The Daily Slice, your Black Hills news podcast in under 10 minutes. Delivered every morning Monday-Friday at homesliceaudio.com/dailyslice
Rapid City Sees Lowest Violent Crime in Five Years, Police Chief Reports
RAPID CITY, S.D. – Rapid City Police Chief Don Hedrick has announced a five year low in violent crime. In the annual review of crime and workload numbers for the Rapid City Police Department, police have marked 2024 as the year with the lowest violent crime in a five-year span; a 26% decrease in violent crime since 2020. Hedrick says the men and women of the RCPD go out into their community day-in and day-out to ensure it’s a safe place for everyone to enjoy. He says thanks to these tireless efforts, they are able to report a significant reduction in violent crime over the span of the previous five years.T
South Dakota Senator Proposes Bill Requiring Ten Commandments to Be Posted and Taught in Public Schools
RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Rapid City Police Department responded to two incidents involving impaired drivers over the weekend, resulting in arrests for both individuals. The first incident happened on Saturday when officers arrested 36-year-old Christopher Gentry after a vehicle crash within Memorial Park. The second incident happened on Sunday, after officers discovered a crashed pickup truck in the area of 5th Street and E. Stumer Road. As police approached the driver’s seat, they observed the driver inhaling air duster from a can before passing out. Despite multiple attempts to communicate, the driver—32-year-old Keeva Grass of Whitewood—attempted to flee by putting the truck in drive. The vehicle remained immobilized by snow and a street sign it had struck. Grass then put the vehicle in reverse, prompting the responding officer to pin the truck with their patrol car. Grass was eventually removed from the truck and arrested for DUI and other charges.
Fire-scarred Los Angeles is under another rare warning as winds pick up
LOS ANGELES — Millions of Southern Californians are on edge as winds began picking up during a final round of dangerous fire weather forecast for the region. The outlook for Wednesday includes a rare warning of a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” for an area near where two massive blazes have killed at least 25 and destroyed thousands of homes. Firefighters got a reprieve Tuesday when winds were unexpectedly light and they were able to make progress battling the two huge Los Angeles area fires and quickly snuff out several new fires. The two fires broke out Jan. 7 in conditions similar to what’s expected Wednesday.
House Passes Bill Banning Transgender Athletes from Women’s Sports
On Tuesday, the House passed a Republican-backed bill that would ban transgender women and girls from participating in women’s and girls’ sports at federally funded schools and educational institutions. The legislation aims to amend federal law, stipulating that sex for the purposes of Title IX compliance in athletics should be determined based on “reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The bill now moves to the GOP-controlled Senate for further consideration.
Poland’s leader accuses Russia of planning acts of sabotage against ‘airlines around the world’
WARSAW, Poland — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused Russia of planning acts of sabotage worldwide including “acts of air terror” against airlines. Tusk spoke at a news conference in Warsaw on Wednesday alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Tusk said “I will not go into details” and “I can only confirm the validity of fears that Russia was planning acts of air terror.” The Kremlin has dismissed previous Western claims that Russia sponsored acts of sabotage and attacks in Europe. The pro-European Union government in Warsaw says that Russia is pursuing acts of hybrid war against Poland and other Western countries in retaliation for their support for Poland’s neighbor Ukraine in its struggle against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
American Users Flock to Xiaohongshu as TikTok Ban Looms
As the deadline for a potential TikTok ban in the United States approaches, a growing number of American social media users are turning to another China-based app, Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote. The app surged to the top of the Apple US App Store on Tuesday as discussions around a possible TikTok shutdown intensified. Many users have joined RedNote as a statement against Washington’s efforts to restrict TikTok due to its Chinese ownership. “We’re just going to a new Chinese app,” one user said, a post that has garnered over 45,000 likes. In just two days, Xiaohongshu added more than 700,000 new users, according to Reuters.
SpaceX Launches Dual Moon Missions on One Rocket
SpaceX successfully launched two moon missions aboard a single Falcon 9 rocket earlier today, carrying lunar landers from two different countries. One of the landers, Blue Ghost, was developed by Firefly Aerospace, a Texas-based company, marking its first lunar mission as part of NASA’s broader plan to return astronauts to the moon. Also aboard the rocket was a lunar lander from the Japanese company Ispace, which is making its second attempt to send its Hakuto-R spacecraft to the moon. The mission will include various experiments, including testing algae-based food production
