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    ~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base near Rapid City in Meade County and Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is home to the 28th Bomb Wing of the Air Combat Command (ACC), operating the B-1B Lancer.As host wing, the 28th Bomb Wing includes an operations group, a maintenance group, a mission support group, and a medical group. The base controls all air space 40 miles (64 km) around its area, including all landings at nearby Rapid City Regional Airport,...

CUSTER (AP) — A rural Custer man who discovered a mountain lion lounging on his porch shot and killed the animal.

RAPID CITY, SD - A North Rapid City neighborhood is in shock after an early morning shooting. Police say it happened during a home invasion where the home owner shot and killed the intruder shortly before 5 a.m. When police arrived they found at 21-year old Dallas Two Bulls' body. He was shot three times by a homeowner acting in self defense. Residents in the neighborhood woke up to an unfamiliar sight. "A couple of police cars and the crime tape spread across, there. And we were just scratching our heads wondering what was going on," neighbor Byford Avery said....

South Dakota has joined other states in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in a federal appeal involving Maryland's requirements for getting a permit to carry a gun.

SIOUX FALLS, SD, July 24, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – South Dakota won a critical legal battle today, as the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the last contested portion of a 2005 pro-life law. The law, H.B. 1166, requires that women considering abortion be told critical biological information and directed to alternate means of help before undergoing an abortion. By a 7-4 vote, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a portion of the law that tells women abortion leads to an increased risk of depression and suicide. “On its face, the suicide advisory presents neither an undue burden on abortion...

Gun advocates are celebrating Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether’s announcement rescinding an Executive Order banning guns on city property. The city attorney said the policy would not hold up if challenged in court. Representatives from Open Carry South Dakota, a group in favor of open weapons laws, say the repeal expands personal freedoms. “The people doing this legally are not the people you'll be afraid of. The people you'll be afraid of are the ones doing it anyways,” Open Carry South Dakota Spokesman Don Hixon said. The group made the announcement Wednesday night in front of City Hall. Before the...

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The president of the University of Sioux Falls is suing Delta Airlines over an incident last fall that ended with him spending a night in a New York jail.

--a tree-hugger gets caught--- Brian Brademeyer is charged with painting over markings to trick Forest Service crews into cutting down trees. Black Hills environmentalist Brian Brademeyer has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of illegally marking trees to be cut in a U.S. Forest Service timber sale. Brademeyer agreed prior to a proceeding scheduled for Thursday in federal court to pay a $475 fine, plus a $25 processing fee. The maximum penalty for the charge, a federal petty offense, was $5,000 and six months in jail. Contacted by email Friday, Brademeyer confirmed that he was paying the $500 but did...

The Old West re-enactor who fired four bullets into a crowd of tourists in downtown Hill City in June 2011 was sentenced Monday to 7-1/2 years in federal prison. Paul F. Doering had earlier signed a plea agreement where he admitted that he concealed evidence after a June 17 Old West re-enactment of a gun fight on a Hill City side street in which three out-of-state visitors were injured, two seriously. Federal marshals placed handcuffs on Doering immediately after U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Viken sentenced the 49-year-old Summerset man. A six-time convicted felon, Doering was arrested last summer after authorities...

Local breaking news; no linkable sources yet. The Battle Mountain Humane Society animal shelter in Hot Springs, South Dakota burned to the ground this afternoon. No human injuries involved; one known animal death . At last word, a full accounting of the animals was on-going.

South Dakotans will still need permits to carry concealed handguns. A bill passed by the South Dakota Legislature would have removed that requirement for South Dakotans with a valid driver’s license. But Gov. Dennis Daugaard vetoed the bill, and on Monday morning the South Dakota House of Representatives failed to override that veto. The House voted 27-40 on the concealed carry bill, far below the 47-vote threshold needed to override a gubernatorial veto. Supporters said requiring people to get a permit to carry concealed handguns is an infringement on Second Amendment rights. “Vote to give South Dakotans back their rights,...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 16, 2011 CONTACT: Joe Kafka or Tony Venhuizen at 605-773-3212 PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard has vetoed the following bill: HB1248 – An Act to provide for exceptions from certain misdemeanor offenses related to possession of handguns. For more information about this and other bills, please visit www.legis.state.sd.us Note: A copy of Governor Daugaard’s veto message follows. March 16, 2012 The Honorable Val Rausch Speaker of the House of Representatives 500 East Capitol Avenue Pierre, SD 57501-5070 Dear Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives: I herewith return to you House Bill 1248...

South Dakota HB 1248 is on Gov. Daugaard’s desk awaiting his signature. He has until March 19 to either sign or veto it. Gun Owners of America (GOA) strongly support this bill. I have been in touch with one of the co-sponsors of HB 1015, which was killed in committee. Rep. Betty Olson, SD District 28B told me that she took the original bill and added the requirement that residents must be 18 and hold a SD drivers license to carry a firearm without a state issued permit, because it was the only way to get the Bill out of...

In a stretch of less than 24 hours, Gov. Dennis Daugaard issued his second and third vetoes of the 2012 legislative session Monday evening, including in one instance his own legislation, and announced Tuesday afternoon he had signed into law the Republicans’ teaching-reforms legislation that he originated. The Republican governor’s decision to sign the heavily amended House Bill 1234 sets the stage for the South Dakota Education Association to begin its petition drive to refer the legislation to a statewide vote on the Nov. 6 general election ballot. Meanwhile, the vetoes seek to make technical changes that the Legislature will...

A bill to allow all South Dakotans to carry a handgun without getting government permission is awaiting Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s signature. HB 1248 would allow all law-abiding citizens in the state to carry handguns as a matter of right -- without having to submit to any obnoxious background checks or waiting periods. But while HB 1248 is a terrific bill, the Governor is not sure what he will do. ccw “It is uncertain whether the Governor will sign the bill,” reports Bonzer Wolf, a Second Amendment activist who covers freedom issues. “Gov. Daugaard said Wednesday (February 29) that he has...

House Bill 1248, passed the South Dakota Legislature last Tuesday awaits Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s signature or veto. If Gov. Daugaard signs the law, South Dakotans will bypass a layer of bureaucracy, including a background check and fee, before being able to carry a concealed weapon. Anyone with a valid South Dakota driver’s license who isn’t disqualified from carrying a concealed weapon – including convicted felons, people with a “history of violence” and people with mental illness – will be able to carry a concealed weapon without the permit under the state law and the U.S. Constitution. South Dakota law does...

Gov. Dennis Daugaard has some concerns about a bill to let South Dakotans carry concealed weapons without a permit, but is leaning toward signing it. The governor read that measure, HB 1248, Friday morning and plans to listen to past testimony about the bill before making his decision. He’s particularly interested in concerns raised by law enforcement agencies, saying he “generally (tries) to support law enforcement.” But the governor also frequently says he’s an active supporter of gun rights, and that feeling may come out on top with HB 1248. “I may not sign it, but I am inclined to...

Browse: Home / 2012 / February / 29 / Senate passes concealed carry bill on to governor Senate passes concealed carry bill on to governor By Associated Press on February 29, 2012 PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota lawmakers have given their final approval to a measure that would allow people to carry concealed handguns without a permit as long as they have a driver’s license and otherwise meet state standards for carrying guns. The Senate voted 22-11 Tuesday to pass the bill, which was approved earlier by the House. It will become law if signed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard.

A measure to let South Dakotans carry concealed weapons without a permit passed out of committee Friday morning. House Bill 1248 would require only a valid South Dakota driver’s license for an adult to carry a concealed weapon, as long as they were able to pass the background check currently required to receive a concealed carry permit. They would not be required to actually undergo that background check, though. People could be only be charged with a crime after the fact, if it was later found that they could not pass the background check. Now, the full Senate will vote...

Law enforcement responded to reports of "shots fired" at a residence just north of Box Elder shortly after 4:00 PM Wednesday afternoon. Box Elder Police officials say the incident was the result of an apparent home invasion. By about 4:30 PM they said the witness was still in the home being interviewed by the Meade County Sheriff's Office. Law enforcement officers were seen inspecting the backyard which was marked off by police tape and there was a hole in the glass of a back door. Chief Deputy Tom Wiltz told Black Hills FOX later Wednesday night that the woman in...