The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Deadwood Trolley Destroyed by Fire on Interstate 90
STURGIS, S.D. — No injuries were reported after a Deadwood Trolley caught fire on I-90 Wednesday morning – those riding on the trolley were able to get off safely. The trolley was traveling eastbound and had just gotten on the Interstate at Exit 30 when it caught fire and was completely engulfed in flames by the time Sturgis Fire Crews arrived. Law enforcement slowed traffic in the eastbound lane as the trolley burned. The fire did spread to the grassy area adjacent to the trolley, and Sturgis fire crews were able to keep the fire from spreading. (Full story)
Highway 16/Catron Boulevard Project to Transform Busy Rapid City Corridor
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Buckle up, Rapid City, a major road project is slated to get underway by the spring of 2027 and it will impact a primary thoroughfare for several years. On Tuesday evening during a public presentation, state transportation officials outlined the three-phase Highway 16/Catron Boulevard project that will reconfigure the area and result in Highway 16B and Catron Boulevard passing underneath Highway 16. That busy corridor is key to regional and local networks for commuters and tourists and future development will drive even more traffic to the already congested, accident prone area, prompting the intersection remodel. The project is anticipated to run through 2032. (Full story)
Monument Health Expands Capacity Ahead of Sturgis Rally
RAPID CITY, S.D. — As riders roll into the Black Hills for the 86th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Monument Health reports it has more capacity than ever to care for the region’s Rally visitors and residents, having added three new access points across the Rapid City area over the past year. Monument reports that the Monument Health Emergency Services and Medical Campus at Mall Drive, open for its first Rally season, offers 24-hour emergency care along the Interstate 90 corridor. Rapid Valley Clinic, open since last September, and Box Elder Clinic, now heading into its second Rally season, provide urgent and primary care for non-emergency needs closer to where people are staying and riding. (Full story)
Sioux Falls Woman Killed in Motorcycle Crash Near Rochford
RAPID CITY, S.D. — A Sioux Falls woman died Saturday in a single-vehicle crash near Rochford, South Dakota. Preliminary crash information indicates 72-year-old Randall Lee Hillman of Sioux Falls, the driver of a 2025 Canam Spyder RT, was traveling on South Rochford Road near Seven Hills Road when he failed to negotiate a curve. The Spyder left the road and rolled. Hillman was taken to a Rapid City hospital with serious non-life-threatening injuries. His passenger, Dawn Hillman, also of Sioux Falls, died from her injuries. The investigation is ongoing. All information released is preliminary. (Full story)
Miles of Honor to Distribute Nearly $13,000 to South Dakota Veterans Organizations
STURGIS, S.D. — Miles of Honor founder Mai Richards will present $12,916 to veterans organizations, memorials, national cemeteries and community partners across South Dakota following the completion of the 2026 Miles of Honor memorial run. Richards completed a 450-mile run across South Dakota between May 1 and May 25 while carrying the American flag to honor fallen service members. Donation presentations are scheduled Aug. 6, 7 and 11 in Sioux Falls, Chester, Madison, Howard, Pierre and Sturgis, with the final presentation taking place during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally at Rally Point Plaza. (Full story)
Firefighters get a handle on Spokane wildfires as tens of thousands remain evacuated
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Crews have taken advantage of cooler weather to begin getting a handle on wildfires that have displaced tens of thousands of people around Washington state’s second-largest city, but hotter, drier and windier days lie ahead. Officials reported Wednesday that firefighters had established containment lines around the perimeters of all three fires and that they were focused on reinforcing those lines. Authorities say one of the fires was deliberately set by a man who has been arrested and charged with arson. Together the three have destroyed at least about 850 buildings and forced the evacuation of around 67,000 people since they erupted last weekend. (Full story)
15 states now linked to iceberg lettuce cyclospora outbreak, CDC says
NEW YORK (AP) — Parasitic illness cases in 15 states have been linked to iceberg lettuce. Cyclospora cases have been reported in at least 47 states this year, and investigators have continued to probe how many could be linked to a common contaminated source. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday the number of states tied to the deadly outbreak had grown from nine to 15. Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina were added to the list. Investigators initially narrowed in on lettuce served at Taco Bell. Federal officials subsequently said they are focused on Taylor Farms as the source. (Full story)
Scientists are certain a wayward SpaceX rocket slammed into the moon as predicted
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists say they’re certain that a SpaceX rocket has slammed into the moon as predicted. While no one observed the actual impact, a telescope in Chile spotted what astronomers have identified as the debris plume resulting from the high-speed crash. The leftover rocket segment plowed into the moon Wednesday after drifting off course for the past year. SpaceX launched the rocket last year with a pair of lunar landers. The company says a combination of solar activity and gravity accidentally put it on a collision course with the moon. SpaceX is working with NASA to avoid any further lunar littering. (Full story)
