The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Lookout Fire Holds at 443 Acres Near Spearfish
SPEARFISH, S.D. — Fire crews continue working to contain the Lookout Fire near Spearfish after stopping its northward progress and strengthening fire lines along the south flank. Crews are working to keep the fire south of Kerwin Lane, north of Lookout Peak, east of Interstate 90 and west of Lookout Mountain Lane. Voluntary evacuations remain in place for some nearby residences, with no mandatory evacuations reported. The fire burned up to Interstate 90 and across several hiking trails but did not reach Lookout Mountain Park. Aircraft have assisted crews with water and retardant drops. The cause remains under investigation. (Full story)
Rapid City Firefighters Conduct Annual Aircraft Rescue Training
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City Fire Department’s annual Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) training took place Tuesday at the department’s training grounds on Creek Drive. For ARFF training, firefighters utilized a live fire training prop for realistic emergency scenarios to allow responders to practice proper fire attack techniques on a simulated plane. While only the 16 ARFF qualified Rapid City firefighters who drive the aircraft rescue firefighting trucks at Rapid City Regional Airport are federally required to be certified, the Rapid City Fire Department includes several of the firefighters in the training. (Full story)
Changes Reshape South Dakota’s News Media Landscape
RAPID CITY, S.D. — For the newshounds out there – the South Dakota media landscape has undergone a few notable changes recently. CBS programming in western South Dakota has moved from Sioux Falls-based Keloland Media Group to KNBN-TV in Rapid City, which is also the NBC affiliate owned by Fargo, North Dakota-based Forum Communications. The Rapid City Journal has promoted Shalom Baer Gee as the top editor of the Lee Enterprises-owned newspaper, replacing Mike Brownlee, who is the new executive editor position at the Billings Gazette sister paper in Montana. And David Bordewyk, who has led the South Dakota NewsMedia Association for more than 30 years as its executive director, is retiring in June. (Full story)
Rapid City Records Highest August Building Permit Valuation
Rapid City issued 210 building permits in August with a combined valuation of more than $55.8 million, the highest August total on record. Through eight months, the city has issued 1,789 permits valued at $360.8 million, more than $100 million above the same period in 2025. The city has already reached its sixth-highest annual permit valuation total. Six August permits exceeded $1 million, led by a $34.08 million permit for Monument Health Rapid City Hospital’s Neonatal ICU. (Full story)
Black Hills Symphony Orchestra Announces 2026-27 Season
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Black Hills Symphony Orchestra will open its 94th season Oct. 17 with “Danse Macabre” at the Monument Fine Arts Theater. The 2026-27 season includes “A Night Before Christmas” with cellist Jolyon Pegis on Dec. 5, “Disco Inferno” with vocalist Anverrea Bennett on Dec. 31, “Cupid’s Bow” on Feb. 13 and a season finale featuring Rapid City native and violinist Maya Anjali Buchanan on April 10. The orchestra, under conductor Bruce Knowles, also offers educational programs for young musicians. Tickets are available through the Performing Arts Center Box Office and bhsymphony.org. (Full story)
All 5 killed in Miami cargo jet crash were in a van used by plane cleaners
MIAMI (AP) — Authorities say the five people killed when an Amazon cargo jet ran off the runway at Miami International Airport were all inside a van used to shuttle crews that clean planes. The jet crashed as it tried to land Sunday afternoon, overrunning its runway. It slammed into the van on airport property, through a fence and then on to a local street where it destroyed an SUV. The pilot and co-pilot have been released from the hospital. Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said Tuesday that two people remain in critical condition, and a third is in stable condition. The deceased ranged in age from 47 to 75. (Full story)
Jerry Sandusky appears remotely in court as lawyers prepare a federal court bid to seek a new trial
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky says he agrees with his lawyers’ decision not to go forward with testimony from an accuser who wants to recant allegations that Sandusky sexually abused him years ago. Sandusky appeared in court remotely Tuesday in his latest bid to secure a new trial. The 82-year-old Sandusky has been serving a decades-long prison sentence since he was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse in 2012, after eight young men testified. Sandusky’s lawyer, Jerry Russo, told reporters that courts frown on granting new trials based on a witness recantation. Instead, Russo says he plans to take Sandusky’s broader claims for a new trial to federal court. (Full story)
Cyclospora outbreak followed years of declining FDA foreign inspections
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ongoing outbreak of cyclospora tied to iceberg lettuce has raised new concerns about the safety of imported produce and underscores a worrisome trend: The U.S. is conducting fewer inspections to catch contaminated food. International food inspections by the Food and Drug Administration are down about 35% since 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to agency records reviewed by The Associated Press. The pandemic kicked off a wave of retirements and departures among FDA inspectors that continues to this day. But even before COVID the agency had failed to hit its targets for foreign inspections. Recent staffing cuts and reorganizations at the agency suggest the numbers may fall even lower. (Full story)
