Hill City Prevailer

Rockerville area structure fire held to a single alarm

Published by admin on Wed, 09/24/2025 - 9:56am

The Rockerville Volunteer Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire in the 23000 block of Pine Grove Road, unincorporated Pennington County. Upon arrival, firefighters found an active fire in a detached garage with heavy fire and smoke conditions with fire extending into the ceiling and roof assembly. Rapid attack by firefighters contained  the fire to the structure of origin, stopping the spread of the flames to nearby natural vegetation, infrastructure and other improvements. No injuries to firefighters, civilians, domestic animals or livestock were reported.

Council approves big blue tank mixer

Published by admin on Wed, 09/17/2025 - 9:52am
Aldermen approved an installation of a mixer for the big blue water tower. The contract was awarded to Maguire for $35,000. Public works director Justin Asher explained the options to Hill City Common Council members at the Sept. 8 meeting. 
“I need to put something in it” to keep it from freezing, Asher said, explaining his desire to move away from a variable drive motor. He presented two quotes for a mixer, but said the Pax Water Technologies solution was “a bigger version of what we have now and I’m trying to get away from that.”

Black Hills Energy announces merger

Published by admin on Wed, 09/17/2025 - 9:49am

Black Hills Energy (BHE) and NorthWestern Energy announced a merger that will, according to an Aug. 19 press release, “create a premier regional regulated electric and natural gas utility company with a pro forma market capitalization of approximately $7.8 billion and a combined enterprise value of $15.4 billion.”
BHE president and CEO, Linn Evans said, “The combined company will have greater scale and financial strength to consistently deliver for customers across our service territories and invest at the pace and scale that today’s energy transformation demands.” 

Clubs innovating after budget shortfalls

Published by admin on Wed, 09/17/2025 - 9:46am
Boys and Girls Clubs in some of the most vulnerable communities across South Dakota are finding ways to innovate in the midst of budget cuts.
“The level of disruption that we’re seeing as an organization is, in some ways, trivial compared to the everyday life of most of the kids we serve,” said Rachel Kocak, program director of the Rosebud Boys and Girls Club, which operates in Parmelee, Rosebud and Mission on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

Keystone Museum getting painted

Published by admin on Wed, 09/10/2025 - 9:54am
Despite some concerns, Keystone trustees approved a painting contractor for the  Keystone Museum. Trustee David Cofoid asked the item be put on the Sept. 3 Keystone Town Board agenda, wanting the project started prior to winter. 
“I went and looked at it myself,” Cofoid said. He showed pictures to a contractor who he said agreed it should be done this year.
“It’s got places all the way around where the paint is coming off,” Cofoid said about the building.

Dewey Burdock project could get expedited

Published by admin on Wed, 09/10/2025 - 9:35am
Federal officials have chosen a long-lingering uranium mining proposal in southwestern South Dakota for an expedited permitting process.
That doesn’t mean the Dewey Burdock project is greenlit. Instead, it means the project will be included in FAST-41, a federal process meant to improve coordination among permitting agencies and hold them accountable to deadlines. The 25-person federal Permitting Council says it can shave 18 months off a project’s review time.

Three of five SD governor hopefuls endorse statewide approach to cellphones

Published by admin on Wed, 09/10/2025 - 9:34am
Three candidates hoping to be South Dakota’s next governor support a statewide policy or law banning cellphones from school classrooms. Another said the decision should be left to local school districts, while a potential candidate is seeking local input on the issue.

School board reports positive start to the school year

Published by admin on Wed, 09/10/2025 - 9:33am
It was a full house, or rather staff, at the Hill City School District Board of Education meeting Monday night. With reports from board members and each department director, it was a full agenda, touching on a range of topics.

Leak repair approved for big blue

Published by admin on Wed, 09/03/2025 - 9:41am
The big blue tower leak is one step closer to being repaired. Aldermen voted to approve a quote from TMS in the amount of $16,875. The approval came at the Aug. 25 Hill City Common Council (HCCC) meeting. The quote was not the lowest one received. However, public works director Justin Asher said he is confident that it is the only company to guarantee to fix the tower. 
The other quote, from Great Plains Structures, was for $11,500, but according to Asher, if they show up with a small manlift, “They won’t be able to reach it.” 

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.