Custer County Chronicle

Holey [buffalo] calf

Published by admin on Thu, 08/29/2019 - 10:08am
No, that wasn’t a huge prairie dog sticking his head out of a hole in the prairie of Custer State Park (CSP) Monday evening, Aug. 19. It was a buffalo bull calf and it took a team of rescuers several minutes and the aid of a couple of shovels to dig the little fellow out. 
“He had himself wedged in there pretty tight,” said CSP herd manager Chad Kremer of the calf that was discovered by tour Jeep drivers shortly before sundown. 

Former county deputy charged

Published by admin on Thu, 08/29/2019 - 10:07am

A former Custer County Sheriff’s Office deputy is facing multiple federal charges for allegedly having inappropriate relations with two underage females.

CAEDC seeks director funding

Published by admin on Thu, 08/29/2019 - 9:58am

The Custer Area Economic Development Corp. (CAEDC) is ready to expand its operation in the hope of expanding the tax base by bringing new business to Custer. In order to do that, however, it needs a full-time employee to do the work the current entirely volunteer board cannot.

County budgets $9.22 million

Published by admin on Thu, 08/29/2019 - 9:58am
Custer County is set to spend around $850,000 more in 2020 than it did in 2019, with a provisional budget of $9,229,080 as compared to last year’s budget of $8,379,558.

Pedestrian injured

Published by admin on Thu, 08/29/2019 - 9:52am
A visitor from Australia was the victim of a car/ pedestrian collision on Mt. Rushmore Road in Custer Sunday morning. It all started with a fateful decision to take a picture of one of the buffalo statues that line the street. 
Sharon Moreley and her husband had just parked their rental car on the south side of Mt. Rushmore Road at about 9:45 a.m. when she decided to cross the street and take a picture of the painted buffalo in front of a T-shirt shop on the corner. 

County ‘scapegoat’ in isolated tract saga

Published by admin on Thu, 08/29/2019 - 9:47am
The rancor aimed at the U.S. Forest Service at the Aug. 7 meeting of the Custer County Commission carried over into the commission’s latest meeting Aug. 21 when more discussion was held regarding the request for an isolated tract easement by a couple who own land off Hazelrodt Cutoff to which there is no direct road.
The property, belonging to Richard and Barbara Drew, is landlocked and the only access available is through the Forest Service and a pair of neighbors, all of which contest the access.

County ponders non-taxable structures

Published by admin on Thu, 08/29/2019 - 9:33am

Shipping containers, open carports not on a permanent foundation, all structures 160 square feet or less not on a permanent foundation and all structures not on a permanent foundation will not be assessed for taxation if a proposed county resolution is approved by the Custer County Commission.

Custer City Council receives flood update

Published by admin on Thu, 08/22/2019 - 10:02am
As operations switch from a response effort to a recovery effort regarding the Aug. 2 flood, Custer County Emergency Management director Mike Carter came before the Custer City Council at the council’s Aug. 19 meeting, to give the council an update on both the response and recovery, as well as compliments regarding how well city staff worked with county staff during the flood response.

Caster resigns

Published by admin on Thu, 08/22/2019 - 9:59am
Patty Caster has resigned as the department head of the Custer County Department of Equalization (DOE)  effective Aug. 8. The resignation came one day after she was put on administrative leave at the end of the Custer County Commission’s Aug. 7 meeting.
At that meeting, the commission emerged from executive session and unanimously approved placing Caster on administrative leave. The following day Caster submitted a letter of resignation, which had only one line asking the commission to accept her resignation effective immediately.

‘In God We Trust’: on the money and now in school

Published by admin on Thu, 08/22/2019 - 9:57am