Custer County Chronicle

Hollywood comes to Four Mile

Published by admin on Thu, 09/26/2019 - 9:13am
For Rapid City filmmaker Ryan Hall, what is happening this week at Four Mile Old West Town west of Custer is the fulfillment of a dream. Hall is the producer for “The Blackwood,” a Western horror movie for which the opening scenes are being filmed at Four Mile. 
Hall said getting to this point has been a two-year process filled with ups and downs. 
“It’s been a bumpy ride,” said Hall. “There are a lot of highs and lows with something like this. You’re on top of the mountain for a minute then ... your heart sinks.”

Chronicle phone # on forged checks

Published by admin on Thu, 09/26/2019 - 9:12am
A Hot Springs couple is being sought by authorities after they allegedly forged and passed nearly $17,000 in stolen checks in the area over the past few weeks.

County refuses to wrangle with cow issue

Published by admin on Thu, 09/26/2019 - 9:11am
The Custer County Commission is standing firm on its refusal to intervene in a dispute between landowners in the CBJJ Subdivision in south central Custer County over cattle grazing near homes. 

SHMAAF concerts lost money in 2016 and ’17

Published by admin on Thu, 09/26/2019 - 9:09am
Kevin Teasley first came on the local music scene when he and local pastor Van Arp put together two back-to-back outdoor concerts in 2016 and 2017, both of which lost money.
Teasley had taken note of Arp’s first concert endeavor in 2014 with Firefall as the headliner and sponsored by the local arts council. 
“The spring after that, he asked if I was going to do another one. He said he had done some concerts in California,” Arp recalled.

Cave celebrates 150 miles

Published by admin on Thu, 09/26/2019 - 9:08am
Wind Cave, the seventh- longest cave in the world, passed the 150-mile mark of explored passages earlier this year. This milestone will be celebrated Saturday, Nov. 2, with special programs and tours.
 Talks will be presented throughout the day by past explorers telling the story of the cave’s exploration. These talks are free and given in the park’s visitor center auditorium beginning at 8:30 a.m. with the last talk beginning at 3 p.m. A tracing of the map of the cave’s first systematic explorer, Alvin McDonald, will also be displayed at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Carson shares regrets about SLIC-e demise

Published by admin on Fri, 09/20/2019 - 10:22am

While prevented from talking about the details of the collapse of SLIC-e Holdings, LLC, and its resulting default on payments on the former STAR Academy campus south of Custer, the soon-to-be former president of the corporation says he has regrets about the project’s failure.

SLIC-e tenant shares experiences

Published by admin on Fri, 09/20/2019 - 10:20am

Steve Leonardi’s first indication that things might be heading south at SLIC-e came, ironically, when he wanted to give its owner, Kevin Teasley, rent.

“When I started to push him to have a contract to start paying rent, he said, ‘I’ll get ya one.’ He kept saying it and never did,” Leonardi said.

City approves 2020 budget

Published by admin on Fri, 09/20/2019 - 10:18am

The City of Custer’s $9.3 million 2020 budget was given final approval at Monday’s regular meeting with zero discussion and a unanimous vote. The only comment prior to the vote was from the lone audience member (besides this reporter) who complimented the council by saying, “You guys do better than Congress!” 
With no old business on the agenda, the remainder of the meeting consisted mostly of approving contracts and leases the city has with various entities.

SLIC-e(d) up: How we got here

Published by admin on Fri, 09/20/2019 - 10:16am

What was old is new again at the former State Treatment and Rehabilitation (STAR) Academy.

9/11 brings the fall of SLIC-e

Published by admin on Fri, 09/20/2019 - 10:12am

September 11 was the day it all came crashing down. The “it,” in this case, is the dream that was SLIC-e—the “Sustainable Light Industrial Complex and energy” project envisioned for the former STAR Academy campus south of Custer.