Staff Member: Jayla Taitingfong

Summer is almost here and there are many lakes and camping spots you can visit over your break. Two local lake spots are Spring Creek Recreation Area and Bear Butte State Park. Both of these places are less than a 40 minute drive from Rapid City. Some activities both lakes offer are boating, fishing, picnicking, and walking on the park roads. Some additional activities Spring Creek Recreation Area offers are canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, sailing, water skiing, and biking on park roads.

If you would rather have somewhere to stay overnight, there are places like the Whispering Pines Campground or Center Lake Campground. Whispering Pines is just a 30 minute drive West from Rapid City, while Center Lake Campground is a 45 minute drive from Rapid. If you have an RV, both of these sites have an easy accessible area so you’re able to take your RV. However, if you don’t have one but would still want to go camping, these sites also have an area where you are able to bring a tent, or you could stay in a cabin. At Whispering Pines Campground, prices can range between $30-$63 at most times, but if you go during the Sturgis Rally, praises can range from $43-$199. At Center Lake Campground, it’s only $20 a night. So, if you’re looking for a fun day activity to do with your family or friends, or an overnight stay,  these are some great options!

Staff member: Chaz Steele

The FIFA World Cup takes place this summer. It is considered the biggest sporting event in the world, specifically a soccer event. The qualified countries battle it out in a series of matches, trying to bring home the trophy. The 2026 World Cup will be played in Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

 11 U.S. cities will host the games, three in Mexico, and two in Canada. The cities in the United States are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle. The three in Mexico are Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara. The two in Canada are Toronto and Vancouver. 

48 teams have qualified to play in the World cup, those teams are Canada, Mexico, United States, Australia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Curacao, Haiti, Panama, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey. The 2022 world cup was won by Argentina. Currently, Spain is expected to win the tournament. The first games of the World Cup are expected to start on June 11th, and the final is on July 19.

Staff member: Adeline Willis

From classrooms, to kitchens, and to boardrooms, mothers keep our communities moving. Mother’s day is one of the most recognized holidays across the world, but most of us don’t even know why we celebrate it. Of course, the holiday’s purpose is to honor and love our mothers for at least one day (celebrate them everyday!), but we don’t give enough effort to the women who worked hard during hard times!

Someone to recognize is Julia Ward Howe. After experiencing the hardship of the Civil War in 1870, Julia attempted to create a holiday called “Mother’s Day Proclamation”. She wanted to find a way for mothers and women to find a way to avoid all the war and bloodship going on at the time. She wanted some sort of escape for them. The Civil War was still in their ongoing battle and the Franco-Prussian war unfolding abroad. While the idea was good, it sadly died out not too long later. 

The people who really set the holiday in stone were Ann Jarvis and her daughter, who’d known Julia. Ann Jarvis had 12 children, but sadly half of them died because of diphtheria and/or measles. Heartbroken by the losses, she sought out to support mothers who’d gone through the same thing and to help prevent more deaths related to these diseases. She was a part of national public health movements and set up clubs to help keep her town clean. Even after getting numerous threats of violence, she continued her hard work. After her mothers death, Anna Jarvis (Ann’s daughter) wanted her mother to be honored for all her hard work and all the impactment her mother had on the community. After her advocacy, President Wilson issued Mother’s Day as an official holiday in 1914. The holiday celebrated the second week of May, the same week Ann Jarvis died. 

Mother’s day may not be as exciting as other holidays, but it’s just as important as the rest. Make sure to thank your mothers for all the hard work and sacrifices she gives  every day! Take her out to lunch, make her a gift, or just spend time with her! Make sure she feels loved and appreciated this coming Mother’s Day and all the rest!

By: Brady Burgess

Fathers Day: what is it and why do we celebrate it? Father's Day is right around the corner and I'm going to explain the history of Father's Day and how it came to be. Father's Day originated in Spokane, Washington. The reason it was made was to be the counterpart to Mother's Day, but the only reason it was ever thought of was because of Sonora Smart Dodd wanting to honor her father and all the fathers over the world. The reason she thought of this was because she had seen how much her father had done for her. William Jackson Smart was the father of Sonora. He raised Sonora along with 5 other children and was a war veteran. He put all of his efforts into helping his kids and his action sparked Sonora's idea for Father's Day to become a national holiday. What do we do on fathers day? On Father's Day we make our fathers the center of attention and show gratitude for them to show thanks for how much they do for us. This Father's Day make sure you show respect for your father figure and show them you are very grateful for what they have done for you.

Staff Member: Kaleigh Handley

Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday of the month of May. Memorial Day is about honoring the women and men who died while serving in the U.S military. This holiday was originally known as Decoration Day; it originated after the Civil War and officially became a federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans commemorate Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, hosting family gatherings, and participating in parades. The Civil War ended in the Spring of 1865 and took more lives than any conflict in U.S. history. In the late 1860s, Americans in several different towns and cities had begun holding tributes to the countless soldiers who lost their lives. People decorate their graves with flowers and prayers. 

In 1966, the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the birthplace of Memorial Day. Each year, on Memorial Day, a time of remembrance is 3:00 p.m. local time. For many decades, Memorial Day was held on May 30th, which was the day that General Logan had selected for Decoration Day. Memorial Day unofficially marks the first day of summer. On the first Memorial Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and over 5,000 people decorated over 20,000 graves. Now, on Memorial Day, there is a commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery each year. Usually, a president or vice president will lay a wreath on the grave of an unknown soldier. Many people commemorate Memorial Day in their own ways, but things are still fairly similar.

Staff Member: Austin Harmon

There are 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams; my favorite is the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have won 23 divisional titles, 18 National League Pennants, and 4 World Series titles. The Braves were founded by Ivers Whitney Adams on January 20, 1871. He got help from Harry Wright, otherwise known as ‘The father of baseball’. They used $15,000 to found the club. Fun fact: The New York Mets are the Braves' biggest rivals. The Braves' mascot is named Blooper because of a funny cartoon. The Atlanta Braves are the only MLB franchise to have won a World Series in three different home cities.

Another Major League Baseball team I like is the Rockies. John Antonucci founded the Colorado Rockies in 1991. They started to play in the National West Division in 1993. The Rockies were the first MLB team in the Mountain Time Zone. Todd Helton is known as the most famous Rockies player. It cost 95 million dollars to found the Rockies in 1992. The Rockies mascot is Dinger, a dinosaur. The reason the mascot is a dinosaur is that while they were building Coors Field, they found Triceratops bones. Are you excited for 2026 MLB?

Staff member: Jaxson Spain

The MLB is one of the most popular sports in America, with an average of 4.1 million viewers per game. The first MLB games will start up on March 25th, 2026 for the opening night game with the Giants vs. the Yankees. While the opening day will have 14 games across the league. The MLB season will end on September 27th, but postseason games will continue with series like the Division Series, Championship Series, and the World Series. 

The division series is another popular MLB event. The viewer count on these games is 3.5–4.3 million viewers per game on average, with peak games reaching 8–9 million. The division series holds 8 different teams. 

The championship series is a follow–up of the division series. The championship series averages about 5.3 million viewers per game. 

The World Series features two teams and typically draws the largest audiences of the entire MLB postseason, with recent averages in the 15–16 million viewer range in the U.S., and even higher when including Canada and Japan. The two teams chosen for this series are from the American Series winner and the National Series winner. 

Interview with Mr. Dettman: What team do you support Mr Dettman? I support the Milwaukee Brewers. Since you support the Milwaukee Brewers, do you think they will win it all? No, I think the Dodgers will win it all again, because they are stacked. Do you have any favorite games to watch? Yes, I like to watch the Milwaukee Brewers on the MLB app. And finally, who are your favorite players? My favorite players are  Jackson Chourio, Bryce Turang, and Jacob Misiorowski. Thank you for your time, Mr. Dettman/Mr. Goat.

Staff Member: Sam Pennepacker

If you ever take a trip to Mt. Rushmore, there’s a local spot you won’t want to miss. Last summer, we took my grandma to see Mt. Rushmore and stopped by a place called Halley’s West, and it has great buffalo burgers. The menu includes a classic ¼ burger for $11, a double cheeseburger for $15, a pulled pork sandwich for $11, a grilled cheese sandwich for $11, chicken tenders for $11, a Rushmore BLT sandwich for $11, a turkey sandwich for $11, and adding bacon costs a $1, Wings (Bone-in or Boneless) for $12, buffalo burger for $16, mushroom swiss burger for $15, saute burger for $16, a pulled pork burger for $16, and a hot shot burger for $15. The sides include French fries, cheese curds, and poppers. The fries are included, but the cheese curds and poppers are 3 extra dollars. The reason I really think you should go to Halley’s West is that the food there is great. The burgers may look a little messy but they taste delicious!

Halleys West also has a merch shop where you can buy hats and beer warmers. The average price of the hats is $25, and the $8 beer warmers.

The store is located in Keystone, South Dakota, between Subway and Super 8 by Wyndham. Overall, this is a great place to go if you're in the area.

Staff Member: Owen Knudson

In this article, you will learn about the new things pokemon fans are playing and looking forward to. So the first thing that happened at the 30th anniversary of Pokemon, Pokemon Day was when they talked about the 10 year anniversary of Pokemon Go with a little update to celebrate and they also updated Pokemon TCG pocket (the Pokemon card mobile game) with a new card pack. The next season for legends ZA’s battle club (Season 8) where you can unlock mega garchomp Z and that is all the updates now I will talk about the new games.

The first new game was Pokopia which was released on March 4th. It's like if you combined Minecraft and Animal Crossing and made it look like Pokemon. I played it and I highly recommend it. The other new spinoff is Pokemon Champions which was released April 8th and it is a battle focused pokemon game and it has all of the old battle mechanics like mega evolution and dynamax all at the same time. Pokemon Champions links to your Pokemon home (a place where you can store all your pokemon from all the games) and lets you use your pokemon from any game to battle with.

By: Dalton Fletcher

Most people have heard the word "fishing," but have you ever been fishing? Here is everything you need to know about fish in the black hills! Fishing is a fun outdoor activity that can keep you busy for hours, but there are some important rules and regulations that you need to follow to stay safe and out of trouble. 

If you are over the age of 18, you must be a licensed fisherman, and if you are under the age of 18, you must be with a licensed adult until you are 14 years of age. From 14 to 18, you can fish legally without a licensed adult and without a personal fishing licence. You must also know the number of fish that you are allowed to catch per day. This is a full list directly from the GFP page.

Walleye (walleye/sauger/saugeye) — Daily: 4 (only one 20" or longer); Possession: 8

Northern pike — Daily: 6; Possession: 12

Muskellunge / Tiger muskie — Catch and release only

Trout / Salmon / Splake (any combination) — Daily: 5; Possession: 10

Largemouth & Smallmouth bass (any combination) — Daily: 5; Possession: 10

Yellow perch — Daily: 15; Possession: 30

Crappie — Daily: 15; Possession: 30

Sunfish (bluegill, green, pumpkinseed, redear, orangespotted — any combination) — Daily: 30; Possession: 60

Catfish (any combination) — Daily: 10 (only one flathead 30" or longer); Possession: 20

Sturgeon — Season closed for all species except catch‑and‑release lake sturgeon on Big Stone Lake (June 16–April 14)

Paddlefish — By special permit only

Smelt — Daily: 5 gallons; Possession: none

White bass / Rock bass — No limit

Staff Member: Noah Kruger

I bet most of you have memories of the fourth of July, and all the activities that come along with it. Some of the many activities you maybe went and did are watching the fireworks go off, or going to your local parade but you might have thought what even is the fourth of July and why do we celebrate it and I'm here to tell you that.

First, you need to know where it all started. On July 2, 1776 the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence and two days later the 13 colonies adopted it and sense that day July 4 has been the birthday of the United States. Some of the very first traditions where people held a mocking funeral for king Gerorge III symbolizing the end of the monarchy in the states and the triumph of liberty. The very first firework used on the Fourth was in 1777 in the first big celebration and at the beginning of the party a ship fired off 13 gun salutes in honor of the original 13 colonies.The celebration became more popular after the war of 1812 where we defeated the British again. The fourth of July became a national holiday in 1870. More recently though the fourth falls mid summer a big focus is the fun activities that happen like going to a parade or having a barbeque. People also have family get-togethers where they fire off fireworks at night.

In conclusion, the Fourth of July is much more than just fireworks and parades, it's a celebration of our nation's independence and the values of freedom and unity that have shaped the United States since 1776. As we gather with family and friends to enjoy the festivities, it's important to remember the history behind the holiday and the significance it holds for all Americans.