The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Elderly Pedestrian Critically Injured in Bicycle Collision in Rapid City
RAPID CITY, SD — Rapid City Police say an elderly pedestrian was critically injured after being struck by a bicyclist Thursday afternoon. Police say they responded to the area of Sioux San Drive and Canyon Lake Road for a report of a bicycle-vs-pedestrian crash which had just occurred. According to witnesses, a juvenile was riding his bike along the sidewalk in the area when he collided with an elderly female pedestrian. Both involved individuals were transported to the hospital for the treatment of serious injuries sustained in the crash. The pedestrian’s injuries were life-threatening.
Police investigate report of gunfire on East Valley Drive
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Police are investigating after a report of gunfire led to the discovery of a bullet hole and shell casing Wednesday evening on East Valley Drive. Officers were dispatched to a residence in the 1400 block of E. Valley Drive around 5:45 p.m. Sept. 25 and found a trailer outside the home with a single bullet hole, along with a spent casing nearby. No injuries were reported. The case has been forwarded to the Rapid City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division. Authorities are asking anyone with information to call police investigations at 605-394-4134 or submit an anonymous tip by texting “RCPD” and the information to 847411.
Libertyland TIF Petition Submitted with Over 5,000 Signatures in Rapid City
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The City of Rapid City says Citizens for Liberty turned in 314 petitions containing 5,145 signatures Friday to the Rapid City Finance Office. The petition effort seeks to bring the Libertyland Tax Increment Financing District to a public vote. The petitions were turned in before Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline. With the petitions submitted, the Finance Office will initiate the verification process. City Finance Director Daniel Ainslie expects to complete the validation process by later this week.
Rapid City, Sioux Falls Push for Larger Share of Opioid Settlement Funds
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Sioux Falls and Rapid City leaders are pushing for a bigger share of South Dakota’s opioid settlement money, arguing they have the infrastructure to put it to use faster. The state has about 17-million dollars set aside now, with nearly 79-million expected over the coming decades. But how to spend it is still being debated between the Department of Social Services, the Attorney General, and the Opioid Abuse Advisory Committee. Rapid City’s Dr. Stephen Tamang with Monument Health says the money needs to move quicker to help communities struggling with addiction, especially since his city lacks a medical-grade detox facility.
Thousands Attend Annual Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park
CUSTER, S.D. — State tourism officials say thousands of people were on hand for another successful Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park. People traveled from around the world to watch horseback riders lead the massive herd of bison to their winter pasture. The roundup of the buffalo is a main attraction each year, but many people also make sure to stop by the arts festival to visit hundreds of vendors and listen to live performances by South Dakotan musicians.
South Dakota child abuse conference to draw more than 400 participants
PIERRE, S.D. — More than 400 South Dakotans are expected to attend the 25th annual Community Response to Child Abuse Conference, which begins Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. The record-level turnout includes representatives from 130 organizations, schools, and businesses across the state. The two-day conference provides training and education for professionals including teachers, health care workers, law enforcement, social workers, mental health providers, and legal experts. In western South Dakota, a highlight will be a keynote by Tifanie Petro, victim services director for the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office, titled “Hope in Action: Turning Struggle into Strength.” Other featured speakers include Gaelin Elmore, presenting “Be the Difference: Belonging is the Support We Need,” and a panel discussion “Parenting Pathways: Real Talk with Real Providers,” with participants from Sanford Health, Common Sense Parenting, Black Hills Special Services Cooperative, and the state Department of Social Services.
Trump says he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, in latest deployment to US cities
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — President Donald Trump says he will send troops to Portland, Oregon. He says he is “authorizing Full Force, if necessary” to handle what he is calling “domestic terrorists.” The announcement comes as the president is expanding his deployments to more cities. Oregon Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek responded by saying Trump is abusing his authority by ordering troops into a city that she said is doing “just fine” on its own. She was joined by other government, police and business leaders who all said soldiers are not needed and Trump is presenting a patently false picture of the city.
The Taliban release a US citizen from Afghan prison
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban have freed a U.S. citizen from an Afghan prison. That’s weeks after they announced an agreement with U.S. envoys on a prisoner exchange. The Taliban’s deputy spokesperson on Sunday identified the man as Amir Amiri, but did not provide details on his detention. An official familiar with the release said Amiri had been detained since December 2024 and is on his way back to the U.S. The official spoke anonymously, as they were not authorized to discuss details with the media. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Amiri’s release.
Alaskans are receiving $1,000 checks. Here’s why
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska plans to start distributing to residents the annual dividend payment derived from the state’s $83 billion oil wealth fund. This year’s payout is $1,000 per person. It’s one of the smallest Alaska Permanent Fund dividends in the last 20 years. It comes as lawmakers must balance the check size against other programs and needs that also compete for state funding. Lawmakers within the last decade abandoned as unaffordable a longstanding dividend calculation in favor of negotiating a sum during the budget-writing process. Had the old formula tied to the fund’s market performance been followed, this year’s check would have been around $3,800 a person.