Group Wants Public Vote on Sioux Falls Highway Name Change

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Sioux Falls residents opposed to changing the name of a stretch of state Highway 11 are hoping to bring the matter to a public vote.

The City Council in July voted to change the name from Powder House Road to Veterans Parkway, to honor military veterans.

The decision irked history buffs. They think it will erode memories of a New Year's Eve 1936 explosion, when a Sioux City, Iowa, gang lit a Sioux Falls dynamite storage building on fire to get rid of adversaries.

The Argus Leader reports history enthusiasts are pushing ballot initiatives that would change the name back to Powder House Road, and rename a different roadway Veterans Parkway.

The group has until Jan. 4 to obtain about 5,200 signatures to force a public vote next April.

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