Tag: Community
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Rapid City’s Hemp Crackdown Was Already Underway. Now It’s Part of a National Fight.
Rapid City, SD. — When South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley signed onto a 35-state coalition letter this week urging Congress to keep a stricter federal definition of hemp in place, it read like a routine statehouse press release — one AG among three dozen, weighing in on a Washington fight over a 2018 Farm…
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What’s on Rapid City’s Table Monday Night 7/20/2026
Reprint after wp2shell rebuildRapid City SD- Rapid City’s Common Council has a packed evening ahead on July 20 — a special session on next year’s budget followed by a regular meeting carrying five separate storylines this outlet has been tracking. Here’s what’s known, what the documents say, and what’s still unanswered heading into the vote.5:30…
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What’s on Monday’s August 3rd Rapid City Council Agenda
Rapid City SD- Most of this agenda is standard municipal housekeeping. A handful of items connect to stories we’ve already been tracking, and we’ve flagged those below. Consent Items — Public Works Committee Fourteen items, almost all routine contract administration: change orders (a few thousand dollars up or down) on active projects like the Elk…
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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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The 2027 Budget Brief: The Software Squeeze, Stagnant Fees, and Maxed Out Services – The Last Two Days of the Special Council
Rapid City SD –If the first half of Rapid City’s Special City Council Budget Sessions highlighted physical infrastructure and public safety, the final two days (July 29 and 30) exposed the hidden structural costs of running a modern municipality—and the massive revenues left on the table by outdated policies. Here is how the IT, Mayors’s…
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The 2027 Budget Brief: Balancing the Thin Line and the Bottom Line – The First Two Special Council Sessions
Rapid City SD – The story of Rapid City’s proposed 2027 budget is a tale of two distinct ledgers. The first two days of the Special City Council Budget Sessions laid bare the growing pains of a rapidly expanding municipality. On one side, public safety departments are straining against historic call volumes and shifting workforce…
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Why is Council President Tamang Revisiting a Two Year Old Ordinance Vote?
Editor’s note: This reporter commented on the Facebook thread referenced below. The Facebook Post Council President Stephen Tamang posted to Facebook this week about finding cheap vodka shooter bottles on a walk with his daughter — calling it a sign of a problem the city has let become normal, and noting that the council has,…
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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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Tamang’ Own Zoning Violation Meets The Ordinance That Would Excuse It
Repost due to wp2shellThe Rule Was “Not Even a City Council Member Would Be Exempt.” His Own Colleagues Aren’t So Sure.Rapid City SD. – At the July 20, 2026 council meeting, Ordinance No. 6726 came up for its first reading — a measure that would hand a single city administrator the authority to waive zoning…