Category: Investigations
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Same Land, New Ribbon: What Today’s Press Release Left Out Regarding the Elevate Business Park
Correction, Aug 5 2026: This piece originally stated that 24020 Hardesty Road has served as Hills Construction, Ltd.’s registered office “since 1995.” State filings show the company’s registered office moved away from that address in 2008–2009 and has not returned there since, most recently relocating to Keystone in 2026. The piece also described the paper…
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The Holding Cell Playbook: A Rezoning Batch That Passes the Paper Test, Not the Sniff Test
Rapid City SD- It doesn’t take a cloak and dagger to be underhanded. A rezoning can clear every procedural box — proper notice, staff recommendation, clean votes, mandatory oversight conditions — and still represent a use of the system that doesn’t survive a second look. Legal, but Is It Right? Here’s the timeline that matters.…
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What We Know – and Don’t Know – About Rapid City’s Water Infrastructure Cyber Incident
Rapid City SD- The City of Rapid City recently disclosed a cyber incident involving one of its lift stations, part of the city’s wastewater system. According to the city, officials discovered the attempt quickly and took precautions to protect the system. The city says at no time was its water or wastewater infrastructure placed in…
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History Erasure in Real Time: The True Cost of the wp2shell Vulnerability
Rapid City SD – You do not realize how fragile the digital public record is until you log in and find it barricaded by a quarantine notice. Yesterday morning, the administrative front door to the Sentinel was blocked by a stark, terrifying banner from our hosting provider, Ionos. It wasn’t a standard maintenance alert. It…
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A Flock of Cameras: You Can Run, But You Can’t Hide from Private Surveillance in Rapid City
Rapid City SD – If you’ve driven through Rapid City recently, you’ve likely noticed high-tech cameras at the entrances of parking lots and local institutions. During Monday’s Special City Council budget meeting, Councilor Maher raised the issue of “surveillance pushback,” saying constituents have raised concerns about it. Police Chief Hedrick responded directly, addressing what he…
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Deja- Vu Zoning: The Cement Plants Other Half Isn’t Getting Rezoned – And That’s the Point
Case 26RZ029 goes before the Rapid City Planning Commission July 23, 2026 What Is Known Case 26RZ029 asks the Planning Commission to rezone two parcels currently sitting under South Dakota Codified Law § 11-4-30 — the 2001 state statute that froze the cement plant’s land into whatever use it had “as of December 28, 2000,”…
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Under the Influence of AI – An Old -School look at a new Social Ailment
We tend to think of impairment in chemical terms — the slurred speech at the end of a long night, the fog of a heavy prescription. There’s a newer, quieter intoxication taking root in our homes, our offices, and our city halls. It doesn’t come in a bottle. It comes through a blinking cursor. It…
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Twins From the Start: What the TIF Ledger Actually Shows About the Catalyst District
Rapid City SD – Mayor Jason Salamun’s office marked this week’s “five key agreements” announcement with a Facebook post declaring the Indoor Sports Complex “a win for our community and the next generation.” It’s a good press release. It’s also a good moment to check the underlying paperwork — because the city’s own Tax Increment…
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The Mayor Took The Floor: What Salamun Said About the Sports Complex – And What He Didn’t
Rapid City SD – Mayor Jason Salamun does not, as a rule, address city committees from the public comment podium. He runs the executive branch; committee members ask the questions, staff answer them, and residents line up at the microphone to weigh in. That’s the format. On Wednesday, at the Legal and Finance Committee, Salamun…
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A Tricky Gift from Lien: The Sports Complex Enters the Legal and Finance Committee Agenda
Rapid City SD – The proposed Rapid City Indoor Sports Complex — officially named the “Rapid City Fieldhouse” in its facility management agreement — goes before the Legal and Finance Committee as a $76.2 million project built on a land donation that reads, on paper, less like a gift and more like a long-term lease…