SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Two teenagers were quickly arrested Wednesday only hours after a vandalism rampage at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls. They were caught on surveillance video and employees at the school recognized the images.

Police identify the suspects as Addison John Park and Alex Everett Engel, both 18, both of Sioux Falls. Park was a basketball star at Lincoln, a former All-State center, who had been accepted at Morehead State in Minnesota on scholarship.  

Both were charged with Burglary 3rd Degree and Intentional Damage to Property 1st Degree. Park was also charged with Petty Theft for stealing some backpacks.

The vandals damaged some equipment in the school and threw spices and oil around the cafeteria and in the hallways. School was delayed two hours Wednesday morning to clean up the mess and so police could look for clues.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Five-thousand runners and walkers, and counting, for Avera’s Race Against Breast Cancer Saturday at the Fitness Center.

Missy Kuyper says 100% of the money raised in the Race goes to Avera’s Cancer Institute.  She says you'll know that coming out to this event you will be making a difference in someone's life, whether it's a relative, friend, co-worker or someone you don't know, you're definately doing something to help people.

Kuyper says to register online or the day of the race, Saturday, May 9, at Avera McKennan Fitness Center.  3400 S. Southeastern Ave. Sioux Falls, SD

The event consists of a 10K run, 5K run, 3 mile walk and 1.5 mile family fun walk.

Online registration is $35. Offline registration is $40 and Race Day registration is $45.

By Brienne Maner

SIOUX FALLS, SD - Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. (DTSF) will host the 3rd annual community celebration, Downtown Riverfest, along the downtown riverfront onSaturday, August 15 from 4-11pm.

Live music, art, kids’ activities, beverages, food and product vendors are just a few of the event's highlights. The event's expanded venue runs along the downtown riverfront from 6th Street to south of 8th Street, including Raven’s riverfront property directly across from Cherapa Place.

Food, product and display vendors can apply here.

The inaugural Downtown Riverfest event drew nearly 10,000 people to the downtown riverfront in 2013 and nearly 15,000 in 2014.

"Our staff and event committee are working together to accommodate an even larger capacity," DTSF Communications Director Brienne Maner said. "This event continues to grow at the same pace as the rest of our beautiful downtown and we're looking forward to strengthening past partnerships as well as build on new ones, as Riverfest is about celebrating our community."

2015 RIVERFEST PERFORMERS:

The evening's line-up of performers is once again a celebration of talented local and regional musicians. Omaha's Kris Lager Band, South Dakota Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Jim Groth with The Stallions and Minneapolis folk from Jack Klatt are set to perform on the Great Western BankRiverfront Amphitheater stage in front of Cherapa Place from 4:30pm - 11:00pm. Local singer-songwriters Darin Kaihoi and Aubrey Dale will play the Midcontinent Communications 2nd stage.

SIOUX FALLS (KELO AM) - One of the world’s best-selling female artist in history, Shania Twain will be appearing at Denny Sanford PREMIER Center Sep 23 2015.  She is extending her 'Rock This Country' tour into the Fall of 2015, due to overwhelming fan demand. This will be her first North American tour in more than 11 years.

“This is a celebration tour. It’s party time!  The ROCK THIS COUNTRY tour will have a different spirit than my past tours,” said Twain. “It’s a Shania they’ve never seen before.  A lot of years have gone by and I’ve got a lot more to share.”

Beloved by millions worldwide, Shania has multi-platinum album sales in 32 countries with over 75 million albums sold, and 17 top 10 singles. Three of Shania’s albums (The Woman In Me, Come On Over, Up! ) reached Diamond certification, making her the only artist to have three consecutive albums sell more than 10 million copies in the US.

Ticket information for the Sioux Falls concert will be provided as it becomes available.  

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - A car burglary grew into social media extortion for a Sioux Falls man.

Officer Sam Clemens says after burglars broke a car window to steal business and personal items, the victim posted a reward for their return on Facebook and Craig’s list.

Clemens says the victim began getting texts saying that for $5,000 the stolen items would be returned. That's when the victim called police

Undercover police agreed online to meet the suspects and arrested Dallas Bass and David Leemhuis, both 21 of Sioux Falls, for possession of stolen property and burglary tools.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Senator Mike Rounds say anytime the President of the United States comes to your state it’s very special.

Rounds says tomorrow’s visit is a testament to the students, staff and the state’s support of technical schools.

Rounds hopes everyone involved enjoys this once in a lifetime opportunity and hopes South Dakota gives the President a very warm reception in Watertown.              

Kelo Radio will air the President’s speech Friday afternoon at 4:25.  

Sioux Falls, SD (KELO-AM) Potentially toxic mercury leaking from a package forced a week-long shutdown of the main mail handling facility at Sioux Falls Regional Airport.

Airport Deputy Director Richard King says the leaking package was discovered Friday, May 1. He says the spill is now cleared up and air quality in the main facility is fine.  Handling operations barely missed a beat during the clean up and air quality monitoring because they were simply moved to an adjoining building. 

King says the public noticed no difference in service except for the owners of the undetermined number of packages in the same bin with the leaking package.

Federal investigators are on the case as it is against the law to mail mercury.

Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) - A 22-year-old man has been arrested after soliciting a 14-year-old girl.

A few weeks ago, the 14-year-old girl was on a Facebook App when the 22-year-old started a conversation with the girl. The conversation eventually led to the man asking the girl to send pictures. The girl’s mother monitored the account and saw the inappropriate conversation taking place. She reported it to police on Sunday, April 19, 2015.

From there the Internet Crimes Against Children Detectives began investigating this crime. On Thursday, May 07, 2015, the man asked to meet the girl to perform a sex act. Police detectives and members of the Minnehaha County Warrant Task Force then met and arrested 22 year old Christopher John Paulson in central Sioux Falls.

He has been charged with Solicitation of a Minor, a class 4 felony.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) -  A hostage situation on West 41^st Street ended peacefully last night when the suspect surrendered after his wife got out of the apartment.

43-year-old Ronald Haugen is charged with aggravated assault in the incident that began just after nine.

Haugen’s wife had called relatives to say her husband was suicidal and armed with a rifle and shotgun.

Relatives called police who got the victim out of the apartment and began evacuating neighbors.

Haugen surrendered unarmed to SWAT.  Haugen is on a 24 hour mental health hold.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) -  South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says he supports any law enforcement’s decision to add body cameras to officers.

Jackley says his office has helped about a half dozen agencies buy cameras.

Jackely says through the drug control fund, which is not tax dollars but the bad guys money, his office can support public safety.  He says his office will help pay for the hardware for body cameras.             

Jackley says there’s a working group of state and local law enforcement official preparing a manual on body cameras.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Tomorrow is the annual letter carriers food drive benefiting Feed South Dakota.

Mailman Eric Wicks says put your donation of non-perishable foods next to your mailbox.

In past years, carriers have collected between sixty and eighty-thousand pounds of food in Sioux Falls for the Food Pantry.

Wicks says organizers hope a big turnout will mean the 23rd annual event will surpass the onemillion pound mark collected in Sioux Falls since the state's carriers joined the drive.

Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) - Rain has been falling across the Sioux Falls area this Mother’s Day.  Showers and thunderstorms are possible throughout the day. 

Severe storms may develop across portions of the area after 3 pm this afternoon. The main threats will be hail to the size of golf balls, winds to 70 mph, and even isolated tornadoes. The severe threat should wane after 7 pm this evening.  

The rain will decrease through the day on Monday, with the sun coming out on Tuesday.  More rain is possible later in the week. 

Monday will be chilly with a high in the upper 40’s.  Low to mid 60’s are forecast for lager in the week.

Out west, Blizzard and Winter Storm Warnings remain in effect until 6 pm mdt this evening.  Some areas could see an additional 4 – 10 inches of snow with winds gusting to 40 mph, resulting in zero visibility.

Rapid City has already seen between 8 and 11 inches of snow with a couple more inches expected.  Parts of the Black Hills have already seen 10 to 18 inches, and could total up to two feet by the time the storm ends.

No travel is advised in much of the western part of the state.  You can check road conditions in South Dakota on SafetravelUSA.com

(story updated to include snow totals.)

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Sioux Falls Forecaster Todd Heitkamp says the Delmont tornado is very similar to the Wessington Springs tornado last year.  He says both towns took almost a direct hit.

The National Weather Service storm survey rates the Delmont tornado an E-F-2.

Estimated peak wind is one-hundred-thirty, the tornado covered seventeen miles in a half hour and its maximum width was 400 hundred yards.

The rating is preliminary and may change after further review of the storm data.

Heitkamp estimates wind speeds at between 120 and 130 miles an hour, a strong E-F-2.  He says meteorologists are in Delmont today gathering more measurements and evidence.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Delmont residents and business owners are assessing property damage today.

Tony Mangan with the Department of Public Safety says they’ll able to take stock.  He says tornado victims have lost personal property including mementos and family heirlooms.  He says it's a shocking experience as victims see their lives being dismantled.and possessions destroyed.          

Delmont is still without power and water and residents will have to leave again tonight.

Mangan is asking the public to not go to Delmont and get in the way.  The town is closed to everyone except residents and they can't stay in town yet.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) -  The Red Cross set up a shelter for Delmont residents at Tripp High School.

Tony Burke says the Red Cross is in for the long haul.  Burke says the Red Cross is perforning case work, disaster mental health, general health services, mobile and fixed feeding and sheltering.

Most likely, Burke says, they'll be establishing a multi-agency resource center in the next few days.      

Burke says the best way to help Delmont is to make a donation to the Red Cross office in Sioux Falls or online at nine-zero-nine-nine-nine.

First State Bank in Delmont has opened a Delmont Disaster Relief Fund. Cash or checks are welcome at bank branches in the Delmont area or by mailing to: First State Bank, PO Box 68, Delmont SD 57330

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - A nine-year-old boy brought a bag of marijuana to Hawthorne Elementary last Friday and his mother and step father face drug charges.

Officer Sam Clemens says 31-year-old Nicole Marie Roach and 29-year-old Stephen Dean Messelhiser are charged with distribution of a controlled substance.

Clemens says the School Resource Officer took the boy home after administrators discovered a small amount of marijuana in a baggie on the boy.  He had been showing it to classmates.  While the officer was talking to the mother he could smell marijuana coming from the house.  That was enough for a search warrant.             

Clemens says police recovered about a pound of an unknown substance in the home in the 800 block of South Duluth Avenue.  Police found both marijuana and meth in the house.

The boy was charged with possession of marijuana and was turned over to relatives.

Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) – Summer time marks the peak season for road races, but the Better Business Bureau is warning of a group that has a reputation of promoting races, only to cancel them and run away with the money.

The group is called the Color 5 Mile, and on the surface it appears to be another road race where runners spray each other with dye as they run. But according to the BBB, the Color 5 Mile has been promoting events in other cities only to cancel at the last minute and not refund entrance fees. Jessie Schmidt with the Sioux Falls BBB office says in some cases it’s clear there was never any intention of holding a race, because organizers failed to secure a permit from local officials. These incidents have been reported in areas such as Tampa, Houston, Boise, and Kansas City.

“Often times the BBB will issue an alert like this when we feel that there could be some suspicious activity” Schmidt told KELO Radio on Monday. She says that feeling is due in large part to the fact that no one with the group has made themselves available for comment. “Those contact us links are not working, Facebook page isn’t working, there is just no way to contact anybody to get any sort of answers.”

It appears that Facebook and Twitter accounts associated with the event have been disabled. No e-mail address or active phone numbers can be found on the group’s web site.

Schmidt added some advice to those who want to run a race such as this, saying first “contact the venue, or law enforcement. Whoever sets up races like this need to have a permit to close some streets down. Read the fine print, and pay with a credit card – so if you feel you were charged fraudulently you may get a refund.” She added that if the race is for charity you can contact them to ensure they have established a partnership with the race organizers and will benefit from the profits.

She emphasized that the Color 5 Mile is not in any way associated with the Color Vibe which has been run in Sioux Falls in the past.

By Brienne Maner

SIOUX FALLS, (KELO AM) - The 9th Annual Downtown Loft Tour shattered a previous attendance record with over 1,200 participants on Saturday, May 9. The previous record was set in 2014 with 1,034.

A recent Downtown Economic Trend Report revealed that in 2014 residential vacancy rates were at just 2%, compared to 2010 when they were much higher at 13.8%. Additionally, AARP recently named downtown Sioux Falls one of the top 10 most livable neighborhoods in the country.

"The market demand for residential living in our downtown has never been greater and the number of those who attended our recent loft tour confirms that," Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. (DTSF) communications director Brienne Maner said. "We appreciate all those who opened up their living space to give our community the opportunity to view the convenience and lifestyle that living downtown provides."

More new residential units are scheduled for completion this year, and include new developments such as The Foundry Lofts.

DTSF offers a residential membership to foster rapid downtown residential growth. Resident members pay a small yearly association fee to have access to decision-making committees, monthly resident mixers, and discounts with many participating stores and restaurants.

The next Downtown Neighborhood Mixer is scheduled for Thursday, June 11 from 5-7pm at The Foundry Lofts, 320 S Phillips Avenue.

"It's fun to watch the downtown neighborhood evolve and to see the downtown business community thrive with its over 2,200 residential customers," Maner said. "There is a real sense of civic pride in the downtown community and we're thrilled to see the residents taking ownership of their neighborhood."

Those interested in more information about a residential membership and other ways to get involved in downtown can visit dtsf.com, call 605-338-4009, or email info@dtsf.com. A list of loft properties downtown is available here.

The next scheduled Downtown Loft Tour will be held in May of 2016. Thanks to this year's sponsors: Legacy Real Estate, Lloyd Companies and Signature Companies.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The Minnehaha County Commission today authorized Paramedics Plus to take over decedent transport a week from Thursday when the provider replaces Rural Metro.

County Coroner Dr. Kenneth Snell says Paramedics Plus agreed to assume the current contract.  But, Snell says, they didn't realize they had to provide body bags and balked at the deal.  

Snell says he has enough money in his budget to buy the bags and Paramedics Plus was again on board.            

The Commission approved the deal but also decided to reconsider the contract in a year.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Developers briefed the Minnehaha County Commission today on an eight to nine story, $30 million dollar multi-use building at 12^th and Main in downtown Sioux Falls.

If approved, the project would need over $4.5 million dollars in tax increment financing.

Once the TIP is paid off, in ten years, it would mean property taxes of $75,000 for Minnehaha County, over $312,000 for the Sioux Falls School District and $108,000 for the City of Sioux Falls.

The Sioux Falls planning commission will consider approval early next month and the council will consider the plan mid-June.