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Jim Kent

Jim Kent is originally from Brooklyn, N.Y. A freelance writer and radio journalist who currently lives in Hot Springs, South Dakota.  Jim can be heard on a variety of radio programs including National Public Radio, South Dakota Public Radio, and National Native News Radio. He is also a columnist for the Rapid City Journal and a guest columnist for the Lakota Country Times.

Former editor of The New Lakota Times, and a correspondent with a variety of Native American newspapers, Jimâ

  • A Taste Of The Holidays, Cowboy-Style
    Jim Kent
    We visit a cowboy Christmas ball in South Dakota's Black Hills. Such events are enjoying a revival after fading away in the late 20th century. Attendees enjoy nostalgia for earlier, simpler times.
  • Efforts To Heal Wounds Of Wounded Knee Massacre
    Jim Kent
    A descendant of the commander at the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre apologized to victim descendants. Together they back legislation to rescind 20 Medals of Honor given to massacre soldiers.
  • After Closing Liquor Stores, Nebraska Town Pushes For Renewal
    Jim Kent
    It's been three months since state officials closed four liquor stores in Whiteclay, Neb. As the small town's primary source of income, that has affects both good and bad. The state-backed Whiteclay Task Force is plotting the town's future as dilapidated buildings are being razed and replaced with green space. Even the regulars who drank openly day and night and passed out on the sidewalks and in the alleys are gone.
  • Liquor stores in the town of Whiteclay, Neb., are now officially closed. But even Oglala Sioux tribal members say that more will have to be done in order to reduce rampant alcoholism rates on the nearby Pine Ridge Reservation.
    With Alcoholism Rampant On Nearby Reservation, Nebraska Shuts Town's Liquor Stores
    Jim Kent
    The state shuttered stores in Whiteclay, Neb., which borders the dry Pine Ridge reservation, where half the adults struggle with alcohol abuse. But critics say the move infringes upon business rights.
  • Sioux Reservation Has Mixed Feelings About Obama Visit
    Jim Kent
    President Obama will go the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation which straddles the border between North and South Dakota. It's his first visit to an Indian reservation since becoming president.
  • Seasonal Ranger Mike Donahue (right) discuses the Battle of Little Bighorn with Jon Jones atop Custer Hill.
    Little Bighorn Tour Guide Brings Battle To Life
    Jim Kent
    The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana is one of the most visited sites in the National Park System. And for more than two decades, seasonal ranger Mike Donahue spends his summers at Little Big Horn, teaching visitors all about the historic battle.
  • Through Video, Lakota Students Reject Stereotypes
    Jim Kent
    A group of Native American students created a video to show that their community is about more than alcoholism, broken homes and crime. The students are in Washington, D.C., Monday to lobby Congress for increased funding for schools on reservations.
  • Pioneer Preacher Remembered In Deadwood, S.D.
    Jim Kent
    South Dakota is home to one of the most recognizable monuments in the world: Mount Rushmore. But there are dozens of other lesser known physical testimonies to men and women across the state. As part of our summer road trip series, "Honey Stop The Car!," we go to Deadwood, where there's a tribute to a preacher who didn't live long in that Wild West town.
  • Nation Tips Its Hat to the American Cowboy
    Jim Kent
    Spearfish, S.D., is the center of all cowboy activities/history/memorabilia in a five-state region and is planning a celebration to commemorate the national 'Day of the Cowboy' later in the week. The focus will be the historic cattle drive trail from Texas to Montana. Ranchers whose families have been in these states for generations will attend.