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Armed Suspects Sought After Canyon Lake Casino Robbery
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Police in Rapid City are searching for two males who held up casino on Jackson Boulevard late Tuesday night. Police say two men entered the Canyon Lake Pub and Casino at around 11:25 p.m. and demanded money. One of the men reportedly brandished a firearm. The employee complied, and the two men fled the business on foot, headed northeast along Canyon Lake Drive. One of the males is described as wearing all black clothing, while the other was wearing a flannel jacket and jeans. Both were reported to be wearing bandanna masks and sunglasses. (Full story)
Board of Regents Approves Tuition Increase for State Universities
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The South Dakota Board of Regents announced Wednesday a rise in tuition rates across South Dakota’s public university system for the 2026-2027 school year. Regents’ say the 2.4% tuition adjustment supports technology investments, ensures university security, and maintains innovation and academic excellence. Additionally, the Board approved a 5% tuition adjustment for South Dakota Mines. (Full story)
South Dakota Mines Hosts International DUNE Conference
RAPID CITY, S.D. — South Dakota Mines is hosting its international DUNE conference this week. More than 250 physicists and researchers are celebrating a major milestone for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment taking place at the Sanford Underground Research Facility and determining the next steps for the experiment. The structure is adding massive steel beams to further the DUNE project. It’s being led by Fermilab and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy to study neutrinos from supernova explosions and will provide new insights into the world of physics.
Pettigrew Defends Actions During Absence From City Council
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City Councilman Rod Pettigrew is defending actions that forced him to step back from the council. Pettigrew spoke at the City Council meeting this week, sharing details about helping his daughter and granddaughter get out of the Middle East amid the ongoing war with Iran. He says he has received disturbing comments during his time away and said, “this nonsense has to stop.” Pettigrew says he has been keeping up with his emails several times a day and stayed in communication with other council members regularly. He says it’s his job as a parent to make sure his daughter is safe.
State Wildland Fire Officials Prepare New Equipment and Facilities
RAPID CITY, S.D. — South Dakota Wildland Fire officials are getting ready to use new equipment and facilities this year. At an annual presentation on Tuesday, officials highlighted the new fire facilities in Hot Springs and Rapid City, along with new chainsaws and five-million-dollars worth of protective equipment grants for fire departments statewide. Governor Larry Rhoden attended the event. He thanked the firefighters for their work protecting communities and natural resources across the state. South Dakota lawmakers approved two-point-six-five-million dollars worth of funding this year for wildfire suppression costs.
Dusty Johnson Leads Governor’s Race Fundraising
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Congressman Dusty Johnson’s financial advantage in the race for governor is clear. Johnson’s year-end filings show he has raised more than three-point-seven million dollars from the start of the year through May 13th. In the same time span, Businessman Toby Doeden has added more than two-million through a loan he made to his own committee while incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden has brought in roughly 571-thousand dollars. State Speaker of the House Jon Hansen has raised about 355-thousand dollars.
SpaceX reveals plans for what could be the biggest-ever initial public offering
NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk announced plans Wednesday for one of the biggest sales of stock to the public ever for his space company that is currently losing billions of dollars year. A filing Wednesday shows Elon Musk’s SpaceX lost $2.6 billion from operations last year on $18.7 billion in revenue, and the losses kept piling up at the start of this year, too. Still, the initial public offering is expected to rank among the largest ever, possibly surpassing the current title holder, Saudi Aramco, the oil giant that went public seven years ago. The stock sale could also make Musk, a major owner who founded SpaceX in 2002, the world’s first trillionaire. Forbes currently puts Musk’s net worth at $839 billion. (Full story)
Italy’s foreign minister says divers found bodies of 4 Italians in Maldives sea cave
MALE, Maldives (AP) — Italy’s Foreign Ministry says rescuers have found the bodies of four Italian divers inside an underwater cave in the Maldives. They were located four days after being reported missing. Searches resumed Monday after being suspended due to the death of a local military diver. The Maldives government confirmed the bodies were spotted by Finnish diving experts, supported by local police and military. The divers were found in the innermost part of the cave. The body of a fifth Italian, a diving instructor, was found earlier outside the cave. The cause of the deaths is still under investigation. (Full story)
3 dead in New Mexico and first responders treated for exposure to unknown substance, officials say
MOUNTAINAIR, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico authorities say three people are dead and more than a dozen first responders are being treated for exposure to an unidentified substance after being called to a rural home for a suspected drug overdose. New Mexico State Police say three of the four people who were found unresponsive inside the home east of Albuquerque have died. The fourth was being treated at a hospital. During the response, authorities said, 18 first responders were exposed to the substance and began experiencing symptoms including nausea and dizziness. All were quarantined at the University of New Mexico Hospital and are being monitored. (Full story)
