Custer County Chronicle

Lightning strikes (at least) twice in Custer

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 9:41am

What are the odds of lightning striking twice in Custer three blocks apart? On the evening of July 7, random chance became a reality as St. John the Baptist Parish Center and a private residence were hit by lightning. 
Administrative officer and firefighter for the Custer Volunteer Fire Department (CVFD) Selena Spring, said the department responded to both incidents. 

Custer set to get new events center

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 9:32am

A new events center is in the works in Custer, and will be located on the Hwy. 16 frontage at Buffalo Ridge Camp Resort.
Mike and Bonnie Tennyson, owner of Custer Hospitality, which owns the camp resort and  five hotel properties around Custer, floated the idea of an events center at the July 6 meeting of the Custer City Council. He is proposing to fund the project through creation of a Business Improvement District (BID).

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.

City sends new LEO proposal to county

Published by admin on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 10:24am

A new proposal from the City of Custer would see the city pay Custer County $600,000 a year for the next five years to have the Custer County Sheriff’s Office provide law enforcement services in the city once more.
The proposal, which will be sent in letter form to the county, was unanimously approved by the council following an executive session at the council’s July 6 meeting.
The proposal would see the full $600,000 begin Jan. 1, while the remainder of 2026 would be for a prorated amount.

Rapid City man dies in crash near Hermosa

Published by admin on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 10:23am

An 18-year-old Rapid City man died in a two-vehicle crash July 1 near Hermosa.
Preliminary crash information indicates Carlos Ray Cross, the driver of a 2019 Toyota Camry, was traveling westbound on South Dakota Hwy. 40 at 5:54 p.m. two miles east of Hermosa when he entered the eastbound lane. At the same time, the driver of a 2021 Ford Explorer, driven by Alicia Nicole Hayden of Hermosa, 35, approached the Camry from the eastbound lanes and tried to avoid a collision. The vehicles struck each other.

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.”

Old Time Country Fourth events start Thursday

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 12:57pm

The Custer Area Chamber of Commerce invites residents and visitors to celebrate Independence Day in the heart of the Black Hills with Custer’s Old Time Country Fourth of July Celebration. This year’s festivities are especially meaningful as communities across the nation commemorate America’s 250th anniversary with a weekend filled with patriotism, family fun, live music, parades and fireworks.
Festivities begin on Thursday, July 2, with a free Patriotic Story Time at 10 a.m. at the 1881 Courthouse Museum.

Trump, fireworks at Mount Rushmore

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 12:56pm

President Donald Trump will attend the first fireworks display in six years at Mount Rushmore National Memorial July 3, according to announcements last Thursday from Freedom 250 and South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden.

Mechaleys guests at ‘Igniting Hope’

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 12:55pm

It’s been over six years since an awkward group of now-former Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) girls first reached out to now-former Custer County Sheriff Marty Mechaley with the goal of leaving the FLDS.
Fast forward to today, and Mechaley is recently retired, and those once-naive girls—daughters and a niece of self-proclaimed prophet of the FLDS Warren Jeffs—are now mothers, employees and thriving outside of the constraints of the FLDS.

County waiting on numbers for HVAC system

Published by admin on Wed, 07/01/2026 - 12:54pm

The Custer County Courthouse’s aging and increasingly obsolete heating and cooling system was among the items discussed at the June 24 meeting of the Custer County Commission, with county maintenance supervisor Joe Panza reporting on a pair of meetings he had with Witt’s Heating & Air Conditioning and JAM Heating & Cooling soliciting advice on how to deal with the courthouse system.