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Libertyland TIF Petition Secures Enough Valid Signatures for Public Vote
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Petition organizers turned in more than enough valid signatures to place the resolution creating the Rapid City Destination (Libertyland) Tax Increment Financing District to a public vote. The City’s Finance Office announced Tuesday afternoon a total of 4,326 signatures were verified through the review process. Petition organizers submitted 314 petitions containing 5,145 signatures prior to last Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline. A total of 2,572 valid signatures were needed to refer the item to public vote. City Finance Director Daniel Ainslie will now place an item on the agenda of next Monday’s Rapid City Council meeting. The Council will set a date for a special election, which could be as early as mid-November or as late as next June’s scheduled municipal election.
Rapid City Man Arrested After Alleged Road-Rage Shooting
RAPID CITY, S.D. — A Rapid City man has been arrested following a road-rage incident that took place Monday night. Police say 33-year-old August Gutjahr was placed under arrest for aggravated assault and discharge of a firearm from a motor vehicle after allegedly firing a shot at another vehicle near the intersection of E. Catron Boulevard and Cambell Street. The reporting party says the driver of a pickup had brandished a firearm at them and fired a shot out of the passenger side window. No injuries were reported. Gutjahr was apprehended at 2323 E. Mall Drive and a loaded pistol was found in his pickup.
Rapid City Man Arrested After Brandishing Firearm During Confrontation
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Police in Rapid City arrested a 49-year-old man following a confrontation involving a firearm Monday night. Police say they were dispatched to 350 E. Disk Drive just after 7:00 p.m. and spoke with witnesses who say 49-year-old Gregory Kirkpatrick was on his way into a business there when he encountered another male near the entrance. The two engaged in a verbal exchange and at one point, Kirkpatrick brandished a pistol. Police recovered the pistol and Kirkpatrick was placed under arrest for Aggravated Assault.
Box Elder Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Online Attempted Enticement of a Minor
RAPID CITY, S.D. — A Box Elder man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempted enticement of a minor using the Internet. Matthew Zook, 46, used an app to talk with a 14-year-old in April of last year. Prosecutors say he was arrested at the minor’s home after the minor told a parent about the interactions with Zook. Zook will also be required to serve five years of supervised release following his sentence.
Sturgis Council Discusses Temporary Residential Camping Ordinance
STURGIS, S.D. — The Sturgis Council opened up a lengthy discussion on temporary residential camping at its meeting this week. The current ordinance came under discussion following a complaint received this year. City Attorney Eric Davis says the current ordinance says non-public guests at an owner-occupied home may camp within one campsite area, up to 19 people total. Public camping at a residence is also limited to one public camping unit. Offering two or more public campsites is not permitted and triggers state campground licensure. Davis says if the council wishes to change that, it would need to amend the current ordinance. The issue will be further discussed at the October 20th meeting.
South Dakota Students Can Apply to Public Colleges and Universities for Free
RAPID CITY, S.D. — South Dakota students can now apply to all public universities and colleges for free from October 1st through November 30th. The Board of Regents says this temporary Free Application Period waives fees for schools including South Dakota State, the University of South Dakota, South Dakota Mines, and others. Some technical colleges like Mitchell, Southeast, and Western Dakota already don’t charge application fees year-round. FAFSA applications also open October 1st, giving students a chance to secure financial aid at the same time.
Senate Democrats block GOP funding bill, shutdown imminent
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is on track to shut down at midnight Wednesday after Senate Democrats voted 55-45 against a Republican short-term funding bill. The measure would have extended federal funding for seven weeks but failed to reach the 60 votes needed to advance. The White House Office of Management and Budget directed federal agencies to begin executing shutdown plans, which could furlough or lay off hundreds of thousands of employees. It will mark the first government shutdown since December 2018 to January 2019, when funding lapsed for 35 days.
Hegseth urges resignations from troops opposing rollback of diversity policies
QUANTICO, Va. (AP) — War Secretary Pete Hegseth told service members to “resign” if they oppose his plan to eliminate diversity programs and restore what he called a “warrior ethos” during a speech Tuesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico. In his 45-minute address to hundreds of commanders, Hegseth announced 10 new directives, including returning combat standards to pre-2015 levels, enforcing gender-neutral physical tests, and reinstating strict grooming rules. He said training will shift from classroom instruction to fieldwork and weapons ranges, while basic training will return to more physically demanding practices. Hegseth also criticized how terms like “toxic leadership” have been used, announced changes to inspector general procedures to reduce complaints, and emphasized preparing for threats from China and other adversaries. Concluding with a prayer, he described the reforms as a “liberation” of U.S. forces from political correctness.
Turning Point, moving forward without Charlie Kirk, makes first return to Utah since his killing
LOGAN, Utah (AP) — Turning Point USA’s college tour is in Utah for the first time since its founder was assassinated on a college campus in the state earlier this month. Tuesday’s stop at Utah State University in Logan is about two hours north of Utah Valley University, where a gunman killed Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10. Conservative podcast host Alex Clark kicked off the event and said “If you are expecting a funeral, if you came to mourn the death of America, the death of masculinity and femininity, of faith, of truth, then you are at the wrong event. It’s not over. It is not even close”. The Logan campus reported hours before the event that a building was temporarily evacuated but safe. Event security included metal detectors, drones flying overhead and a heavy law enforcement presence.