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Native Sun News: Rapid City mayor retaliates against paper

Thursday, July 23, 2015

The following story was written and reported by Richie Richards, Native Sun News Staff Writer. All content © Native Sun News.

Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender on the campaign trail. Photo from Facebook

Allender proposes to cut Native Sun News from city budget
By Richie Richards
Native Sun News Staff Writer

RAPID CITY –– It appears that the Native Sun News endorsement of former mayor Sam Kooiker proved to be costly.

On Monday, July 20, at the second meeting that the new Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender presided over, a budget proposal for 2016 was presented to the Rapid City Common Council.

In the proposed budget, Mayor Allender seeks to eliminate city spending of the approximately $40,000 to publish legal announcements and city council meeting minutes in the Native Sun News.

According to Native Sun News accounting records, the City has been charged only $5,755 for the year of 2015 thus far for advertising and publication of city minutes. The actual readership of Native Sun News is 4,000 persons weekly.

Recognized as the “Best of the Dakotas” in 2014 by both the North Dakota Newspaper Association and the South Dakota Newspaper Association for the largest weekly newspaper in South Dakota, Native Sun News has been a leader in bringing news that matters to tribal citizens living in the area.

Tim Giago, center, holding the “Year of Reconciliation’ proclamation, poses with his wife, Jackie Giago, former mayor Sam Kooiker and Mayor Steve Allender. Photo by Richie Richards

Before taking office, Mayor Steve Allender and former-Mayor Sam Kooiker announced a “Renewal of the Year of Reconciliation” in Rapid City. This proposed budget seems in stark contrast to that public proclamation by many in the Native American community.

During the City Council Meeting, the council met in an executive session behind closed doors to discuss, among other topics, the “pre-suit notice” filed in the U.S. District Court regarding a looming lawsuit on behalf of the American Horse School families naming City of Rapid City, Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, Eagle Sales, Trace O’Connell and others in the Rush Hockey Game suite box on Jan. 24 as defendants.

Native Sun News interviewed Mayor Steve Allender regarding his proposal to cut the minutes in the most-read Native American newspaper in the 5-state region and will publish the results of that interview in next week’s issue.

(Contact Richie Richards at staffwriter@nsweekly.com)