Author: DawnSherine Bernard
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The Roster Resets: Rapid City’s 2026 City Council Lineup
Five Rapid City Council seats turn over Monday, July 6, as the winners of the June 2 municipal election take their oaths of office for new three-year terms: They join five members continuing their terms from last year: Stephen Tamang (Ward 1, current Council Vice President), Bill Evans (Ward 2), Greg Strommen (Ward 3), Lance…
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From Daily Enjoyment to Data Centers: SD’s New Laws Hit the Books July 1st- Stay Informed
Rapid City S.D. – July 1 brought a massive wave of new legislation from Pierre that directly impacts the daily lives, wallets, and constitutional rights of local residents. Whether it’s navigating new municipal realities, understanding shifting infrastructure regulations, or avoiding unexpected criminal penalties, staying informed is the best defense against overreach. Here is the ultimate…
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The Shipment of the Spectacle – An Editorial Reflection of Independence Day
Growing up on the Connecticut shoreline, with Mystic Seaport practically in our backyard, we were spoiled when it came to maritime history. We knew the water, and we all had boats. But boats are not ships. In the summer of 1976, looking out from the Westbrook coast, the horizon was swallowed by a fleet. It…
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Buren Properties Appeal Hits a Wall: Public Works Committee Sends It Back For Two More Weeks
Rapid City S.D.- On June 30, the Rapid City Public Works Committee took up Exception 26EX042 — a request from Longbranch Civil Engineering, on behalf of Buren Properties LLC, to skip dedicating right-of-way and building a collector street across a 42-acre unplatted balance north of Deadwood Avenue and I-90. Staff had already denied it once.…
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Three Things Worth Noting on the July 1st Rapid City Legal and Finance Committee Agenda
The Legal & Finance Committee meets Wednesday, July 1st at 12:30 PM in Council Chambers — the day before Rapid City’s Fourth of July parade and drone show. The agenda is fourteen items long. Most are routine. Three are not. A “Clerical Error” in the Division That Manages TIF Item 14 is Ordinance 6733, described…
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The Exception That Has An Exception: The Public Works Agenda Anomaly
Rapid City, S.D. – On Tuesday, June 30 at 12:30 p.m., the Rapid City Public Works Committee will hear what the agenda describes as a routine appeal. The item is listed as Exception 26EX042 — a request to not dedicate right-of-way or construct a Collector Street for the Deadwood Avenue Commercial Subdivision and Farrar Business…
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Navigating the Real America Birthday Bash: Rapid City Closures, Parking, and What you Need to Know
Rapid City is hosting the “Real America Birthday Bash,” a multi-day downtown festival celebrating America’s 250th anniversary from July 1 through July 5, 2026. With 10,000 to 20,000 people expected downtown at any given time, knowing where to park — and where not to leave your car — could be the difference between a good…
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A Developer, A TIF, and A Landowner – A Rapid City Zoning Tale
Paul E. Evans didn’t mince words.On June 18, one week before the Rapid City Planning Commission was scheduled to consider five simultaneous rezoning requests covering 127.95 acres of undeveloped land north of Mall Drive, Evans — president of McMahon Investment Inc. — filed a formal written protest with the City’s Department of Community Development. It…
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Before You Count Your Eggs: What Rapid City Hen Owners Need to Know About Ordinance 6723
The April Victory In April, the Rapid City City Council voted to allow urban hen keeping, and the Sentinel was there to walk you through what that meant — six hens, no roosters, backyard only, coop 25 feet from neighboring homes. A win for residents who fought hard for it. What most people don’t know…