Author Archive - Jonathan Garcia

« Older Entries

Election Day 2010

Posted: Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 7:50 am
By: Jonathan Garcia
1 Comment | Trackback Bookmark and Share

There was no one else in the newsroom when I arrived this morning, but that is definitely going to change as we go through the day.  Today promises to be a busy one for our staff and it will definitely show as you watch our coverage tonight.

It all starts on KELOLAND.com.  We have all your Election Day resources in one place that’s easily accessed from our homepage.

Click the banner at the top of our homepage.

Click the banner at the top of our homepage.

From here, you can access complete campaign coverage, polling results from earlier this week, watch replays our our gubernatorial and U.S. House debates — and get election results when they start to come in later tonight.

We’ve grouped our election results by race to make it easier to find what you’re looking for.

Click the tabs to find the race you're looking for

Click the tabs to find the race you're looking for

Follow along with our reporters through Twitter, post your comments on Facebook and our live blog.  Watch live coverage as results come in and speeches are made using the video player.

And if you’re not going to be near a TV or computer, go to m.keloland.com for updates throughout the evening!

Have a great day!

Tags: , ,
1 Comment »

Morning Meeting: First Look At Snow Gates

Posted: Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 9:00 am
By: Jonathan Garcia
No Comments | Trackback Bookmark and Share

The City of Sioux Falls recently purchased snow gates to test this winter, and today we’re getting our first look at them.  We’ll show you how they work and where they will be used.

Harvest has started and the dry weather is helping.  We’ll talk to a farmer about this busy time of year.

The state has decided to extend the life of the current South Dakota license plates.  We’ll look into the $10 fee usually assessed for new plates, which is due in 2011.

With all the events center talk, we’re looking at the 9-year-old Swiftel Center in Brookings and the impact it had on business growth in town.

Tags: , , ,
No Comments »

RIP KELOLAND.com Forums

Posted: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 at 10:15 am
By: Jonathan Garcia
8 Comments | Trackback Bookmark and Share

The forums on KELOLAND.com have been a place where people could share their opinions on local and world news.  Shortly after I started at KELO, the forums transitioned from the old school message boards to a full-fledged vBulletin system.  Along with the many advantages of the new system, it just felt more like an online community.

But the online world is always changing and there has been a shift away from message boards and this style of communicating and sharing.  As we are always looking for better ways to allow our viewers to share their comments, we’ve phased out the forums in favor of comments at the bottom of stories on KELOLAND.com.

We did mourn the loss of the forums in the newsroom Monday.

Web World mourned the loss of the forums in the newsroom Monday.

fb

Facebook comments at the bottom of stories on KELOLAND.com.

You’ll notice that we’re utilizing a plug-in that allows you to post comments and share these stories directly with your friends on Facebook.

Look for this addition to our site as we include the option in more stories.

Tags: , ,
8 Comments »

Morning Meeting: Distracted Drivers

Posted: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 9:00 am
By: Jonathan Garcia
2 Comments | Trackback Bookmark and Share

We hear so much about distracted teen drivers — texting, tweeting, etc — but what about distracted adult drivers?  I’ve seen them everywhere, and I’ve even been guilty of it in the past.

One study shows texting (or using your mobile device for any other activity) while driving could be worse than drunk driving.  But do more experienced drivers feel they’re invincible and they couldn’t possibly be in a crash?

What’s so important that it can’t wait until you reach your destination — is it e-mail or looking up a phone number or reading about Lindsay Lohan on TMZ.com?

Why do we feel the need to be so connected?  I read yesterday that some people think something’s wrong if they don’t get a reply to their message within five minutes.  Have we become that impatient?

There are tools out there to help.  A service called DriveSafe.ly reads your text messages out loud while you’re driving and lets the sender know you got the message.

But nothing beats putting the phone down.  I know that’s something I’ve been working on.  And you know what?  No one was upset with me for making them wait for a reply.

What do you think about distracted driving?  How many times do you see adults typing away on their phones while driving?

We’ll hear from drivers tonight on KELOLAND News.

Tags: ,
2 Comments »

Morning Meeting: Where Is Everyone?

Posted: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 8:59 am
By: Jonathan Garcia
No Comments | Trackback Bookmark and Share

It was a very quick meeting today, with just a handful of participants.  Everyone else was out gathering stories for the day including:

USD Sexual Assault:  Vermillion police are investigating a sexual assault that happened early Sunday on campus.

Gubernatorial Candidates and Education:  We’re talking to the gubernatorial candidates about their plans for education in South Dakota.

Colder September:  We could see lows in the 30s toward the end of this month.  We’ll explain tonight.

Weight Loss Before Surgery:  You won’t want to miss this in tonight’s HealthBeat.  A man has to shed over 100 lbs before he can have a surgery needed to save his life.  He’s already lost 90, but he still has some more to lose.  Hear that story tonight.

–

Last night the Sioux Falls City Council approved $500,000 for the development and design of a Sioux Falls events center.  Quite a few people have sounded off on our Facebook page on the topic.  What do you think?

No Comments »

Morning Meeting: SF Events Center

Posted: Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 9:05 am
By: Jonathan Garcia
No Comments | Trackback Bookmark and Share

Today, we’re talking to the Events Center Task Force about Mayor Mike Huether’s vision for an events center in Sioux Falls.  We learned more about the vision from a meeting last night.

What are your thoughts on an event center, how it should be funded and where it should be located?

As part of their 150th anniversary, Augustana College is ringing a 150 year old bell to welcome students back to campus.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and we’ll take you to a support group where local men are helping each other through the battle.

Tags: , ,
No Comments »

Morning Meeting: LifeLight Festival Weekend

Posted: Friday, September 3, 2010 at 8:42 am
By: Jonathan Garcia
No Comments | Trackback Bookmark and Share
LifeLight Festival Webcam

LifeLight Festival Webcam

Our LifeLight Festival camera is up and running (though it has had a few technical hiccups) and ready for a weekend of music in Worthing, South Dakota.  You can find this, along with webcams from other areas, on KELOLAND.com.  Just click on the radar and the webcams tab.

This is the first year for the festival at their new location.  We’ll tell you about what kind of traffic and parking to expect in the area.

After a few delays, River Boulevard is set to open one lane in each direction in the westbound lanes today.  We’ll talk about when the entire project is expected to be finished.

Tags: , ,
No Comments »

Morning Meeting: Upcoming Holiday Travel

Posted: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 8:55 am
By: Jonathan Garcia
No Comments | Trackback Bookmark and Share

It’s the last day of August and we’re just around the corner from a holiday weekend – so we’re looking at what experts are predicting in terms of travel and gas prices.  Are you planning to travel this weekend?  How do your plans compare to years past?

Last night’s rain pushed Sioux Falls over the 30-inch mark for the year.  We’ll take a look back at record rainfall.

Storms moving through Dimock, South Dakota, caused some damage at a lumber yard and a farm.  We’ll show you the damage tonight on KELOLAND News.

We’ll also have an update from Mayor Mike Huether on Sioux Falls construction projects.  He’s holding a news conference at 10:30 a.m. today to go over the details.

Tags: , , ,
No Comments »

Morning Meeting: Sioux Falls Traffic

Posted: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 9:09 am
By: Jonathan Garcia
8 Comments | Trackback Bookmark and Share
Vehicles on the road through the central business district in Beijing on August 4.

Vehicles on the road through the central business district in Beijing on August 4.

It may not be as bad as being stuck in a 60-mile long traffic jam in China, but we’re noticing more congestion on the roadways in Sioux Falls lately.

With school now in session and road construction scattered throughout the city, drivers are spending more time in the car for their morning and evening commutes.

Where do you see the most traffic and when?

Tags: ,
8 Comments »

Morning Meeting: House Explosions

Posted: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 9:02 am
By: Jonathan Garcia
No Comments | Trackback Bookmark and Share

A Menno woman died Monday night in a house explosion that authorities are blaming on a natural gas leak.  Just last week one person was sent to the hospital in another house explosion in Mitchell.  That one also blamed on a gas leak.

Today, we’re looking at the dangers of gas leaks, things to watch out for in your home and what you should do about it.

School has been in session in Sioux Falls, and police are out patrolling the school zones.  Make sure you’re slowing down or else you’ll have to pay the price.  (I learned this the hard way a few years ago.)

Remember Saturday’s fog?  Well, supposedly 90 days after fog, we should expect SNOW.  That puts the mark around November 19.  Meteorologist Scot Mundt will explain.

We have a lot more news today, so be sure to check out KELOLAND News and KELOLAND.com for the latest.

Tags: , , ,
No Comments »

« Older Entries