News

North Pole Road now wider, safer

Published by admin on Thu, 10/14/2021 - 11:13am

With Christmas and Santa’s annual journey just over two months away, the Custer County Highway Department is making sure North Pole Road west of Custer is ready. Road rehabilitation was also done on one of the routes connecting the town of Fairburn with Hwy. 79.
While the gravel road west of Custer doesn’t take you to the actual North Pole, it does provide access for dozens of people living in the Custer Limestone area and is heavily used by off-roaders as well.

School COVID plan to be reviewed

Published by admin on Thu, 10/14/2021 - 11:10am

Sparks continue to fly over the Custer School District COVID Operation Plan more than a year after it was put into place. A discussion arose at Monday’s October board of education meeting during an agenda item regarding the plan.
Item 6.1 was apparently meant to be merely an information item. A note in the agenda stated, “The current plan is attached. No changes have been made. Updates from the last meeting are included.”

Lights out at Rushmore Forest Products

Published by admin on Thu, 10/14/2021 - 11:05am

Rushmore Forest Products is preparing to officially shut down completely in Hill City after the announcement back in April of this year. The sawmill ownership attempted to keep the moulder running into 2022, but has since decided that the last day of operations will be Friday, Oct. 8.

Pfizer asks to OK shots for kids

Published by admin on Thu, 10/14/2021 - 9:23am

Pfizer and BioNTech asked federal regulators on Thursday to authorize emergency use of their coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, a move that could help protect more than 28 million people in the United States, according to the New York Times.
The companies say they are submitting data supporting the change to the Food and Drug Administration. The agency has promised to move quickly on the request and has tentatively scheduled a meeting on Oct. 26 to consider it. A  ruling is expected as early as Halloween.

Southern Hills newspapers sold

Published by admin on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 2:40pm

After nearly 22 years of ownership, Charley and Norma Najacht have sold the Custer County Chronicle and Hill City Prevailer News weekly newspapers to Jerry Lenander of Custer.
The sale was effective last Friday, Oct. 8, and included the 1890 historic downtown Garlock building in Custer which is home to the Chronicle.
“Since 1880 the Chronicle has been owned by local, private individuals and we are pleased that this will continue with Jerry,” the Najachts said.

Technology shows true floodplain

Published by admin on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 2:39pm
A recent public information meeting on the risks of flooding to the Town of Keystone showed some dramatic possibilities to the small town and some discrepancies with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mapping. The information provided by Amber Lefers, lead engineer on the project for AE2S, was part of a FEMA grant the town received to map the floodplain. FEMA kicked in $120,000 for the study, representing 90 percent of its cost. The rest was born by the town.

Keystone annexes subdivision property

Published by admin on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 2:36pm
Despite an impassioned plea from homeowner Chris Anderson, the Keystone Town Board voted in favor of land annexation at its Oct. 6 meeting. Chris Anderson, who lives on Old Hill City Road, addressed the board regarding its proposed annexation of the Enberg Subdivision, which is adjacent to her property.
Anderson opposed the annexation to  protect the character of what she and neighbors had bought into. She asked the board to consider the impact annexation would have on her property including having a “small motel” as her neighbor. 

Bear burglarized

Published by admin on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 2:35pm
A Keystone state lot parking bear was broken into.  The Town of Keystone has two bears carved by Jarrett Dahl that sit in the state parking lot during tourist season. The bears are where people  pay their $5 parking fee.
The bear was burglarized sometime between Sunday, Sept. 26 and Monday, Sept. 27. Only the top of the bear was tampered with. Most of the parking money is in the bottom part of the bear so city officials estimate the loss was around $150.

Southern Hills newspapers sold

Published by admin on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 2:04pm
After nearly 22 years of ownership, Charley and Norma Najacht have sold the Custer County Chronicle and Hill City Prevailer News weekly newspapers to Jerry Lenander of Custer.
The sale was effective last Friday, Oct. 8, and included the 1890 historic downtown Garlock building in Custer which is home to the Chronicle.
“The Prevailer has always been a locally-owned newspaper, and we are pleased this will continue with Jerry,” the Najachts said.

Labor shortage, COVID-19 costs cause crisis in long-term care industry

Published by admin on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 1:54pm
Finding a safe, affordable and accessible nursing home or assisted-living center for sick or elderly South Dakotans has become more difficult in recent years, but is getting harder than ever due to a shortage of facility workers and financial losses suffered amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The labor shortage affecting businesses across South Dakota is hitting long-term care facilities particularly hard, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating historic challenges in hiring workers at nursing homes and assisted-living centers.