Hill City Prevailer

County approves variance despite opposition

Published by admin on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 9:54am
A variance request for Russ Johnson to allow more than 40 dwellings on a dead end road was heard by the Pennington County Commission May 19. The recommended motion  by the county’s planning department was to deny the variance, “as it is counter to the public safety and interest and there are no special conditions on the subject property that would support approval,” according to commission documents. 
An alternate motion to approve the variance with two conditions was also proposed, which is ultimately what commissioners decided to do.

A look at who is on the ballot

Published by admin on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 9:54am
Voters will take to the polls June 2 in the Republican Primary and local Hill City election. 
Tana Nichols, the incumbent mayor of Hill City, is running against a familiar name, Kathy Skorzewski, who was previously mayor of the town until 2023.
Ward I voters can choose between incumbent Justin Thiry or Cheryl Honour. In Ward II, incumbent Dennis Siebert is facing opposition from John Johnson.

Concerns addressed over speed in town

Published by admin on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 9:52am
Complaints of traffic going through Main Street too fast were brought up by trustee David Cofoid at the May 20 Keystone Town Board meeting.
Cofoid said he has seen pedestrians jump back from cars and skid marks of trucks trying to brake fast. The finance officer will discuss the crosswalks with the South Dakota Department of Transportation. Cofoid also addressed scooters and bikes that are parked on city property. 

School board celebrates good news, progress

Published by admin on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 9:51am
The Hill City School District Board of Education met last Monday for its last meeting of the school year. 
A handful of Hill City High School students competed at the SkillsUSA competition, and they were present to tell the board about their experience. 
A team of four—Justin Worden, Alec Gelvin, Karson Kolb and Ayden Kurtz—competed in the TeamWorks competition, finishing in fourth place, while Addyson Kurtz won in photography and T-shirt design. 

Hayward area structure fire escalates to two alarms

Published by admin on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 9:44am
The Battle Creek Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 13000 block of Lost Cave Rd., rural Keystone, May 15.
First arriving firefighters found a free burning fire with a heavy smoke condition issuing from the interior of a single story, residential structure with fire extending into the ceiling and roof assembly.
Additionally, fire extended to adjacent trees, vegetation, agriculture shelters, causing smoke, heat and fire damage.

Widow of Vietnam War veteran encourages more nominees

Published by admin on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 9:42am
A South Dakota woman wants more families of Vietnam veterans to know about a national program honoring those who came home from war and later died.
Bonnie Bjork’s husband, Timothy, died on March 3. She said he suffered from health problems related to Agent Orange exposure. This year, he is being honored through the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory program.
“I believe very few individuals know about this program,” Bjork told South Dakota Searchlight. “And these men deserve to be honored.” 

Board of Regents ‘leaning in’ to AI use

Published by admin on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 9:40am
South Dakota universities are “leaning in” to artificial intelligence, state Board of Regents President Jeff Partridge said at a meeting in Custer.
The system that oversees the state’s public universities plans to formulate regulations for AI use throughout 2026 and 2027, focusing on how the technology should be governed; how to teach students, faculty and staff to use it; and how to implement it into curriculum and research.
Board members said the plan will help prepare students to use AI ethically and effectively once they graduate.

Town discusses proposed project

Published by admin on Wed, 05/20/2026 - 11:04am
A packed house once again filled city hall as the Hill City Common Council (HCCC) discussed the future development of multiple parcels along Pine Avenue and Main Street. The May 11 discussion resulted in no action and mayor Tana Nichols stressed early on the proposed five story hotel is still in the “conceptual” stage.

Bridge getting replaced after long wait

Published by admin on Wed, 05/20/2026 - 11:00am
South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) representatives held an open house preconstruction meeting for Keystone residents to learn more about the U.S. Hwy. 16A project at the intersection of Hwy 40 in Keystone. This project has been delayed for several years, partially due to other projects in the area and the inability to get Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) permits needed to do some of the work originally planned east on Hwy. 40. That work has now been eliminated from the project. 

Mueller, Bush vie for District 1 commission

Published by admin on Wed, 05/20/2026 - 10:52am
Two Republican candidates are vying for a four-year seat on the Pennington County (PC) Commission for District 1—Mike Mueller and Zachary Bush. The winner of the June 2 primary election will face Independent Leslie Hladysz in the general election.