Custer County Chronicle

Community responds after fire

Published by admin on Thu, 03/03/2022 - 10:59am

“Oh my God! We are beyond thankful!”
That was the emotional response of Michelle Bennett to the outpouring of support from the Custer community after she, her fiance and her three daughters lost their home to a fire on Feb. 21.
“I can’t express how awesome this community is,” said Bennett. “I’ve gotten hundreds—HUNDREDS—of messages. There’s no way we could do this without the community, that’s for sure.”

Cases falling, masks coming off

Published by admin on Thu, 03/03/2022 - 10:54am

Active COVID-19 cases in South Dakota have fallen to the lowest level since Nov. 9. There were 427 new infections over the President’s Day weekend, and active cases continue to plummet.
It has been one month since the state set a record for active cases at 36,247, according to the Rapid City Journal. Active cases have fallen every day since reaching that high point. Hospitalizations continue to decrease, as does the number of people in intensive care units due to COVID-19.

Plowing complaint discussed

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 10:06am

A petition is circulating in the Town of Buffalo Gap demanding answers from the Custer County Commission regarding the plowing of snow on county roads in the town in the wake of a Dec. 11, 2021 snowstorm that some in town feel made roads impassable thanks to a lack of plowing.
The commission, however, feels all that could be done was done, and that county highway superintendent Jess Doyle went above and beyond to try to clear the roads.

Parking dispute leads to assault

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 10:05am

 By Ron Burtz

Trade Show Saturday

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 10:04am

Vendors from as far away as Gillette, Wyo., and Broken Bow, Neb., will be showing their wares and services this Saturday at the Custer Armory during the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Trade Show. Everything from lamb meat to UTVs and power equipment will be on display and this year participants can even test out a mattress.

Fire destroys Pine St. garage

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 9:57am

Firefighters from numerous surrounding departments responded to a garage fire Thursday morning in the 1200 block of Pine Street on Custer’s east side. The blaze destroyed the workshop garage at the residence but was doused before it could spread to the house, and a vehicle in the carport between the house and garage appeared to be amazingly unscathed.

Masks, soccer topics at board meeting

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 9:56am

The gallery was full with both teachers and parents for the February meeting of the Custer Board of Education Feb. 14. What had drawn many of them did not remain a mystery for long. During the open forum time at the beginning of the meeting several staff members and parents rose to call for an end to mandatory masking of certain students and staff. The other attraction became evident about midway through the nearly three-hour meeting when a proposal came up on the agenda calling for the high school to form a co-ed soccer team again after a several year absence.

County intends to help with Hermosa water

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 9:54am

The Town of Hermosa is seemingly able to move ahead with plans for a Water Remediation Treatment (WRT) system for its water after the Custer County Commission unanimously voted to obligate $500,000 of the $1.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding it will receive from the federal government.
The county has been considering allocating funds to a few projects with the money, provided they meet requirements as set forth from the U.S. Department of Treasury. The Hermosa water project is one such project.

County GOP calls for ouster of Mayorkas

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 9:53am

Custer County Republicans have taken the unusual step of drafting a resolution calling for the impeachment of the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and asking for his ouster on the grounds that he has committed high crimes and misdemeanors.
On Feb. 1 the county Republican Central Committee voted to adopt the resolution drafted by  Rob McWhorter of Custer as a way of bringing attention to the ongoing situation at America’s southern border.

Report: 73% immune to omicron

Published by admin on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 9:49am

The omicron wave that assaulted the United States this winter also bolstered its defenses, leaving enough protection against the coronavirus that future spikes will likely require much less — if any — dramatic disruption to society.
Millions of individual Americans’ immune systems now recognize the virus and are primed to fight it off if they encounter omicron, or even another variant.