Latest news with #Mitchell
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Online forum brings key voices to prison relocation discussion
Jun. 19—MITCHELL — Just one night after an in-person forum at Mitchell Technical Institute, residents and panelists reconvened online Wednesday evening for a virtual continuation of the state's prison relocation discussions. The format allowed for deeper exploration of operational and planning issues — and brought in voices absent from Tuesday's event, including Secretary of Corrections Kellie Wasko and Yankton Thrive CEO Nancy Wenande. Moderated by former Davison County auditor Susan Kiepke, the online session was structured as a Q and A, with the public submitting questions in advance and through the forum chat. Though the format did not allow for live public comment or rebuttal, it delivered key clarifications and expanded on the state's vision for a modern correctional facility. While Mitchell has become a frontrunner in the discussion, its inclusion represents a shift in strategy from earlier state planning. Originally, the state's search for a replacement prison was focused within 20 miles of Sioux Falls, aligning with a 2021 study conducted by DLR Group, an architectural and engineering firm that specializes in justice facility design. That study recommended a 160-acre site near Sioux Falls based on infrastructure, staffing, and logistical considerations. A more recent consultant report continued to prioritize the Sioux Falls area, largely due to workforce access. However, after the legislature failed to approve construction during the last session, Governor Larry Rhoden formed the Prison Reset Task Force to reevaluate options. The task force was tasked with considering all possible locations statewide. Twelve communities submitted proposals, including Mitchell, Aberdeen, Huron, Grant County and a smaller proposal from Yankton. A consultant narrowed the list to five sites based on multiple factors (though no single factor was decisive), and the committee ultimately eliminated Aberdeen, Huron and Grant County. Mitchell and Worthing are now the two remaining sites being analyzed for feasibility of housing a new prison with capacities of 800, 1,200, or 1,500 beds. Final site assessments will be informed by architectural and engineering reports expected at the next committee meeting on July 8. Wenande, though noting Yankton is not a finalist, said her community might still consider hosting a smaller facility and praised Mitchell's strategic location. "Mitchell may have an easier ability to recruit workforce because of their proximity to the interstate between Sioux Falls and Mitchell compared to Yankton," she said. Addressing a common concern voiced at the in-person Mitchell forum, Rep. Jeff Bathke (R-Mitchell), Davison County's Planning and Zoning Administrator, explained that state-owned property is not subject to local zoning laws. That means a rezoning process will not be required if the site near Mitchell is selected. Wasko addressed lingering public concerns with detailed information about the proposed correctional facility's purpose, design and staffing. A primary misconception, she noted, is that the facility would house only maximum-security inmates. "This will include all custody levels — minimum, restricted minimum, medium, and close custody," Wasko said. Most inmates will fall into the medium-security category, with some minimum-custody offenders working on prison grounds. It will not be a work-release facility. Staffing was another focal point. Wasko reported that uniformed staff vacancy rates have dropped significantly — from 35% to just 6 — 8% in the last 18 months — a sign, she said, of greater workforce stability. "We would not open an institution unless we had adequate staffing to open that institution," she emphasized. Wasko also addressed a key community concern: inmate re-entry. "No one walks out of prison into the host community unmonitored," she said, explaining that offenders leave in state vehicles, are picked up by family, or are transported to re-entry programs that begin 90 to 180 days before release. Design features were another major topic, especially regarding rural integration. Wasko described significant security and lighting advancements, including 300- to 600-foot setbacks from fences, perimeter detection systems and LED directional lighting designed to minimize light pollution. She added that noise would be minimal. "Very rarely will you ever hear any kind of intercom announcements," Wasko said. As for potential displacement of current corrections staff, Wasko reiterated her commitment to protecting jobs. "I will do everything in my power not to lose employees or lay any employees off," she said. Wenande shared her community's experience hosting a federal prison camp for over three decades. Located in the heart of Yankton, across from a school and football field, the facility operates with minimal disruption. "There was public concern in the 1980s, but now it's part of the community fabric," she said, emphasizing that no one has ever declined to move to or invest in Yankton due to the prison's presence. The aging state penitentiary in Sioux Falls, known as "The Hill," was built in 1881, before South Dakota achieved statehood. Ryan Brunner, a senior policy advisor and director of legislative relations in the governor's office, described it as "no longer safe for staff, the community, or inmates." Wasko added that remodeling the current facility is prohibitively expensive and dangerous. "The costs can be tripled or quadrupled when building inside an existing secure perimeter," she said. Operational limitations include outdated architecture, lack of rehabilitation space, and no room for vocational or educational programming. The current prison model — designed in an era of inmate lockdowns and quarry work — is misaligned with today's focus on treatment and re-entry, Wasko explained. Expanding the nearby Jameson Annex would also fall short: an additional story would add just 192 beds, and retrofitting its mechanical systems would be costly. Relocating 800 inmates during construction would be logistically difficult and cost $10 — 20 million in temporary housing alone. With current facilities at 133% capacity, the state lacks space to shuffle inmates for such a project. The next phase in the site selection process will occur on July 8, when architects and engineers present detailed site assessments. The Prison Reset Task Force will use that information to make further recommendations. As Wasko concluded the forum, she offered a final reflection on the prison's potential role in any host community: "Prisons can be good neighbors."
New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Auckland City's Club World Cup participation is a privilege with a price
MIAMI: Adam Mitchell knows he is going to lose money this month. The Auckland City defender left his job selling houses in New Zealand to take part in the Club World Cup, where the eventual champions will pocket a staggering US$125 million — while his semi-professional team plays on for pride and an appearance fee still under negotiation. "My business runs on a commission basis only," Mitchell told Reuters on Thursday after his side's humbling 10-0 defeat to European giants Bayern Munich at the expanded Club World Cup. "If I'm not back working, there's no income coming in. But a tournament like this, you have to be willing to make sacrifices and that's what a lot of us have done." The Club World Cup's new, lucrative format has attracted criticism for its schedule congestion at the end of a long European season. Mitchell and his teammates, many of whom work as teachers, delivery drivers, and tradesmen, are effectively paying out of their own pockets for the privilege of competing on this stage. It is not just Mitchell's earnings that are taking a hit. New Zealand's labour laws typically grant around four to five weeks of annual leave per year — most of which, for Auckland's players, was already used up during last year's Oceania qualifying tournament. "The players that went to the qualification for this tournament, well, we played in the Solomon Islands. That was three weeks," Mitchell explained. "Some people have run out of annual leave. People are kind of in negative days and taking unpaid leave. So, it's nice for people to know the sacrifices we make to be here." While the tournament offers prize money tiers based on performance, Auckland City, representing one of football's smallest confederations, will receive the lowest payout - a fraction of the $3.58 million meant for Oceania. Even that amount, Mitchell noted, is still subject to ongoing negotiations between the club and New Zealand Football. NO MERCY On the pitch, the gulf between part-time semi-professionals and global superstars was on brutal display. Bayern Munich, ranked among the world's elite, named a starting 11 packed with internationals, showing no mercy en route to a double-digit victory. "Conceding 10 goals isn't a nice feeling," Mitchell admitted. "But I think we have to realise the calibre of team and calibre of players we were up against. "The fact that they did put their strongest team out and they didn't take the pedal off the metal at all. They just kept going and going and going, which, it's not great for us, but in a way that's a sign of respect." The heavy defeat has not dampened spirits within the Auckland camp. With two more games to play in their group against Benfica and Boca Juniors, Mitchell said he and his teammates are determined to leave their mark. "If you watched the (Bayern) game, you could see we never give up regardless of the scoreline," he said. Back home, Mitchell juggles the demands of a commission-based real estate job with evening training sessions and coaching duties at the club. His typical day starts early, squeezing in gym sessions before work, and ends late at night after training. "It's not ideal for my wife," he joked. "I don't get to see her that often, but she really respects the fact that this is a sacrifice that we have to make and she also has to make. "(For her) just seeing myself and the whole team on the stage and obviously against the best players in the world, I think it's a really proud moment." Mitchell admits that while the financial hit stings, the exposure could pay off in other ways. "Maybe if someone was watching on TV and they realised I was in the industry, maybe they just want to have a chat and that's the way you can build some rapport," he said. To the critics who have questioned the inclusion of Auckland City in a competition of this scale, Mitchell remains unapologetic. "We don't bother too much about critics. We've earned the right to be here. People have to realise we are semi-professionals, but we do treat training and we treat our club like a professional club, with the resources we have," said Mitchell, whose side face Benfica on Friday.
USA Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ABC 9: Bryce Mitchell explains why he moved down to bantamweight
UFC on ABC 9: Bryce Mitchell explains why he moved down to bantamweight Bryce Mitchell will compete at bantamweight for the first time in the UFC for his next fight. A perennial contender at featherweight throughout much of his UFC tenure, "Thug Nasty" came to a realization that he's perhaps a better fit at 135 pounds. That decision came immediately after his submission loss to Jean Silva at UFC 314 in April. "I pretty much made up my mind right after this last fight," Mitchell said in an interview with Home of Fight. "The guy was so much bigger than me, and I really felt it in the second round. In the first round, obviously I could tell he was bigger and stronger, but it was really in the second round where I felt it. I think that I'm a '35er. My weight's already come down quite a bit since I started dieting. I got this call two weeks ago, I think. So, I'm excited about it. Everything's going good." Mitchell (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has been matched up with Said Nurmagomedov (18-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) for his return to bantamweight at UFC on ABC 9 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) on July 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. "I feel like I'm going to win the fight, and I feel like I can beat anybody," Mitchell said of Nurmagomedov. "Him specifically, he's good at a lot of stuff. I respect him, and I'm going to put on a great show. That's a good thing for the fans. No matter how it goes for me or for Said, it's going to go great for the fans. I guarantee you it's going to be a fun fight because I'm going to make it a fun fight."
The Star
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Soccer-Auckland City's Club World Cup participation is a privilege with a price
MIAMI (Reuters) -Adam Mitchell knows he is going to lose money this month. The Auckland City defender left his job selling houses in New Zealand to take part in the Club World Cup, where the eventual champions will pocket a staggering $125 million — while his semi-professional team plays on for pride and an appearance fee still under negotiation. "My business runs on a commission basis only," Mitchell told Reuters on Thursday after his side's humbling 10-0 defeat to European giants Bayern Munich at the expanded Club World Cup. "If I'm not back working, there's no income coming in. But a tournament like this, you have to be willing to make sacrifices and that's what a lot of us have done." The Club World Cup's new, lucrative format has attracted criticism for its schedule congestion at the end of a long European season. Mitchell and his teammates, many of whom work as teachers, delivery drivers, and tradesmen, are effectively paying out of their own pockets for the privilege of competing on this stage. It is not just Mitchell's earnings that are taking a hit. New Zealand's labour laws typically grant around four to five weeks of annual leave per year — most of which, for Auckland's players, was already used up during last year's Oceania qualifying tournament. "The players that went to the qualification for this tournament, well, we played in the Solomon Islands. That was three weeks," Mitchell explained. "Some people have run out of annual leave. People are kind of in negative days and taking unpaid leave. So, it's nice for people to know the sacrifices we make to be here." While the tournament offers prize money tiers based on performance, Auckland City, representing one of football's smallest confederations, will receive the lowest payout - a fraction of the $3.58 million meant for Oceania. Even that amount, Mitchell noted, is still subject to ongoing negotiations between the club and New Zealand Football. NO MERCY On the pitch, the gulf between part-time semi-professionals and global superstars was on brutal display. Bayern Munich, ranked among the world's elite, named a starting 11 packed with internationals, showing no mercy en route to a double-digit victory. 'Conceding 10 goals isn't a nice feeling,' Mitchell admitted. "But I think we have to realise the calibre of team and calibre of players we were up against. "The fact that they did put their strongest team out and they didn't take the pedal off the metal at all. They just kept going and going and going, which, it's not great for us, but in a way that's a sign of respect." The heavy defeat has not dampened spirits within the Auckland camp. With two more games to play in their group against Benfica and Boca Juniors, Mitchell said he and his teammates are determined to leave their mark. "If you watched the (Bayern) game, you could see we never give up regardless of the scoreline," he said. Back home, Mitchell juggles the demands of a commission-based real estate job with evening training sessions and coaching duties at the club. His typical day starts early, squeezing in gym sessions before work, and ends late at night after training. "It's not ideal for my wife," he joked. "I don't get to see her that often, but she really respects the fact that this is a sacrifice that we have to make and she also has to make. "(For her) just seeing myself and the whole team on the stage and obviously against the best players in the world, I think it's a really proud moment." Mitchell admits that while the financial hit stings, the exposure could pay off in other ways. "Maybe if someone was watching on TV and they realised I was in the industry, maybe they just want to have a chat and that's the way you can build some rapport," he said. To the critics who have questioned the inclusion of Auckland City in a competition of this scale, Mitchell remains unapologetic. "We don't bother too much about critics. We've earned the right to be here. People have to realise we are semi-professionals, but we do treat training and we treat our club like a professional club, with the resources we have," said Mitchell, whose side face Benfica on Friday. "We earned the right to be here and we're proud to be here, and we're going to give it all on the pitch." (Reporting by Julien Pretot; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Auckland City's Club World Cup participation is a privilege with a price
MIAMI - Adam Mitchell knows he is going to lose money this month. The Auckland City defender left his job selling houses in New Zealand to take part in the Club World Cup, where the eventual champions will pocket a staggering $125 million — while his semi-professional team plays on for pride and an appearance fee still under negotiation. "My business runs on a commission basis only," Mitchell told Reuters on Thursday after his side's humbling 10-0 defeat to European giants Bayern Munich at the expanded Club World Cup. "If I'm not back working, there's no income coming in. But a tournament like this, you have to be willing to make sacrifices and that's what a lot of us have done." The Club World Cup's new, lucrative format has attracted criticism for its schedule congestion at the end of a long European season. Mitchell and his teammates, many of whom work as teachers, delivery drivers, and tradesmen, are effectively paying out of their own pockets for the privilege of competing on this stage. It is not just Mitchell's earnings that are taking a hit. New Zealand's labour laws typically grant around four to five weeks of annual leave per year — most of which, for Auckland's players, was already used up during last year's Oceania qualifying tournament. "The players that went to the qualification for this tournament, well, we played in the Solomon Islands. That was three weeks," Mitchell explained. "Some people have run out of annual leave. People are kind of in negative days and taking unpaid leave. So, it's nice for people to know the sacrifices we make to be here." While the tournament offers prize money tiers based on performance, Auckland City, representing one of football's smallest confederations, will receive the lowest payout - a fraction of the $3.58 million meant for Oceania. Even that amount, Mitchell noted, is still subject to ongoing negotiations between the club and New Zealand Football. NO MERCY On the pitch, the gulf between part-time semi-professionals and global superstars was on brutal display. Bayern Munich, ranked among the world's elite, named a starting 11 packed with internationals, showing no mercy en route to a double-digit victory. 'Conceding 10 goals isn't a nice feeling,' Mitchell admitted. "But I think we have to realise the calibre of team and calibre of players we were up against. "The fact that they did put their strongest team out and they didn't take the pedal off the metal at all. They just kept going and going and going, which, it's not great for us, but in a way that's a sign of respect." The heavy defeat has not dampened spirits within the Auckland camp. With two more games to play in their group against Benfica and Boca Juniors, Mitchell said he and his teammates are determined to leave their mark. "If you watched the (Bayern) game, you could see we never give up regardless of the scoreline," he said. Back home, Mitchell juggles the demands of a commission-based real estate job with evening training sessions and coaching duties at the club. His typical day starts early, squeezing in gym sessions before work, and ends late at night after training. "It's not ideal for my wife," he joked. "I don't get to see her that often, but she really respects the fact that this is a sacrifice that we have to make and she also has to make. "(For her) just seeing myself and the whole team on the stage and obviously against the best players in the world, I think it's a really proud moment." Mitchell admits that while the financial hit stings, the exposure could pay off in other ways. "Maybe if someone was watching on TV and they realised I was in the industry, maybe they just want to have a chat and that's the way you can build some rapport," he said. To the critics who have questioned the inclusion of Auckland City in a competition of this scale, Mitchell remains unapologetic. "We don't bother too much about critics. We've earned the right to be here. People have to realise we are semi-professionals, but we do treat training and we treat our club like a professional club, with the resources we have," said Mitchell, whose side face Benfica on Friday. "We earned the right to be here and we're proud to be here, and we're going to give it all on the pitch." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
