Custer County Chronicle

Frisch gets five years in prison

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:51pm

Chief judge Roberto Lange, U.S. District Court, sentenced Nathan Frisch, former teacher at Custer Elementary School, to five years in federal prison and five years supervised release at a sentencing hearing on April 25. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. attorney Heather Knox Sazama. Defense attorney Paul Andrews represented Frisch.
Lange stated multiple times that this case was a “head scratcher,” regarding a man who had what appeared to be a healthy public life and marriage, with the hidden, decades-long issue of child pornography.

How is the chamber funded?

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:50pm

The Custer Area Chamber of Commerce doesn’t collect money from property tax. It doesn’t have a giant pool of money sitting around waiting to be tapped for various projects around town. Its board of directors aren’t paid.
Those are just three pieces of misinformation frequently spread on social media, something chamber director Dawn Murray and chamber board members say can be frustrating.

Monument Health: Rapid City hospital ratings have risen

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:50pm

After two years with the lowest possible health and safety rating from the federal government, Monument Health’s score will rise from a one-star to a three-star rating when the new results are released publicly in July, the Rapid City hospital said Wednesday.
“These achievements demonstrate the effectiveness of our ongoing quality initiatives, and we will continue to strive for excellence in all aspects of patient care,” Jill Tice, Monument Health vice president of quality, safety and risk management, said in a news release.

Two more sentenced in carjacking case

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:48pm

An El Salvadoran man and a Kersey, Colo., woman convicted of a variety of following offenses were sentenced to prison time for their role in the carjacking and kidnapping of an FBI agent.
Deyvin Morales, 29, of Guatemala, was sentenced April 26 to 47 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
Karla Lopez-Gutierrez, 29, was sentenced to 26-1⁄2 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
The sentencing was conducted by United States District Judge Karen E. Schreier.

School district awarded workforce development grant

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:32pm

The Custer School District Board of Education was recently awarded a Workforce Development Grant by the South Dakota Department of Education after submitting its application earlier this spring.

Chronicle wins 10 SDNA awards

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2024 - 11:20am

Writing, photography and advertising were among the categories the Custer County Chronicle was honored for at the most recent gathering of the South Dakota NewsMedia Association (SDNA).
The Custer County Chronicle received 10 awards last Friday, April 26, as part of the Better News Media contest, one event at the 141st annual SDNA convention. The Chronicle was entered in the category for all weekly newspapers with a circulation over 1,300.

French Creek discharge hits state supreme court

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2024 - 11:17am

Water quality advocates in Custer County want the state Supreme Court to make the county enforce a voter-backed ordinance barring the discharge of treated wastewater into a creek by the city of Custer.
The city studied four options for discharge and chose French Creek. Since 1972, the city had discharged treated wastewater into Flynn Creek. But rebuilding its discharge pipe for Flynn Creek would be too expensive, the city and its contractor determined in 2020, and there were environmental concerns with the other options.

Landowners ‘feel sidelined’ regarding French Creek

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2024 - 11:14am

Critics of a city’s decision to release treated wastewater into a scenic and historic Black Hills creek say it could pollute the water and is being done without sufficient input from affected residents.
The city of Custer is upgrading its wastewater treatment system because of projected population growth and maintenance problems with the current system.
The upgrade includes building a new pipe to discharge the city’s treated wastewater into French Creek, downstream of Stockade Lake, and decommissioning the current discharge pipe into Flynn Creek.

Owner-occupied definition questioned

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2024 - 11:13am

What qualifies for owner-occupied status when it comes to assessing property in South Dakota? It depends on who you ask.
In Custer County, however, a strict interpretation is followed—much to the chagrin of some—and the recommendation to continue to strictly follow state statute was given again by Custer County state’s attorney Tracy Kelley at the April 24 meeting of the Custer County Commission.

Big Apple gets a bite of South Dakota

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2024 - 11:13am

As New York City is a hub of national and international media, Travel South Dakota recently assembled a sampling of some of   South Dakota’s best businesses and attractions to bring a bite of South Dakota to the Big Apple.
Writers and producers from major print and TV media outlets as well as social media influencers met with representatives from the South Dakota Chislic Festival, the Ingalls Homestead, the Sturgis Buffalo Chip, the Lakota Music Project, Fernson Brewery and more in a media blitz that took place in Manhattan this April.