Opinion

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.

Demand some good

Published by admin on Wed, 01/14/2026 - 9:52am
The last week has completely dumbfounded me. And I know we won’t agree. Because we don’t seem to agree on anything anymore. We keep moving further and further apart. Venezuela, Greenland, the Fed Reserve. 
I thought for sure we’d agree on Nicole Renee Good. 
But we don’t. And judging from comments in person and on social media, we are so not united. It’s terrifying to me.
I am someone who believes in integrity and tries to always look at just the facts. In this case, I believe there are very few.
Nicole Renee Good was a mother. 

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.

Happy New Year—let ’er buck

Published by admin on Wed, 01/07/2026 - 9:41am
Stepping into the new year is always intriguing. You’ve got your New Year’s resolution naysayers who think the whole idea is downright ridiculous. On the other end you’ve got the gung-ho, “new year, new me,” folks ready for a complete personal overhaul.
I usually fall somewhere in the middle. 
I realize that beginning a new year doesn’t magically change anything. However, I personally appreciate the symbolic fresh start—the turning of the page, even if the story isn’t getting completely rewritten. 

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.

Governor’s race will affect legislation

Published by admin on Wed, 01/07/2026 - 9:17am

Greetings! It’s getting to be that time of year again. The 101st legislative session starts Tuesday, Jan. 13 and goes through March 20. March 30 is reserved for any vetos the governor might have given. It takes a two-thirds vote in each body to override a governor’s veto, so 47 out of 70 House members and 24 out of 35 Senate members.

Standing ovation for storm response

Published by admin on Tue, 12/30/2025 - 3:36pm

If you are a lineman for Black Hills Electric Cooperative (BHEC), Black Hills Energy (BHE), an independent company that contracts or another company that came to our area to provide mutual aid, we want to say—thank you.

What’s in your cup?

Published by admin on Tue, 12/30/2025 - 3:34pm

As you sit and enjoy a hot cup of coffee on this first day of 2026, poring over the contents of this wonderful, small-town paper, your dog, whom you generally love, comes up next to you and sticks her nose under your elbow in a friendly bid for affection. Up goes her nose, up goes your elbow and everywhere goes the scalding hot coffee.  
Why?