Hill City Prevailer

County freezes hiring temporarily

Published by admin on Wed, 08/27/2025 - 4:48pm

Creative ways to cut. That seemed to be the sentiment of the Pennington County Commissioners when they met Aug. 19 to discuss the 2026 provisional budget, among other things. 
Commissioner Jerry Derr’s sentiment seemed to be in favor of consolidating services by means of finding commonalities in certain county positions.
“One of the biggest issues that I’ve seen coming in is trying to get a handle on our personnel and what those costs are,” Derr said. 

Keystone trustees ordered to keep apart

Published by admin on Wed, 08/27/2025 - 4:44pm

A one month order for protection has been granted to Keystone Town Board president  Casey McNulty  against fellow town trustee Matt Fullilove. The two men appeared in court Aug. 25 in front of Seventh Circuit Court Judge Janki Sharma. Both men brought witnesses to the hearing. 
The order of protection states that Fullilove is restrained from acts of abuse, making threats of abuse, stalking or harassment.  In addition Fullilove is not permitted to have contact with McNulty directly or indirectly including via phone, email or third party contact.

Keystone trustees opt to align sewer line

Published by admin on Wed, 08/27/2025 - 4:43pm

Keystone trustees voted to keep the same existing location for the new upsized sewer line. The pros and cons of the location were discussed at the Aug. 20 Keystone Town Board meeting. 
Keystone town engineer Zach Grapentine said the benefit of following the existing alignment is the underground had been disturbed, whereas to the south, the town could find bedrock or boulders. 
“I would suspect there aren’t going to be any critical areas we’re gonna run into,” Grapentine said, using the existing alignment. 

SDPB cuts announced prompting campaign of support

Published by admin on Wed, 08/27/2025 - 4:42pm

A campaign to fund South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) is underway, with the goal of reaching $2 million in identifiable contributions by Oct. 31. Called the Bison Campaign, the fundraising effort hopes to stabilize current operations and protect the future of SDPB.
Earlier this year Congress voted to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting. This amounted to a $2.3 million cut  from SDPB’s annual budget.

Aldermen nix funding for two more entities

Published by admin on Wed, 08/20/2025 - 10:41am
The first reading of the Hill City 2026 budget ordinance was approved at the  Aug. 11 Hill City Common Council (HCCC) meeting, with aldermen choosing not to fund either the Hill City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) or the Hill City Boys and Girls Club.
General Fund expenditures total $2,092,530 and include $95,057.24 for the cemetery, $2,000 for the ambulance, $128,711.28 for parks, $15,000 for the Hill City Center and $181,470.45 for the library.
There was $292,500 set aside from the Bed, Board and Booze Fund for promotion of the city.

School board celebrates achievements, sets goals

Published by admin on Wed, 08/20/2025 - 10:40am
The Hill City School District Board of Education met last Monday night with plenty of accomplishments to applaud and plans for the year ahead.
Superintendent Blake Gardner congratulated the board on earning the South Dakota School Board Award of Excellence, presented at the Associated School Boards of South Dakota conference in Sioux Falls. Gardner, along with board members Rob Timm, Eric Lind and Carmen Ronish, were able to attend the event and accepted the award on behalf of the board.

Capitol work looms as major expense

Published by admin on Wed, 08/20/2025 - 10:34am
As South Dakota lawmakers consider spending $650 million to build a prison, another major building expense is looming: the first full restoration of the state Capitol in nearly 40 years.
The state official in charge of planning the restoration is Darin Seeley, commissioner of the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration. When he briefed a committee of legislators during a public meeting Tuesday at the Capitol, one of them asked for a ballpark estimate of the cost.

New public restrooms take shape in Keystone

Published by admin on Wed, 08/13/2025 - 9:22am
Discussion about the Town of Keystone’s future public bathrooms took place at the Aug. 6 Keystone Town Board meeting. The idea is to combine both a visitor center and restroom facility into one. The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) will remove the current public restroom on Swanzey Street as part of a 2026 bridge project in town. 
Town engineer Zach Grapentine said the town is looking at a 18 x 44 footprint for the new public restrooms building.

Hill City locks up prison decision

Published by admin on Wed, 08/06/2025 - 10:21am
Aldermen did not mince words at the July 28 Hill City Common Council meeting as they said a hard no thank you to the idea of submitting a proposal for a state prison in Hill City.
Mayor Tana Nichols thanked Rep. Tim Goodwin for his presentation at the last Hill City Common Council (HCCC) meeting but said “we will not be pursuing the idea at this time.”

School board receives top state award

Published by admin on Wed, 08/06/2025 - 10:19am
For the sixth consecutive year  the Hill City School Board of Education (HCSBE) has achieved Gold Level Status from the Associated School Boards of South Dakota (ASBSD). This year the board has taken its successful record to the next level, earning the prestigious 2025 School Board Award of Excellence, the highest distinction a school board can receive in the state.
Superintendent Blake Gardner surprised the board with the announcement at the July school board meeting on the 14th.