Custer County Chronicle

A little light to push back the dark

Published by admin on Wed, 03/18/2026 - 11:54am

I never notice when the street lamps turn off. By then, the sun has already crested the horizon, sending beams of pink, orange, purple and yellow light across the sky. There’s enough light at that time of the day that you don’t notice when a few lights go out. 
It’s a different story in the evening when darkness is creeping down the alleyways and filtering through store windows. The other day, I watched as all the street lights clicked on at once, lighting up my drive home from work. I marveled at the difference it made. 

Predictable ending at DHS for Kristi Noem

Published by admin on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 11:05am

Former South Dakota governor Kristi Noem’s tumultuous run as the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) came to an abrupt—albeit predictable—ending last Thursday when she was removed by President Donald Trump. Removed. Fired. Ousted. Replaced. We’ve seen all those words used. Argue semantics all you want. Whatever makes you feel best.

Assessing the hoops season that was

Published by admin on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 11:04am

It seems like it was only yesterday I was running around the Monument covering the Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI). Now, as I sit down and write this Thursday morning, basketball season is over for Custer High School. Time sure does fly.

Working on real property tax reform

Published by admin on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 9:46am
Five years ago, I was told by the Department of Revenue that the drastic increase in property taxes was an anomaly. Unfortunately, we now know that wasn’t the case. 
Since then, many of us in the legislative body have worked on this problem, not just for our own constituents, but for all South Dakotans. Whether you live East River or West River, whether you’re a retiree on a fixed income living in a $300,000 home, or a young professional family with two incomes and kids around the kitchen table, housing affordability matters to every one of them.

Property tax relief is on the way

Published by admin on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 9:45am
Greetings. Well, we’re down to the last four days of session. This past week was one of the best I’ve had in my eight years in the House. Here we go: SB36, wildlife mitigation plans, associated liability limitations for wildfire damages. I am the House prime, it passed and is on the governor’s desk for signature. Like I mentioned last week, this was a huge deal and it felt good getting it across the finish line.

State of our union is still divided

Published by admin on Wed, 03/04/2026 - 2:56pm

You can actually pinpoint the exact moment in time that the annual State of the Union address given by the President of the United States turned into the circus it is today. If you want to point a finger, look no further than Rep. Joe Wilson.
It was Sept. 9, 2009, during then-President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address that Wilson shouted “You lie!” at President Obama when he said his health care plan would not cover undocumented immigrants. Wilson later apologized for what was then considered an outrageous breach of decorum. Now? Par for the course.

Saving us from the price of ‘Freedom’

Published by admin on Wed, 03/04/2026 - 2:56pm

A state senator recently offered an insightful opinion on South Dakota’s property tax conundrum.
He was arguing, unsuccessfully, for a bill incentivizing data center construction. But his comments made a broader point.
“What’s happened in South Dakota is we get people moving here for freedom, and that’s great,” said Sen. Steve Kolbeck, R-Sioux Falls. “But then they work from home. And there is no large commercial building paying property tax.”

A record amount of bills were filed

Published by admin on Wed, 03/04/2026 - 9:08am
Throughout history there have been moments marked by history-making speeches. On Feb. 14, during an 18-minute address in Munich, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, delivered remarks that received a standing ovation.
Notably, he did not speak of dismantling or undermining the efforts of our ancestors in Europe or America. Instead, he emphasized unity of purpose, the importance of collaboration and rebuilding together. If you have not had the opportunity to hear his remarks, I encourage you to search “Rubio in Munich” and listen for yourself.

Two weeks left in this year’s session

Published by admin on Wed, 03/04/2026 - 8:52am
Greetings. We’re down to the last two weeks of session, the fourth quarter so to speak. On Monday, I present SB36 “to establish wildlife mitigation plans and associated liability limitations for wildfire damages.” I’m prime sponsor in the House. We got this through Commerce and Energy Committee 11-0. Now we need a majority floor vote to send it to the governor to become law. This is a huge deal and hopefully when I write next week it has become reality.

At least we’re not in Wyoming

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 3:00pm

If you’re following our state legislature and find yourself upset with something or even a few things that are coming out of it, it’s important to remember that we could always have it worse. We only have to look to our west to see how much more, let’s say, odd, a state legislature can act.