Custer County Chronicle

Regarding the men’s state penitentiary

Published by admin on Wed, 06/11/2025 - 8:43am
Greetings! Back in March, maybe March 2, we discussed our need for a new penitentiary; let’s just call it “the pen.”
Our current facility is located inside the city limits of Sioux Falls. It was constructed in 1891. Back then this location was north of Sioux Falls but the city has grown in the last 133 years.
For the past 10 years I have been attending, a couple times a year, a church service in the pen. The Lutheran Churches of South Dakota, both ELCA and NALC sign up for a Thursday evening service. 

Let’s keep our heads out there on the road

Published by admin on Wed, 06/04/2025 - 9:30am

We’ve all been there. All you want to do is get to Rapid City. Or Hot Springs. Pick the destination. It’s summertime, so traffic is exponentially worse than a February afternoon. There are visitors from near and far cramming the roads with you. There are tour busses. There are giant RVs. There are bikers. There are people stopping to gawk at animals we see on a daily basis, so we don’t see what is the big deal. And, lest we forget, those J-turns in downtown Custer as tourists cross the double yellow lines on Mt. Rushmore Road to pull into a parking spot.

Take time to enjoy the little things

Published by admin on Wed, 06/04/2025 - 9:22am

Often in life we get so busy sweating the small stuff or trying to plan the next big adventure that we forget to take time to enjoy the smaller things. I know I am frequently guilty of this.
I’m one of those people who likes to always have something to look forward to. If I don’t, I often feel like I’m just going through the motions, just existing. If thre is a carrot on the end of a stick in the form of something to look forward to, I feel like I’m working toward a purpose. I think to myself, “just a couple more weeks until I get to...” whatever it is I have coming up.

Gun bills and the property tax battle

Published by admin on Wed, 06/04/2025 - 8:34am
“SD Gov. Rhoden Signs More Pro-Gun Bills”
That was the headline in “American Hunter,” June 2025 Edition. It goes on to say that Gov. Rhoden signed into law SB100, which allows enhanced permit holders to carry a pistol on our six state universities and our four technical colleges.

Ninetieth anniversary of AA approaching

Published by admin on Wed, 05/28/2025 - 12:06pm

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) will bring together tens of thousands of members and guests from around the world July 3–6 for its International Convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to mark the Fellowship’s 90th anniversary.

Support a local newspaper

Published by admin on Wed, 05/28/2025 - 12:04pm

In 1950 there were over 1,700 daily newspapers in the U.S., while today that number has shrunk to about 1,200–and many of those are no longer as “daily” as they used to be, publishing less frequently than in the past. Still, many newspapers are still going strong and proving that print media is still alive and well. For instance, the Custer County Chronicle has continued to publish every single week for just about the past century and a half—since 1880.

Memorial Day honors those who fell

Published by admin on Wed, 05/28/2025 - 9:20am
Greetings! I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May. Memorial Day honors and remembers the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. It is a day to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Welcome to the world, graduates

Published by admin on Wed, 05/21/2025 - 9:37am

The school year is winding down (the last official day is tomorrow), and Custer High School has already said goodbye to another nearly 70 students, as the annual commencement ceremony was held last Saturday afternoon at the Armory. The Custer High School Class of 2025 has its diplomas in hand, and is officially off into the real world. Now is when the work really begins.

The need to be needed

Published by admin on Wed, 05/21/2025 - 9:35am

The month of May goes by in a whirlwind of fun and hard work, and there is much rejoicing when the last cow calves and the last calf is branded. The nonstop chaos of calving and branding is followed by the shortest of lulls before the summer settles into its routine. A thousand prayers for rain have been followed up by a thousand thanks, as we’ve emptied the rain gauge not of tenths or hundredths of an inch, but inches. Whole inches. Inches of slow rain that was actually able to soak into the ground where it will do the most good.

Put a Hill City graduation on your bucket list

Published by admin on Wed, 05/21/2025 - 9:21am

Greetings! How is the drought going for you all? Up in my neck of the woods, it rains, drizzles, gets foggy and then repeats the cycle. Marcia and I just came back from East River this past Thursday and had rain and pouring rain the entire way. There is nothing that works better at getting those east river bugs off your windshield than rain water hitting your windshield at 80 mph on the Eisenhower Highway.