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Rapid City to Unearth 50-Year-Old Time Capsule as Part of 150th Anniversary Celebration
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City officials will unearth a 50-year old time capsule and host a community open house next week, all part of the City’s 150th anniversary observance of the community’s founding in February 1876. The time capsule currently resides beneath a concrete slab in front of the Milo Barber Transportation Center at 333 Sixth Street. The slab includes the words ‘Here Under Lies the Rapid City Time Capsule, Open 2026 AD’. The time capsule was developed in 1976, the year of the country’s 200th birthday, and placed beneath the concrete slab during construction of the transportation center. City Parks staff plan to unearth the time capsule at a ceremony Friday, February 27 at 1:30 p.m. in front of the transportation center at 333 Sixth Street.
Rapid City Collects Record Four Tons of Christmas Lights for Recycling
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Rapid City Solid Waste Division collected four tons of non-working strings of Christmas lights and extension cords this holiday season as part of the annual lights recycling program. Nearly 17 tons of non-working lights and extension cords have been collected as part of the annual recycling program since the holiday season of 2021. Officials said this season’s total is the first time the collections have reached four tons. A total of 3.37 tons of material was collected during the 2024 holiday season and nearly four tons of material was retrieved in the 2023 season.
Election Packets Available for Rapid City Common Council Candidates
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Prospective candidates seeking positions on the Rapid City Common Council are reminded they can pick up election packets for this June’s municipal election from the City’s finance office. One position in each of Rapid City’s five wards is up for election. Rapid City’s municipal election is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2 with deadline to file petitions for the municipal election set for Tuesday, March 24. City Council candidates will be seeking three-year terms. The Council positions currently held by incumbents Josh Biberdorf (Ward 1), Lindsey Seachris (Ward 2), Kevin Maher (Ward 3), John Roberts (Ward 4) and Rod Pettigrew (Ward 5) will be on the ballot this election cycle.
House Committee Advances Bill to Replace Property Taxes with Sales Tax Increase
PIERRE, S.D. — A South Dakota House committee voted ten-to-two on Tuesday to advance legislation that would eliminate school-related property taxes on owner-occupied homes and replace that revenue with a phased sales tax increase. House Bill 1308 would raise the state sales tax from 4.2 percent to 4.7 percent next July, then to 5 percent in 2027. The Bureau of Finance and Management opposed the bill, saying the proposal relies on intent language that is not legally enforceable. The committee also deferred House Bill 1312 to the forty-first day on a nine-to-three vote. That bill would have limited annual valuation increases on owner-occupied homes. HB 1308 now goes to the full House.
Authorities say 6 backcountry skiers found alive, 10 are missing after Northern California avalanche
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Authorities say six backcountry skiers have been found alive and 10 others are missing after an avalanche in Northern California that occurred during a powerful winter storm moving through the state. Search and rescue crews were dispatched to the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, after someone called 911 to report an avalanche with people buried. Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, says the six skiers located were still awaiting rescue. She said there are 46 emergency first responders trying to reach them and that the backcountry group included four ski guides. (Full Story)
New Mexico legislators launch ‘truth commission’ investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s secluded ranch
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State legislators in New Mexico have launched a truth commission to investigate past activity at a secluded desert ranch where financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests. A four-member panel of state House representatives met Tuesday to begin its investigation into concerns that the ranch may have facilitated child sex trafficking. New Mexico lawmakers also say they want to know why Epstein was not registered as a sex offender in the state after pleading guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. State House legislators voted without opposition to create the truth commission with subpoena power and a budget of over $2 million. (Full Story)
Police in Nancy Guthrie investigation say glove DNA didn’t match anything in national database
Investigators in the Nancy Guthrie disappearance say DNA from gloves did not match any entries in a national database. CODIS is a valuable storehouse of DNA taken from crime suspects or people with convictions. Any hits could identify possible suspects in the Guthrie saga, which reached a 17th day Tuesday. The 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie was reported missing from her Tucson-area home on Feb. 1 after spending the previous night with family. Investigators are also working with experts to try to locate Nancy Guthrie by somehow detecting her heart pacemaker. (Full Story)
