The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
The Unlocked Target: A Double Dose of Preventable Theft
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Rapid City Police Department is warning residents after two firearm thefts from unlocked vehicles were reported within 24 hours. On May 22, a loaded handgun was stolen from an unlocked pickup on North Spruce Street. The following morning, another loaded handgun was reported stolen after three unlocked vehicles were burglarized overnight on Oak Avenue. Both cases were turned over to the Criminal Investigations Division. Police said 10 firearms have been stolen from vehicles in Rapid City so far this year and reminded residents to lock vehicle doors, remove valuables and secure firearms in locked safes. (Full story)
Drug trafficker in Rapid City, Pine Ridge sentenced
RAPID CITY, S.D. — A Denver man has been sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for leading a large drug trafficking operation tied to western South Dakota, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Juan Sertuche, 43, was sentenced May 22 after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Prosecutors said Sertuche supplied about 500 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 33,000 fentanyl pills to distributors in the Rapid City and Pine Ridge areas between 2002 and 2023. Authorities also recovered multiple firearms tied to the operation. (Full story)
Rapid City Fundraiser Aims To Provide Weekly Meals For Homeless Residents
RAPID CITY, S.D. — A Rapid City man has launched a fundraiser to help provide weekly meals for people experiencing homelessness in the community. Joe Prevratil said the effort was inspired by encounters with people struggling with mental illness, addiction and other hardships while living on the streets. The fundraiser will help purchase food and supplies for volunteers to cook and serve meals, with plans to begin with one meal each week and expand as support grows. The owner of Borrachos is providing a food trailer and assisting alongside five volunteers. The fundraiser had raised $60 toward its $1,400 goal through three donations this week. (Full story)
Attorney General Jackley Joins Coalition Urging Congress To Support Stronger Online Protection for Children
PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined a coalition of 44 attorneys general urging Congress to reject the House version of the federal Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act and instead pass stronger legislation aimed at better protecting children online. Jackley said South Dakota has already passed laws protecting children and young adults from online predators and called on Congress to hold online platforms accountable. The coalition supports the Senate version of the act, which would require online platforms to act in the best interests of minors while preserving states’ authority to enforce stronger protections for children and teens. (Full story)
Experimental hepatitis B drug may offer ‘functional cure’ for some patients
WASHINGTON (AP) — New research suggests a first-of-its-kind drug for hepatitis B may let some patients stop treatment without showing signs of the dangerous liver virus. Chronic hepatitis B is hard to treat, and the virus can hide out in the body, making a cure elusive. Researchers reported Thursday that in two international studies, about 1 in 5 patients given the experimental drug for six months saw their virus reduced to levels low enough that the immune system could keep it in check, what scientists call a “functional cure.” The studies were funded by GSK, which is seeking regulatory approval. (Full story)
Matthew Perry’s assistant gets more than 3 years in prison for central role in his ketamine death
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Matthew Perry’s personal assistant has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for his role in the drug death of the “Friends” star. Sixty-year-old Kenneth Iwamasa received the sentence in a Los Angeles federal court on Wednesday. Iwamasa The assistant was at Perry’s side through the final days of his life in 2023. He injected Perry with the fatal dose of ketamine and found him dead in his Jacuzzi. He would eventually become prosecutors’ most important informant. Iwamasa was the last person sentenced of five who pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death at age 54. (Full story)
A rare blue micromoon rises this weekend
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Get set for a rare blue micromoon this weekend. It’s when a blue moon that’s also the most distant and smallest-looking full moon of the year rises. The brilliant star Antares will photobomb Sunday’s spectacle for a celestial three-for-one. A blue moon occurs every two to three years when a second full moon squeezes into a single month. May 1 saw this month’s first full moon. The upcoming full moon will be farther from Earth than usual at a distance of 252,360 miles. That will make the moon seem a bit smaller and dimmer. (Full story)
