A couple streets are under construction starting this week, including a three-block stretch of 21st Street.  That’s going on until September.  Another project is on 8th Street, and we’ll tell you about that tonight.

We have details on the Sioux Falls School District’s budget plan, which includes a new opt-out.

And, if that wasn’t enough, we were joined by meteorologists Jay Trobec and Brian Karstens this morning.  They briefed us on the risk for severe weather in the northeastern part of the state.  Make sure you stay with KELOLAND TV and KELOLAND.com for the latest.

• We discussed the situation at the Leif Ericson camp and plan to explore a couple more angles of this story.  The camp is reviewing its safety procedures after the incident.
• While we didn’t see the strong storms expected yesterday, Minnesotans took a pounding from multiple tornadoes Thursday (possibly a record, according to WCCO).  Storms moved through many parts of Minnesota in the afternoon, toppling power poles, destroying structures and leaving behind a mess of debris.  Our Sports Director Jay Elsen found himself face-to-face with one tornado outside of Albert Lea.
• As Minnesota cleans up after their storms, the town of Dupree can relate — they’re picking up the pieces after storms on Wednesday.  We’re back in Dupree and will have more tonight on KELOLAND News.
• We’re also checking with the Empire Mall to see what procedures they have in place for severe weather.  Storms can hit at any time, and we’re wondering how a business keeps their customers safe.

While we anticipate covering more severe weather today, we’re taking a look at the damage left by tornadoes that hit Dupree last night.  Take a look at a few of the photos sent in and submit your own on uShare.

Photo courtesy: Roger Hill

In other news, GOP gubernatorial candidate Dennis Daugaard announced his running mate choice today, so we’ll be taking a look at Matt Michels and what that means for the campaign.  In what his campaign called a historic move, Democrat Scott Heidepriem chose a Republican running mate, which he announced on June 1.

Here are a couple tid-bits that will take us outside on this gorgeous day:

• > We’re at the zoo where two rhinos were moved to a new exhibit.  Since the old and new exhibits are on opposite ends of the zoo, they crated up the rhinos, loaded them onto a flatbed and drove them to the other side.  It’s quite the process.  You can watch that in the video below:

  Click here to view the embedded video.

• > Yesterday afternoon turned out nicely, and many people spent the afternoon/evening at Falls Park.  With the nice weather again today, we’re taking a look at the rushing water from recent rains and safety when visiting the park.
• > While it may be nice out for some of you, severe weather could be an issue out west.  As those storms move east into night, it’s important to have (and know how to program) a weather radio.  We’ll take a look at that tonight, but in the meantime you can learn more on our weather radio page here on KELOLAND.com.

This photo just came in from Louella in Brandon, SD.

You can send photos and videos to us on uShare or photos@keloland.com.

Damage, damage, damage resonated in our morning meeting.  And while our main focus will be covering the impact from the storms, we’re also working on the Matt Adamski/Sioux Empire Fair story that hit the wire this morning.

• -It’s raining.  Storms are moving across our coverage area today and our team of meteorologists have briefed us on what to expect throughout the day.  [Check the forecast and conditions for your area] We’re looking at some areas that may face flooding from the heavy rain.  We should get a break from it a bit later, but plan for another round of strong storms tonight.
• -The oil spill in the Gulf has been brought up a number of times by reporters and producers, but we’re looking for a way to localize it.  We talked to local BP gas station owners a couple weeks ago, but the situation in the Gulf is ongoing and remains a topic of interest.  What are your thoughts on the oil spill?  How does it affect you?
• -A wire story from Iowa caught our attention:  A report shows that Iowa public universities are seeing an increase in alcohol-related offenses.  We’ll be talking with an alcohol abuse counselor today about what we’re seeing locally.
• -Following up on the Tea dogs case:  The State’s Attorney says no charges have been filed and a local vet says no new cases have been reported.