Custer County Chronicle

New prison will protect citizens

Published by admin on Wed, 10/01/2025 - 10:00am

Well, the 2025 special session has come to a close. We had caucus, open meetings, testimony from opponents and proponents, and legislators. We began at 8 am and continued through to almost 8 pm. It was a long, brutal day, but one that we knew had to happen in order to further the project and help to safeguard our citizens going forward. Quite frankly, it is too bad that legislators are not as committed to property tax reform…but that’s a subject for another time. 

Chamber, city face difficult choices

Published by admin on Wed, 09/24/2025 - 1:15pm

If you read the front page of this week’s issue, you likely read the story about the City of Custer voting to change the ordinance through which is provides funding to the Custer Area Chamber of Commerce. In doing so, the chamber will see its funding from the city cut in half over the course of the next five years.

The debate on free speech and consequences

Published by admin on Wed, 09/24/2025 - 1:06pm

“The alligator doesn’t spare you. It just eats you last.”

Time for special state prison session

Published by admin on Wed, 09/24/2025 - 12:48pm

Greetings. So, how’s everyone doing with all this rain, rain, rain? I take that back for the southern portion of Fall River County, as it’s been dry down there.

Charlie Kirk murder, reaction shows how far we’ve fallen

Published by admin on Wed, 09/17/2025 - 9:47am

“The world we knew is gone, but keeping our humanity? That’s a choice.”
The above words were spoken by fictional character Dale Horvath in an early episode of “The Walking Dead.” It seems apropros for this time in our country’s history, however, following a brutal series of events that culiminated with the assassination of Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

‘Not in my backyard’ is no way to lead

Published by admin on Wed, 09/17/2025 - 9:42am

The Republican primary election that will likely determine South Dakota’s next governor is nine months away. It already seems like it’s been going on forever.
The race has three candidates with Gov. Larry Rhoden waiting in the wings. Rhoden demurs when asked if he’s going to run, saying that election campaigns are too long. The governor has a point.
With so much time on their hands in such a long campaign, candidates have to make news any way they can, often by taking offense at something their opponent said, whether he said it or not.

Police state or law enforcement?

Published by admin on Wed, 09/10/2025 - 4:41pm

There’s no doubt about it: crime has fallen off a cliff in Washington, D.C. since President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops into the area. In fact, crime has fallen dramatically. Even left-leaning websites like CNN are being forced to admit that, yes, the National Guard being in our nation’s capital is having a dramatic effect on crime in the area.

Capture the moment while it’s here

Published by admin on Wed, 09/10/2025 - 4:41pm

Life is fleeting, isn’t it? One day it’s January, and it feels like the year will last forever. Winter drags on. We yawn, and spring is over. Then, we blink, and summer is gone too. And now here we are with just 12 days left before the autumn equinox. 
As much as I love autumn in the Black Hills, I’m not ready for summer to end. It seems like there are never enough lake days or memories made. There’s never enough time to do everything on our lists, and most of the time, we have to choose between plans because there are more than can be done in a single day.

We did not stab Rhoden in the back

Published by admin on Wed, 09/10/2025 - 9:48am
Greetings. Forgive me for writing about the state penitentiary. I guess to shorten that word, we will use pen. My understanding in the confinement world: jails are what towns have, prisons are what counties have and the penitentiary is a state facility. South Dakota doesn’t have any federal penitentiaries.

Focus on tragedy, not perpetrator

Published by admin on Wed, 09/03/2025 - 12:04pm

Much was made of the identity of the recent school shooter in Minnesota because the shooter (we are not going to dignify them by using their name) is reported to have been born male but identified as a woman. This led to the shooting instantly being used as a political football, as everything is in the day and age in which we live.