The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Piedmont Man Sentenced in 2024 Sex Sting Case
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KBHB) — A Piedmont man will serve two weeks in jail following a sex sting operation in 2024. A judge sentenced Dustin Day on Monday to jail time and five years of supervised release after he was caught trying to meet someone he believed was 15 years old for sexual favors. Day was 20 years old at the time when the sting operation was carried out at the 2024 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The judge could have sentenced him up to five years in prison and up to a 250-thousand dollar fine. She cited his young age, lack of a record and family support as the reasons for a lighter sentence even though Day tested positive for THC twice while on pretrial release. (Full Story)
Highway Patrol Identifies Victims in Fatal Hill City Crash
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The highway patrol has identified two people who died in a single vehicle crash 10 miles north of Hill City, SD. The highway patrol says 22 year-old Echo Orion Calatrello, Sturgis, S.D., and 22 year-old Nicholas Lord Jackson, Jr., Deadwood, S.D. died in the crash. They were both ejected from a 2003 Toyota 4Runner that rolled several times Saturday night. The investigation into which occupant was driving is ongoing at this time. (Full Story)
State Capital Plan Includes West River Projects
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The South Dakota Bureau of Finance and Management has released their five-year capital expenditure plan, and it includes several projects West River. The plan includes new wildland fire stations in Rapid City and Hot Springs as well as a new vehicle maintenance shop for the National Guard at Sturgis. Also included is possible funding for the South Dakota Women’s Prison Rapid City facility. Overall, more than $8 billion dollars is available. (Full Story)
Governor Rhoden Outlines Property Tax Proposal, Calls for Civility in State of the State
PIERRE, S.D. — Gov. Larry Rhoden used his State of the State address Tuesday to call for civility at the Capitol and to outline a property tax proposal that would give counties the option to replace their share of property taxes with a half-cent local sales tax. Rhoden said the plan would allow fast-growing counties to shift more of the tax burden to visitors, without imposing a statewide mandate. He also announced that Operation Prairie Thunder, a joint law enforcement effort targeting drugs and violent crime will continue, along with expanded cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The governor’s proposals now move to the Legislature, which began its 38-day session Tuesday. (Full Story)
Pennington County Issues Mandatory Burn Ban Amid Very High Fire Danger
RAPID CITY, S.D. — A mandatory ban on open burning is in effect Tuesday across Pennington County after the Grassland Fire Danger Index reached a very high rating, local officials said. The National Weather Service reports conditions are favorable for wildfires to ignite and spread quickly, with dry fuels and weather factors compounded by a forecast calling for wind gusts exceeding 60 mph Thursday and Friday. All open burning is prohibited, including burn piles and slash burning, with only fully enclosed fires allowed. Officials warned that violations can result in a $500 fine or up to 30 days in jail and urged residents to prevent accidental ignitions by avoiding outdoor fires, properly disposing of cigarettes, and not parking vehicles on dry grass. (Full Story)
Veteran’s Honor Banner Project Announces Cleaning Event and Renewal Deadline
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Veteran’s Honor Banner Project of Rapid City has announced two upcoming dates important to sponsors and the community. The all-volunteer organization will hold its annual banner cleaning and inspection on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the Naja Shrine Center, 4091 Sturgis Road. Organizers say the event is the only opportunity each year for sponsors to handle and photograph their loved ones’ banners, and volunteers are welcome to assist with cleaning. The project also reminds the public that the deadline to purchase new banners or renew existing ones is Feb. 1, 2026. The program, which displayed hundreds of banners across Rapid City in 2025, manages the creation, storage, maintenance and seasonal installation of the banners, which are typically displayed from late May through Veterans Day. (Full Story)
‘Dances with Wolves’ actor Nathan Chasing Horse’s child sex abuse trial begins
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nathan Chasing Horse’s trial is underway in Las Vegas and beginning with jury selection. The former “Dances with Wolves” actor is accused of sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls in a case that sent shock waves through Indian Country. Prosecutors allege he used his reputation as a medicine man to take advantage of his victims, who came to him for healing. After setbacks and delays, the case finally proceeded to trial after prosecutors said he recorded himself sexually abusing a girl younger than 14. They said the videos were found on cellphones in a locked safe in the house he shared with five wives. Jury selection began Tuesday. Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty. (Full Story)
‘West Wing’ actor Timothy Busfield turns himself in to face child sex abuse charges in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Emmy Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield vowed to fight charges of child sex abuse as he turned himself in Tuesday to authorities in New Mexico. Albuquerque police had issued an arrest warrant on counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse. The acts allegedly occurred on the set of “The Cleaning Lady,” a TV series Busfield directed and acted in. Busfield denied the allegations when interviewed by authorities during an investigation. He suggested the boy’s mother was seeking revenge for her children being replaced on the series. He is known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething,” the latter of which won him an Emmy. (Full Story)
Claudette Colvin, who refused to move seats on a bus at start of civil rights movement, dies at 86
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin has died. She was 86. Her 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus helped spark the modern civil rights movement. Her death was announced Tuesday by the Claudette Colvin Legacy Foundation. The organization said she died of natural causes in Texas. Colvin was arrested months before Rosa Parks gained international fame before refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus. Colvin became a named plaintiff in the landmark lawsuit that outlawed racial segregation on Montgomery’s buses. (Full Story)
