Custer County Chronicle

An update from the arts council

Published by admin on Wed, 06/25/2025 - 11:54am

Greetings, Custer. I have the honor of serving as the president of the Custer Area Arts Council. It’s a role that fills me with immense pride, not just because I get to be a part of a vibrant creative community, but because I get a front-row seat to the incredible ways art shapes our lives here in Custer.

Political assassinations and Midnight Hammer

Published by admin on Wed, 06/25/2025 - 9:26am
What a headline! With the summer solstice done and gone, let’s back up. Before visiting Operation Midnight Hammer, let’s have an update on Minnesota State Sen. Hoffman and his wife Yvette.
“We continue our healing journey and are both incredibly lucky to be alive,” as stated by a family member. John was shot point blank nine times and Yvette eight times with a 9mm handgun. This was a cold-blooded political assassination attempt by Vance Boelter,  who was wearing a costume police uniform and driving a fake police Ford SUV.

Remember when summer was fun?

Published by admin on Wed, 06/18/2025 - 10:23am

Ah, summer in the United States. The Fourth of July. Running through the sprinkler. Camping. Cookouts. Rioting. Looting. People at each other’s throats. Political assassinations.
Yes, the calendar has turned to summer, and here in the good ol’ United States of America, that can only mean it’s time for us to fight amongst each other. It’s always sad to see, as the summer should be a joyous time across the country, but more and more it’s just a time of dread as our political differences spill out onto the streets and cause injury and destruction.

On whose shoulders we stand

Published by admin on Wed, 06/18/2025 - 10:22am

Have you ever noticed the following contrast?
When Mother’s Day comes around, in sweeps the sappy sentimentality from all quarters, religious and secular alike. Church sermons laud the important role mothers play, encouraging mothers to embrace their God-given status and find joy in the motherhood journey. Ushers hand out $5 gift cards for ice cream or flowers to all the mothers. Mothers are showered with admiration and gifts, treated to lunch, and generally doted upon.

Prison project is at a crossroads

Published by admin on Wed, 06/18/2025 - 9:35am
South Dakota is confronting a mounting crisis: its state penitentiary, built in 1881, is crumbling and outdated. Conditions are so poor that consultants from Elevatus Architecture of Indiana say it’s a surprise there hasn’t been a lawsuit. The need for a new facility is clear — but how to proceed is a matter of controversy.

Tragedy and news over the weekend

Published by admin on Wed, 06/18/2025 - 9:27am
Greetings! Where to start?
Very early Saturday, June 14 Vance Boelter, dressed as a police officer and driving a police car, entered the home of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and shot and killed her and her husband, Mark. Hortman’s home is located in Brooklyn Park, a suburb located north of Minneapolis. Next, just nine miles away in a town called Champlin, Vance Boelter entered the home of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and shot him and his wife, Yvette. Both are still alive but in critical condition in a Minneapolis hospital.

Hey, at least they are trying

Published by admin on Wed, 06/11/2025 - 10:34am

Last Thursday we attended a meeting hosted by a group that seeks to abolish property taxes in South Dakota. The group is led by familiar faces—former District 30 Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller, her husband, Mike Mueller, who is a frequent face on the political scene, and Matt Smith, who ran for office in District 30 a couple of years ago. All three can safely be labeled conservative Republicans.

What type of person do you want to be?

Published by admin on Wed, 06/11/2025 - 10:32am

Are there any other Jane Austen fans out there?
The other day, I saw a shirt that said, “Introverted but will talk about Jane Austen,” and laughed because it’s true. If there’s one subject I could talk about for hours, it’s Jane Austen’s novels.
However, as popular as Jane Austen is, one of my favorite novels by her isn’t very well known. In 1817, “Northanger Abbey” was published after Austen’s death. Although most people know “Northanger Abbey” as a satire of Gothic novels, it is also a beautiful coming-of-age story and a critique on choosing friends wisely.

Regarding the men’s state penitentiary

Published by admin on Wed, 06/11/2025 - 8:43am
Greetings! Back in March, maybe March 2, we discussed our need for a new penitentiary; let’s just call it “the pen.”
Our current facility is located inside the city limits of Sioux Falls. It was constructed in 1891. Back then this location was north of Sioux Falls but the city has grown in the last 133 years.
For the past 10 years I have been attending, a couple times a year, a church service in the pen. The Lutheran Churches of South Dakota, both ELCA and NALC sign up for a Thursday evening service. 

Let’s keep our heads out there on the road

Published by admin on Wed, 06/04/2025 - 9:30am

We’ve all been there. All you want to do is get to Rapid City. Or Hot Springs. Pick the destination. It’s summertime, so traffic is exponentially worse than a February afternoon. There are visitors from near and far cramming the roads with you. There are tour busses. There are giant RVs. There are bikers. There are people stopping to gawk at animals we see on a daily basis, so we don’t see what is the big deal. And, lest we forget, those J-turns in downtown Custer as tourists cross the double yellow lines on Mt. Rushmore Road to pull into a parking spot.