Hill City Prevailer

Trump delivers July 4 address

Published by admin on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 9:42am
On the eve of the nation’s 250th birthday, President Donald Trump used his address Friday night at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota to allege that there is “a resurgence of the communist menace in our land.”
“Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty,” Trump said. “It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor or even 9/11.”

Rock strike adds days to project

Published by admin on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 9:40am
Keystone trustees approved a change order for the sewer upsize project, adding six days to the project completion. The move came at the July 1 Keystone Town Board meeting. The change is a result of workers hitting rock during the construction. The new project completion day is Oct. 7.  
A majority of the meeting was spent discussing two permits for McNulty Enterprises, both on 3rd Street. Trustee David Cofoid had questions about the sewer mains being trenched in with the water mains which he said is “illegal.”

Trump will attend July 3 Mount Rushmore fireworks

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 9:59am
President Donald Trump will attend the first fireworks display in six years at Mount Rushmore National Memorial July 3, according to announcements Thursday morning from Freedom 250 and Gov. Larry Rhoden.

City accepts bid, declines alternates

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 9:57am
Hill City received six bids on the booster pumps and pressure reducing valve (PRV) project that is phase one of the water project. The recommendation from the city engineer and staff at AE2S was to approve only the base bid and dismiss the alternative, which is what aldermen chose to do at the June 22 Hill City Common Council (HCCC) meeting.
“We still seem to be way off from the actual number of the boosters,” city engineer Joe Noble said. 

BID tax increase proposal draws discussion

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 9:54am
Executive director Carmen Schramm of the Tourism Coalition of South Dakota (TCSD), hosted a feedback session Tuesday at the High Country Guest Ranch to provide information about changes to the South Dakota Hotel Occupancy Business Improvement District (BID) legislation and gather input from community members.

Petition fails to gather enough signatures

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 9:48am
Opponents of a new law that uses a higher state sales tax rate to fund property tax reductions for homeowners said Friday they did not collect enough petition signatures to put the measure on the Nov. 3 ballot.
South Dakotans for Fair Taxes needed 17,508 signatures from registered South Dakota voters to refer the law. A press release from the group announcing its failure to reach that threshold did not say how many signatures were gathered. The law will take effect Wednesday.

Independence Day travel could reach record levels

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 9:47am
As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day during the nation’s 250th anniversary year, South Dakotans will join millions of travelers on the road despite rising costs for gasoline, hotels and airfare.
AAA projects that 216,942 South Dakotans will travel during the Independence Day holiday period, which runs from June 27 through July 5. The forecast represents a slight increase from 215,448 travelers in 2025 and 214,201 in 2024, continuing a steady upward trend in holiday travel.

‘They just won’t listen:’ Rural SD nears postal breaking point

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 9:47am
At Petersen’s Variety store, there are no less than three signs in the window advertising that residents of Philip can ship, pick up and drop off packages via UPS. The store is just a block away from the town’s post office.
Residents in this western South Dakota town may be forgiven for choosing the—often more expensive—private shipping company over the nation’s postal service: Long delivery times and unreliable service have led to growing distrust and dissatisfaction with the United States Postal Service’s operations in rural parts of the state.

County approve Black Hills Marketplace TIF

Published by admin on Wed, 06/24/2026 - 9:38am
The Pennington County Board of Commissioners approved the creation of Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District No. 8 for the Black Hills Marketplace development during its meeting June 3, marking a significant investment in future housing, commercial growth, infrastructure improvements and economic development in western Rapid City.

Keystone gets gaga pit, hears summer updates

Published by admin on Wed, 06/24/2026 - 9:37am
There is still no word on whether an official dog park will be allowed in Keystone, but trustees did approve a request for a gaga ball pit, an enclosed variation of dodgeball. That approval came at the June 17 Keystone Town Board meeting.
Keystone Area Historical Society Board president Deb Dargatz gave samples of vanilla ice cream made with the original Thomas Jefferson recipe that will be for sale at  Keystone Museum as a fundraiser for the Living History School program next spring. The museum “just about broke even” for the program this year.