The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Rapid City Job Service to host Hire the Hills hiring event
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City Job Service will host the Hire the Hills hiring event from noon to 2 p.m. MDT on July 29 at 2330 N. Maple Ave. The free event will allow job seekers to meet employers, apply for open positions and participate in on-site interviews. Participating employers include Abbott House Youth Services, Black Hills Federal Credit Union, Dakota Pure Bison, McDonald’s, Sam’s Club, the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Army, among others. Job openings are available at southdakotaworks.org. The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation also offers job application and interview assistance. (Full story)
Verizon in Rapid City to Give Away 500 Backpacks Sunday
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Verizon, 725 Omaha St. in Rapid City, will give away about 500 free backpacks from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, July 26, as part of Round Room LLC’s annual School Rocks Backpack Giveaway. Families may receive one backpack per child present while supplies last. Round Room, one of the nation’s largest Verizon Authorized Retailers, is distributing more than 140,000 backpacks nationwide for the 14th consecutive year, representing more than $3 million in donated supplies. (Full story)
Monument Health breaks ground on $48 million children’s hospital expansion
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Monument Health broke ground Thursday on a 63,000-square-foot, $48 million children’s hospital expansion on the north side of the hospital facing Fairmont Boulevard. The project includes 19 labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms using the LDRP model, allowing patients to remain in one room throughout childbirth, and a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with 25 private and semi-private rooms. Construction begins in August 2026 and is expected to be completed in February 2028. The Monument Health Foundation has raised $7.1 million for the project since 2022. (Full story)
Rapid City City Hall Continues Permanent 911 Cell Phone Bank Collection
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City officials remind the public the City Hall lobby in Rapid City is serving as a permanent drop-off location for cell phones, tablets, chargers and cords for the 911 Cell Phone Bank. In December and January, the lobby in City Hall served as a temporary drop-off location for cell phones and related items. A total of 419 phones were donated by the public and Victim’s Specialist Program turned the items over to the 911 Cell Phone Bank. Working with the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office Victim’s Specialist Program, City Hall became a permanent drop-off location in May. The donated items are repaired, refurbished, recycled and securely erased, then provided to partnering agencies to be given to victims of violent crimes. (Full story)
Temporary Closures Planned at Rapid City Recycling Drop-Off Sites
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City’s Solid Waste Division is announcing temporary closures of two remote collection sites due to scheduled construction and community events. As construction continues on the new traffic signal at the Rapid City Landfill entrance, the 24/7 yard waste, cardboard, and recycling drop-off site will be temporarily closed during evening construction hours to allow roadway improvements to be completed safely. The remote site at Fitzgerald Stadium will be temporarily closed beginning this Sunday, July 26, through Sunday, August 2 to accommodate the American Legion State A Baseball Tournament. Containers will be returned and available for use beginning Monday, August 3. (Full story)
US health officials are investigating a new outbreak of a diarrhea-causing parasite
U.S. health officials are investigating a new outbreak involving the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora. The outbreak included 72 people as of Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration has not yet identified which products are linked to the illnesses. Officials also have not said where the cases are located. The FDA earlier this week said it remained focused on lettuce from Taylor Farms as the source of a separate, multistate cyclospora outbreak. The parasite infects food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. (Full story)
FDA panel narrowly backs unapproved peptide drug touted by Joe Rogan and other influencers
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted 8-6 Thursday to recommend broader access to the peptide BPC-157, despite FDA scientists saying there is little evidence it is safe or effective for medical use. The nonbinding vote came as advisers review seven unapproved peptides for possible use in pharmacy compounding. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supports expanding access to peptides. The FDA will consider the panel’s votes, discussions and public comments before deciding whether to change its policy on the substances. (Full story)
Tropical Storm Bertha moves toward Texas landfall after grazing Louisiana’s coast
Tropical Storm Bertha is churning toward a second landfall in Texas after grazing southern Louisiana. The National Hurricane Center says the storm packing 45 mph winds should reach the upper coast of Texas on Thursday after days of crawling westward along the U.S. Gulf Coast. No deaths or major damage have been reported. A tropical storm warning remains in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Sargent, Texas. Forecasters say 2 feet of storm surge and isolated flash flooding are still possible before Bertha moves inland and rapidly weakens. Most of the storm’s heavy rains have remained offshore. (Full story)
