News

Winter festival returns Feb. 18-19

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 10:04am
The annual Black Hills Winter Festival hosted by Miner Brewing Company and Prairie Berry Winery returns Feb. 18-19. This family-friendly, free event will take place on the campus of Miner Brewing Co. and Prairie Berry Winery in Hill City.
Activities include live music, outdoor fire pits, an igloo bar with mulled wine and hot cocoa, crowler fishing, beer, bingo and more.
Saturday, Feb. 18
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Oh Geez! Pop Up Shop
11 a.m. Crowler Fishing 
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Miner Mutt Dash 
Sponsored by Bar K9

Council approves Memorial Park plan

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 10:00am
A large crowd gathered at the Hill City Common Council meeting on Jan. 23 to show their support and ask questions about the proposed plan to renovate Memorial Park. 
According to city administrator Brett McMacken the park board has been formulating this project for several months and is now at the culmination. Specifically, they have been looking at what the potential vision and improvements for Memorial Park could be over a long-term scenario. 

Grant applications open for local projects

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:50am
The Hill City Area Community Foundation (HCACF) is once again accepting grant applications from area nonprofits.
Any nonprofit organization, including nonprofit community organizations, schools, churches or government-related entities are encouraged to apply. 

Frye-Mueller stripped of assignments, suspended

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:49am

District 30 Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller is being investigated by a Select Committee on Discipline and Expulsion after allegations  by a Legislative Research Council  staff member.
The developing story began Jan. 25 when Frye-Mueller was stripped of her committee assignments. Frye-Mueller sat on Senate Local Government and Senate Health and Human Services.
The decision, which came from Watertown Republican Sen. Lee Schoenbeck, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, came without comment.

Formation of fire district begins

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:47am

For the past several years, the Custer County Commission and those within fire service in the county have discussed the eventual need for a fire district in Custer County for a variety of reasons.
Now, those same officials say, that day has come.

Recycling program off to slow start

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:47am

Two months into the program, the City of Custer and Sander Sanitation’s recycling program for residential garbage accounts in the city sits at around a 6 percent participation rate, according to the city’s numbers.
City finance officer Laurie Woodward said there are 48 accounts participating in the voluntary program (although that number is fluid and changes by the week) out of 849 residential accounts. The service is not offered to commercial accounts.

More residents appeal county fines

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:45am

The reappraisal of Custer County is not only revealing the new appraised value of property throughout the county, it is also revealing there are buildings in the county that were constructed without the purchase of a building permit, meaning said buildings were not on the tax rolls for however many years they have been in existence.

Students to honor area elders in song

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:43am

“Show up with a box of Kleenex” is the advice given by organizer Hank Fridell for those planning to attend this year’s annual Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song program. This year, like so many years before, the fourth grade students at Custer Elementary will come together in song to learn from and celebrate elders in the community. The students will honor three elders, Diane Bishop, Donna Kothe and Gary Lipp. The program takes place Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. at the Hermosa gym and then again that same day at 6:30 p.m. at the Custer High School Theater.

Boys fall to Rapid City Christian

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:26am

The Custer High School boys basketball team traveled to Hart Ranch outside of Rapid City Jan. 24 for its lone game of last week, where it fell behind by 20 points before ultimately losing 81-67 to the Comets, the No. 4 ranked team in Class A.
The Wildcats scored the first five points of the game, but the Comets answered with a 12-0 run to take a lead they would never relinquish.

Back to school or off to jail: Legislators seek update to South Dakota juvenile justice assessment system

Published by admin on Wed, 02/01/2023 - 4:05pm
One of the key tenets of juvenile justice reform in South Dakota – keeping low-level youth offenders out of custody in favor of rehabilitative services and a return to public school attendance – is causing headaches for South Dakota education officials, who say they are not equipped to deal with habitual offenders in school settings.