Hill City Prevailer

Ride the wind

Published by admin on Wed, 08/12/2026 - 9:45am

Well the rally is upon us once again, and once again we have lots of people here doing things that don’t make sense to many of us. 
Riding a motorcycle is dangerous. Period. 
I’ve been riding my own bike since 1994 and it’s only by the grace of God  that I am still able to do so. 
I am by no means a motorcycle riding expert, but I have logged over 250,000 miles on three bikes. One thing I learned long ago is that ego has no place on two wheels. 

Attending the Noem statue unveiling

Published by admin on Wed, 08/12/2026 - 9:42am

Greetings! I had the pleasure of attending the unveiling of the statue of former governor Kristi Noem Friday, Aug. 7 in Pierre. The unveiling was part of the Trail of Governors Foundation. Gov. Noem was the 33rd governor of our great state. Her statue was a stand-up bronze of her, all dressed up in her cowgirl outfit, complete with hat. She is holding the reins of her horse, Iceman, who also was made into a bronze statue.
The City of Pierre does a nice job positioning these bronze statues on street corners. All of the previous governors are depicted in statues.

Brown lawns, dry creeks and a little common sense

Published by admin on Wed, 08/05/2026 - 9:36am
There is one thing South Dakotans can always count on talking about—and almost always agree on—the weather.
This year’s weather has been one for the record books—literally. South Dakota has seen historic temperature, high-wind records and as of lately, record-shattering heat has taken over the Black Hills. 

Taking stock of the GOP gubernatorial runoff

Published by admin on Wed, 08/05/2026 - 9:35am
Greetings. Man oh man what a republican primary election! I mean, specifically, the governor’s race. To recap a bit, four Republicans ran for their name to be on the general election ballot for the Republican party. Former Rep. Dan Ahlers ran unopposed in the Democrat primary, so automatically is their candidate.
The primary election was June 3. Voting in it was at 35 percent, which I guess is deemed high voter turnout for a primary election. That means 65 percent did not vote. In my humble opinion that is a pathetic voter turnout.

LOLA (Leave Our Libraries Alone)

Published by admin on Wed, 07/29/2026 - 9:35am
The Pennington County budget is beginning to take shape, and once again I question some decisions by commissioners. Let me begin by saying their job is not easy. State law pretty much limits how the county is funded—with property taxes, fees and interest on accounts being used to support all the services the county provides. Property taxes are nearly not enough. They cover about half of the budget. 

Soaring higher

Published by admin on Wed, 07/22/2026 - 9:44am
America 250 is a great time to reflect on who we are and what we have fought to build and keep for so long. We are an example for freedom to the rest of the world, and a symbol of hope as well. But we have our own symbols that represent who we are.

It’s too hot for the Hills

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:44am
I am officially getting old. Chronologically I am only 56, and I still act like a teenager or even a bratty child at times. Yet my body is screaming that I am old because…it’s too hot for me to go outside. 
Me.
The gal who used to say “I’d way rather be hot than cold.”
The gal that used to go rock climbing in full sun in 100 plus weather. 
Now I am officially melting at a whopping 80 degrees in my home, fighting my dog Zeuss for the tiny area of the living room where the mini split blows out cool air. 

Opinion on opinions

Published by admin on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 9:33am
You’ve heard the saying, “Opinions are like _____, everybody’s got one.”
These days, especially on social media, it seems everybody feels the need to share theirs—whether asked for or not. 

A great evening at Mount Rushmore

Published by admin on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 9:32am
Greetings. What a historic week! Happy 250th birthday America! I had the pleasure of attending the 250th celebration at Mount Rushmore on the evening of July 3. The reason we had it on the third and not the fourth was because that’s the only day President Trump would attend. He had the actual 250th celebration at our nation’s capitol on the actual Independence Day, July 4.

The little city that could

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 9:52am
I’ve been covering Hill City for nearly eight years now. I have seen some major changes in that short time. I have seen furor over unpaved streets become polite discussions over variances and setbacks. I have heard contention about vacation rentals become civil discourse over merchandise display ordinances. And I have seen a winning Rangers football team (which I had not seen before).