Custer County Chronicle

Dentist request tabled

Published by admin on Thu, 12/10/2020 - 10:09am

There could be a new dentist coming to Custer in the near future—provided she has been satisfying her customers at her current practice.
At Monday night’s regular meeting of the Custer City Council, the council tabled a proposal to help fund a portion of bringing the dentist to town, but said it could support it, provided reference checks for the dentist provide positive information.

Masks on, masks off

Published by admin on Thu, 12/10/2020 - 10:08am

In a 90-minute special meeting that was split into two parts last Thursday, the Custer School District Board of Education moved to lift the mask mandate for Custer Jr./Sr. High School and keep Custer Elementary staff and students in masks until the next regular meeting on Monday.

Suicides concerning

Published by admin on Thu, 12/10/2020 - 10:08am

In his 15 years of law enforcment in the county, Custer County Sheriff Marty Mechaley has never seen suicide at the level it has reached in 2020.
In 2019, the sheriff’s office responded to three suicides. To date in 2020, that number is eight, coupled with 31 suicide threats and 139 welfare checks.
“We had three yesterday,” Mechaley said of suicide threats last Friday. “I’ve never experienced the numbers we have experienced in 2020.”

Monument Health offers new COVID-19 treatment

Published by admin on Thu, 12/10/2020 - 10:07am

Monument Health recently began offering a new type of infusion treatment for COVID-19 patients. The first dose of the medication, Eli Lilly’s Bamlanivimab, was administered to a patient Nov. 17. More than a dozen patients have now received it.

Districts: School funding formula doesn’t work

Published by admin on Thu, 12/10/2020 - 10:06am

School administrators and school board members from a three-county area got an opportunity to meet their new District 30 representative to the state house on Thursday at a special meeting in Custer. Representative-elect Trish Ladner of Hot Springs appeared along with recently re-elected Rep. Tim Goodwin at the annual legislative update at the Armory. Senator-elect Julie Frye-Mueller of Rapid City did not attend the meeting which included superintendents and board members from Custer, Hill City, Hot Springs and Edgemont.

Burning Beetle scheduled for Jan. 16

Published by admin on Thu, 12/10/2020 - 10:04am

For nearly a decade, many have marched, crawled and gathered in the name of Burning Beetle. While this year will look a bit different, the annual event continues.
This year’s event will be held Saturday, Jan. 16. Revelers should meet at the Custer Jr./Sr. High School parking lot around 4:45 p.m. to receive their flaming torches. Shortly after 5 p.m., everyone will march to Pageant Hill to burn the beetle and witness a fireworks display by the Custer Volunteer Fire Department.

Commission sticks to its guns on guns

Published by admin on Thu, 12/03/2020 - 9:50am

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
“Don’t let them bully you. You have the power to stop it.”
“If you’re brave enough to do it, we can get our country back.”
These were just some of the comments from the audience at the Nov. 30 special meeting of the Custer County Commission, where the commission decided to—no pun intended—stick  to its guns when it comes to a recently-passed county ordinance that allows both employees and the public to carry firearms in the courthouse and on county property.

Christmas events begin

Published by admin on Thu, 12/03/2020 - 9:48am

Christmas is less than a month away and the celebration of the Christmas season kicks off this weekend in Custer.
The 31st annual Custer Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5, at 5:30 pm. This parade of lights signals the kick-off of the holiday season in the Southern Hills. After the parade, the annual Juanita Fish Memorial Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place at Way Park. The parade will begin at 8th and Mt. Rushmore Road and end at Way Park on 4th and Mt. Rushmore Road.

November was deadly

Published by admin on Thu, 12/03/2020 - 9:43am

More than 2,100 COVID-19 deaths were reported in the U.S. Nov. 24, making it the highest one-day coronavirus death toll the country has reported since early May. The highest COVID-19 death tally reported in a single day in the U.S. was 2,603 on April 15.
Daily new cases haven’t dipped below 100,000 in three weeks. And for the 15th consecutive day that same day, the U.S. beat its own hospitalization record, with then more than 88,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

Suit filed over legal marijuana amendment

Published by admin on Thu, 12/03/2020 - 9:43am

Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom and S.D. Highway Patrol superintendent Col. Rick Miller have filed suit in Hughes County to block Constitutional Amendment A, which would legalize recreational marijuana in the state.
The S.D. Constitution can be revised or amended only in the manner prescribed in the Constitution, the suit reads, and a proposed amendment or revision that “fails to adhere” to the Constitution is null and void.