The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Extreme Drought Expands Across Western South Dakota
STURGIS, S.D. — The rainfall Wednesday that blanketed the area was welcome but the state is still in drought conditions. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor was released, and extreme drought conditions expanded across far western South Dakota. Western Meade County, including Sturgis, remained in extreme drought with all of Lawrence County now falling under the same category. Western Pennington County, the majority of Custer and all of Fall River County are also under extreme drought. (Full story)
Pine Ridge Man Arrested After Alleged Burglary, Assault
RAPID CITY, S.D. — A Pine Ridge man was arrested early Thursday following a burglary and assault incident at an apartment on Knollwood Drive. Police were dispatched to the residence for a report of a male subject to had forced his way into an apartment before threatening the resident with a handgun. On arrival, police met with the resident who said the male just fled the residence. Police found the subject shortly afterwards and attempted to make contact with him. The man fled on foot and police caught up with him a brief foot pursuit. The man, identified as 18-year-old Aaron Brown, was arrested for First Degree Burglary and Aggravated Assault. (Full story)
Rapid City School District Proposes $107 Million Bond
PENNINGTON COUNTY, S.D. — The Rapid City School District is proposing a $107 million bond to address growing needs in the Rapid City School District. On Thursday, Rapid City School Superintendent Jami Jo Thompson said district priorities addressed in the proposed bond would include HVAC upgrades, safety and security, the construction of an elementary school, and safety improvements at Stevens High School. District leaders are holding several public meetings to discuss the proposal prior to the November third election. Learn more at the district’s website – rcas.org (Full story)
Justice Department seeks to revoke citizenship of former Rapid City priest
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The U.S. Department of Justice is looking to revoke the naturalized citizenship of ten people, including a former Rapid City Catholic priest. Marcin Garbacz, 47, is a native of Poland and became a legal permanent U.S. resident in 2008 and a naturalized citizen in 2014. Garbacz was accused of stealing about $269,000 in collections from three parishes in the Rapid City Catholic Diocese and was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering in 2020. He also pleaded guilty in 2021 to shooting videos of a 17 year old boy in the shower on a church trip to Poland. The Justice Department says Garbacz illegally procured his citizenship by lacking the good moral character needed, providing false testimony during the naturalization process and concealing material facts and willful misrepresentations. Garbacz is currently in federal prison in Colorado and is scheduled for release in March of 2029.
Disability Committee reminds Rally visitors not to block accessible parking access
RAPID CITY, S.D. — With next week marking the official start of the 86th annual Sturgis motorcycle rally, the Rapid City Disability Awareness and Accessibility Committee is renewing its reminder to motorcyclists and all drivers to refrain from parking in white or yellow-striped areas next to accessible parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities. The white or yellow-striped areas adjacent to the accessible parking spaces provides important access for drivers and passengers in vans with wheelchair ramps and also for people in manual wheelchairs, using walkers and crutches. Van wheelchair ramps extend out of the side of the van, allowing a person in a wheelchair the space needed to exit and enter the van. Drivers parking cars and motorcycles in white striped areas adjacent to public accessible spaces are subject to a $100 citation. (Full story)
Colin Gray, who gave his son the gun used in Georgia school shooting, is sentenced to 15 years
A man who gave his son the gun he used in a deadly high school shooting in Georgia has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Colin Gray was convicted of charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter after his then 14-year-old son, Colt Gray, used the weapon to kill two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in September 2024. Colt Gray was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors say Colin Gray gave his son the rifle as a Christmas gift. The elder Gray is among a handful of American parents who have been charged after their children were accused in shootings. (Full story)
Senate committee advances nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz to be Trump’s CDC director
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has cleared a hurdle in the Senate. A committee on Thursday sent to the full Senate the nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz to be director of the nation’s top public health agency. Schwartz appeared to be on shaky ground after a hearing this month when she faced questions about whether she’d be willing to stand up to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if he ordered CDC to do something unsupported by science and good public health practice. Public health experts cautiously support Schwartz, noting her qualifications and potential to rebuild the agency. (Full story)
Man convicted in terrorism trial over the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie
A man has been convicted of federal terrorism charges in the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. A jury delivered its verdict Wednesday in Buffalo, New York. Jurors found Hadi Matar guilty of all the charges against him, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. The 28-year-old had pleaded not guilty. Matar already is serving a 25-year New York state prison sentence on an attempted murder conviction in the August 2022 attack. Rushdie has faced a decades-old death threat over his novel “The Satanic Verses.” (Full story)
