The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
South Dakota Supreme Court Rules Against Black Hawk Sinkhole Homeowners
BLACK HAWK, S.D. — A group of homeowners whose properties were impacted by a large sinkhole just west of Rapid City have lost a major legal battle now that the South Dakota Supreme Court has ruled against them in their lawsuit against the state. The court has issued a unanimous decision in favor of the state, which argued it was not responsible for damages caused by the opening of the large sinkhole above a former underground gypsum mine in April 2020. Roughly a dozen homes in the Hideaway Hills subdivision in Black Hawk were condemned and still sit vacant in the neighborhood. Those property owners were joined by about 150 other homeowners in Hideaway Hills in filing a $60 million class-action lawsuit against the state. (Full story)
New Women’s Prison Opens in Rapid City
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Gov. Larry Rhoden was on-hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new women’s prison in Rapid City Friday morning. The facility will use a therapeutic community model for substance use disorder treatment and will feature a business entrepreneurship program. The project began in 2023 when former Gov. Kristi Noem appropriated 60-million dollars to purchase the site near Interstate 90. The facility will be a Level three, housing medium and minimum custody offenders. The Department of Corrections said in May that it is looking to hire staff of all kinds for the prison. (Full story)
Record Heat Shatters Temperature Marks Across Western South Dakota
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Summer heat descended on the area over the weekend, breaking record high temperatures in several locations. The National Weather Service in Rapid City says the temperature soared above 100-degress Sunday afternoon, breaking the old record of 100 set back in 1939. Other scorching hot temperatures recorded on Sunday included 106-degrees in Buffalo and 104 in Spearfish. Hot temperatures will continue to make life miserable the next few days, with highs again today expected to be between 100 and 105 degrees. (Full story)
Public Invited to Weigh In on Proposed Judicial Circuit Merger
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The South Dakota Unified Judicial System’s State Court Administrator’s Office is seeking public input on a proposal to merge the administrative structures of the Fourth and Seventh Judicial Circuits in western South Dakota. The proposed merger is aimed at improving operational efficiency within the court system. To gather feedback, public forums will be held on Aug. 26, 2026, in Rapid City, Sturgis, and Lemmon. The meetings will include a presentation from the State Court Administrator’s Office followed by opportunities for public questions and comments. (Full story)
Lindsey Graham Dies at 71 After Brief Illness
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died after a brief and sudden illness, his office announced Saturday. He was 71. Graham, a longtime advocate of an aggressive U.S. foreign policy, had recently returned from Ukraine and announced an agreement with the Trump administration on Russia sanctions. First elected to the Senate in 2002, he became one of President Donald Trump’s closest congressional allies after initially opposing him in the 2016 presidential campaign. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement under state law. (Full story)
Keystone Pipeline system’s operator agrees to pay a $26.9M penalty over a major Kansas oil spill
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A proposed legal settlement with the U.S. government would require the Keystone Pipeline system’s operator to pay a civil penalty of nearly $27 million over a major oil spill in Kansas in December 2022. Canada-based South Bow also would spend about $40 million to prevent future accidents under terms of the agreement filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Kansas. The agreement would resolve allegations that South Bow violated U.S. and Kansas clean water laws in operating the pipeline. The 2002 rupture dumped nearly 13,000 barrels of heavy crude oil into a creek in Washington County, about 150 miles northwest of Kansas City. The company disputes the allegations. (Full story)
Innovation, data fixes fuel Native American graduation gains at federally funded schools
The U.S. agency that oversees dozens of schools serving Native Americans is reporting more on-time high school graduations than ever. The Bureau of Indian Education says nearly 80% of high schoolers are graduating within four years. That’s up from only half a decade ago. The Trump administration says it’s committed to Native students. There’s also been a push to correct how graduation rates are tabulated. Some BIE educators attribute the boost to local innovations. Still, tribal leaders fear that progress could be undermined by budget cuts and the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. (Full story)
