News

Bringing history to life in Keystone

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2024 - 8:53am
The Living History Program at the Keystone Museum and School is getting revamped.
The program was suggested when the museum began in 1983 but officially took shape a few years later. It had been run most recently by Bonita Ley, who took over some time in the 1990s. Museum director Casey Sullivan said Ley was “dedicated to her craft”  and was also passionate about it.
Sullivan says the museum was blessed to have Ley at the helm of this program for as long as she was.
“She kept it afloat for so many years,” he  said.

Prevailer earn awards at contest

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2024 - 8:51am
Opinion pieces, news writing and special section were among the categories the Hill City Prevailer News was honored for at the most recent gathering of the South Dakota NewsMedia Association (SDNA).
The Hill City Prevailer News received six awards all told last Friday, April 26, as part of the Better News Media contest, one event at the 141st annual SDNA convention. The Prevailer was entered in the category for all weekly newspapers with a circulation under 1,300.

Man sentenced to 37 years in FBI kidnapping case

Published by admin on Wed, 04/24/2024 - 10:40am

A man convicted of carjacking and kidnapping an FBI victim specialist near Red Shirt was sentenced to 37 years in prison for a variety of crimes committed in the case April 12 at the federal courthouse in Rapid City.

Real estate market trending traditional following spike

Published by admin on Wed, 04/24/2024 - 10:39am

In the face of COVID, Custer and the surrounding area saw a booming real estate market with many properties selling high, fast and sometimes sight unseen. Now, the market seems to be adapting a bit from that spike.
“People were wanting to get away from wherever they were. South Dakota was open for business and there was a sense of normality here so people would buy sight unseen because of that,” said Craig Reindl of Western Skies Real Estate in Custer.
“People were moving here on fear,” said Lori Svoboda, also of Western Skies.

Council says no to fluffy cow in Fluffy Cow

Published by admin on Wed, 04/24/2024 - 10:38am

There will be no fluffy cows inside the Fluffy Cow Outlet this summer after a request to keep a live baby buffalo inside the store this summer was denied by the Custer City Council at the council’s April 15 meeting.
Natan Korliker of the Fluffy Cow Outlet was not present at the meeting but had submitted a letter to the council requesting “any needed permission or permits in regards to keeping a live baby American Bison in the store at the above mentioned address for the upcoming summer tourist season.”

Teachers talk behavioral challenges

Published by admin on Wed, 04/24/2024 - 10:37am

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund money that the district began to receive  following COVID-19 is set to expire next year. Because of that the district’s plan of how to continue funding the positions that operated out of that fund was a major topic of discussion at the April 8 meeting of the Custer School District Board of Education at the Hermosa School as it reviewed district positions.

Hills Self Storage to become Ace Hardware

Published by admin on Wed, 04/24/2024 - 10:32am

Keating Resources has announced the successful sale of its 26,000-square-foot climate-controlled self-storage facility in Custer, The Hills Self Storage. The Lander, Wyo.-based Bregar family has acquired the facility, owners and operators of a chain of 12 hardware stores across Wyoming and South Dakota, affiliated with the Ace Hardware and Do It Best brands.
The facility, originally a long-vacant retail building purchased in October 2020, was renovated and repurposed into a climate-controlled self-storage center, reaching 78 percent occupancy before its sale.

Concerns brings new poll workers

Published by admin on Wed, 04/24/2024 - 9:44am
Voters in Keystone will notice new poll workers at the redo election April 30. This came as a result of accusations at the April 17 meeting of the Keystone Town Board of Trustees in which a handful of residents voiced concern over improprieties.
Those accusations came from Trinity Rapp and Tammy Hunsaker after trustee Nikki Ball talked about election conduct, including placement of candidate signs. 
Ball has worked numerous elections in the past.

CCC museum wins 2024 Governor’s Awards for History

Published by admin on Wed, 04/24/2024 - 9:42am
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Museum of South Dakota at the Hill City Visitor Information Center (VIC) received the 2024 Governor’s Awards for History from the South Dakota Historical Society. 
Every year the historical society gives an award to a nonprofit and a for-profit organization “who exhibit meritorious endeavors in the field of history in South Dakota,” according to the website. 

Pillar Project awarded to Custer and Keystone residents

Published by admin on Wed, 04/24/2024 - 9:13am
The Pillar Project is what Stevie Cummins described as “a very exclusive award for simply spectacular people.”
Cummins, owner of Jewel of the West (JOTW), started the Pillar Project as a way to pay forward the kindness that was shown to her. 
She said, “I was really blessed by some very nice people when I was a single mom, and I always wanted to do something to give back someday when I could to people who maybe have some tough circumstances, but no one knows it because they just rise up and do what it takes to live a happy life and to help others.”