The Daily Slice: Tuesday October 21, 2025

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The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice

Box Elder Man Sentenced to 55 Years for Kidnapping and Assault in High-Profile Case

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Seventh Circuit Judge Joshua Hendrickson on Wednesday sentenced David Poor Bear, 33, to 55 years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary for multiple violent offenses stemming from a January 2023 incident in Box Elder. A Pennington County jury convicted Poor Bear in June of Second-Degree Rape, Kidnapping, Child Abuse and Criminal Solicitation after evidence showed he held a woman and her daughter captive for more than 36 hours, assaulting and threatening them. The sentence includes 40 years for Second-Degree Rape, 15 years for Kidnapping, 10 years for Child Abuse and 5 years for Criminal Solicitation, with certain counts running consecutively. Prosecutors said Poor Bear has a history of violence involving other victims. The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy State’s Attorneys Rachel Lindsay and Jason Thomas.


Catholic Leaders in Black Hills Condemn Pentagon Decision to Uphold Medals from Wounded Knee Massacre

RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Diocese of Rapid City and other Catholic leaders across the Black Hills have condemned a decision by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to allow soldiers involved in the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre to retain their Medals of Honor. In a joint statement, Bishop Scott E. Bullock and members of the De Smet Jesuits said they “reject any narrative that erases the humanity of the victims or glorifies acts of violence,” aligning their position with South Dakota Senate Resolution 701, which calls the medals “an implication of hostility and genocide against the Great Sioux Nation.” The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred in December 1890 when U.S. troops under Colonel James Forsyth opened fire on a Lakota encampment after a failed disarmament attempt, killing as many as 300 people, including women and children. Though Forsyth was relieved of command, 20 Medals of Honor were later awarded. Former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had initiated a review to revoke those medals, but Hegseth announced in 2025 that the investigation was canceled, saying the matter was “no longer up for debate.” Church leaders called the decision a moral failure and urged the nation to confront its history with honesty and compassion.


South Dakotans Could Lose SNAP Benefits as Federal Shutdown Reaches Day 17

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — As the federal government shutdown enters its 17th day, South Dakota officials have been directed to freeze Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments, according to the South Dakota Democratic Party. The change could affect nearly 75,000 residents, including about 29,000 children, based on data from the Department of Social Services. Neither the DSS nor Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden has commented on the situation. The shutdown stems from a congressional impasse over the Affordable Care Act, with Republicans pushing to end it and Democrats seeking guarantees to extend ACA tax credits. In Washington, Sen. John Thune said he is willing to discuss the “growing unaffordability” of the ACA. State data indicates that one in four farm and ranch families could lose healthcare coverage if the tax credits expire.


Skeletal Remains Found Near Scotts Bluff May Be Missing Wyoming Man Chance Englebert

GERING, Neb. — Authorities are investigating skeletal remains discovered near Scotts Bluff National Monument that may belong to Chance Englebert, a Moorcroft, Wyoming man who went missing in the area more than six years ago. The Gering Police Department said several personal items found near the remains were confirmed by Englebert’s family to be his. Englebert was last seen on July 6, 2019, after walking away during a storm in Gering, about 3.5 miles from where the remains were found. The Douglas County Coroner’s Office in Omaha is conducting forensic testing, including DNA and dental record comparisons, with assistance from scientists at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Englebert, originally from the Burdock area near Edgemont, South Dakota, was living in Moorcroft with his wife and infant son when he disappeared. The investigation remains active.


US man arrested in Scotland and convicted of Utah rape gets at least 5 years in prison

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A U.S. man authorities say faked his death and fled to the United Kingdom to avoid rape charges has been sentenced to at least five years in prison. Utah allows sentences to be given as a range of possible prison time. Judge Barry Lawrence sentenced Nicholas Rossi on Monday to as much as life in prison, the longest possible sentence. Authorities doubted an online obituary that claimed Rossi died in 2020 and he was arrested in the UK. A parole board will decide when Rossi is released on his first of two convictions for raping two Utah women in 2008. Sentencing in the other case is set for Nov. 4.


Massive Amazon cloud outage has been resolved after disrupting internet use worldwide

LONDON (AP) — A problem at Amazon’s cloud computing service disrupted internet use around the world. The outage on Monday took down a broad range of online services, including social media, gaming, food delivery, streaming and financial platforms. Amazon said the outage was resolved as of Monday evening. The all-day disruption and the ensuing exasperation it caused served as the latest reminder that 21st century society is increasingly dependent on just a handful of companies for much of its internet technology, which seems to work reliably until it suddenly breaks down.


France’s former president Sarkozy will begin serving a 5-year prison sentence Tuesday

Nicolas Sarkozy is set to become the first former French president in living memory to be imprisoned. He begins a five-year sentence Tuesday in Paris’ La Santé prison. Convicted of criminal conspiracy for financing his 2007 campaign with Libyan funds, Sarkozy maintains his innocence. The Paris judge ruled he must start serving time without waiting for his appeal due to the seriousness of the offense. Sarkozy will likely be held in solitary confinement in the prison’s section for vulnerable inmates for security reasons.


Bolivia’s first conservative president in 20 years promises warmer US ties

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s first conservative president-elect in 20 years, Rodrigo Paz, has injected a sharp note of realism into his plan for solving Bolivia’s worst economic crisis in four decades. His first news conference as president-elect Monday came a day after his surprise electoral victory signaled the end of decades of leftist rule. After years of antipathy toward the United States under the Movement Toward Socialism party, Paz promised to rebuild relations with the U.S. and attract foreign investment to a country long locked out of international markets. Paz is a centrist senator who was never a nationally prominent figure until the campaign.