News

Arts council plans event lineup

Published by admin on Thu, 02/23/2023 - 10:38am

The Custer Area Arts Council held its monthly meeting Feb. 13. With the new year and the arts council’s biggest event, Burning Beetle, in the rear view, the meeting was focused on looking forward to the stacked lineup of arts events still to come this year.
Burning Beelte was a “raging success” said arts council president Matt Fridell. He says that the success of Burning Beetle is “great for the arts council because it enables us to offer our other programs without worrying about funding.”

Wurtz pleads guilty

Published by admin on Thu, 02/23/2023 - 10:38am

A Custer man who was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple counts of child pornography last year has changed his plea to guilty to one count of the indictment as part of a plea bargain.
Donald Ray Wurtz appeared before U.S. magistrate Daneta Wollman in Rapid City on February 1 and entered a guilty plea to Count 1 of the indictment which charged him with receipt of child pornography.
Wollman accepted the plea and set a sentencing hearing for Monday, April 17, at 3 p.m. in the Rapid City courtroom of Judge Andrew Bogue.

Retired CES teacher speaks at hearing

Published by admin on Thu, 02/23/2023 - 10:37am

A group of local educators, both current and retired, attended the South Dakota Board of Education’s public hearing on the proposed social studies standards. This was the third of four planned hearings in the state as a part of their effort to collect public input on the proposed standards. One retired Custer Elementary School teacher, Cozy Dorton, gave a testimony in opposition to the standards.

Park visions one step closer

Published by admin on Thu, 02/23/2023 - 9:35am
The Keystone Town Board has approved a request for $6,500 from the park board. The money will be used to hire local Mark Jobman to create a  master plan design for Watson Park.
“This would just give us a place to start,” said park board member Jake Rapp. Rapp said the board has had a “hodge podge” of ideas and that Jobman’s plan would help outline what is feasible in the boundary of the space.
Jobman has already walked the park with Rapp who says Jobman has “a lot of good ideas.”

Keystone takes step to nix deer feeding

Published by admin on Thu, 02/23/2023 - 9:32am
The Keystone Town Board met an hour earlier Feb. 15 to discuss two important issues facing the town.
The first centered on a discussion on an ordinance to prohibit feeding wildlife and waterfowl. Trustee  Matt Fullilove did most of the talking on behalf of the board, saying the “spirit” of the issue of feeding the deer in town has “become a safety issue.”
“Something had to be done,” he said.
The proposed ordinance is identical to Rapid City’s. 

Become a tutor, change a life

Published by admin on Thu, 02/23/2023 - 9:27am
The Literacy Council of the Black Hills (LCBH) has its next Adult Literacy Tutor Training coming up in March. 
LCBH is a 38-year-old non-profit organization serving all of the Black Hills.
“Our mission is to empower, educate and encourage adult students who want to improve their literacy skills,” said program coordinator Jenn Utecht. 

Board talks Social studies standards

Published by admin on Thu, 02/23/2023 - 9:20am
Discussion around the possibility of  a resolution in opposition to potential new state social studies standards took place at the Feb. 12 Hill City School Board of Education meeting. While no action was taken on the matter, board members shared what they learned about the new standards in addition to what proponents and opponents are concerned about.
Member Rob Timm asked for the item to be placed on the agenda saying  the Associated School Board of South Dakota  has “asked districts to potentially pass a resolution in opposition” to the standards. 

School board talks CTE wing

Published by admin on Thu, 02/16/2023 - 9:48am

The Custer School District Board of Education met Monday night in Hermosa. One topic discussed was the expansion of the Custer Jr./Sr. High School to have a new wing for Career and Technical Education (CTE).

Restaurant Week coming soon

Published by admin on Thu, 02/16/2023 - 9:41am

The sixth annual Custer Restaurant Week—Monday, Feb. 27 to Saturday, March 4—brings Custer’s vibrant food scene to life for several days of delicious dining. The event will showcase the freshest ingredients, most flavorful dishes and tastiest culinary gems that Custer has to offer.
Participating restaurants will offer their regular menus in addition to the Restaurant Week featured menu. It will be a great time to visit an old favorite or try something new.
Custer is full of delicious dining options, say Custer Area Chamber of Commerce officials.

Janice Albers names snowplow

Published by admin on Thu, 02/16/2023 - 9:38am

Janice Albers was recently named as the winner of the South Dakota Department of Transportation’s (SDDOT) snowplow naming contest for the Custer area with the name “Black Hills Cold Rush.” A total of 605 potential names were submitted in the contest.
Last Wednesday, Albers was able to inspect the snowplow herself and get a tour of the plow’s features.
 SDDOT started the contest three years ago with the goal of promoting awareness for the work done to keep the state’s roads safe—for roadway drivers and snowplow drivers.