dakota moved ahead today in the House State Affairs Committee.

The bill includes all reserve and National Guard service members which didn’t sit well with Erin Walberg a Veteran Service Officer from Aberdeen.

Department of Veteran’s Affairs Secretary Larry Zimmerman pleaded with lawmakers to approve the measure.

The committee recommends a “do pass”.

Sioux Falls, SD (KELO-AM) A fiery crash between two big semi-trucks closed Highway 42 on the east side of Sioux Falls near Willow Run Golf Course for hours Friday afternoon.

South Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper Angel Duran says both drivers suffered non-life threatenning injuries. One of the rigs is little more than a charred heap of metal, but Duran says the driver was helped out of the truck before it burst into flames.

The other rig was hauling hogs, but Duran believes most, if not all, of the livestock survived.

Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) - A Sioux Falls Police officer was hospitalized Saturday night after being involved in an accident involving his squad car.

The accident happened just before 10:00 p.m., when the officer involved was turning right onto Westport Avenue from 12^th Street on a green light, when it was struck by a Nissan Pathfinder driven by a minor.  The Pathfinder was making a left turn on a green light.

The accident investigation found marijuana and controlled substance in the Pathfinder.

The driver and passengers were treated at the scene for minor injuries.  The officer was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

The 17 year old male Pathfinder driver was arrested for DWI, driving without a license, and other traffic and drug charges,  

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - You can shorten winter with vacations closer to the equator, tanning salons, seed catalogues and renewing summer swim passes.

Jean Pearson with Sioux Falls Parks and Rec says current pass holders can renew online now.  If you bough a pass in the past, you have an account with Parks and Rec.

If you need to buy a new season swim pass, you can do that beginning March 9 at the City's five community centers.

Pearson says public pools and aquatic centers are scheduled to open May 22.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The Better Business Bureau say almost 80 million Americans could be victims of the Anthem Insurance data breach including some South Dakotans.

Jessie Schmidt with the BBB says this breach involves your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number to make a whole false identity.

Schmidt says if your information has been breached you need to act now and freeze your credit.  She also advises freezing the credit of you children so the scammer won't take advantage of making a fake identity from their information.            

Schmidt says take advantage of the free credit monitoring services Anthem offers on theor website.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The House State Affairs committee today approved a measure preventing the South Dakota High School Activities Association from allowing transgender students to participate in high school athletics according to their gender identification.

Mark Chase with Family Policy Council spoke for the bill.  Chase says transgender "confusions" should be treated as a mental disorder that deserves understanding, treatment and "prevention."

A lobbyist for the Activities Association says it’s time to prepare for the transgender student athlete. She says it's going to be a major civil rights issue for sports programs and educational institutions. 

The bill goes to the House with a do pass recommendation.     

Sioux Falls, SD (KELO-AM) Sioux Falls Fire Chief Jim Sideras says that there were zero fire deaths in the city last year for the first time since 2009 and fire damage trended downward to less than $4 million.

Sideras says the fire department helped save over $145 million worth of property thanks to the department's aggressive fire safety strategy. The strategy includes quick response times, well-trained and well-equipped staff, and a prepared community with a focus on prevention. 

Sioux Falls, SD (KELO-AM) The Federal Emergency Management Agency has finally given Sioux Falls a timeline on when the city can expect updated flood maps.

FEMA estimates the city will get draft flood maps by June of this year, but the final maps won't be finished until spring of 2016.

The timeline announcement follows pressure on FEMA from South Dakota's congressional delegation. Senators John Thune (R) and Mike Rounds (R) and Rep. Kristi Noem (R) met with FEMA officials last month.

Months ago, city officials sent to FEMA proof of upgraded flood controls for the Big Sioux River and Skunk Creek. Developers are waiting for the new maps to help with planning and many homeowners are waiting because they may no longer be required to have flood insurance.

Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) -- Atlantic recording artist Ed Sheeran has announced details for his 2015 North American headlining tour.  The cross country trek – produced and promoted by AEG Live & The Messina Group (TMG) - will kick off at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center May 6 and includes stops at New York City’s Forest Hills Stadium and the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles (see attached itinerary).  The dates are part of Sheeran’s highly successful worldwide tour which culminates with three sold out nights at London’s Wembley Stadium.  Additionally, Sheeran will be among the top-billed performers at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (May 2) and Rock in Rio USA in Las Vegas (May 15). 

On-Sale Friday, February 27th at 10am at the PREMIER Center Box Office, online www.Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone 800-745-3000, and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Ed Sheeran Fan Club members and American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Monday, February 23rd at 10am through Thursday, February 26th at 10pm.

For more ticket information and tour updates, please visit www.edsheeran.com.    

The tour announcement comes on the heels of the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s triumphant night at the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards, where Sheeran was nominated for three awards, including the prestigious Album of the Year for his RIAA platinum-certified album “x” (pronounced multiply).  Sheeran’s other nominations came in the categories for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Song Written For Visual Media for his song “I See Fire” from the feature film “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”  Sheeran also received one of the biggest ovations of the night for his performance of his RIAA-certified Platinum single “Thinking Out Loud,” where he was joined by GRAMMY winners Herbie Hancock, John Mayer, and Questlove.  Sheeran returned to the stage to perform with the legendary Jeff Lynne’s ELO.  Both “x” and “Thinking Out Loud” shot to #1 on iTunes immediately following his appearance.

Already proving to be one of the biggest songs of the year, Sheeran’s latest single “Thinking Out Loud” has skyrocketed to #1 on the Hot AC radio chart and #2 at Top 40. Likewise, “Thinking Out Loud” stands tall at #2 on Billboard Hot 100, earning the acclaimed singer-songwriter the highest charting U.S. single of his career so far.  “Thinking Out Loud” is the third single from “x” following back-to-back RIAA-certified Platinum singles “Sing” and “Don’t.”  Already a global smash, “Thinking Out Loud” has already gone to #1 in 9 countries around the world, including his native United Kingdom.  Sheeran debuted the single in the U.S. with high profile performances of the song on CBS’ “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show” and the season finale of NBC’s “The Voice” in December.  The single’s beautifully-shot companion music video (http://youtu.be/lp-EO5I60KA)  – directed by longtime collaborator Emil Nava – has already amassed over 215 million views and features Sheeran ballroom dancing, a skill he learned through intensive, five-hour training sessions over the course of ten days during the North American leg of his worldwide arena tour.

Next up, Sheeran is set to appear on the syndicated “Ellen DeGeneres Show” today for a post-GRAMMY performance of “Thinking Out Loud.”  The acclaimed artist is also among the star-studded lineup performing on CBS’ “Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life – An All-Star GRAMMY Salute” which airs on February 16.  Sheeran will return to London to perform at this year’s BRIT Awards, where he’s nominated for 4 awards, including Male Solo Artist, Single, and Album Of The Year.