The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Rapid City seeks public input on block grant funding
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City’s Community Enrichment Division held a public listening session Thursday to gather input for its Fiscal Year 2027 Annual Action Plan for Community Development Block Grant funding. The city typically receives about $500,000, which can support housing, public infrastructure and community development. Residents suggested funding senior centers, childcare, solar development and transportation, with affordable housing emerging as a common concern. Community Enrichment Division Manager Michelle Schuelke said grant funding is often one part of a larger funding package for projects. Information on the formal application process will be released in the coming weeks. (Full story)
Fork Real Community Café to hold 5th Annual Chef’s Dinner Auction
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Fork Real Community Café will hold its 5th Annual Chef’s Dinner Auction Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. at the GenPro Building at the Central States Fairgrounds. Proceeds will support the nonprofit pay-what-you-can café, which serves 150 to 300 people weekly. Local chefs will auction dining experiences, including a shrimp boil, a five-course meal prepared in the winning bidder’s home and smoked alligator. Fork Real, located at 507 Main St., serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday. Early-bird tickets are available through Sept. 12 at forkrealcafe.org/fundraiser. (Full story)
South Dakota PUC candidates clash over proposed AI data center moratorium
A Democratic candidate for the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission is proposing a one-year moratorium on new artificial intelligence data centers. Frank Kloucek said the pause would give the state time to study potential impacts on electricity costs and water supplies. Republican opponent Don Haggar called the proposal “reckless and pandering,” saying new state laws provide a framework for reviewing projects individually. South Dakota has small data centers but no hyper-scale facilities. Haggar and Kloucek are seeking the commission seat being vacated by Republican Gary Hanson. The election is Nov. 3. (Full story)
South Dakota Mines completes $10 million Surbeck Center expansion
RAPID CITY, S.D. — South Dakota Mines has completed a more than $10 million expansion of the Surbeck Center, funded entirely through private donations as part of the Center for Alumni Relations and Advancement’s New Heights campaign. The more than 18,000-square-foot expansion includes about 3,400 square feet of additional dining seating, expanded conference and lounge space and a new welcome center. The project also improves access to student support services, including counseling, veterans’ resources and the Women in Science and Engineering program. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24. (Full story)
Investigators scour scene of Minneapolis shooting that left 3 dead, including suspect
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Investigators were scouring the scene of the downtown Minneapolis shooting that left three people dead, including the suspect, and five others injured. Dozens of law enforcement officers were at the apartment building where the shooting occurred Wednesday, along with a mobile crime scene unit from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the state agency that handles many complex crimes. The five wounded by gunfire included two Minneapolis police officers, while a sixth person, another officer, suffered other injuries, police Sgt. Garrett Parten said at a Wednesday news conference. All three officers are in stable condition, according to Hennepin County Medical Center. (Full story)
Lindsay Clancy jury is deliberating for a sixth day but there’s growing risk of a mistrial
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — The jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial is starting its sixth day of deliberations. The jurors have been struggling to reach a verdict and have twice said they’re deadlocked on whether the Massachusetts mother is criminally responsible for killing her three young children. Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, admits to strangling her children in 2023. Her attorney says postpartum psychosis drove her actions, while prosecutors argue she was aware of what she was doing. The children ranged in age from 5 years to 8 months. The trial has sparked debate over maternal mental health. If the jury remains deadlocked, a mistrial could be declared. (Full story)
A pair of spacecraft draw closer to Mercury after nearly decade-long voyage
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Two Mercury-bound spacecraft are in the home stretch of their nearly decade-long voyage. The linked spacecraft — one European, the other Japanese — separated from their mother ship on Thursday. If all goes well, they’ll enter orbit around Mercury in November and split from each other in December to map and study the planet. The BepiColombo mission launched in 2018. It’s named for the Italian mathematician who took part in NASA’s Mariner 10 mission to Mercury in the 1970s. Only one other spacecraft, NASA’s Messenger, has explored our solar system’s smallest and closest-to-the-sun planet. (Full story)
