The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Rapid City Area Schools Unveil Renovation and Expansion Plans for Rapid Valley Elementary
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Following significant and continuing planning Rapid City Area Schools revealed renovation plans for expansion of Rapid Valley Elementary. Original construction of the school came in 1985, being built to address the needs of the at-the-time modest population of Rapid Valley, however the years have led to a shifting population, significantly pressing the schools’ total capacity. The school will receive renovations across nearly the entirety of the building, with a significant addition of a new lunch room to house the schools’ burgeoning population.
Senate Committee Advances Bill to Fund Airport Construction Projects
PIERRE, S.D. — A state Senate committee is advancing a bill to fund construction at state airports. It would allow qualifying airports to apply for zero-percent interest loans up to 15-million dollars. The loans would only be eligible to airports in metro areas of at least 125-thousand people. Planned expansion projects at Rapid City and Sioux Falls airports that are estimated to cost 110-million and 51-million dollars, respectively, would be eligible for the funds. The bill passed out of committee unanimously.
Senate Defeats Bill to Increase Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans
PIERRE, S.D. — The South Dakota Senate voted 14-to-20 Friday to defeat a measure that would have raised the property tax exemption for permanently and totally disabled veterans from $200,000 to $300,000. Supporters of Senate Bill 126 argued that home values have climbed sharply across the state, making the current exemption inadequate. Opponents said the bill simply shifts the tax burden onto other homeowners — including other veterans — without fixing the broader property tax system. Roughly 4,000 South Dakota veterans currently use the exemption.
Senate Committee Kills Bill to Eliminate Residential Property Taxes
PIERRE, S.D. — A proposal to wipe out residential property taxes has been killed in a South Dakota Senate committee Friday. Senate Bill 243, introduced by Republican Sen. John Carley of Piedmont, would have charged shoppers 1.50 on most retail purchases and used that money to replace property taxes. But the Senate Taxation Committee voted 4-3 to send the bill to the 41st day. Critics said the flat fee would hurt rural South Dakotans who shop at multiple stores and small businesses dependent on frequent small transactions. A similar proposal is already circulating as a ballot measure for the November election. Senate Bill 243 is dead for the session.
Mexican army kills leader of powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel during operation to capture him
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican army says it has killed the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in a military operation. On Sunday, troops targeted Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” in the western state of Jalisco. The operation set off hours of roadblocks and burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Officials say cartels often use these tactics to slow down or block military moves. The U.S. State Department has offered a reward of up to 15 million dollars for information leading to El Mencho’s arrest. In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization. (Full Story)
Department of Homeland Security suspends Global Entry as the partial government shutdown drags on
DALLAS (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security says the Global Entry program shuts down for as long as the partial government shutdown continues. On Sunday, the agency says staffing limits are forcing case-by-case changes at airports. The shutdown starts after a funding fight over the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats also push for changes to immigration operations tied to President Trump’s deportation campaign. Travel gets squeezed as a winter storm hits the East Coast from Sunday into Monday. Many Monday flights out of big Northeast airports get canceled. Global Entry speeds customs for approved travelers and also includes TSA PreCheck, which DHS now keeps running. (Full Story)
New law puts Kansas at vanguard of denying trans identities on drivers licenses, birth certificates
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is set to invalidate about 1,700 driver’s licenses held by transgender residents and roughly as many of their birth certificates. It’s because of a new law that goes beyond Republican-imposed restrictions in other states on listing gender identities in government documents. The law takes effect this week after the Legislature’s Republican supermajorities last week overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. The new law prohibits the documents from listing any sex other than the one assigned birth and invalidates any that reflect a conflicting gender identity. A handful of states don’t allow changes in the documents, but only Kansas requires undoing past changes. (Full Story)
