Hill City Prevailer

Lori Miner wins council election

Published by admin on Wed, 06/04/2025 - 8:52am
Lori Miner will remain on the Hill City Common Council after emerging victorious from yesterday’s election, the lone city council race in this spring’s election.
Polls stayed open until 7 p.m. as voters in Ward 2  chose between Miner, the incumbent, and challenger John Johnson for alderman. 
Miner received 39 votes while Johnson received 13. 

New law changes Keystone elections

Published by admin on Wed, 06/04/2025 - 8:43am
The Town of Keystone is seeing some changes to its election as a result of the passage of House Bill 1130. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Will Mortenson of District 24 and signed into law March 25 by Gov. Larry Rhoden.
Mortenson said the main rationale behind the bill was to “make it easier for people to vote and to increase voter participation. The current system of holding elections on random dates is confusing for the voters and leads to turnout of 2 percent, 3 percent or 5 percent of the voters, as we’ve seen this year.”

School projects get the go from city

Published by admin on Wed, 06/04/2025 - 8:42am
A floodplain development permit for the Hill City School District was approved at the May 27 Hill City Common Council (HCCC) meeting.
The school intends to  build a 600 square-foot addition to the high school by the fitness center entrance. This will accommodate a small boiler room. The cost of the project is $801,730. The Hill City high school property sits in the floodplain.
Schools are a critical structure and need to be considered in the 500-year floodplain requirements. 

County seeks input on administration building hours

Published by admin on Wed, 06/04/2025 - 8:41am
Six people showed up in Keystone to a listen and share session held by Pennington County regarding proposed changes to  the hours of operation for the Pennington County Administration Building.
The May 28 session was conducted by marketing manager Cody Wiseman and recruiter/social media manager Sage Nichols.

Seasonal workers the 'face' of major South Dakota attractions

Published by admin on Wed, 06/04/2025 - 8:32am
Despite consistent visitation in recent years and record-breaking visitor spending, critical South Dakota tourist attractions remain subject to broader concerns as the peak tourist season begins.
The most common challenge is finding adequate workforce. A panel discussion featured in an upcoming episode of South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s (SDPB)  “South Dakota Focus” brought current and former leaders of three major West River attractions together to discuss the workforce needed to handle the busiest months for visitors.

Trustees issue apology to staff

Published by admin on Wed, 05/28/2025 - 9:29am
After an earlier plea from Keystone Town Board president Casey McNulty trustees issued a formal apology to city staff at the May 21 Keystone town board meeting. McNulty addressed statements made by trustee Matt Fullilove at the May 7 meeting, saying, “Such public allegations, particularly when unsupported, are not only damaging on a personal but also a professional level.” 
He requested at a minimum that the person “who made these statements issue a public apology to the city staff, whose integrity was called into question without due cause.” 

Mixer highlights need for feedback for new site

Published by admin on Wed, 05/28/2025 - 9:29am
The new Keystone tourism website was unveiled to about 30 people who attended a marketing outreach mixer at the KBarS in Keystone May 22.
“We’re in this together,” said Keystone Town Board president Casey McNulty, who alongside new director of tourism Laura Schluckebier formally introduced the new website to town board trustees, city staff, marketing consultants and business owners from the Keystone area.
“We’re all on the same team,” McNulty said. “We want it to be Keystone for the future.”

New entrance station comes to state park

Published by admin on Wed, 05/28/2025 - 9:19am
Locals and visitors will notice a new seasonal entrance station to Custer State Park this season. The building is already visible on Playhouse Road about a mile after the junction with Hwy. 16A.
“While the park has previously operated a temporary stop during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, staff have observed a noticeable increase in traffic along this route beyond the rally period,” said Nick Harrington with Game, Fish and Parks. “The new entrance station will allow park staff to assist guests with passes, provide maps and answer questions as they enter the park.”

Resident questions meter vs user surcharge

Published by admin on Wed, 05/21/2025 - 9:35am
Aldermen approved a contract to begin engineering work on the city wastewater treatment plant update at the May 12 Hill City Common Council  (HCCC) meeting. The contract, task order No. 8, costs the city $1,238,650. Joe Noble, from city engineer AE2S, said the contract covers the city for engineering for the entire project, including phases two and three. The city received complete funding for the water project but is phasing out the sewer project.

The Heart of the Hills, an artery with no veins

Published by admin on Wed, 05/21/2025 - 9:34am
Hill City has long been known as “the Heart of the Hills” for its central location in the Black Hills and the recreational opportunities that come with it. The famed Mickelson Trail has served as a sort of artery, running through the Black Hills since its first stage of completion in 1991.
What is a heart with one artery and no veins? That is exactly what the founders of Hill City Trails thought in 2020 when they sparked the vision for a local network of hiking and biking trails to connect its heart to the hills that surround it.