Hill City Prevailer

Vacation rentals to be taken to public vote

Published by admin on Thu, 03/31/2022 - 9:25am
A petition to ban non owner occupied nightly rentals in residentially zoned areas within Hill City made its way onto the Hill City Common Council agenda. The matter was heard at the March 28 council meeting, although there was little to discuss. The petition was submitted legally with the required signatures needed to find its way onto either the next election ballot or a special election ballot.

Three vie for Keystone board seats

Published by admin on Thu, 03/31/2022 - 9:24am
Three Keystone residents are vying for two open trustee spots on the Keystone Town Board during this year’s election, which takes place April 12. Those elected will serve a three-year term on the board.
Sandi McLain is an incumbent on the board seeking reelection, and said she is running again because the board worked on several committees for the city and she wants to be a part of positive change to help Keystone reach its financial goals.

Easter egg hunt April 9

Published by admin on Thu, 03/31/2022 - 9:21am
As they do every year, The Hill City Chamber of Commerce is encouraging the Hill City area children to “hop to it” and get their Easter baskets ready for this year’s hunt, hosted by the Chamber and Visitor Information Center (VIC) team.
The 2022 Easter Egg Hunt will be held Saturday, April 9, at 10 a.m. on the VIC grounds. With the scramble to pick up eggs in mere minutes, there are three age groups:  0-3; 4-7 and 8-11.

Parking lot expansion discussed

Published by admin on Thu, 03/31/2022 - 9:20am
Talks between Keystone town officials, the South Dakota Department of Transporation and the Black Hills National Forest have begun with the ultimate goal of expanding the state parking lot.
Town board president Kwinn Neff explained the Forest Service is willing to work with Keystone to expand the state lot if the town goes through the process of getting a special use permit.
“It’s kind of a long process,” Neff said at the March 23 Keystone Town Board meeting.

Workshop to talk OHV concerns

Published by admin on Thu, 03/31/2022 - 9:19am
A series of workshops regarding off-highway vehicle (OHV) use has been held across the region. OHV use has markedly increased over the  last decade. According to  Black Hills National Forest public affairs officer Scott Jacobson, the forest sold approximately 35,000 OHV permits in 2021, up about 5,000 from its 2020 totals.
In February 2021 the Forest held a two-day stakeholder OHV summit to discuss concerns about OHV issues. Summit participants expressed many concerns including capacity issues, unauthorized trails, dust and response by law enforcement. 

Board celebrates state wrestling qualifier

Published by admin on Thu, 03/24/2022 - 9:15am
During the Hill City School District Board of Education meeting Mar. 14, the board celebrated Tanner Davis’s achievement at the state wrestling meet. Davis finished eighth in his weight class. 
Although Davis was unable to attend, superintendent Blake Gardner shared Davis said “to say thank you for the support this year. It was a great experience.” 
“Tanner is an awesome kid,” said Gardner. “He had some great teammates with Eli and David and coach Hunsaker did a nice job stepping in in his first year. All in all, it was a successful wrestling season.” 

Assessments may not rocket taxes

Published by admin on Thu, 03/24/2022 - 9:12am
Pennington County residents have received their 2022 property tax assessments and many are disturbed by the large increase in their assessed value. The increases in assessed value, however, do not necessarily mean that property tax bills will be much higher next year than they are this year.
That’s because as values go up there is a bigger pot of money from which the mill levy gets created. State law, for example, does not allow counties to raise their budgets by more than 3 percent.

Man found guilty in Keystone shooting

Published by admin on Thu, 03/24/2022 - 9:10am
A Rapid City man has been found guilty of first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of a 19-year-old Keystone man.
Maxton Pfeiffer, 22, now faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced sometime next month for the shooting death of Ty Scott at a Keystone apartment June 13, 2018.

Emotions thick over RX pot

Published by admin on Thu, 03/24/2022 - 9:09am
A packed house came out to revisit the Hill City Common Council medical marijuana dispensary resolution 2022-0 5.
About 35 people packed into the conference room at city hall March 14 to air their opposition to having more than one dispensary in Hill City.
Ben Larsen began the conversation outlining three requests. He asked that the new resolution be changed to allow for only one dispensary license and no additional licenses.

Artists sought for FAITH

Published by admin on Thu, 03/17/2022 - 9:14am
The Hill City Arts Council Sculpture in the Hills has a new name and with it a broader appeal to include a variety of arts in one festival.
The Fine Arts in the Hills festival (FAITH) will still be held the third weekend in June and is growing to include  fine arts along with sculptures. 
The change was prompted in part by COVID-19.
THE 2020 Sculpture in the Hills was canceled because of COVID-19. In 2021 the popular event came back but with a smaller number of artists.