Custer County Chronicle

Pringle repairs cause stir

Published by admin on Wed, 05/15/2024 - 12:43pm

Work on fixing a drainage issue in Pringle has caused some consternation among some of the residents of the town, it was learned at the May 8 meeting of the Custer County Commission.

CSP Open House Weekend May 17-19

Published by admin on Wed, 05/15/2024 - 12:29pm

This weekend marks Custer’s annual Open House and Free Fishing Weekend, in conjunction with the statewide event at parks across the state.
The weekend begins at Custer State Park at 8 a.m.  Friday, and runs into Saturday, starting with the annual pancake feed with park staff at Legion Lake Lodge. The feed, which runs until 10 a.m., is a freewill donation to benefit Custer County Search and Rescue.
From 9 a.m. to noon there will be a fishing derby at Legion Lake, with fishing from 9:30 a.m to 11:30 a.m.

Bluegrass Festival June 8-9 in Edgemont

Published by admin on Wed, 05/15/2024 - 12:27pm

The first annual Harter Memorial Bluegrass Festival is rolling into Edgemont June 8-9. It is a two-day event with the main event Saturday and “cowboy church” held the following morning at 9 a.m. The event will be at the Igloo Bar and is put on by the Southern Hills Artists and Musicians Association (SHAAMA), founded by Frank Gregg. SHAAMA’s mission is to promote and produce music in the Black Hills.
Gregg said some bands to expect at the festival will be Humbletown and New Cambria, but he is still looking for musicians.

Pool feasibility discussed

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:52pm

A meeting was held last Thursday to understand potential yearly operational costs for the coming  Custer Community Campus.
The project is led by Tallgrass Landscape Architecture of Custer. Owners Matt Fridell and Tanya Olson gave the presentation and then led attendees through an exercise to better understand operational costs and how that will impact what kind of facility may be affordable on a year-over-year basis. It was noted this meeting is solely about yearly operational costs and would not cover the construction cost of the facility.

Lintz: Lawsuit was considered

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:51pm

The Custer County Commission was considering legal action against the State of South Dakota in regards to the county’s skyrocketing property taxes, but thought better of it after consulting with Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden.
That was revealed at the April 24 meeting of the Custer County Commission, when chairman Jim Lintz said both he and local businessman Mike Tennyson had made preliminary inquiries into the possibilities of a lawsuit  in regards to valuation requirements and property taxes.

Frisch gets five years in prison

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:51pm

Chief judge Roberto Lange, U.S. District Court, sentenced Nathan Frisch, former teacher at Custer Elementary School, to five years in federal prison and five years supervised release at a sentencing hearing on April 25. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. attorney Heather Knox Sazama. Defense attorney Paul Andrews represented Frisch.
Lange stated multiple times that this case was a “head scratcher,” regarding a man who had what appeared to be a healthy public life and marriage, with the hidden, decades-long issue of child pornography.

How is the chamber funded?

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:50pm

The Custer Area Chamber of Commerce doesn’t collect money from property tax. It doesn’t have a giant pool of money sitting around waiting to be tapped for various projects around town. Its board of directors aren’t paid.
Those are just three pieces of misinformation frequently spread on social media, something chamber director Dawn Murray and chamber board members say can be frustrating.

Monument Health: Rapid City hospital ratings have risen

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:50pm

After two years with the lowest possible health and safety rating from the federal government, Monument Health’s score will rise from a one-star to a three-star rating when the new results are released publicly in July, the Rapid City hospital said Wednesday.
“These achievements demonstrate the effectiveness of our ongoing quality initiatives, and we will continue to strive for excellence in all aspects of patient care,” Jill Tice, Monument Health vice president of quality, safety and risk management, said in a news release.

Two more sentenced in carjacking case

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:48pm

An El Salvadoran man and a Kersey, Colo., woman convicted of a variety of following offenses were sentenced to prison time for their role in the carjacking and kidnapping of an FBI agent.
Deyvin Morales, 29, of Guatemala, was sentenced April 26 to 47 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
Karla Lopez-Gutierrez, 29, was sentenced to 26-1⁄2 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
The sentencing was conducted by United States District Judge Karen E. Schreier.

School district awarded workforce development grant

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:32pm

The Custer School District Board of Education was recently awarded a Workforce Development Grant by the South Dakota Department of Education after submitting its application earlier this spring.