Custer County Chronicle

No one warned me

Published by admin on Wed, 01/28/2026 - 3:37pm

No one ever warned me about this part. It is a part of marriage I never really pictured, didn’t think much about, and for sure no one warned me about.

South Dakota is the new Wyoming

Published by admin on Wed, 01/21/2026 - 1:35pm

Is it windy enough out there for you?
What in the name of flying trash cans, falling trees and the worst bad hair days you’ve ever seen is going on in South Dakota? We have been experiencing winds the likes of which we have not seen in this area for as long as many of us can remember. It’s constant, it’s relentless, and it’s getting really, really old.

When life comes with a yellow light

Published by admin on Wed, 01/21/2026 - 1:33pm

What do you typically do when the stoplight in front of you turns yellow? Do you rush through quickly? Do you slow down and prepare to stop? Do you edge forward into the intersection to guarantee your opportunity to turn, even though the light will be red before you get through? 
That’s the thing with yellow lights though. You can’t really plan what to do ahead of time because it all comes down to timing in the moment.

The country has to address massive debt

Published by admin on Wed, 01/21/2026 - 9:45am
Greetings. Week one of the 101st legislative session is in the books. The first week starts off slowly with the Governor’s address on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday is the judiciary address followed by the state of the tribes address. In the state of South Dakota we have nine reservations and one of the tribal presidents addresses the joint legislature regarding the state of their reservations.

There is much to tackle this session

Published by admin on Wed, 01/21/2026 - 9:44am
Once again, South Dakota weather is following the Farmer’s Almanac! 
It predicted that we could expect a drier, yet much colder winter this year. Unfortunately, they failed to mention the wind factor. Chilling temperatures coupled with the arctic blast has taken its toll on our district. Electric was out for days and we lost countless trees. Trees that were compromised by the last storm fell like dominoes during this past week’s second round, downing more electric lines and damaging properties.

So, what do we think about it?

Published by admin on Wed, 01/14/2026 - 12:46pm

The above isn’t just a headline, it’s a question. It’s a question we have been asked a lot lately, and it’s a question we still get asked when it comes to how things shook out in terms of the county and city failing to find agreement on a new contract for the Custer County Sheriff’s Office to continue to provide the saw law enforcement coverage for the City of Custer that it has provided for the last number of years.

Behold, my three state solution

Published by admin on Wed, 01/14/2026 - 12:45pm

The rate at which dramatic national news is barraging us is stupifying. One day after another, we are hammered with controversial or semi-controversial news. News like the capture of Nicolas Maduro, which inspired our Question of the Week below.
As an aside, if you are one of the people who complain about us posting controversial Questions of the Week on our Facebook page, but never answer our softball questions, I don’t want to hear it.

101st legislative session starts Jan. 13

Published by admin on Wed, 01/14/2026 - 9:51am

Congratulations to our Citizen of the Year

Published by admin on Wed, 01/07/2026 - 11:49am

In this week’s issue of the Custer County Chronicle you will find our annual Citizen of the Year story, with the ubiquitous Marge McColley winning this year’s honors.
We’ve been giving out our annual Citizen of the Year award now for well over a decade, and each and every year we have to narrow down our choice from a pool of very worthy candidates. The reason for that, of course, is Custer County is full of amazing people who have servant’s hearts, and go out of their way to help their neighbors. It’s what makes Custer County such a great place to live.

Campaigns: what is news, propaganda?

Published by admin on Wed, 01/07/2026 - 9:27am

I don’t have a good track record with political predictions. In 1986, I thought George Mickelson was just a tall lawyer from Brookings. I had no idea he would be South Dakota’s next governor.
In 1996, I covered John Thune’s stop in Pierre on his tour announcing that he was running for the U.S. House. I remember thinking that it was a waste of time because there was no way he could win the primary against Lt. Gov. Carol Hillard. Obviously I was in for another surprise.