SD Supreme Court denies further Rhines appeals
• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Attorney General Marty Jackley says that the South Dakota Supreme Court has denied Charles Russell Rhines' request for further death penalty appeals. • Rhines was sentenced to death for the 1992 fatal stabbing of 22-year-old Donnivan Schaeffer during the burglary of a doughnut shop in Rapid City. He has argued that the state's one-drug protocol violates constitutional prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment. • In February, 7th Circuit Court Judge Thomas Trimble ruled that the method not pose a risk of unconstitutional pain and suffering. Rhines appealed that ruling. • Jackley says that the Schaeffer family has waited more than 20 years for justice in their son's case, and the justices' order marks an important step in holding Rhines accountable. •
Dr. John kicks off Sioux Falls JazzFest
• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- The three-day Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Festival kicks off Thursday night with New Orleans native Dr. John headlining the main stage. • The singer-songwriter best known for his 1973 hit "Right Place Wrong Time" is scheduled to perform beginning at 8:30 p.m. • Kansas City blues trio Trampled Under Foot opens the show at 6 p.m. • The 22nd annual free event at Yankton Trail Park has grown over the years into a top-tier festival drawing numerous top acts and more than 100,000 music lovers from the region. It began in 1988 with two jazz bands and one blues act playing in a back yard. •
Civil Air Patrol conducting exercise in SD
• RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) -- More than 150 Civil Air Patrol cadets and senior members from the Dakotas and elsewhere are taking part in a search-and-rescue exercise in western South Dakota. • The three-day exercise beginning Thursday caps a weeklong event that teaches cadets leadership and emergency services skills.
(Continued on page 17)
|