The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Rapid City School Board Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit with Former Central High Assistant Principal
RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Rapid City Area School Board this week approved a settlement reached with a former assistant principal at Central High School. The lawsuit was filed by Jennifer Griffin, who was an Assistant Principal at Central. In the lawsuit, Griffin alleged former Central Principal Mike Talley sexually harassed her while they worked together. A spokesperson for RCAS says the settlement agreement resolves the pending lawsuit between Griffin and the district. The statement says the district’s insurance carrier negotiated the settlement agreement and the funds paid were not taxpayer dollars. The board also accepted Griffin’s resignation, effective immediately.
South Dakota Banking Expert Warns Against Federal Ruling to Remove Medical Debt from Credit Reports
PIERRE, S.D. – One South Dakota banking expert is speaking out about a recent federal ruling that will remove certain debt from consumer credit reports, affecting about 15 million people. South Dakota Bankers Association President Karl Adam says the change to remove medical debt is not as good as it sounds. Adam says it’s important to have all debt information listed because, if not, the bank could give a loan that would realistically be difficult for that person to pay back. Close to 18 percent of South Dakota adults have medical debt, which is the highest percentage of any state.
Judge sentences Trump in hush money case but declines to impose any punishment
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump has been sentenced in his New York hush money case, but the judge has declined to impose any punishment. The sentence pronounced Friday by Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan cements Trump’s conviction while freeing him to return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine. It caps a norm-smashing case that saw the Republican convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a payment to bury affair allegations that threatened to cloud his 2016 presidential run. Yet it didn’t hurt him with voters. Trump denies wrongdoing and has vowed to appeal.
Biden administration extends temporary status for more than 200,000 from El Salvador for 18 months
MIAMI — The Homeland Security Department says more than 200,000 Salvadorans who have lived more than two decades in the United States can remain in the country another 18 months, marking one of the Biden administration’s final acts on immigration policy. Friday’s announcement is the Biden administration’s latest in support of Temporary Protected Status, which he has sharply expanded to cover about 1 million people. TPS faces an uncertain future under Donald Trump, who tried to sharply curtail its use during his first term as president. Salvadorans have enjoyed temporary status since powerful earthquakes shook the Central American country in 2001.
Firefighters hope for a break from fierce winds fueling devastating blazes in Los Angeles area
LOS ANGELES — Firefighters are hoping for a break from fierce winds fueling massive blazes in the Los Angeles area, killing 10 people, obliterating whole neighborhoods and setting the nation’s second-largest city on edge. The fires have burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures since Tuesday, when they first began popping up around a densely populated expanse north of downtown Los Angeles. No cause has been identified for the largest fires. The level of devastation is jarring even in a state that has grown used to massive wildfires. Dozens of blocks of scenic Pacific Palisades were flattened to smoldering rubble. In neighboring Malibu, blackened palm strands were all that was left above debris where oceanfront homes once stood.
The Supreme Court is considering a possible TikTok ban. Here’s what to know about the case
WASHINGTON — The law that could ban TikTok is coming before the Supreme Court. The justices largely hold the app’s fate in their hands as they hear the case Friday. The popular social media platform says the law violates the First Amendment and should be struck down. The U.S. government argues that the app having a China-based parent company means it’s a potential national security threat. Three appeals court judges have sided with the government and upheld the law, which bans TikTok unless it’s sold. The law is set to take effect Jan. 19, right before a new term begins for President-elect Donald Trump. The Republican has asked for the law to be paused to “save TikTok.”
