Custer County Chronicle

County reports second COVID-19 case

Published by admin on Thu, 06/18/2020 - 9:29am
Custer County recorded its second positive COVID-19 case last Friday.
Where in the county the person lives, their age and gender are not available. Derrick Haskins of the S.D. Department of Health said in order to maintain patient confidentiality, those specifics are not made public.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has walked back comments it made earlier regarding how people can spread the coronavirus when they do not have symptoms.

Planning underway for Trump visit

Published by admin on Thu, 06/11/2020 - 9:55am
Iron Mountain Road can be a busy place during the summer. Throw in a July 3 celebration at Mount Rushmore National Memorial that will not only feature a fireworks show for the first time in 11 years, but also a visit from President Donald Trump and you have a recipe for a really busy road.

Suicide in CSP

Published by admin on Thu, 06/11/2020 - 9:53am
A Wisconsin man was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Custer State Park June 7.
The body of Yia Yang, 38, of Schofield, Wis., was located and recovered Sunday afternoon after a three-day search.
Custer County Sheriff Marty Mechaley said a Custer State Park ranger found a vehicle abandoned on Hwy. 16A near mile post 44 and later learned the vehicle belonged to Yang and also learned he could potentially be suicidial.

School re-entry plans studied

Published by admin on Thu, 06/11/2020 - 9:53am
The way school was conducted March 12 was vastly different from the way learning took place the following week after Gov. Kristi Noem ordered schools shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While teachers, parents and students all hope school gets back to a March 12 kind of normal this fall, the Custer School District is trying to plan for both scenarios. 

City race still not decided

Published by admin on Thu, 06/11/2020 - 9:51am
By this time next week, the citizens of Ward III of the city of Custer should know who their second alderman/woman is, even if a coin has to be flipped to determine the winner.
A series of events is needed to determine the winner of the two-year term on the council in Ward III after the two candidates for the seat, incumbent Carrie Moore and challenger Todd Pechota, tied at 124 votes during the June 2 election.

Virus tops school board discussions

Published by admin on Thu, 06/11/2020 - 9:50am
Even though the coronavirus pandemic appears to be nearing its peak in South Dakota, talk of the virus dominated the first face-to-face meeting of the Custer School District Board of Education in nearly three months. 

COVID-19 plans still evolving

Published by admin on Thu, 06/11/2020 - 9:49am
The county Emergency Operations Center (EOC) tasked with plans for dealing with COVID-19 has developed a matrix that deals with certain “trigger points” for numbers of COVID-19 cases in Custer County and how the county and/or city of Custer or other county towns could respond when those thresholds are met.
Mike Carter and Joe Harbach of the EOC discussed the matrix at a Local Emergency Preparedness Committee (LEPC) meeting held prior to the June 3 meeting of the Custer County Commission.

County sees first COVID-19 case

Published by admin on Thu, 06/11/2020 - 9:47am
After months of being surrounded by COVID-19 on all sides, but without a positive test, Custer County has its first positive test for the virus.
Last Thursday, June 4, the S.D. Department of Health announced Custer County had its first positive test.
Where in the county the person lives, their age and their gender is not made public. Derrick Haskins of the S.D. Department of Health said those specifics are not made public in order to maintain patient confidentiality.

The corona effect on local real estate

Published by admin on Thu, 06/04/2020 - 10:30am
Three out-of-state families made trips to the Black Hills this past weekend, but not simply for a fun getaway. Those folks from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa were in town to look at real estate properties in the area and, according to local realtors and builders, they may be part of a growing trend spurred by the recent coronavirus lockdowns. 
Custer realtor Faith Lewis was the agent showing the properties to the families from states to the east. She believes the inquiries are the beginning of a possible migration to more rural areas like ours. 

Moore, Pechota deadlocked

Published by admin on Thu, 06/04/2020 - 10:30am
If you think one vote can’t make a difference, look no further than last evening’s race for a seat in Ward III of the Custer City Council, where votes were split evenly down the middle. When the votes were counted, incumbent Carrie Moore and challenger Todd Pechota tied at 124 votes.