News

School, county mill levies decrease

Published by admin on Wed, 01/08/2025 - 9:55am

Pennington County homeowners have received their property tax bills, and many in Hill City and Keystone may have been pleasantly surprised that the increase was far less than it has been in the last few years.
Shannon Rittberger, director of the Pennington County Department of Equalization, said his office is not seeing the increases in property valuations that it had been over the last three to four years.
“Before that the real estate market went up 2-3 percent,” Rittberger said.

Businesses for sale not outside the ordinary

Published by admin on Wed, 01/08/2025 - 9:51am

Currently there are three commercial properties for sale in downtown Hill City and three for sale on the outskirts of town. And while six may seem like a lot, commercial real estate broker Chris Long said the Black Hills have always been a cyclical market.
Long, a 14-year veteran real estate expert with Keller Williams Commercial Team, said “people move in and out of properties in the Hills all the time,” calling it the “circular nature” of the Black Hills.

City sets 2025 water, sewer rates

Published by admin on Wed, 01/08/2025 - 9:51am

Final numbers are in. The Hill City Common Council set the 2025 water and sewer rates at its Dec. 30 meeting. The first bill will go out to residents Feb. 23.
Going off of previous discussions, city administrator Nate Anderson worked with city engineer AE2S to create a couple of different models for city rate structures that would honor the smallest users and account for the largest users.
After doing some additional analysis, Anderson recommended doing a three-tier model for residential and a five-tier model for non-residential.

Fresh-baked fundraiser

Published by admin on Wed, 01/08/2025 - 9:50am

Before you put away your old family recipes for the season consider submitting your favorites to the Hill City Lions Club’s (HCLC) new collaborative cookbook.
Early last year, HCLC president Stefanie Doaty saw a post on the Hill City Happenings Facebook page about an old recipe book from an organization in Hill City.

Keystone Country store to close its doors

Published by admin on Wed, 01/08/2025 - 9:47am

The Keystone Country Store will permanently close by the end of the month. That is according to current owner Sarah Digmann.
Digmann is sad at this decision, one that did not come easy to her. She has been wrestling with the idea for quite some time, staying open solely because of the people who really have nowhere else to go.
However, at this point she says the store was no longer economically viable for her and her family to continue to run.
“There are winter days when I see less than three customers,” she said.

Third wing set to open at nursing home

Published by admin on Wed, 01/08/2025 - 9:29am

Just over a year after it opened, Custer Care and Rehab Center is set to have a third wing opened to welcome new residents.
The facility’s second wing, which opened in April, is full and has been full a  couple of times, but the third wing wasn’t quite ready for opening.
“Now, we’re ready,” Custer Care and Rehab Center administrator Madison Barta said. Barta said some remodeling had to be finished in the third wing as well as making sure there was enough staff in place.

County library funds in jeopardy

Published by admin on Wed, 01/08/2025 - 9:27am

If a reduction in state library funding proposed by Gov. Kristi Noem comes to pass during the upcoming legislative session, several programs at the Custer County Library will suffer, county librarian Sarah Myers told the Custer County Commission at the commission’s Dec. 30 meeting.
Noem proposed a $1 million cut to the State Library during her budget address on Dec. 3. Trimming the State Library’s budget would eliminate much of the  funding for the organization, which is an arm of the state Department of Education.

Producers wary of EID requirements

Published by admin on Wed, 01/08/2025 - 9:27am

On Dec. 30 the Custer County Commission unanimously approved a resolution presented by Rick Fox of Hermosa on behalf of Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF) and local ranchers, joining a number of other South Dakota counties in opposition to a new mandate rolled out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

County won’t tax some structures

Published by admin on Wed, 01/08/2025 - 9:26am

Final touches were put on policy guidance for Custer County’s Department of Equalization at the Custer County Commission’s Dec. 30 meeting, as the commission unanimously approved recommendations that will see certain structures exempt from property tax valuation.
The document received some tweaks from state’s attorney Tracy Kelley prior to its passage, as she had expressed concern at a previous meeting that some of the proposed plan could be in conflict with state law.

Man arrested on assault, burglary charges

Published by admin on Wed, 01/08/2025 - 9:23am

A Custer man is facing burglary and aggravated assault charges following a New Year’s Day incident in Custer.
At just before 3 a.m. New Year’s Day Custer County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call from a residence on south 2nd Street, with the reporting party saying there was someone in the residence with a gun who would not leave.
“It was a really chaotic phone call,” Custer County Sgt. Derrick Reifenrath said, saying the reporting person was yelling and other yelling could be heard in the background.