David Fischer, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - Jack Nicklaus waves before hitting the first tee for the honorary tee off before the first round of the Masters golf tournament, April 9, 2015, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus wins $50M verdict in defamation lawsuit against former business partners

October 21, 2025

Professional golf legend Jack Nicklaus has won a $50 million verdict in a defamation lawsuit filed in Florida against his former business partners. A six-person jury in Palm Beach County on Monday found that the Nicklaus Companies had damaged the 18-time major champion’s reputation and exposed him to ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contempt. An attorney for Nicklaus says the golfer has spent his life helping others and earning a reputation as not just a great athlete but a great human being and they were pleased with the jury’s decision. Defense attorneys say Nicklaus Companies executives never tried to defame Nicklaus and argue the case was basically a business dispute.

Florida man convicted of killing 2 women whose bodies were found in a pond is set to be executed

October 13, 2025

A Florida man convicted of killing two women whose bodies were found in a rural pond in 1996 is scheduled to be executed. Seventy-two-year-old Samuel Lee Smithers is set to receive a lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke. Barring a legal reprieve, it would be Florida’s 14th execution in 2025, further extending the state record for total executions in a single year. The highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014. Smithers was was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1999. Two more executions are planned later this month and next in Florida.

Dr. Inaki Bent, right, talks with Jonas Richards, left, while working with the Miami Street Medicine team to provide medical services to homeless people, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

How a Miami health care group is meeting homeless patients where they live

October 3, 2025

A nonprofit group in Miami is helping reduce the strain on emergency rooms by providing homeless people with health care where they live. The organization Miami Street Medicine is part of Dade County Street Response, which also includes a free clinic. The teams of paid staff and medical school student volunteers aren’t just bandaging cuts and handing out aspirin. They’re providing follow-up visits for chronic conditions and working with specialists like dermatologists, neurologists and cardiologists. Altogether, the work helps homeless patients get medications other care they need to prevent their treatable conditions from becoming emergencies.

FILE - Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Fla., Aug. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Curt Anderson, file)

Florida man convicted of fatally stabbing married couple in 1990 robbery is set to be executed

September 29, 2025

A man convicted of fatally stabbing a married couple during a 1990 robbery in South Florida is scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening. Victor Tony Jones is set to receive a lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. It would be Florida’s 13th death sentence carried out in 2025, further extending the state record for total executions in a single year. Since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976, the highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014. Jones was convicted and sentenced to death in 1993 on two counts of first-degree murder.

A pickup truck decorated in support of President Donald Trump sits parked outside the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse, after the start of jury selection in the trial of Ryan Routh, charged with trying to assassinate Trump while he played golf last year in South Florida, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Fort Pierce, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Trial starts for a man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump

September 10, 2025

Opening statements are set to begin for the trial of a man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf in South Florida last year, when he was campaigning for a second term. A panel of 12 jurors and four alternates was sworn in Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida. The trial is expected to run another two or three weeks. Ryan Routh’s trial begins nearly a year after prosecutors say a U.S. Secret Service agent stopped his attempt to shoot Trump. Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate. He is representing himself, with court-appointed attorneys on standby if needed.

A jury is selected in the trial of a man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump

September 10, 2025

A jury has been selected in the trial of a man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump while he played golf in South Florida last year, when he was a presidential candidate. The panel of 12 jurors and four alternates was chosen on Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida. Ryan Routh’s trial begins nearly a year after prosecutors say a U.S. Secret Service agent stopped his attempt to shoot Trump. Routh, 59, has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate. He is representing himself, with court-appointed attorneys on standby if needed.

A police car drives past the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse as jury selection began in the trial of Ryan Routh, charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf last year in South Florida, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Fort Pierce, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Potential jurors return for the trial of a man charged with trying to assassinate Trump in Florida

September 9, 2025

Jury selection is underway for the trial of a man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf in South Florida last year. On Tuesday, a prospective juror was dismissed after revealing he was present at the arrest of Ryan Routh, the defendant. Another was excused for knowing someone on the witness list. By Tuesday evening, 96 of 180 potential jurors remained in the jury pool. Routh, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of attempting to kill a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer. The trial begins nearly a year after the alleged attempt.

FILE - In this imaged released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, law enforcement officers arrest Ryan Routh, the man suspected in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump,Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

What to know about the trial of the man accused of trying to assassinate Trump in Florida

September 6, 2025

A federal trial begins next week for a man charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump as he played golf in Florida. Jury selection is expected to start on Monday and take three days, with opening statements planned for Thursday. The court has blocked off four weeks for the trial, but attorneys are expecting they’ll need less time. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon agreed in July to let 59-year-old Ryan Routh represent himself. Routh will be allowed to use a podium while speaking to the jury or questioning witnesses, but he will not have free rein of the courtroom. Prosecutors have said Routh methodically plotted to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as Trump played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.

Final preparations for trial of man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump in Florida

September 1, 2025

A man charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump last year in South Florida is set to represent himself during a pretrial conference, as final preparations are made for trial. Barring any delays, jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in Fort Pierce federal court for the case against Ryan Routh. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon signed off on Routh’s request to represent himself in July but said court-appointed attorneys need to remain as standby counsel. The trial will begin nearly a year after prosecutors say a U.S. Secret Service agent thwarted Routh’s attempt to shoot Trump as he played golf.

Florida man convicted of killing a woman abducted from an insurance office is set to be executed

August 18, 2025

A man convicted of kidnapping a woman from an insurance office in the early 1980s and killing her is set for execution in Florida. Kayle Bates is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke. It would be Florida’s 10th execution of 2025 and further extend the state record for the number of executions in a single year. Previously the annual high was eight executions in Florida in 2014. Bates was convicted of murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and attempted sexual battery in the June 14, 1982, killing of Janet White in the Florida Panhandle.

FILE - In this image released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, law enforcement officers arrest Ryan Wesley Routh, a man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

Man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump returns to court and hopes to represent himself

July 23, 2025

A man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump last year at his Florida golf course will return to court to once again explain why he wants to fire his court-appointed lawyers and represent himself. Ryan Routh previously made the request earlier this month during a hearing in Fort Pierce before U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon. Routh is set to be back in front of Cannon on Thursday, a day after his court-appointed federal public defenders asked to be taken off the case. Routh is scheduled to stand trial in September, a year after prosecutors say a Secret Service agent thwarted his attempt to shoot Trump as he played golf.

Dogs are seen at Animal Care and Control on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Fla. The shelter is educating the public on how to protect animals from dangers like heat stroke and dehydration. (AP Photo/Cody Jackson)

Keeping animals of all sizes, from cats to horses, cool during record heat

July 17, 2025

With record temperatures hitting the U.S., pet owners have to protect their four-legged family members from dangers like heat stroke and dehydration. But keeping an animal the size of a small car cool isn’t as easy as bringing it inside to the air conditioning. That’s why Alicia Grace, owner of Pink Flamingo Stables, has to take extra steps to keep her horses safe and healthy in South Florida’s hot and humid climate. And while house pets are easier to keep cool, Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control spokeswoman Arielle Weinberger says pet owners still have to remain vigilant during the summer.

Florida man who killed 2 people outside a bar is scheduled to be executed

July 14, 2025

A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and woman outside a Florida bar as part of an attempted revenge killing is scheduled to be executed. Michael Bernard Bell is set to receive a lethal injection Tuesday at Florida State Prison, barring a last-day reprieve. He was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to death for the 1993 murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith. Bell would be the eighth person put to death in Florida this year. A total of 25 men have already been executed in the U.S. this year, tying last year’s total.

Man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump wants to represent himself in Florida case

July 10, 2025

A man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump says he wants to fire his lawyers and represent himself. Ryan Routh asked a federal judge in court Thursday to let him serve as his own attorney. U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon questioned Routh for about 30 minutes but did not rule during the hearing. Cannon said she will issue a written order later. Prosecutors have said Routh plotted to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as Trump played golf in September at his West Palm Beach country club. Routh has pleaded not guilty.

Florida set to execute man convicted of raping and killing a woman outside of a bar

June 23, 2025

A man convicted of raping and killing a woman near a central Florida bar is scheduled to be executed. Barring a reprieve, 51-year-old Thomas Lee Gudinas is scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted in the killing of Michelle McGrath, who was last seen at a bar called Barbarella’s shortly before 3 a.m. on May 24, 1994. Her body was found in an alley next to a nearby school hours later. A school employee who found McGrath’s body later identified Gudinas as a man who was fleeing the area shortly before the body was discovered.

David Fischer.