The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Hope Center to Dissolve After Losing Downtown Location
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Two years after losing its location downtown Rapid City, the Hope Center board of directors announced that the organization will be dissolved. The announcement was posted on the Hope Center’s Facebook page Monday morning. The Hope Center used its downtown location to help people living in poverty. When it closed in December 2023, the organization attempted to find another location, but a potential site was voted down by the Rapid City Common Council. The center says it will donate its remaining funds to four local organizations that will be announced at a later date. (Full Story)
Wounded Knee Memorial Site Protected Under New Federal Law
WOUNDED KNEE, S.D. — On Monday, tribal leaders and representatives of the South Dakota delegation in Washington gathered at Wounded Knee to recognize an historic moment in the protection of the Wounded Knee Memorial Site. The Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and carried in the Senate by U.S. senators Mike Rounds and John Thune, was signed into law in December. The act preserves the land where the massacre took place and allows the tribes to hold the land in perpetuity. Monday marked the 135th anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre. (Full Story)
Four Way Stop to Remain at Elk Vale and Elk Creek Roads
STURGIS, S.D. (Black Hills Pioneer) — A four-way stop at the intersection of Elk Vale and Elk Creek Roads will remain. Meade County Commissioner Rich Liggett had asked for the four way stop-sign at the intersection. Liggett says the sign was originally placed because of construction work that was being completed on the bridge, but the Pete Lien and Sons Shooting Range has drawn more traffic to the area and he says the sign is intended to slow down traffic. Liggett says he plans to work with highway personnel to place a “stop ahead” sign that warns motorists of the controlled intersection. (Full Story)
Sturgis City Council Approves Year End Contingency Transfers
STURGIS, S.D. — The Sturgis City Council met in special session Monday morning to authorize the transfer of contingency appropriations to certain departments to close out the year. The council approved a transfer of $95,000 in the contingency fund to several departments, including police and community center, which exceeded their respective department-level appropriations. The transfer reconciles expenditures to appropriated authority. It serves as the appropriate corrective mechanism and does not constitute a supplemental appropriation, as total General Fund appropriations remain unchanged. (Full Story)
Some South Dakota tribes begin to embrace visitors as engine for economic development
RAPID CITY, S.D. (South Dakota News Watch) — Some members of South Dakota’s tribal nations are beginning to slowly embrace visitors. The state’s Native Tourism Alliance is working with tribal leaders and organizations to reframe tourism on the nine reservations as an engine for economic development, rather than a concern about exploitation. Nationwide, tourism on reservations has quietly grown. Advocates see it as an opportunity for tribes to connect visitors with the lands, medicinal plants and stories of their ancestors. But there are some barriers, such as a lack of lodging and restaurants. The South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance recently received a $175,000 grant to continue its efforts. (Full Story)
A bomb cyclone brings blizzards to the Midwest before turning east
A rapidly intensifying bomb cyclone swept across the northern United States on Monday, bringing blizzard conditions, dangerous cold, high winds and widespread travel disruptions from the Plains and Great Lakes toward the East Coast. Temperatures dropped as much as 50 degrees in parts of the central U.S., with wind chills plunging to minus 30 degrees in North Dakota and Minnesota, while snow and ice led to road closures, crashes and power outages. Michigan saw up to 2 feet of snow in the Upper Peninsula, strong winds drove major water level swings on the Great Lakes, and more than 220,000 customers nationwide lost power as airports reported thousands of delays and cancellations. Forecasters warned the storm could strengthen further as it moves east, with flooding, freezing rain and additional heavy snow expected across the Northeast. (Full Story)
Judge Orders Release of Transcript From Closed Hearing in Charlie Kirk Murder Case
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah judge ordered the release Monday of a transcript and audio from a previously closed hearing addressing whether Tyler Robinson, charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus, should be shackled during court proceedings. State District Judge Tony Graf said transparency is foundational to the judicial system and approved the release with limited redactions related to security. The transcript shows defense attorneys argued that images of Robinson in restraints could prejudice potential jurors and suggested banning courtroom cameras, though Graf has not ruled on that request. Graf has allowed Robinson to wear civilian clothing during pretrial hearings while remaining restrained and has barred media from publishing images showing his restraints. Robinson has not entered a plea, and prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 18. (Full Story)
Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen over shipment of weapons for separatists that arrived from UAE
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia says it bombed the port city of Mukalla in Yemen over a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there that arrived from the United Arab Emirates. The attack signals a new escalation in tensions between the kingdom and the Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the Emirates. It also further strains ties between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which had been backing competing sides in Yemen’s decadelong war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. A military statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency announced the strikes, which it said came after ships arrived there from Fujairah, a port city on the UAE’s eastern coast. (Full Story)
