Custer County Chronicle

Throw support behind Habitat

Published by admin on Wed, 09/02/2026 - 12:37pm

If you’ve been around Custer long enough, you know there are some immutable truths when it comes to this fine city. Someone will tell you the Farmer’s Almanac has predicted we are going to have a horrible winter, followed by one of the mildest winters ever. Locals will decry the gathering of the motorcycles during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. We’ll wake up in one of the most beauitful areas on earth. Groups will meet, studies will be done and the lack of workforce/affordable housing will have a fist shaken at it.

People who feel like sunshine and rain

Published by admin on Wed, 09/02/2026 - 12:36pm

Some people just feel like sunshine. Their mere presence sparks a smile. You can talk all day or simply enjoy the silence together. They understand what you’re thinking before your words can form, and they’re always ready to help you chase after a dream. After spending time with them, your heart feels lighter and your outlook brighter. We all need more people like that in our lives. 

Kudos to the city and county

Published by admin on Wed, 08/26/2026 - 9:35am

Finally.
That was our thoughts last Monday evening when the Custer City Council unanimously approved the latest proposal from the Custer County Commission that will see the Custer County Sheriff’s Office once again provide law enforcement for the City of Custer. The agreement came after 13 months of negotiation that was on again, off again, and sometimes a little cantankerous. But the important part is neither the Custer City Council nor the Custer County Commission ever completely gave up on the negotiations. For that, we say thank you.

Weaning myself off social media

Published by admin on Wed, 08/26/2026 - 9:28am

I had an epiphany the other day when I was looking at Facebook. I really hate Facebook.
I don’t hate it in the sense that it has specifically done anything wrong to me—although I believe it kind of has. It has caused me to be inattentive, anxious, and even sometimes, depressed. I think I’ve had enough.
I was all-in on social media when it first started to gain traction. I was a huge fan of Myspace, and loved being on the site, even if setting my “Top 8” friends caused hard feelings. You kids can ask your parents what that means.

Go to one plate to fight Big Brother?

Published by admin on Wed, 08/26/2026 - 9:14am

Greetings. Here is an all inclusive list of all the election administration deadlines.
Poll worker names due to county auditor: Sept. 21. Absentee voting begins: Sept. 18
Voter registration deadline: Oct. 19.
Last day to request absentee ballot: Nov. 2.
In-person absentee voting ends: Nov. 2.
Logic and accuracy (tabulator) testing: Set by each county auditor
Nursing home/assisted living absentee voting: Set by each county auditor
General Election Day: Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

It’s easy to explain rise of ‘Democratic Socialism’

Published by admin on Wed, 08/19/2026 - 12:06pm

If you’re paying attention to politics lately, which we do, if only because we have to and not because we are in love with it, you’ve noticed that candidates who label themselves as ‘Democratic Socialists’ are winning elections around the country. Whether or not it’s enough for them to be considered a true national movement is up for debate. What isn’t up for debate is that younger people are gravitating toward them, and they are gaining momentum.

Lawmakers’ eyes bigger than stomachs

Published by admin on Wed, 08/19/2026 - 12:05pm

There are two times a year when you can count on South Dakota politicians getting a little pumped up about their performance and taking a victory lap. 
One is at the end of the legislative session when lawmakers pat themselves on the back about their ability to produce a balanced budget. They’re right to take pride in their work. There are currently 10 states that run budget deficits. Balancing a budget is something that continues to elude the U.S. Congress. 

South Dakota doesn’t need saving

Published by admin on Wed, 08/19/2026 - 9:43am
Greetings. Boy, its been really nice weather since those 100 degree days. Now, if we can just continue on with some rains, I think we will make it through the dog days of summer. Some say that after the bike rally is over, it is downhill from there for summer ending as well.
We in the House of Representatives had a caucus get-together. We do this after the Primary Election on election years mainly to reunite, visit about how the Primary Election went, and come up with a game plan for those of us that have a challenger in the General Election Nov. 3.

The tragedy of Hideaway Hills

Published by admin on Wed, 08/12/2026 - 1:50pm

What would you do if you were mowing your lawn and a sinkhole opened up, rendering your home worthless, and forcing you to move away, take on a second mortgage and completely uprooting your life? Worse yet, what would you do if it turned out that a bevy of people not only knew, but development of the land and building/selling of the home on unstable ground, but nobody was going to be held liable for the shady development?
We would be furious. You would be, as well. Welcome to reality for some of the current and former homeowners at Hideaway Hills in Black Hawk.

Beautifully unfinished

Published by admin on Wed, 08/12/2026 - 1:50pm

Carefully kept in my possession is a nondescript box which I have jealously guarded for the better part of a decade. Possibly longer. My grandma, Loretta, was an avid quilter and the supreme domestic, having honed her skills of homemaking and handcrafts over a lifetime of peaceful industry and quiet usefulness to her husband, her five children and her community. The beds in her house were clothed with quilts she had pieced, and knit afghans graced the arms of the chairs in the living room.