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Victim Identified in Fatal Rapid City Shooting
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The victim of a fatal shooting in Rapid City over the weekend is being identified. Police say 19-year-old Korben Barber died from his wounds after the shooting Saturday night on West Main Street and Jackson Boulevard. Investigators say the shooting happened after an altercation between two groups. A juvenile suspect has been arrested and placed into the juvenile justice system.
Rapid City to Host Public Sessions on Tax Increment Financing
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City’s Finance Office will host two public sessions to explain Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts and how they affect property taxes and the city budget. Finance staff will review the city’s 40-year history with TIFs, how districts are formed, the approval process, and the ways TIFs can influence property taxes. The sessions are open to the public and will be held on Wednesday at 2 p.m. and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. City Finance Director Daniel Ainslie said the meetings are educational and not forums for debating any proposed TIF districts.
Bluepeak Announces $150 Million Broadband Expansion Investment
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Bluepeak announced on Tuesday that it will be making a $150 million investment to overbuild its existing broadband infrastructure and extend FTTH connectivity, increasing its reach to 175,000 residents and businesses. The company has previously invested more than $95 million into building 100% FTTH broadband access for approximately 55,000 residents and businesses in Rapid City and surrounding communities. This is one of the largest network upgrades in Bluepeak’s history and aims to deliver dramatically faster speeds, greater reliability, and the capacity to meet growing digital demands.
Deano the Dinosaur to Glow Red and Green for the Holidays
RAPID CITY, S.D. — In addition to the various colorful light displays in Rapid City’s major parks this holiday season, community residents will get an added visual treat in the days leading up to Christmas. One of Rapid City’s most iconic symbols – Deano the Dinosaur – will take on a red and green hue atop Dinosaur Park in observance of the Christmas holiday season. The special lighting will be in place through New Year’s Day. Deano – also known as Dino to many – has been lit up in various colors a few times in the past 16 months.
Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers Bound for Venezuela
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is ordering a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, escalating U.S. pressure on President Nicolás Maduro as part of a broader military and counterdrug campaign in the region. The announcement follows the recent seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast and comes amid an expanded U.S. naval presence in the Caribbean, where the administration says strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels have disrupted trafficking routes. Venezuela’s government condemned the move as a violation of international law and said it will raise the issue at the United Nations, while U.S. officials have not detailed how the blockade would be enforced. Venezuela relies heavily on oil exports for its economy, with most shipments moving through alternative markets under U.S. sanctions. (Full Story)
Trump Designates Illicit Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction in Executive Order
President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction, citing the drug’s extreme lethality, its role in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans, and its use by cartels and foreign terrorist organizations to fund criminal and violent operations. The order directs federal agencies to treat fentanyl as a national security threat rather than solely a criminal issue, calling for intensified prosecutions, financial sanctions against those involved in its production and distribution, expanded intelligence efforts, and updates to military and homeland security response plans to include fentanyl as a chemical threat. (Full Story)
Investigators release video timeline of the Brown campus shooting suspect’s movements
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Authorities have released a new video timeline and a slightly clearer image of the man suspected in the Brown University shooting. They provided no indication Tuesday that they were any closer to zeroing in on his identity. Investigators have been canvassing Providence homes, yards and dumpsters in search of videos or other clues. Saturday’s campus shooting killed two students and wounded nine others. In all of the videos made public, the suspect’s face was masked or turned away. Authorities have only been able to give a vague description of him. In the new video timeline, footage shows the man running along quiet streets before the attack. (Full Story)
