Custer County Chronicle

Honoring the best of Custer

Published by admin on Wed, 10/22/2025 - 10:21am

Some stars in Custer are older than others. But they all shine brightly.
From 16 to 98, the best of Custer were honored at the annual Custer Area Chamber of Commerce Membership Banquet held last Thursday evening at the Events Barn in Custer State Park.

School CTE building nears completion

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

The Custer County School District Board of Education  Oct. 13 at the Hermosa School was the first of their meetings to be live-streamed, a new option for those wishing to stay informed but unable to attend meetings in person. 

County gets French Creek flood mitigation update

Published by admin on Wed, 10/22/2025 - 10:17am

Nick Marnach, civil engineer with RESPEC Engineering, appeared before the Custer County Commission at the Oct. 8 meeting to present an update regarding the French Creek Flood Mitigation Scoping project. 
“This work that we’re doing is a result of work that RESPEC has done in the past with Headwater Economics, and we’re partnering with DGR Engineering,” Marnach said. “Subsequent work was advanced from work we completed in 2023 and 2024 in the French Creek Flood Mitigation study.” 

City won’t require sidewalk to nowhere

Published by admin on Wed, 10/15/2025 - 9:46am

Ozzy Osbourne once sang “The Road to Nowhere leads to me.”
As for the sidewalk to nowhere? That’s at the future home of Premier Family Eyecare. Well, at least for now.
At the Oct. 6 meeting of the Custer City Council, Adam Pequette of Lloyd Construction, on behalf of Premier Family Eyecare owner Nathan Wiederholt, requested and received a variance from city ordinance that technically requires a rebuild of a sidewalk that will be torn out as construction on the new building at 23 N. 1st Street progresses.

Mikkelson ousted

Published by admin on Wed, 10/15/2025 - 9:45am

Bradley Mikkelson is now a former member of the Fairburn Town Board after losing a recall election held Oct. 7 in the small town in eastern Custer County.
Mikkelson was defeated by former board member Melissa Kremer, who gained 21 votes to Mikkelson’s eight.
The town’s board of trustees will canvass the votes when it meets next week. Kremer will also take her oath of office at the same meeting.
A petition signed by 18 town residents was circulated by Cameron Smith and served as the catalyst for the recall.

Medical call leads to aggravated assault

Published by admin on Wed, 10/15/2025 - 9:44am

A medical call turned into charges for aggravated assault and grand theft in Hermosa Oct. 2. 
According to Custer County Sheriff Department Sgt. Derrick Reifenrath, a 911 call came into the dispatch center from Michael Kopeski, a 37-year-old male from Colorado Springs, Colo., from a Hermosa truck stop at 10:04 p.m. Oct. 2. The call was transferred to Pennington County for medical dispatch. A Custer County deputy was also notified about the situation and started heading that direction. 

Section line vacation denied by commission

Published by admin on Wed, 10/15/2025 - 9:44am

A section line vacation petition drew a small crowd for the Custer County Commission meeting Oct. 8 at the courthouse. 
Daniel and Amy Scherer, as well as Cleveland Trimble, petitioned Custer County to vacate a portion of a 66-foot-wide section line of highway right-of-way. The petition was advertised in the Custer County Chronicle Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, and all adjacent landowners were sent certified letters. 

Officials pledge to cover lighting during shutdown

Published by admin on Wed, 10/15/2025 - 9:43am

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has pledged to pay $217 of his own money to keep Mount Rushmore lit for the next week.
Rhoden’s Saturday morning announcement came in tandem with pledges from West River lawmakers to personally pay the national memorial’s nightly lighting ceremony bills. Rhoden pledged to cover seven nights. Various lawmakers and one private citizen have made pledges to pay the daily bill after Rhoden if the shutdown continues.
The nightly light bill is $30.94, Rhoden spokeswoman Josie Harms told South Dakota Searchlight.

Big Valley Road District presents usage concerns

Published by admin on Wed, 10/15/2025 - 9:42am

Whose problem is it, and who is supposed to deal with the situation? That’s what the Custer County Commission and Big Valley Road District representative Thomas Veigh discussed at the meeting at the courthouse Oct. 8. 
Veigh explained that the Big Valley Road District had a problem with a commercial vacation rental property using its residential road for access. Part of the issue, he said, was that due diligence was not completed and notice was not given to the district and neighborhood before the subdivision was formed for commercial use. 

County passes $13 million budget

Published by admin on Wed, 10/08/2025 - 2:54pm

Custer County will spend $13.2 million in 2026, after the Custer County Commission formally approved its final budget for next year at a special Sept. 24 meeting.
The budget of $13,221,560 is up around $170,000 as compared to last year’s budget, which was $13,050,418.
The highway and bridge fund is down slightly, from $3.44 million a year ago to $3.4 million in 2026. The sheriff’s budget rose again this year, from $1.918 million last year to cresting $2 million for the first time at $2,031,663.