Custer County Chronicle

City planning hears TIF request

Published by admin on Thu, 02/23/2023 - 10:39am

The company that is developing a campground on land just east of Custer near Granite Heights Subdivision is asking for the city to create a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District to help pay for infrastructure costs for the property, all with the idea of the property eventually being annexed into the city.

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.

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.

County raises RX cannabis costs

Published by admin on Thu, 02/16/2023 - 9:37am

If the $50,000 price tag to apply for a license to operate a medical cannabis facility in Custer County scared off potential suitors, they may have been scared off for good after the Feb. 8 meeting of the Custer County Commission.

Three escape major injury in ice-caused accident

Published by admin on Thu, 02/16/2023 - 9:37am

Three people escaped major injury after a truck they were riding in ended up on its side in a Feb. 9 accident.
At 9:43 a.m. that morning dispatch received a call about the wreck, which happened when a husband, wife and friend were traveling on Ghost Canyon Road when the truck they were traveling in slid on ice on the road, said Custer County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Derrick Reifenrath.
The truck fishtailed and hit the canyon wall, which threw the vehicle onto its passenger side before it rotated back to facing northbound.

Crackerbarrel set for Feb. 25 at senior center

Published by admin on Thu, 02/16/2023 - 9:36am

A crackerbarrel featuring all three South Dakota State Legislature District 30 representatives will take place next Saturday, Feb. 25, at 3:30 p.m. at Custer Senior Center. The event is sponsored by the Custer County Chronicle.
Reps. Dennis Krull and Trish Ladner, along with Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller, will be on hand to discuss what is happening with this year’s legislature as well as to answer questions.