May 23, 2012

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolise President Narayana Kocherlakota is addressing a crowd in Rapid City, S.D., on the campus of South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. 

Thank you everyone for watching the live stream. The recorded video from the even will be up shortly

August 6, 2012

Much like the rest of South Dakota, the Black Hills region is no stranger to the droughts that routinely come through the area, turning an already semi-arid climate into an almost desert-like one.  The current drought of 2012 is much like past ones, although the current episode is hitting as the forests of the Hills are extremely vulnerable due to the infestation of the mountain pine beetle and the hundreds of thousands of acres of dead trees they have left in their wake.

June 24, 2012

The Black Hills Knowledge Network is pleased to announce a new partnership with KOTA TV's My Town website.

My Town was launched as a hyperlocal news website, giving locals a way to post news and information about the Black Hills. Watch the video below as project director Eric Abrahamson describes the Black Hills Knowledge Network's local news and information aggregation, community archives and data initiatives.

June 8, 2012

This is the brochure that lists the events of the 40th anniversary commemoration of the Flood of 1972.

This is the brochure that lists the events of the 40th anniversary commemoration of the Flood of 1972. It begins with a poem of the disasterous night, lists those who perished, and includes stories from that terrible night along with a list of the events happening this anniversary weekend.  To view the commemeration article, follow this link.

June 4, 2012

High rates of community engagement in South Dakota are likely to contribute to the state's low unemployment rate, according to a study by the National Conference on Citizenship. When people volunteer with community organizations, vote in local elections, and help out their neighbors, they are more likely to work together to solve economic problems.

We know the health and vitality of a community are directly linked to the community's information infrastructure. The Black Hills Knowledge Network began as a project to help move local information through this infrastructure, giving decision-makers and leaders current and background information on the issues of today. Did you know that states that scored higher in a civic health study also had lower unemployment rates? This is good news for South Dakota.

May 29, 2012

A move towards more transparency is helping the U.S. Federal Reserve and will continue to improve monetary policy decisions, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Narayana Kocherlakota told the audience attending the Black Hills Knowledge Network’s Data Matters Forum on the Economy in Rapid City on May 23.

 

A move towards more transparency is helping the U.S. Federal Reserve and will continue to improve monetary policy decisions, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Narayana Kocherlakota told the audience attending the Black Hills Knowledge Network’s Data Matters Forum on the Economy in Rapid City on May 23.

"It used to be that the Fed would act and not tell anybody what they did for 90 days," Kocherlakota said. "Now they release a report, statements that everybody takes for granted."

May 25, 2012

Speech by President Narayana Kocherlakota of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis focuses on the effect of low interest rates and monetary policy on unemployment in the United States.

The video from the Black Hills Knowledge Network's Data Matters Forum on the Economy is now available to watch on YouTube through this link. You can also check out news coverage of the event through the following links:  

Fox Business News

Bloomberg News

May 22, 2012

For American Indians, 75 percent of deaths occur before age 70, while for whites, 75 percent occur after age 70.

Statistics drive how South Dakota deals with health and disease, top state health officials told Rapid City healthcare leaders. The South Dakota Department of Health uses a variety of surveys and vital records to implement public health policies and campaigns, Health Secretary Doneen Hollingsworth told the crowd May 16 at a Data Matters forum sponsored by the Black Hills Knowledge Network.

May 21, 2012

With Bonny Petersen being the lone no vote, the Rapid City City Council passed the Resolution 2012-062 that eliminates the automatic 20% discount on waste fees for senior citizens.

Rapid City seniors within certain income guidelines will qualify for a reduced rate. The Rapid City head of the Public Works Department presented information that if residents would use the separate bins for refuse and recycling, the discounted rates for Senior Citizens could continue.

May 5, 2012

Former South Dakota Education Secretary Rick Melmer speaks at the Black Hills Knowledge Network's Data Matters forum on education April 27 in Rapid City. Melmer predicts more complex assessment tests coming soon for K-12 students.

May 4, 2012

From "A Nation at Risk" to "No Child Left Behind," the decades of debate over education reform in the United States are about to bear fruit in the form of overhauled assessment tests and a nationalized "core curriculum," said a former South Dakota education secretary at the recent Data Matters Forum on Education.

 

From "A Nation at Risk" to "No Child Left Behind," the decades of debate over education reform in the United States are about to bear fruit in the form of overhauled assessment tests and a nationalized "core curriculum," said a former South Dakota education secretary.

April 27, 2012

Here's an overview of some of the statistics and data that are available on the Black Hills Knowledge Network. 

Data should help us understand the world. Often, it can help us recognize problems and opportunities. Sometimes, it can lead us to solutions. But it has to be available, and it has to make sense.

On the Black Hills Knowledge Network, we work to provide access to data and statistics that help you understand what’s going on in our region. Is unemployment rising or falling. What about wages? Are we winning the fight against obesity and diabetes? Are we increasing the percentage of students who graduate from high school?

Where do we get this data?

April 15, 2012

new data map created by the Black Hills Knowledge Network shows that the highest household incomes in the Black Hills region are concentrated in southwest Rapid City. Residents in the area referred to as Colonial Pine Hills on Google maps have median household incomes of $90,203, more than any other area in the region, according to U.S. Census data. 

A new data map created by the Black Hills Knowledge Network shows that the highest household incomes in the Black Hills region are concentrated in southwest Rapid City. Residents in the area referred to as Colonial Pine Hills on Google maps have median household incomes of $90,203, more than any other area in the region, according to U.S.

April 12, 2012

Maybe it happens at dinner one night. Someone asks a question. No one knows for sure. Someone else tries Google. Maybe you have your answer in seconds. Or maybe not. If it’s a question about your neighborhood or your community, you might not find anything at all. In the age of Google, the most elusive information is local.

 

So the Black Hills Area Community Foundation got together with a team of librarians to create the Black Hills Knowledge Network, an online resource for everything local in the Black Hills. Our librarians are organizing news stories, city council minutes and research reports to give you the history of an issue. Visit our virtual community archives to see historic photographs or find data on issues. We have information on how to start a business, train for a new career or get involved with volunteers doing good work in your community. The document library for the history of this project can be accessed to view the mission statement, presentations about the project, and more.

Lightning, like social media, strikes Black Hills media

Photo courtesy of Tom Warner

Maybe it happens at dinner one night. Someone asks a question. No one knows for sure. Someone else tries Google. Maybe you have your answer in seconds. Or maybe not. If it’s a question about your neighborhood or your community, you might not find anything at all. In the age of Google, the most elusive information is local.

 

April 7, 2012

New estimates from the U.S. Census show Shannon County grew by 2.0 percent in one year while nearby Fall River declined by 1.9 percent.

New population estimates released by the U.S. Census show population growth in the Black Hills is slightly slower compared to the decade between 2000 and 2010. Shannon County led the region with nearly a 2.0 percent increase between July 2010 and July 2011. Pennington County, the largest in the region, grew by 1.4 percent in the same period, keeping pace with its overall growth in the first decade of the 21st century.

April 4, 2012

Last week the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released its annual health rankings by state. South Dakota was number six in the nation for health spending. This week the foundation released the data by county. How did the West River counties fare? A clickable Map drills down to the data on a county-by-county basis.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation collected data for 49 of the counties in South Dakota on variables such as mortality rates, smoking, obesity, healthcare coverage, number of primary physicians and more to rank each county as to how healthy its citizens are. The county with the highest ranking in South Dakota is Brookings County. For the counties in the Black Hills Knowledge Network area, Lawrence County ranked the highest as the 18th healthiest in South Dakota.

March 29, 2012

Median household income differences are greatest in the Rapid City metropolitan area compared to more rural parts of the Black Hills. A new interactive map allows users to view this data by census tract.

Median household income differences are greatest in the Rapid City metropolitan area, compared to more rural parts of the Black Hills. As depicted in this interactive map, data from the 2010 U.S. Census reveals that the region's highest income tracts are on the south and western sides of the Rapid City metro area. The lowest income areas are to the north and east of downtown and on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This data aligns with national studies of income inequality that show that income differences are highest in urban areas. 

March 27, 2012

The Bush Foundation has awarded the Black Hills Knowledge Network a $100,000 to expand its offerings of data, news and information.

The Black Hills Knowledge Network will make it easier to find data about our region thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Bush Foundation. To find out more about this grant, watch the video of the March 26 KNBN broadcast and interview of Eric Abrahamson.

KNBN Interview

 

 

March 4, 2012

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February 29, 2012

Attached below is a copy of the Request for Proposals that was sent in October 2011 to various software programming teams for redesign and development work on the Black Hills Knowledge Network.

December 8, 2011

Seventh Circuit Court upholds Rapid City's decision to Lamar Advertising's request for permits for additional electronic billboards.

December 3, 2011

Lee Rainie, the director of the Pew Research Project on the Internet and American Life, spoke at the Black Hills Knowledge Network's symposium, held June 9, 2011.

Lee Rainie is the director of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, a non-profit, non–partisan "fact tank" that studies the social impact of the internet.

December 2, 2011

This website is intended to be a document library for all the procedures, training agendas, job descriptons and presenatations that helped develop the Black Hills Knowledge Network. By researching and reviewing the tools already in place that helped form the Black Hills Knowledge Network, the resources to create your own website for community and local government information will be readily available for you to borrow from, making the task a little easier for you.

 Background (Strategic Plan)

November 25, 2011

Many of the best photographs and most important documents that tell the history of our community are in boxes, file drawers and basements in businesses, churches and organizations in Rapid City. The Rapid City Community Archives Survey offers you a glimpse into these fascinating collections. 

Many of the best photographs and most important documents that tell the history of our community are in boxes, file drawers and basements in businesses, churches, service clubs and organizations in Rapid City. The Rapid City Community Archives Survey offers you a glimpse into these fascinating collections. 

Background

November 4, 2011

Stephanie Bents, from the Rapid City Public Library, and Suzanne Martley, from Rapid City's Sustainable Cities Taskforce, talk about the Black Hills Knowledge Network's role in making local information accessible. Listen to the podcast.

In today's information economy, local information is the hardest to find. It is also plays a critical role in maintaining the health of our local democracy. This radio interview offers an introduction to the Black Hills Knowledge Network and the library-based consortium working with the Black Hills Area Community Foundation to strengthen our communities. The radio interview aired on KQFR 89.9 and features Suzanne Martley from Rapid City's Sustainable Cities Taskforce and Stephanie Bents from the Black Hills Knowledge Network.