The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Pennington County Approves Nearly $3 Million Remodel Project for Former Administration Building
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Pennington County Commission Tuesday approved the construction bid for the remodel project at the old county administration building on Kansas City Street. The nearly $3-million dollar bid was awarded to SECO Construction. The company had turned in the lowest bid of seven companies seeking the project. Most Pennington County administration offices moved to new headquarters at 900 East Concourse Drive in late 2025. The project will remodel approximately 35,000 square feet at the former administration building at 130 Kansas City Street. When the remodel project at the Kansas City Street building is completed, it will be the new home for several relocated county offices.
Mayor Joins Team Dexter for Rapid City Rock N’ Polar Plunge Fundraiser
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Mayor Jason Salamun this week joined Team Dexter for this Sunday’s Rapid City Rock N’ Polar Plunge with the hopes of raising funds to help Special Olympics South Dakota and to free Dexter from canine confinement. Dexter was recently captured by the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office and sworn in as Deputy Dexter. To earn his release, Dexter, the long-time mascot of the Rapid City Fire Department, was given the special assignment to raise funds for the Rapid City Special Olympics Polar Plunge. The plunge is scheduled for this Sunday at 1 p.m. at 141 E. Omaha Street.
South Dakota Supreme Court Says Lieutenant Governor May Break Senate Tie Votes
PIERRE, S.D. — The South Dakota lieutenant governor as president of the South Dakota Senate, may break tie votes on final action regarding any Senate matter, according to the South Dakota Supreme Court. The state’s high court on Wednesday issued an advisory opinion that Gov. Larry Rhoden had requested. The opinion carried the signatures of all five current justices and resolved a question of interpretation of the South Dakota Constitution. Republican Sen. Chris Karr of Sioux Falls last month challenged Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen’s right to vote on a tied question. Karr is Senate president pro-tem, the chamber’s top elected member. The 35-seat Senate has been operating with only 34 members this session due to an illness sidelining Republican Sen. Arch Beal of Sioux Falls.
South Dakota to Transition to Digital Medical Marijuana Cards
PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota is shifting to digital medical marijuana cards. The state Department of Health has submitted a vendor Request for Proposal to do just that. This comes following discussions of moving to digital cards this summer by the Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee. Watertown Rep. Josephine Garcia put a bill forward on the topic and it was scheduled for hearing Tuesday at the House Health and Human Services Committee. She pulled it after the DOH sent her a letter announcing the shift.
8 backcountry skiers found dead and 1 still missing after California avalanche
TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say the bodies of eight backcountry skiers have been found and one remains missing after an avalanche near Lake Tahoe in California. Search and rescue crews were dispatched to the Castle Peak area of the Sierra Nevada after a 911 call reporting an avalanche Tuesday morning. Six others were found alive. Heavy snow and the threat of additional avalanches slowed the rescue effort in the mountains near Castle Peak, northwest of Lake Tahoe. Authorities have told the families the mission has moved from rescue to recovery. They say the eight victims were found fairly close together, and that three of them were discovered by the skiers who survived. (Full Story)
Transportation Department Orders Closure of More Than 550 Commercial Driving Schools
The U.S. Transportation Department announced Wednesday that more than 550 commercial driving schools must close after inspections found unqualified instructors, inadequate student testing and other safety violations. Investigators conducted 1,426 site visits in December and identified 448 schools that failed to meet basic safety standards, while 109 others withdrew from the federal registry ahead of inspections. Another 97 schools remain under investigation. The enforcement effort follows heightened scrutiny of commercial driver licensing after several fatal crashes and broader audits of state licensing practices, including findings in 10 states such as South Dakota. Federal officials have also warned states they could lose funding if they fail to address licensing deficiencies. (Full Story)
Mark Zuckerberg quizzed on kids’ Instagram use in social media trial
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mark Zuckerberg and opposing lawyers dueled in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday, where the Meta CEO answered questions about young people’s use of Instagram, his congressional testimony and internal advice he’s received to be “authentic” and not “robotic.” The plaintiff, a now 20-year-old woman, is seeking to hold social media companies responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. Meta and YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap settled. (Full Story)
