The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice

Rapid City Buses See Big Ridership Jump

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The year is off to a great start for Rapid Transit System.
A total of 23,380 passenger trips were recorded by RTS in February, a 13 percent increase over the ridership numbers in the same month a year ago. The overall ridership number includes 6,935 youth passenger trips recorded as part of the ‘Youth Ride Free’ program.
The youth ridership numbers are a 23 percent jump from February 2025.
Nearly 46,000 passenger trips have been recorded during the first two months of 2026 (45,944), including nearly 13,000 youth passenger trips (12,947).

Rapid City Planning a Time Capsule for 2076

RAPID CITY, S.D. – As contents from a 50-year old time capsule were being unearthed and opened last week at City Hall, plans were already underway to bury another time capsule to be opened in 2076.
City officials are seeking the public’s help in determining many of the items to be placed in the new time capsule, which is planned for burial in Founder’s Park in late May.
The public is invited to participate in a brief online survey to select 10 items for inclusion in the time capsule. Deadline to submit responses and feedback is March 30.

Warmest Winter Ever Recorded in Rapid City

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Temperatures in Rapid City this winter were the warmest on record since the late 1800s.
The average temperature in Rapid City was 34-point-seven degrees this winter, two degrees warmer than the previous record set in the 1930s.
Meteorologists with the National Weather Service worry that the higher temps and lack of snow pack could lead to a greater risk of fire as spring approaches.
The city received just six-point-five inches of snow, which is about half of the normal amount.
The lack of precipitation has led to less water storage on reservoirs that could also cause problems for fire mitigation.

Dry Conditions Spark Black Hills Wildfires

RAPID CITY, S.D. – With the recent warm temperatures, dry conditions have fueled a couple of wildfires this week.
One fire burned 17 acres northwest of Spearfish off old Highway 14 Wednesday and another fire burned 25 acres north of Hermosa Thursday afternoon.
The Daughenbaugh fire was located east of Highway 79 off Daughenbaugh Road.

Trump Fires Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary

President Donald Trump has fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Trump said he was nominating Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin for the position in an announcement on social media on Thursday. The announcement came after Noem faced a two-day grilling on Capitol Hill from Republicans and Democrats and as Noem faced mounting criticism over her leadership of the Department of Homeland Security. Trump says he’ll make Noem a “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas.” Noem touted her achievements on social media and thanked Trump for the new role.

Congress Rejects Measure to Halt Iran War

House lawmakers on Thursday rejected a war powers resolution to halt Trump’s attack on Iran, a day after the Senate voted down a similar measure. In addition, the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait shut down after retaliatory Iranian strikes on the country, becoming the second American diplomatic mission to fully halt work since the Iran war. Kuwait is also where six American soldiers were killed by an Iranian drone. U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he should have a role in choosing Iran’s next supreme leader, raising questions about whether Washington and Israel seek regime change or policy concessions as the conflict appears increasingly open-ended. Tehran has warned of the destruction of the Middle East’s military and economic infrastructure, and the war has rattled financial markets.

U.S. and Venezuela Restore Diplomatic Relations

The State Department says the United States and Venezuela have agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations in a major shift in a historically adversarial relationship. The move comes after rounds of Trump administration officials have visited the South American nation after a U.S. military operation deposed of former President Nicolás Maduro in January. Since then, the Trump administration has been stepping up pressure on Maduro loyalists who now run the oil rich nation. Relations between the two countries were cut off following another geopolitical debacle in 2019, during the first Trump administration.

Britney Spears Arrested on DUI Suspicion

Britney Spears has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol near her Southern California home. Authorities say Spears was pulled over after reports that her BMW was driving fast and erratically on a highway on Wednesday night. The California Highway Patrol says she was jailed after taking a series of field sobriety tests. A representative for Spears calls the incident “completely inexcusable” and says she plans to comply with the law and seek help. Jail records show she was booked early Thursday and released later in the morning. The district attorney will decide on charges.