Inside KELOLAND: Heart Month
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – February is Heart Month across the United States.
Former Governor in spotlight as Secretary of Homeland Security
In this week's Inside KELOLAND, find out why the 'Go Red for Women Gala' was so important to one Sioux Falls woman and hear from a Sanford Health cardiologist on how to keep your heart healthy.
After that, you'll hear from KELOLAND's Dan Santella about his exclusive tour of the State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.
Lastly, take a look at the Sioux Falls Burger Battle winner and preview another food battle in Sioux Falls.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Washington Post
2 days ago
- Washington Post
After outcry, 4-year-old girl can stay in U.S. for lifesaving care
Deysi Vargas's 4-year-old daughter was fussy on Wednesday as she carried her into their Bakersfield, California, home after a dental procedure. In a few hours, Vargas would have to prepare the girl's next feeding — washing her hands thoroughly, measuring formula and flushing her daughter's gastric tube. It was a routine Vargas had perfected through fear. Missing even one step could mean disaster, she said. But for the first time in months, she felt like she could finally breathe. Vargas and her family, who hail from Mexico, could stay in the United States, the only country where her daughter can receive the complex and specialized treatment that keeps her alive. The girl has short bowel syndrome, a condition where the body cannot absorb enough nutrients from food. The relief that washed over Vargas had come after nearly two excruciating months, she said. In April, the government had abruptly revoked the family's humanitarian parole without giving them a reason. The move triggered swift international outrage and prompted 38 Democratic members of Congress to send a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem urging her to reverse the decision. Then on Tuesday, Vargas received a notice from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: The family had been granted another year of parole. 'I felt more than tranquility — peace,' Vargas, 28, told The Washington Post. 'These moments of not knowing whether we'd be deported or allowed to stay were beyond overwhelming. It was horrible knowing that my daughter's ability to stay alive depended on this humanitarian parole.' In a statement Friday, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the family was approved to stay in the United States. The agency did not respond to questions about why their parole had been revoked after initially being granted until July. Vargas's attorney, Gina Amato Lough, said the family fit into two categories of people who have seen their status canceled amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration: people with parole and those who entered the country through the Biden administration's CBP One app. The Trump administration has also rolled back humanitarian protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants. The girl, whom the family's lawyers identify by the pseudonym Sofia, was born in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in fragile health. She had her first surgery at four days old for a malformation in her intestine. Four more surgeries followed, Vargas said, and left the girl with short bowel syndrome. Soon, the girl was transferred to a hospital nearly 800 miles away in Mexico City. Vargas and her husband uprooted their lives to move close to the facility, which their daughter did not leave for two years. After two more surgeries and a near-death experience, doctors told Vargas they were running out of options. The only thing left to try was an intestine transplant, which had never been done in that hospital before, Vargas recalled being told. 'They told me my child was most likely going to die,' she said. Vargas refused to give up hope. She started researching transplants and alternative treatments in Spain and the United States, and contacting hospitals. At the same time, she prepared an application for humanitarian parole, which allows people to temporarily live in the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons. In 2023, the family boarded a flight to Tijuana from Mexico City. They carried the girl — still connected to nutrition bags — to the border and legally entered the United States through an appointment secured through the CBP One app, Vargas said. They were granted humanitarian parole until July 2025. The girl arrived in California as an emaciated toddler and was transported to a children's hospital in San Diego. She soon began to thrive under specialized care, Vargas said, including hours tethered to an intravenous feeding system — a machine that pumps nutrients into her through a tube. Little by little, the child reached milestones — like sitting up and taking her first steps — that to Vargas had once seemed impossibly out of reach. She was transferred to Children's Hospital Los Angeles after a year. In September, the girl was discharged and allowed to live something close to a normal life: playing in the park, painting with her father and attending day care while Vargas works in a buffet-style restaurant. She loves dancing, especially to 'Mambo No. 5' by Lou Bega. 'She feels the rhythm and starts moving her body,' Vargas said, laughing. For a while, it felt like the family was moving forward. Then came the April 11 letter from DHS, giving them just seven days before their legal status would be revoked. 'Do not attempt to remain in the United States — the federal government will find you. Please depart the United States immediately,' read the email, which was reviewed by The Post. The family received two more such notices. The last one, from May 13, warned Vargas that her work authorization had also been canceled. 'I can't explain the fear,' she said. 'Feeling like any time we were out on the streets someone was going to take us away and deport us.' Adding to her anxiety, Vargas said, was the fact that her daughter's medical team had said the equipment that keeps the girl alive can't leave the country — and patients on this treatment aren't allowed to travel. DHS denied in its statement that the family was 'actively being deported.' Though the family hadn't been placed in removal proceedings or received a final deportation order, Amato Lough said the revocation of their status effectively left them undocumented. The letter the family received from DHS warned: 'If you do not depart the United States immediately you will be subject to potential law enforcement actions that will result in your removal.' On May 14, Vargas and her family filed another application for humanitarian parole. Weeks went by without an answer. Then, after the Los Angeles Times reported on the family's situation, USCIS contacted the family to begin scheduling biometrics appointments — a standard, early step in many immigration benefit applications. Days later, the family was told they would have status for a year. 'While we celebrate this victory, we cannot ignore the systemic challenges that brought [the girl] to the brink,' Amato Lough and her co-counsel, Rebecca Brown, said in a statement. 'Her parole was terminated without warning, and for weeks there was no functional avenue to alert USCIS that a child's life was in danger. It took an international outcry and pressure from elected officials to get a response — something that used to take a single phone call.' In Bakersfield, Vargas rocked her daughter gently this week and whispered reassurances. 'She's so groggy,' she said, as the girl whined. 'But she's going to be okay.' This time, she believed it.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
South Dakota confirms 2nd case of measles in 2025
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota Department of Health (DOH) says a second case of measles has been detected in the state in 2025, this one also in West River. The DOH sent the announcement out at 4:48 p.m. on Friday, informing the public that there was potential of a measles exposure at two locations in Pennington County. 21-year-old Brookings man arrested for rape of minor These were the Sam's Club at 925 Eglin St in Rapid City on June 1 from noon to 6:00 p.m., and the Dakota Premier Medical Clinic at 2006 Mt Rushmore Rd in Rapid City on June 2 from 11:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The DOH is advising any person who visited those locations during the mentioned time frames that they may have been exposed to measles, and are asked to self-monitor for symptoms of measles for 21 days after the exposure date. Measles symptoms appear in two stages. In the first stage, the individual may have a runny nose, cough, and a slight fever. The eyes may become reddened and sensitive to light while the fever consistently rises each day. The second stage begins on the third to seventh day of symptoms and consists of a temperature of 103-105°F, and a red blotchy rash lasting for four to seven days. The rash usually begins on the face and then spreads down to the trunk and out to the arms and legs. Information from the DOH 'We are sharing this information to help individuals who may have been exposed take steps to protect their health,' said State Epidemiologist Joshua Clayton. 'Any South Dakotan who lack immunity from vaccination or past infection can get the MMR vaccine to prevent measles infection and its complications.' South Dakota's first measles case of 2025 was reported on June 2, and was identified in a man in Meade County who developed the infection after traveling internationally. That man had visited the following locations, where people who may have been exposed are also asked to self-monitor: Rapid City Medical Center Urgent Care waiting room (2820 Mt Rushmore Road, Rapid City, SD May 28, 2025, from 7:15 am to 10 am MT Monument Health Sturgis Urgent Care waiting room (2140 Junction Ave, Sturgis, SD) May 29, 2025, from 9:45 am to 3 pm MT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
‘The Human Race' to benefit ten local nonprofits
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — An event to benefit ten local nonprofits will hit the ground running Saturday in Sioux Falls. Health Connect is a local health and safety information clearinghouse that's asking people to lace up their running shoes for The Human Race. Spring Creek golf course sold for $2.5 million 'The Human Race is a benefit for 10 nonprofits here in our community,' Health Connect of South Dakota Executive Director Fran Rice said. Rice says the fundraiser had 90 participants last June, but more than 130 have already committed this year. 'We've had an extraordinary response to registrations and we're very excited that it's growing and growing,' Rice said. The cost is $75 with 75% of the registration fee going directly to the nonprofit of your choice from this year's list of ten. 'People really like that unique part about it where they can really give a hand up to one of those nonprofits that they have a heart for,' Rice said. 'The demand is increasing and we're doing our best to manage that, to keep up with it, and this type of investment is huge is a huge benefit,' The Foster Network Executive Director David Moody said. The Foster Network is one of the nonprofits on the list. The organization now serves hundreds of foster families every month, and will use the dollars to expand its storage area. 'We see ourselves as integral to the community, what we do benefits everybody in the community. There's certainly a lot of nonprofits and other organizations that are worthy causes. We feel like we're one that works well with all the others and provides a benefit to this community that the community needs,' Moody said. If you're still asking yourself 'why should I attend?'… 'Because we're helping ten nonprofits that are very pivotal in our community,' Rice said. 'It's all a part of caring and collaborating,' Rice added. The Human Race is Saturday morning at Sertoma Park in Sioux Falls, with the 5K beginning at 9:00, followed by the one-mile walk at 9:15. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
