The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Search underway for missing Black Hawk man
STURGIS, S.D. — The Meade County Sheriff’s Office is searching for 23 year old Jonah Temple of Black Hawk after he was reported missing Monday morning. Deputies said Temple had not been in contact with family members for about three days. During the investigation, his vehicle was found on U.S. Forest Service property at the far west end of Peaceful Pines Road, prompting an extensive search of the area. Multiple agencies are assisting, including the South Dakota Highway Patrol, U.S. Forest Service, Black Hawk Volunteer Fire Department, Pennington County Search and Rescue, and Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities do not believe there is a threat to public safety. (Full story)
Mount Rushmore Debuts New ‘Voices of America’ Film
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Mount Rushmore National Memorial is debuting a new film called “Voices of America.” It’s part of its Evening Lighting Program and explores the meaning and symbolism of the iconic monument. The feature will be presented during the amphitheater portion of the nightly visitor program. Every night during the summer, the park holds programming for visitors led by Park Rangers, which will feature the new film and an illumination of the monument. The “Voices of America” project was funded by the Mount Rushmore Society and the South Dakota Department of Tourism. (Full story)
Sturgis Downhill Bike Park Renamed for Former Mayor Kevin Forrester
STURGIS, S.D. — The Sturgis Council has approved a resolution re-naming the Sturgis downhill mountain bike park in honor of former Mayor Kevin Forrester, who died from cancer back in April. Forrester was a strong advocate for the development of the city’s downhill mountain biking facilities located on the hillside overlooking Fort Meade. The park will not be formally known as the Kevin Forrester Downhill Bike Park. The council agreed naming the park in his honor was an appropriate and meaningful way to recognize his contributions to the city of Sturgis and preserve his legacy for future generations. (Full story)
Governor declares June PTSI Awareness Month in South Dakota
PIERRE, S.D. — Gov. Larry Rhoden has proclaimed June as Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Awareness Month in South Dakota to recognize the invisible wounds experienced by veterans, service members, first responders and trauma survivors. The proclamation, announced with the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs, aims to promote understanding, reduce stigma and encourage those affected by trauma to seek support. State officials said using the term “injury” instead of “disorder” emphasizes that trauma responses are treatable. South Dakotans are encouraged to wear teal or black ribbons and seek help through 988 or local County and Tribal Veterans Service Officers. (Full story)
5 American cruise ship passengers leave Nebraska quarantine facility
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Five American cruise ship passengers exposed to hantavirus are leaving a Nebraska quarantine facility. U.S. health officials say they will complete monitoring at home after remaining symptom-free. They arrived in Nebraska three weeks ago following a deadly hantavirus outbreak on a South Atlantic cruise. The virus usually spreads through rodent droppings, but the Andes virus may spread between people in rare cases. Thirteen cases, including three deaths, are linked to the ship. There have been no U.S. cases connected to the ship, and the risk remains low. Federal officials arranged non-commercial travel with biocontainment measures for the five passengers. (Full story)
Florida sues OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, claiming company concealed serious risks of ChatGPT
MIAMI (AP) — The state of Florida has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, claiming the company knowingly released and aggressively marketed ChatGPT to the public while concealing serious risks. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Monday that the company suppressed internal safety warnings and deceived users about the true nature and dangers of the product. The lawsuit mentioned two recent criminal cases in which the suspects allegedly used OpenAI to plan the attacks. OpenAI says its models repeatedly encouraged the individuals to seek real-world support, including from mental health professionals. The company also says it has cooperated with law enforcement in both cases. (Full story)
A key hearing for the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk will be public, judge rules
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah judge has declined a request from the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk to restrict access to parts of his July preliminary hearing. Tyler Robinson’s defense hoped to bar reporters and the public from parts of July 6-10 proceedings. They will feature the most significant presentation of evidence so far. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted. He is charged with crimes including aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 assassination of Kirk on a Utah college campus. Robinson has not yet entered a plea. Prosecutors argued that the preliminary hearing should remain open. (Full story)
