Custer County Chronicle

Potential power shutdown discussed

Published by admin on Wed, 05/14/2025 - 2:02pm

Questions remain on a Black Hills Energy proposal that would see it shutdown parts of its power grid through what is known as a public safety power shutoff, but Custer County emergency management director Steve Esser said recent meetings between public officials and BHE representatives revealed that BHE is moving forward with implementation of the program in June.

Talley on quest to honor men, women who served

Published by admin on Wed, 05/14/2025 - 2:02pm

There are many unsung heroes in our neighborhoods. Glen Talley is certainly one of them. Practically single handedly he has placed hundreds of bronze flag holders beside the graves of veterans buried in Keystone and Custer.

CSP Open House weekend starts Friday

Published by admin on Wed, 05/14/2025 - 2:00pm

This weekend, May 16-18, residents and visitors can enjoy free entrance into all South Dakota state parks and recreation areas as part of the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks’ annual open house weekend. In addition, a number of parks will be hosting special events. Camping fees still apply.
This weekend is also Free Fishing Weekend. No fishing licenses are required. Regulations and limits still apply.

Will economic concern hurt tourism?

Published by admin on Wed, 05/14/2025 - 10:01am
John Carley joined about 100 other business operators in early May for a meeting of the Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association to preview the 2025 tourism season.
The mood in the room, he said, was “a little muted” compared to recent years, when South Dakota set repeated records for visitors and tourism spending.
“I wouldn’t say they were jumping up and down like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to have a great year,’” said Carley, manager of the Elk Creek Resort and Petrified Forest in Piedmont.

Safety program is up and running

Published by admin on Wed, 05/07/2025 - 10:37am

Marc Moore, the newly-appointed Custer County safety officer as of last month, presented a report on the status of the Safety Program at the Custer County Commission meeting April 23. Thus far, Moore said there are a lot of things going on in the county, and he is impressed with what he sees.

Find a solution to move free of pain

Published by admin on Wed, 05/07/2025 - 10:34am

Is pain cramping your style and preventing you from doing the things you love? The physical therapy team at Pain and Movement Solutions in Custer wants to help.
“Our mission is to change lives with movement. We know that your quality of life is very dependent on how you move. Anything that we do in life that we enjoy—be it knitting or cooking, to hiking up Black Elk Peak—all of your ability to be able to do that is based on some kind of movement in your body. That’s our specialty,” said owner and doctor of physical therapy Julie Wingen.

Museum staying on track despite sudden departure

Published by admin on Wed, 05/07/2025 - 10:32am

Despite the sudden and sad loss of Rick Mills of Hermosa the South Dakota State Railroad Museum (SDSRM) will open as scheduled May 10.
SDSRM board president Lesta Turchen said, “For me personally, Rick was a dear friend. I will always remember his laughter and the courage with which he faced life’s challenges.”
As the board figures out what its next steps are, James Wilmus, a board of directors member and volunteer for many years, is taking over as interim director. Wilmus was previously  honored by Mills and the SDSRM for his volunteer service.

Ferguson elected SDNA president

Published by admin on Wed, 05/07/2025 - 10:31am

Jason Ferguson, general manager and editor at Southern Hills Publishing, was elected the 139th president of the South Dakota NewsMedia Association during the organization’s annual meeting April 25 in Aberdeen.
As GM for Southern Hills Publishing, Ferguson oversees the Custer County Chronicle and the Hill City Prevailer News, two weekly newspapers in the central and southern Black Hills.

Chronicle stacks up SDNA awards

Published by admin on Wed, 04/30/2025 - 12:26pm

The Custer County Chronicle won 16 awards at last week’s South Dakota NewsMedia Association (SDNA) Better News Media Contest last Friday in Aberdeen, including the coveted Sweepstakes Award that honors the most-awarded newspaper in its class. The awards luncheon was part of the 142nd SDNA convention.
The Chronicle competed in Division II of the competition as one of the smallest papers in that category, which covers media in cities from 3,000 to 15,000 in population.

Water leak billing, annexation discussed

Published by admin on Wed, 04/30/2025 - 12:23pm

The lengthy Hermosa Board of Trustees meeting covered a lot of ground Tuesday, April 15. The meeting was chaired by trustee Kel Koontz in Linda Kramer’s physical absence.