An official website of the United States government Open Search  Mobile Menu Seated at the eastern edge of the Black Hills of South Dakota the community of Rapid City and its adjacent neighborhoods are a prime example of the wildland-urban interface – areas where human settlement and development are interwoven with undeveloped wildlands and vegetation The wildland-urban interface is of perpetually heightened concern to the wildland firefighting community as there is often plenty of fuel to carry fire and an abundance of potential risks to human property and even human lives With its mix of ponderosa pine forests and sprawling grasslands Rapid City and its surrounding areas fall into the ninetieth percentile of nationally estimated fire potential (wildfirerisk.org) This is an example of a western community in which the question is not if This makes the work of the Rapid City Fire Department’s Wildfire Mitigation group especially crucial to the safety of these communities Working in partnership with a multitude of neighboring cooperators the module brings vital expertise and professionalism to the unified effort to reduce wildfire-related risk and maintain fire-adapted communities  The Veterans Wildland Fuels Module was established in 2013 utilizing grant funding from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) the module has become a fixture in their community and served as a standard of what community assistance programs the module provides career avenues that help those that have served in their country’s military to reintegrate into civilian life while maintaining the priorities of service and belonging to a team that are so familiar to returning service members As they are working closely around communities after which it is made available to the local public as mulch through Rapid City’s Solid Waste Division – another partnership that further serves community members the module also practices prescribed burning they assisted on 1,283 acres of prescribed fire projects hosted by their neighbors including the Montana/Dakotas Bureau of Land Management and Black Hills National Forest These partnerships provide members of the module with exceptional opportunities for experience and career development The February 2025 edition of the module’s newsletter listed their 2024 totals for fuels mitigation and more 18 properties on which defensible space was improved Total property values protected by the module in 2024 totaled $52,740,000 The module also recorded nearly 1000 direct public contacts and expressed their hope to double this number in 2025  The excellent work of this fuels module in Rapid City is an inspiring example of how fuels management in a very fire-prone area can convey a myriad of benefits to individuals as well as the broader community more sustainable landscapes throughout the whole Rapid City area,” said Eric O’Connor Wildfire Mitigation Lieutenant for the Rapid City Fire Department “The module continues to do great things in our community The outstanding support we receive from the BLM and our neighbors is what makes us so successful An official website of the Department of the Interior in Washington.Mark Schiefelbein | AP fileGo Deeper.CloseCreate an account or log in to save stories We have added it to a list of your favorite stories saying it was wrongly rooted in efforts to promote diversity The decision reflects a shift in interpretation of anti-discrimination laws under President Donald Trump’s administration which is planning to review other agreements the department's Office for Civil Rights has struck with school systems around the U.S At issue in the Rapid City Area School District were questions of harsh discipline and access to advanced coursework for Native students who have been less likely than their white peers to be in high-level classes A federal investigation found Native students were roughly four times as likely to be suspended and five times as likely to be arrested compared with their white peers the Education Department told the district it would close its compliance review saying in a letter the agreement violated civil rights laws because DEI was at its foundation MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all Some parents who participated in listening sessions with the Office for Civil Rights said they felt their effort had been wasted in our schools the first thing they do is call the police who are right there in the schools as resource officers," said Valeriah Big Eagle a parent of three children in the school district and a leader at NDN Collective “We know the school-to-prison pipeline is real for our kids and the only way we can address that is by promoting restorative practices.” The Education Department backed away from the Rapid City case because the resolution focused on racial balancing and tasked its lawyers with “micromanaging” how the schools disciplined students The rollback of the South Dakota case reflects the department’s efforts to control school-level decisions on diversity initiatives director of educational equity issues at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law The Trump administration has rescinded one other civil rights resolution agreement with a school district a case involving books removed from a Forsyth County School District library in Georgia But the department official said they will be reviewing others The Office for Civil Rights enters into hundreds of resolution agreements a year with districts in cases involving racial harassment disability discrimination and gender discrimination It can require corrective action ranging from resolving access issues for individual students with disabilities to sweeping audits of district-wide practices The issues uncovered in Rapid City schools around disproportionate discipline and policing have long been an area of concern when it comes to preventing discrimination against students of color senior director for the education equity program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights do we care what the effect of discrimination is or not?" King said “If we're seeing they're causing disproportionate harm to some groups of students we need to be asking hard questions about whether or not we can justify those policies.” The Rapid City investigation began in 2010 and was closed in 2024 under the Biden administration a former superintendent said high truancy rates owed to some Native American tribes not valuing education and that they operate on “Indian time,” arriving late The board fired her last summer over the derogatory remarks said neither the board or district leadership were involved in the decision to terminate the resolution agreement He said that the district had already done much of the work required by the resolution agreement which ranged from training in implicit bias to better tracking of discipline data He said the work will continue without federal oversight “These efforts have positively impacted all students,” Strasser said Some in the community worry the district on its own will not follow through on the recommendations founder of the Rapid City-based NDN Collective said it has been flooded with calls from concerned parents and students “The agreement exists because the Rapid City Area school board needed to be held accountable to implementing those provisions,” Tilsen said “They can’t just simply say that they’re doing it because the data already shows that they’re not implementing these things.” media relations director at the Native nonprofit Sacred Defense Fund said it is the latest in a series of federal decisions that affects tribal citizens but did not solicit input from any tribal communities He added the Native American population in South Dakota is unique because many have distinctly Indian surnames like “Black Elk,” which can make them targets of discrimination in schools or when seeking employment Watch today's top stories and most popular videos which provide you with features like past/future radar and customizable layers Trust us to help you plan the best day possible with the most accurate weather forecast available We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good We may use or share your data with our data vendors The Weather Channel is the world's most accurate forecaster according to ForecastWatch, Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview – A house fire on the 7300 block of Wonderland Court in Black Hawk left one home a total loss Wednesday afternoon The Black Hawk Fire Department was dispatched to the scene at approximately 12:26 p.m firefighters encountered heavy smoke and flames emanating from the residence igniting a small grass fire.Chief Deputy James Johns of the Meade County Sheriff’s Office shared his perspective in a verbal statement made to NewsCenter1 “At approximately 12:26 this afternoon we got a call of a fire at one of these residences here,” said Johns and deputies from the Mead County Sheriff's Office responded The fire department immediately began attacking the fire They kept this fire from growing into a multi-structure fire It was contained to just one house and unfortunately that house is a complete loss.” Neighbors in the area attempted to extinguish the flames with garden hoses before additional fire crews arrived Responding agencies included fire departments from Black Hawk Neighbors reported that ammunition stored in the home could be heard exploding due to the heat No injuries have been reported at this time The Red Cross is currently assisting the displaced homeowners Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInRAPID CITY of Rapid City received his trial date after returning to Seventh Circuit Court Tuesday morning Chipps pleaded not guilty to attempted first-degree murder in December for a shooting near Apple Tree Road in Rapid Valley last October The trial is set to begin July 30 with a pretrial hearing set for July 8 The trial is expected to take several days Chipps could face 25 years in the state penitentiary See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description While home costs remain high across northwest Montana Whitefish and Columbia Falls are experiencing unique housing trends as Flathead County officials work to move forward on infrastructure projects in 2025 As development plateaus following years of dramatic growth and housing prices remain high the Flathead Valley is chugging along with steady building and long-term infrastructure upgrades gaining momentum that is projected to continue in 2025 planned housing units are slowly declining from the peak of 878 in 2021 to about 250 units in 2024 the municipality saw 577 units while there were 244 units in 2019 Kalispell’s Development Services Assistant Director PJ Sorensen says building permits remain historically high after smashing records in recent years and he attributes the drop to the high volume of multi-family apartments and continued construction “One reason they were so high was because there were a lot of apartments being built as opposed to single-family development,” Sorensen said “It takes a lot more to get those numbers.” Sign up for our newsletter and get the best of the Beacon delivered every day to your inbox several developments are taking shape in Kalispell like the Mountain View project located west of the Kalispell Bypass near the Foys Lake Road interchange the subdivision was originally planned to bring in 225 single-family lots and 166 townhome lots along with 49 acres of open space and a 5-acre park The area has been referred to as the “Kalispell scar” following a failed development years ago Sorensen said crews have begun home construction on 40 units while the second phase will bring 70 to the west phase four of the 200-unit Eagle Valley development is underway and the North Town Center continues to make progress with the addition of hundreds of units Sorensen also confirmed that Costco has submitted a building permit to the city with plans to move from its current location off Old Reserve Drive to a property near the Ford dealership “A lot of the reason they are relocating is for parking more space in the aisles and the checkout area,” Sorensen said Many projects are also seeing delays as costs rise and the construction industry continues to face challenges Last spring, the Kalispell City Council granted Compass Construction owner Bill Goldberg a five-year extension to begin construction on his $80 million development that will bring an eight-story parking garage and an 86,000-square-foot boutique hotel in the city’s downtown Councilors in 2022 approved the public-private partnership between the city and developers which is slated to bring a 242-stall public parking garage with 78 multi-family housing units on the city-leased Eagles Lot while the five-story Charles Hotel project will include 79 hotel units with a full-service restaurant The development would generate significant tax revenue for the city using tax increment financing (TIF) City Manager Dana Smith said the municipality has seen a significant drop in single-family home permits in the last two years with 24 permits pulled there were 129 single-family permits with no multi-family permits issued Smith said two significant housing developments are underway including a 210-unit project at the intersection of U.S Highway 93 and Montana Highway 40 called Alpine 93/40 The development will encompass an 11-acre plot with 10% of homes planned to be deed restricted the 146-unit Whitefish Corridor Community is slated for completion which will bring in a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments Developer Mick Ruis is spearheading the project that is located between Texas and Colorado avenues north of Edgewood Place on 7 acres “We anticipate those two projects coming forward in the next calendar year,” Smith said we are cautiously optimistic that Whitefish will continue to see infill and development and it depends on interest rates and the demand of our community.” As mortgage rates continue to hover around 6.5% Northwest Montana Association of REALTORS® (NMAR) Public Affairs Director Erica Wirtala said buyers and industry professionals are acclimating to high interest rates But she said the lack of inventory in the Flathead Valley continues to keep home prices high on top of the high interest rate While prices remain unaffordable, market rates have fluctuated across the valley with November’s median home price in Kalispell at $522,750, Whitefish at $972,000 and Columbia Falls at $405,000, according to regional MLS data. This year Columbia Falls had only $2 million worth of gross sales Columbia Falls has come down a smidge and Kalispell has come up while the county is steady,” Wirtala said Despite these expensive housing numbers, Flathead County commissioners have failed to accept $4.5 million in state funds through a homebuyer assistance program developed by the Montana Legislature to make workforce housing more attainable across the state The funding is part of a $50 million allocation that the Montana Legislature set aside in 2023 following the passage of House Bill 819 which was crafted to create more attainable workforce housing across the state lawmakers directed local housing nonprofits to establish Community Reinvestment Organizations (CRO) for the new homebuyer assistance programs The CROs would then be tasked with matching the government’s share of the funding allocation for a total of $9 million in homebuyer assistance but the prospect is unlikely as commissioners Randy Brodehl and Pam Holmquist have failed to support the funding Commissioner Brad Abell has expressed support for the program; however a quorum of two commissioners is required to place the item on their agenda While commissioners are resistant to supporting the state-funded homebuyer assistance program Flathead County Administrator Pete Melnick says they are “laser-focused” on constructing the new detention and public safety facility A bond for the facility is planned to be on the ballot in the fall of 2025 which will allow voters to decide if residents want an expanded jail In October, commissioners selected an architecture firm to design the new facility on a 115-acre property in Lower Valley located at 255 Snowline Lane The county purchased the plot for $3.9 million last year The new detention center would have a 250-bed capacity the sheriff’s office is fully staffed and the Kalispell Police Department is growing,” Melnick said “The only entity in that ecosystem that needs additional support is the detention facility.” Additionally, the county is also preparing for a permit approval for the Lakeside Water and Sewer District that would allow the discharge of treated wastewater to ground water at new septic facilities in Somers. The Montana Ground Water Pollution Control System permit would allow the district to implement a new residential wastewater disposal system moving away from septic to discharge treated water to groundwater through a rapid infiltration system The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) extended an open comment period through Jan construction on the upgrades will begin next year and is expected to cost up to $30 million The project’s first phase would be funded by federal and state grants and loans More than $10 million will be provided through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) fiscal recovery funds along with dollars from the Western Montana Conservation Commission “We’ve got a great partnership with Lakeside Water and Sewer District to build a regional septage fluid facility to help treat the 30,000 gallons of septage produced each day,” Melnick said [email protected] The continued support from our readers keeps our lights on and helps sustain local independent journalism in northwest Montana Please consider a one-time gift or sign up for a recurring contribution and join more than 500 readers in the Editor’s Club Click here to read about the impact the Beacon has on the community. © 2025 Flathead Beacon, All Rights Reserved. Use of this site is subject to the Flathead Beacon's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (KOTA) - The Native American woman from Tuesday’s suspicious death investigation has been identified as Katy Medicine Eagle CONTEXT: Woman found dead in Rapid City, police call death ‘suspicious’ Detectives from the RCPD’s Criminal Investigation Division continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInPENNINGTON COUNTY who is facing charges of first-degree murder and first-degree arson will remain in custody at the Pennington County Jail Magistrate Judge Sarah Morrison ordered that he remain in custody Kertzman, 64, stands accused of the killing of Julie Fisk State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel highlighted the gravity of the situation in court on Feb advocating for the denial of bond because of the heinous nature of the allegations The state asserts that Kertzman bludgeoned Fisk while she slept Roetzel discussed concerns over Kertzman’s potential threat to the community and his perceived flight risk all put him at a high flight risk due to his resources and extensive travel experience including the possibility of capital punishment Roetzel has yet to determine whether the state will pursue the death penalty but a conviction would mandate a life sentence and substantial fines could lead to imprisonment of up to 25 years and a fine of $50,000 Roetzel noted on the record that Fisk had recently ended her relationship with Kerzman and relocated to a new home This detail underscores the vulnerability of victims of domestic abuse State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel will head up the prosecution of the case on behalf of the state The charges against Kertzman are still only allegations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law (KOTA) - The driver of a vehicle that crashed into a Rapid Valley home early Friday morning is dead and a person who was in the home is in the hospital according to the Rapid City Police Department was speeding when it crashed into a home on the 1400 block of Degeest Drive around 4:15 a.m causing an explosion and fire that engulfed the home and two nearby homes Two of the family members were taken to the hospital; with one already released We do not have information on the condition of the other family member “I believe it was an absolute miracle that they were able to get out (of the home),” RCPD Lt Police do believe they know who the driver was but they are still investigating what led to the crash Masur said there was a person in the area who witnessed a car speeding just before the crash The description the witness gave is similar to the crashed car A home on the 1400 block of Degeest Drive in Rapid Valley exploded just after 4 a.m Information at this time is vague as to injuries to anyone in the home or the vehicle Nearby homes were evacuated due to the fire Rapid City police say a vehicle was seen traveling at a high rate of speed before crashing into the home The Rapid City Fire Department says they will be on the scene for a while being assisted by the Rapid Valley and Whispering Pines Volunteer Fire Departments Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account After a woman was found dead inside of a Rapid Valley residence early Tuesday morning law enforcement has one man in custody as they investigate the death as a murder The Pennington County Sheriff's Office responded to the 6000 block of Longview Road in Rapid City at about 5:45 a.m after a person reported a possible murder at the location "We believe that it does look like somebody attempted to start a fire but we would defer to the fire marshal's findings," said Pennington County Sheriff's Office Lt Paul Stevens of the criminal investigation division Law enforcement later took a man into custody at a residence in the 1700 block of Moon Meadows Drive south of Rapid City in the Colonial Pine Hills area The man was taken to Monument Health in Rapid City for self-inflicted injuries "The appropriate charges will be determined at the conclusion of our preliminary investigation," Stevens said Stevens said the woman and the suspect knew each other and law enforcement have identified them is pending the notification of the victim's family The person who called police knew both individuals Stevens said investigators continued to process the Longview Road scene and had yet to move on to the Moon Meadows Drive scene Contact Shalom Baer Gee at sgee@rapidcityjournal.com Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email Email notifications are only sent once a day The Rush and South Dakota Mines met in a friendly cooking competition to raise funds for Fork Real One South Dakota lawmaker wants to make it easier for people who have signed a ballot initiative petition to be able to take their signatures … The SPEAK Network is inviting individuals interested in building baseline skills to assist a person in need to attend the QPR Class on Wednesd… The public meeting is an opportunity to present transportation improvement scenarios developed for the U.S Highway 85 corridor between Spearf… South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is praising the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to ban Artificial Intelligence-genera… The group sponsoring a constitutional amendment to expand South Dakota abortion rights said it will likely file a lawsuit if legislators pass … Two people are injured and one is dead after a home in Rapid Valley exploded early Friday morning a vehicle drove through a camper and then into a home on the 1400 block of Degeest Drive in Rapid Valley and setting the garage of an adjacent home ablaze according to the Rapid City Police Department and the Rapid City Fire Department The driver of the vehicle was the one person killed in the incident There were as many as four people in the home Kelvin Masur; two were taken to the hospital A house on Degeest Drive was leveled by an explosion in the early morning hours Friday He said the department has a "pretty good idea," who the driver of the vehicle was but they're still working on identification Masur said one person had been released from the hospital but he was unsure of the other person's condition Masur said a witness saw a vehicle driving at high speeds that matches the description of the vehicle that hit the house The residents of the nearby homes were able to return to their houses but the destroyed home is still taped off as law enforcement investigates the scene Fire officials say a car drove into the house causing the explosion RCFD Division Fire Chief of Operations Brian Povandra told reporters that when fire crews arrived at the scene the house had already exploded and was engulfed in flames and was "a total loss." Povandra said a number of things can ignite the gas ranging from a hot water heater or furnace kicking on to a light switch "Anytime we have a gas line that's been hit or struck it creates a pretty big hazard for us," Povandra said Crews were able to extinguish the fire that started in the garage of a nearby home before it was able to spread to the main residence area but Povandra said crews were still working on putting out hot spots and brought an excavator to the scene to clear some of the larger debris but our crews were ready and prepared and they handled the situation very professionally and very quickly," Povandra said Whispering Pines Volunteer Fire Department assisted the RCFD A donation account for the family who lost their home and possessions has been set up at Black Hills Federal Credit Union Those interested in contributing can go to any BHFCU branch and specify the donation to the "Dotson Family Account." A Rapid City Fire Department official described the destroyed home as "a total loss."  — Contact Shalom Baer Gee at sgee@rapidcityjournal.com —  Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter The next round of assessment notices are set to be mailed March 1 and Pennington County's Director of Equalization said homeowners should expe… The decision on whether the United States violated its treaty obligations to the Oglala Sioux Tribe by failing to provide adequate law enforce… Mild temperatures are in the forecast for winter sports enthusiasts planning to hit the slopes at Terry Peak this weekend Let the good times roll in Deadwood with a weekend full of free Mardi Gras festivities Friday and Saturday nights A former Pennington County Treasurer's Office employee was sentenced to spend 30 days in the county jail after he admitted to sending confiden… A fire consumes a large commercial building on Old Folsom Road in Rapid Valley Monday morning A structure fire in Rapid Valley destroyed a large commercial building in the early morning hours Monday The Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department responded about 1:30 a.m to a reported structure fire on the 5400 block of Old Folsom Road "First arriving firefighters found a free burning fire with heavy fire and smoke conditions coming from a commercial structure with fire spreading to adjacent structures (and) infrastructure," the Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department said in a release Monday The fire eventually escalated to three alarms with firefighters responding from a three-county area firefighters successfully contained the fire with one firefighter receiving minor injuries No injuries to civilians or domestic animals were reported Agencies responding to the fire included Pennington County 911 the Rapid City Fire Department & Ambulance Service Whispering Pines Volunteer Fire Department the South Dakota Fire Marshal’s Office and the Red Cross serving Central and Western South Dakota “We've seen it happen over and over again,” Stewart said “These elk have been figuring this stuff out for several thousand years where high birth rates and low household incomes make educational structure a major priority for tri… The agreements would recognize out-of-state licenses and advocates say they could help alleviate some of the workforce shortages South Dakota … Monument Health's Special Rodeo took center stage at Summit Arena during the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo Saturday a powerful winter storm brought heavy snow and strong winds to northeastern Wyoming and western South Dakota Snow amounts across the area varied widely ranging from around an inch across northwestern SD and the downsloped Newcastle area Less than one quarter-mile visibility was reported across the area and drifts several feet deep resulted even in areas that received only a few inches of snow there was a hole in the snow around Rapid City for a while depicting the pocket of dry air Wednesday morning that kept snow at bay for several hours This resulted in lowered snow amounts for Rapid City and the surrounding areas travel was hazardous to impossible due to the icing and drifting on roads and zero visibility.  Given the very strong winds that occurred with this blizzard these snowfall totals are very preliminary Here is a preliminary look at the highest wind reports received and recorded The most recent tornado inside the city limits of Rapid City occurred on Father's Day 1967. The tornado developed west of Mount Rushmore and north of Fairmont Boulevard causing damage to a motel (see figure at right) and breaking power poles which laid electric lines across the street The tornado continued to move across the Robbinsdale area of south Rapid City—peeling shingles off roofs A report written by a Rapid City Weather Bureau (now National Weather Service) employee described the event as follows (some minor grammatical changes were made): 1967 – A tornado developed at about 1245 MST at the Town and Country Motel on Mt Rushmore Road at the end of Cleveland.  It moved generally eastward at times skipping or just skimming the ground with the funnel cloud lifting and gradually disappearing after about one mile of travel in five minutes.  Property damage was estimated at $2,000,000; it caused no deaths and only three injuries.  The motel was deroofed; otherwise damage was superficial with no dwellings destroyed The storm cloud appeared quite innocuous with little thunder and no rain.  A rather extended funnel cloud was observed part of it nearly horizontal and then sloping to the ground A tornado watch was in effect for the area having been issued about one hour before the tornado occurred and radio and TV stations had repeated the watch (seven times by KOTA-AM and 4 times by KOTA-TV) The roof removed from the Town and Country Motel was deposited on another motel across the street causing heavy damage.  Along its track many homes had shingles peeled back (some removed) and fences downed.  The home of a Weather Bureau employee was damaged by quartz rock from a neighboring rooftop and breaking windows in the house and car.  Several camping trailers were severely damaged down the street Beyond its initial contact at the motel the damage was little more than could be expected with a large whirlwind of a hot day Excerpts from the “Rapid City Journal” article on Monday practically clear skies Sunday afternoon and skipped through the southeast part of Rapid City causing property damage estimated at nearly $2 million.  Miraculously only three minor injuries from the tornado were reported but Robbinsdale residents were busy Monday with clean-up work that will go on for weeks The injured persons apparently were all passengers in a small foreign compact car that had just driven up to the motel All three received cuts on the legs from flying glass as the front windshield blew in Witnesses and meteorologists agree there was no distinct funnel visible when the tornado hit the Town ‘N Country Motel at Rushmore Road and Cleveland and skipped eastward across Robbinsdale.  The funnel became clearly visible as the storm left the city and lifted into the clouds over the airport reported Monday that power difficulties because of the tornado were not too severe mostly troublesome.  A couple of poles were broken off east of the Beach Motel and a couple of spans of wire were downed.  In an area further east around Nevada Street some 20 to 24 services pulled loose from houses because of high winds.  Longest service outage was about two hours.  One feeder in the area was knocked out for a short period Hardest hit was the Town ‘N Country Motel where the new owner reported serious damage to 45 out of 100 units Nine persons dashed into one unit and hid under a bed.  The roof blew off but none of the nine were injured.  A car was dropped into another unit The roof torn off the topmost units of Town ‘N Country was whisked down the hill across the street and slammed up against a Beach Motel wall and roof overturned and hit by debris.  Three units of the Beach Motel suffered mostly roof damage Damage was extensive throughout Robbinsdale ranging from campers and trailers demolished and roofs torn off to minor shingle loss.  Numerous patio covers were destroyed and many trees were damaged The previous tornado to hit Rapid City damaged a bottling plant along Mount Rushmore Road on June 14 1962. The 1960s were an active period for tornadoes around the Black Hills—with several large tornadoes occurring near Rockerville While tornadoes do not occur frequently in the Black Hills and Rapid City area either. June and July have the highest number of tornadoes and they typically occur in the afternoon and early evening The tornado developed west of Mount Rushmore Road and north of Fairmont Boulevard causing damage to a motel and breaking power poles which left electric lines down across the street A cold front moved through the region between June 18 and June 19 and unstable air pooled along the eastern Black Hills ahead of the cold front setting the stage for severe thunderstorms The vertical wind shear became favorable for tornadoes (KOTA) - The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office and Rapid City Police Department’s Special Response Team in collaboration with the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team are currently carrying out a high-risk search to find drugs in the 2100 block of Central Blvd The area has since been cleared for people but detectives and investigators are still on the scene as of 4:30 p.m The Special Response Team was called to execute the search because it was believed that there were multiple firearms inside the residence it stated that “The search warrant is the result of an ongoing investigation and our dedication to removing illegal drugs from our community which plays a significant role in reducing violence and crime that illicit drug use and drug distribution results in higher crime rates and increased violence Rapid City is not immune to illegal drugs playing a role in violence and increased crime as the vast majority of homicides that have occurred in Rapid City have a direct drug nexus It is concerning that these criminal activities were happening so close to an elementary school and we are ending that illegal activity today These proactive efforts and investigations are critical in promoting public safety and reducing violence and overall crime and we encourage the public to report any suspicious activity and criminal behavior.” Officers have arrested three individuals on charges of possession of a controlled substance “It’s important to know that anything related to guns or narcotics is a high priority for us,” said Rapid City Police Department Captain Christian Sigel Typically the guns and drugs are associated with violent crime in our area so we do take a lot of pride and a lot of proactive work towards combating that stuff.” no evacuation orders were given to the surrounding neighbors and said that the people in the home went with officers willingly the RCPD had received multiple tips from neighbors about this residence all those calls pertained to code enforcement We will keep you updated when we have more Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInThree men robbed the Rapid Valley Corner Pantry convenience store on Highway 44 around 5 a.m According to the Pennington County Sheriff's Office one of the three did have a rifle that in surveillance photos appeared to be pointed at the store clerk but no one was hurt during the robbery The men stole an undisclosed amount of cash and then left on foot They were last seen running north-west away from the gas station they could have left in a light blue four-door passenger sedan similar to a Toyota Camry One suspect was wearing a black leather coat with black pants A second man was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans The third was in a black sweatshirt and black jeans The PCSO Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the robbery Anyone withh information about the crime can contact Capt We will have more details when they are available Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInThe body of a Rapid City man is pulled out of Rapid Creek after the car crashes into a bridge near Green Valley Drive Sunday morning The Pennington County Water Rescue team along with the Rapid City and Rapid Valley Fire Departments rushed to Green Valley Drive to pull out a flipped-over car in Rapid Creek "A report of a car submerged in the creek on its roof the only thing that was visible was a wheel from the vehicle," said Pennington County Sheriff's Office Sgt With water flowing at 700 cubic feet per second Hislip said the driver was turning left on Green Valley Drive but was coming too fast and ended up crashing into the bridge railing on Reservoir Road falling into the creek A neighbor who lives near Green Valley Drive and Reservoir Road said the crash sounded like a trailer bouncing up and down on a bumpy road But when he looked outside he saw a car drifting away in Rapid Creek Hislip said they pulled out a 23-year old man which the family has identified as Ivan Givanni Rice Rice was on his way home after dropping off some people after a party He was a mile and a half away from his house "I do know that they did find some alcohol But he wasn't normally the type that would drink and drive and that's why he was always the designated driver This is why I tell anybody's kids please call me Please call me," said Rice's Grandmother Tami Rice A tow truck picked up the flattened car as city workers came to fix the railings on the bridge Rice's grandmother said he was an ambitious young man who recently graduated from college with a business management degree She said he had plans to start his own family roofing business She said this is unexpected of him as his family grieves for his loss "They're all a mess right now as you can well imagine anybody would be I mean my heart is bleeding inside of me," Tami Rice said The sheriff's office will perform an autopsy on the body The South Dakota Highway Patrol is still investigating the accident