Hill City Prevailer

School board turns over seat to Holcomb

Published by admin on Wed, 07/22/2026 - 9:49am
With the end of one fiscal year and the beginning of the next, the Hill City School Board of Education wrapped up the ’25-’26 school year, and began the ’26-’27 year, all in one evening. 
Board member Todd Grabow finished out his term, stepping down after four years of service to the board. Superintendent Blake Gardner presented Grabow with a friend of education plaque to honor his time on the board. 

Aldermen create board to look into new tax

Published by admin on Wed, 07/22/2026 - 9:45am
Aldermen approved appointments to the Community Area Projects (CAPs) board at the July 13 Hill City Common Council  (HCCC) meeting.
This inches the city closer to the possibility of adding an additional 1 percent sales tax. The process, which is a result of the passage of House Bill 1245, is cumbersome but begins with what is known as a Capital Improvement Board (CIB). 

Water concerns force shut down

Published by admin on Wed, 07/22/2026 - 9:42am
Bulk water has been shut off in Keystone. That is according to public works supervisor Jerry Przybylski, who explained at the July 15 Keystone Town Board meeting concerns about having enough water for businesses and residents. 
“There’s wells all around here that are drying up,” Przybylski said, adding that he wanted to “focus on Keystone first.” Przybylski added that if the KBarS expansion was complete, “we would be struggling.” 

Surge in advance voting for Republican runoff driven by party switchers, county auditors say

Published by admin on Wed, 07/22/2026 - 9:37am
Advance voting in the runoff for the South Dakota Republican nomination for governor is ahead of the pace it was on for the primary election, and some county election officials are attributing it to people switching parties.
“I’ve got an election coordinator and that’s basically all she’s been doing since the primary: processing those party changes as they come in,” said Brown County auditor Lynn Heupel.

County discusses ambulances, alternative energy

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:59am
Commissioners discussed a future ambulance service in rural Pennington County following the Rapid City Fire Department’s notice that ambulance service outside the Rapid City municipal limits will end  effective Dec. 31 without a viable funding mechanism. The discussion took place at the July 9 Pennington County Commission meeting.

1880 Train goes off track in Keystone

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:55am
A railroad car on the  1880 Train came off its tracks at approximately 2 p.m. Saturday, July 11. The derailment happened about four miles outside of Keystone just as the train  made one of its numerous crossings of Old Hill City Road.
Dawn Stevens was a passenger aboard the train when the derailment took place. She was traveling with her daughter-and son- in-law as well as an 11-month-old infant. This was the fourth trip for Stevens on the train, and her ride on the train from Keystone to Hill City was uneventful. 

Pennington county responds to cyber incident

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:46am
On July 5, it was announced that Pennington County was responding to a cybersecurity incident affecting portions of its network. Offices were closed for the Independence Day holiday and remained closed July 6 for most face to face public interactions.

Another goring in Custer State Park

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:42am
A Hot Springs woman was Life Flighted to Monument Health Hospital - Rapid City after being gored by a buffalo bull while hiking on Lover’s Leap Trail in Custer State Park June 6.
Custer County Sheriff Derrick Reifenrath said the victim reported she was on the trail around 3:30 p.m. when she suddenly came upon the bull—startling both her and the bull—from a short distance.
The bull reportedly charged almost immediately, goring the woman in the leg and tossing her across the nearby creek alongside the trail.

South Dakota T. rex fetches $50 million at auction

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:37am
A Tyrannosaurus rex fossil discovered on a ranch in western South Dakota has sold for more than $50 million in an auction held Tuesday morning in New York.
According to the Sotheby’s website, the auction is closed and the dinosaur fossil nicknamed “Gus” was sold for $50.13 million after starting at $19 million, one of the highest sales ever for such a fossil. The sale price is well above the $30 million price estimated by Sotheby’s prior to the sale.
No information was provided about the buyer.

County begins budget process

Published by admin on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 9:43am
Pennington County Commissioners have begun to look at the 2027 budget. The initial request is $129,308,471, an increase of 1.75 percent over the 2026 budget. 
“We’re already starting from a position of having some pretty high expenditures,” said Jordan Neeb, commission office director.
Personnel makes up a large part of the increase. 
“It’s kind of a trend that speaks for itself,” Neeb said. “It’s going up. And going up and going up.”