The Daily Slice, your Black Hills News podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Sturgis Halts Lakeside Adventure Park Plans, Considers State Offer for I-90 Project Land Use
STURGIS, S.D. – The City of Sturgis announced it will not proceed with the proposed Sturgis Lakeside Adventure Park on land purchased in Vanocker Canyon. Instead, the city is evaluating an offer from the State of South Dakota to purchase most of the property for future Interstate 90 road projects, while retaining about 20 acres for potential future use. The state’s proposal to use the land as fill dirt for road construction projects is awaiting action by the Sturgis City Council. Separately, the city is also working to meet obligations from the original land purchase by platting seven lots that will be transferred through council action.
SD Video Lottery Operators Push for Higher Bet Limits, More Machines to Boost State Revenue
RAPID CITY, S.D. – Owners of South Dakota video lottery establishments hope a lean budget for state government might incentivize legislators to raise the bet limit and allow more machines per license. The more money players bet, the more revenue the state makes. After players’ winnings are subtracted from sales, the state and video lottery operators evenly split what’s left. Troy Erickson of M.G. Oil, a licensed video lottery operator in Rapid City, told the state Lottery Commission on Thursday in Pierre that the South Dakota Licensed Beverage Dealers and Gaming Association is seeking the introduction of legislation. The proposals would raise the video lottery bet limit from $2 to $4 per play, and raise the cap on machines per license from 10 to 15.
Things to know about the shooting at a Christian school in Wisconsin
MADISON, WI —Police in Madison, Wisconsin, are trying to determine what prompted a 15-year-old student to open fire at a private Christian school. The shooting Monday at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin’s capital city was just days before winter break. A fellow student and a teacher were killed and six others were wounded. The shooter also died. Anti-violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety says there have been at least 202 incidents of gunfire on school grounds this year that have led to 56 deaths and 147 injuries, not including the Madison shooting. A candlelight vigil is planned for Tuesday night at the State Capitol.
A top Russian general is killed in a Moscow bombing claimed by Ukraine
A senior Russian general was killed by a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his apartment building in Moscow. A Ukrainian official said its service carried out Tuesday’s attack that killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, as well as his assistant. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information. The bombing came a day after Ukraine’s security service leveled criminal charges against Kirillov, who was the chief of the Russian military’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces. Kirillov was under sanctions from several countries, including the U.K. and Canada, for his actions in Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
An Alabama woman is doing well after the latest experimental pig kidney transplant
NEW YORK, NY — An Alabama woman received a pig kidney transplant last month and is free from dialysis for the first time eight years. Towana Looney is the fifth American given a gene-edited pig organ in a quest to make animal-to-human transplants a reality. Importantly, she wasn’t as sick as prior patients who received pig kidneys or hearts. The others died within two months. Doctors at NYU Langone Health announced Tuesday that Looney was recovering well after the Nov. 25 transplant, a step toward formal studies of pig organs that could begin next year.
Holiday weather
Christmas Day across much of the U.S. could bring temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal, continuing last year’s warm winter trend. The Climate Prediction Center forecasts unseasonably warm weather for the western half of the country, including Alaska and Hawaii, while the East will see colder but drier conditions, meaning less snow is likely. Wet weather is still possible in the eastern region, but meteorologists note at least 1 inch of snow must be on the ground on December 25 for an official “white Christmas.”
