News

New Keystone Town Board president elected

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 11:29am

The Keystone Town Board has elected a new board president at the most recent town board meeting.

Kwinn Neff will replace Lynette Gohsman as president of the town board. Gohsman thanked “everyone for being so supportive” during her time on the board.

Matt Fullilove was sworn in as the newest town trustee. Mitch Johnson was sworn in as the town’s attorney, and Ron Bengs was sworn in as the town engineer.

Members of the library board, elderly housing commission and cemetery committee were approved for swearing in at their next respective meetings.

Shooters up in arms over gate, restrictions

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 11:29am

A debate between user groups has prompted the ire of some Keystone residents and Black Hills gun enthusiasts.

A gate was recently installed by the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) rangers on Forest Road FSR 353.2C.

According to officials from the BHNF the gate was installed in the anticipation of closing the road for the month of June. The gate is an attempt to “prevent people from going down the road” and to “dissuade people from shooting” for a 30 day period, according to Jim Gubbels from the Mystic Ranger District.

Some feel sewer plant plan stinks

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 9:34am

Some residents who live near the proposed City of Custer wastewater treatment plant expansion say the plan stinks—but not because of any odor coming from the plant. Rather, the complaint is the proposed expansion’s location.

Home invader is sentenced

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 9:33am

A Rapid City man accused of invading a Custer couple's home and assaulting them on New Year’s Day has been sentenced to 18 months probation after pleading guilty to one of the charges.
Thaddaus Ray Sinclair, 28, appeared before Judge Matt Brown April 29 to be sentenced on a charge of aggravated assault by choking after pleading guilty to the crime as part of a plea agreement with the Custer County State's Attorney's Office.
The Custer County Sheriff's Office reported Sinclair barged into a home on Clay Street in Custer at about 8:20 p.m. Jan. 1.   

Ag land adjustments stay put

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 9:33am

Residents of Custer County who own land that falls into the agricultural classification will get a one-year reprieve from having any adjustments on their land lifted, after action taken by the Custer County Board of Equalization at its annual meeting April 28.

New school raises budget

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 9:32am

The Custer School District is set to spend just over $18 million on its 2021-22 budget, although half of that is on capital outlay expenditures as the school district wraps up construction of the new Hermosa school.

COVID-19 toll on U.S. should fall sharply

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 9:26am

Teams of experts are projecting COVID-19’s toll on the U.S. will fall sharply by the end of July, according to research released by the government Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) paper included projections from six research groups. Their assignment was to predict the course of the U.S. epidemic between now and September under different scenarios.

Viability of rural ambulance services at risk due to staffing, funding shortages

Published by admin on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 9:11am

Rural ambulance services in South Dakota are having an increasingly hard time recruiting volunteers and generating revenues, putting the stability of the services at risk and making it more likely that rural residents will endure longer response times in emergencies or possibly lose ambulance service altogether.

Tourism week kicks off at Rushmore

Published by admin on Thu, 05/06/2021 - 11:39am

On a chilly Monday morning with occasional flurries at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and South Dakota Sec. of Tourism Jim Hagen kicked off National Travel and Tourism Week.

The two addressed the past tourist season and what is to be expected for the 2021 tourism season — and by all metrics it’s looking to be a big year.

School district ranked No. 1

Published by admin on Thu, 05/06/2021 - 11:39am

With the school year winding down, Hill City School District superintendent Blake Gardner had some big news to share in his newsletter.

US News and World Report produced its annual rankings of the top schools in the each state, and Hill City High School was ranked number one in South Dakota.

“We are honored to be ranked number one,” Gardner wrote in his newsletter. “We have a great high school and a phenomenal feeder system. I have always felt that we are the best school in South Dakota, and I love when rankings like this support my beliefs.”