Custer County Chronicle

Crackerbarrel set for Feb. 13 at school

Published by admin on Thu, 02/04/2021 - 9:05am

A crackerbarrel featuring all three South Dakota State Legislature District 30 representatives will take place next Saturday, Feb. 13, at 3:30 p.m. at the Custer Jr./Sr. High School Theatre.
The event is sponsored by the Custer County Chronicle and is being held at the theatre so attendees are able to socially distance more readily. It is traditionally held at Custer Senior Center.
Reps. Tim Goodwin and Trish Ladner, along with Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller, will all be on hand to discuss what is happening with this year’s legislature as well as to answer questions.

Tourism industry shows resilience

Published by admin on Thu, 01/28/2021 - 9:12am

South Dakota’s tourism industry held its own compared to other states during the COVID-19 pandemic. During a Thursday address, Gov. Kristi Noem and Jim Hagen, secretary of the Department of Tourism, revealed 2020 tourism economic impact numbers.
According to the annual study done by Tourism Economics, South Dakota welcomed 12.6 million visitors, a decrease of only 13 percent from the year before. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, South Dakota was one of the best performing states in the country.

Wastewater plant funding sought

Published by admin on Thu, 01/28/2021 - 9:08am

The City of Custer took the next step in the path to upgrading the city’s wastewater treatment plant when it held a public hearing on the upgrade, the first phase of the project and potential funding for it at its Jan. 19 meeting.
There was no input offered from the public, either by those in the audience or those listening online. Bill Lass of the Black Hills Council of Local Governments (BHCLG), one of the entities working with the city on the project, told the council the funding applications were submitted in December for the multi-phase, multi-year project.

Man sought for exposing himself

Published by admin on Thu, 01/28/2021 - 9:07am

It took only a second or two, but a motorist passing between Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park saw enough to call in an incident of indecent exposure last week. As if sighting a flasher wasn’t remarkable enough, the details of the suspect’s costume get downright bizarre.
Custer County Sheriff Marty Mechaley said he received news of the incident from Custer State Park (CSP) officials who said they had received a call from the woman motorist last Wednesday.

Active cases continue to drop

Published by admin on Thu, 01/28/2021 - 8:57am

Active cases and hospitalizations in South Dakota continued to decline last week, leading to the lowest number of active cases and hospitalizations for months.
Last Wednesday, the number of people fell to under 200 for the first time since September. On that day, active cases fell by over 100 to 4,103, the lowest number of active cases since early October. At its peak, there were nearly 20,000 active cases in South Dakota in November.

FLDS compound to be auctioned

Published by admin on Wed, 01/27/2021 - 3:58pm

What started in 2006 as a rural curiosity, ballooned into a raging controversy and quieted over the past few years appears to be going out with a whimper.
On Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. at the Custer County Courthouse, the 140 acres of land in the southwest portion of Custer County that is home to a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) compound will be sold to the highest bidder to satisfy nearly $1.7 million of debt owed by the FLDS to plaintiffs over a 2016 federal lawsuit.

Future EM will be less hands on

Published by admin on Thu, 01/21/2021 - 9:19am

More of a supportive role than an active role. That is the plan for the future emergency management director, whoever it is.
The job description for the future emergency management director, as well as what is happening in the office now, was given to the Custer County Commission at its Jan. 13 meeting by interim director Rob McWhorter, a retired veteran who is volunteering to fill the position until a full-time employee is found. The position became empty when former director Mike Carter retired after being put on paid leave just a few days earlier.

Still no court in Custer

Published by admin on Thu, 01/21/2021 - 9:16am

The S.D. Supreme Court has reviewed the recently-passed resolution by the Custer County Commission that allows for the carrying of firearms in the Custer County Courthouse. It has issued an order affirming the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court’s decision to stop holding court in Custer County.
The order approving the Seventh Judicial Court’s ruling is signed by Steven R. Jensen, chief justice of the S.D. Supreme Court.
The order regarding the courthouse reads:

‘A rally to do the right thing’

Published by admin on Thu, 01/21/2021 - 9:15am

By Ron Burtz

Metal detector placement debated

Published by admin on Thu, 01/21/2021 - 9:14am

The location of a metal detector within the Custer County Courthouse on days court is held in the facility was discussed at the Jan. 13 meeting of the Custer County Commission, with some wondering if its placement close to the entrance of the courthouse was in direct conflict with the recently passed resolution that allows for the carrying of firearms in the courthouse.