News

Raney nominated for top chef award

Published by admin on Wed, 02/05/2025 - 9:53am

Joseph Raney of Skogen Kitchen in Custer is a semifinalist for the  2025 James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef in the Midwest.” Raney was the only South Dakota chef to receive this prestigious nomination in this category. Raney was also a semifinalist in 2023.
The Jan. 22 announcement left Raney very proud not only of his own accomplishments but of that of his staff as well.
“I don’t do this by myself. James Beard only knows my name because of our staff. They actually care. Without that none of this would be possible,” Raney said.

Restaurant week begins Feb. 24

Published by admin on Wed, 02/05/2025 - 9:51am

The Eighth Annual Custer Restaurant Week  will take place Monday, Feb. 24 to Saturday, March 1. The week celebrates Custer’s vibrant food scene with 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 feature their regular menus alongside a special Restaurant Week menu.

DOT lays out 5th Street project

Published by admin on Wed, 02/05/2025 - 9:49am

A construction project that will see the resurfacing of 5th Street from Buckhorn Estates Drive to the intersection of Mt. Rushmore Road and west to 4th Street won’t happen for another two years at a minimum, but representatives of the South Dakota Department of Transportation (DOT) are getting ahead of myriad of potential issues caused by the project by hosting public meetings to both inform and field questions from the public.

Open meetings, open records bills discussed

Published by admin on Wed, 02/05/2025 - 9:48am

Legislation concerning open records and open meetings was a recurring topic this week in the South Dakota Legislature. A rundown of that activity includes:
Senate Bill 9
Opening officials’
calendars to the public
Legislators on the Senate State Affairs Committee claimed to be all for more public transparency as they sent SB 9 to the 41st day of the session, a method of disposing of legislation.

City seeks survey participants

Published by admin on Wed, 01/29/2025 - 6:23pm

The City of Hill City is asking residents to respond to an upcoming survey.
The request came from city administrator Nate Anderson at the Jan. 27 Hill City Common Council meeting.
While it is unclear how the survey will be administered, what is clear is that responses to the survey are important and the benefit to the city huge.
Anderson said the survey will help Hill City qualify for Community Development Block Grants. These grants could offset costs for reducing the upcoming costs for the proposed water and sewer  projects.

Support the Angel Fund at Bingo Feb. 8

Published by admin on Wed, 01/29/2025 - 6:22pm

You can be an angel this Valentine’s Day and bless children in the Hill City School District (HCSD) by playing bingo with the Hill City Lions Club (HCLC) Saturday, Feb. 8.
This year the HCLC Valentine’s Day Bingo is taking place at the Hill City Boys & Girls Club.
“Due to the overwhelming success of our bingo from the last time when it benefited the Angel Fund for the school, we wanted to have it someplace where we were able to fit more people ‘cause we didn’t want to turn anybody away,” said Lions Club president Stefanie Doaty.

Wernickes share greenhouse experiments

Published by admin on Wed, 01/29/2025 - 6:20pm

Between 60 and 70 people turned out for the “Greenhouse Science and Practices” seminar Jan. 22 at the Hill City Super 8 Conference Room. This was the first seminar of the year for the Hill City Evergreen Garden Club.
The featured speakers were Pete and Janet Wernicke. Pete is a gardener and an oil refinery mechanical designer, and Janet is a part-time manager of culinary and flower gardens and has been a master gardener since 2018.

Chili cookoff, Tour De Chocolate Feb. 8

Published by admin on Wed, 01/29/2025 - 6:19pm

February will kick off with the 13th Annual Polar Bear Chili Cookoff and the Tour de Chocolate in Hill City. The chili cookoff benefits the Tin City Masonic Lodge No. 112. The annual fundraiser raises money for all the charitable events the Masons bring to town, including sponsoring  the Delta Delta van, which serviced 34 Hill City students when it came to the school Jan 13-17. Over $27,000 worth of dental care was provided in that visit.
Bob Stanfiel came up with the idea for the Polar Bear Chili CookOff.

Keystone offers One Book, writing workshop

Published by admin on Wed, 01/29/2025 - 6:18pm

Dr. Molly Barari is coming to the Keystone Library Feb. 8 to conduct both a South Dakota One Book discussion and an Heirlooms Life Writing  workshop. Both are free and open to the public.
The 2024 One Book “Little and Often” by Trent Preszler will be discussed from 1-2 p.m.
The book  is based on the author’s experiences growing up on a ranch between Faith  and Lemmon. The memoir juxtaposes those experiences to his current life working at a winery on Long Island, N.Y.

New paraprofessional to teacher position approved

Published by admin on Wed, 01/29/2025 - 5:51pm

What’s in a name? Quite a bit it turns out when it comes to titling and approving a new paraprofessional position in the Custer School District (CSD). This was discussed at the Custer School District Board of Education meeting Jan. 13 at the School Administration Building in Custer.
Superintendent Mark Naugle put together a job description for a lead paraprofessional special education position.