Custer County Chronicle

Meshell Will finally receives justice

Published by admin on Wed, 03/27/2024 - 11:21am

A saga that dragged on for much longer than most people would have liked—the law enforcement who worked so hard to bring it to a close included—ended last Friday morning at a courthouse in Rapid City when Richard Schmitz was sentenced to prison for the murder of Meshell Will. For the purposes of accuracy it is important to point out Schmitz did not plead guilty, and did not plead to murder, but rather, entered an Alford Plea on a second degree manslaughter charge.

Session disappointing for us

Published by admin on Wed, 03/27/2024 - 9:06am

Celebrating agriculture

Published by admin on Wed, 03/20/2024 - 11:07am

Agriculture is the lifeblood of South Dakota, and it is a heritage deeply rooted in our state. You can’t go far in South Dakota without encountering some sign of our bustling agriculture sector; whether it’s fields of corn and soybeans, ranches teeming with cattle or freight trains and trucks transporting agricultural products to market. During National Agriculture Week, we have a lot to celebrate.

Preserving our outdoor heritage

Published by admin on Wed, 03/20/2024 - 11:04am

Almost every memory I have from my childhood is outdoors. I think my parents used to send us kids outside as an attempt to keep us out of trouble. And to this day I am still more comfortable in my jeans and ball cap. As Governor, though, my hours are often filled with other things. But even with all those other things that have to fill up my time, one thing I have always prioritized is hunting.

The rematch the majority doesn’t want

Published by admin on Wed, 03/13/2024 - 9:32am

None of the above.
That’s the box a lot of Americans will wish they could check when they go to the poll this November to vote (or not vote) for the next President of the United States. An  AP-NORC poll found more than 70 percent of Americans want neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden on the ballot in 2024, but here we are with exactly that. In a country of 330 million people and rising these are the two candidates we get.  And the crowd goes...mild.

Recapping this year’s basketball seasons

Published by admin on Wed, 03/13/2024 - 9:28am

When I was talking to Custer head boys basketball coach Paul Kelley on our final phone call of the season, I commented to him that it seemed like just yesterday I was talking to him about the Lakota Nation Invitational. Now, here we are with the season in the rearview mirror. It seemed to go very quickly.

Much discussed at recent crackerbarrel

Published by admin on Wed, 03/06/2024 - 10:41am

This past weekend I attended the Elevate Rapid City crackerbarrel. As always, there was a great turnout including legislators representing Districts 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35. Elevate presented an organized, safe environment for all participants that allowed for some lively questions from constituents whether in person or online, along with thoughtful answers from the legislators present.
For those who were unable to attend, below are some of the topics discussed:
Property tax study
- SB 167

Is ‘dynamic pricing’ the wave of the future?

Published by admin on Wed, 03/06/2024 - 10:29am

Wendy’s fast food restaurant put itself in the middle of a social media frenzy recently when it announced it was going to experiment with “dynamic pricing,” which was instantly taken to mean “surge pricing,” which landed Wendy’s in the crosshairs of the outraged masses online.

Well wintered

Published by admin on Wed, 03/06/2024 - 10:27am

The longest part of the year is officially over. And it flew by. Just yesterday it was October and the trees were losing their leaves, and then it was November and Thanksgiving and we were shipping calves. Now we are standing on the brink of springtime, watching the first calendar day of spring approaching from not even a calendar page away, and the first 50 calves are already skipping blissfully through their short first days of life. We are ready for springtime.

Police deaths are tragic news

Published by admin on Wed, 02/28/2024 - 11:24am

It’s been a tragic few weeks on the law enforcement front, as several stories have emerged from across the country of law enforcement officers (and a firefighter as well) being gunned down in the line of duty. It was brought even closer to home when Sheridan, Wyo., police officer Nevada Krinkee was shot and killed while trying to deliver a trespass warning. He was only 33 years old.