“There was blood. Lots of blood. And screaming. Lots of screaming,” one freshman student said, describing the scene he witnessed earlier in the day. “It was scary. I’ll definitely think before I drink and drive.”

Similar comments were shared on Wednesday, May 8, when 155 freshman students from Custer, Edgemont, Hill City and Hot Springs gathered at the Custer Armory for Freshman Impact: Caught in the Moment, a one-day prevention program giving students the chance to see up close and learn through hands-on activities the possible consequences of wrong choices and their lasting effects.

The Buglin’ Bull Restaurant and Sports Bar received a pat on the back this month, as it is front and center in an article in AAA’s “Home & Away” magazine that features food and restaurants throughout the state.

The article, entitled “Prairie on a Plate,”â��is written by Elaine Warner and featured in the May/June 2013 issue of the magazine. 

The Buglin’ Bull is the first restaurant mentioned in the article and gives kudos to the restaurant’s variety of culinary choices, and highlights its wide- variety of meals made from buffalo and pheasant.

It took some planning, some athletes in some new events and an all-around team effort, but the Custer High School boys track team won its third consecutive Black Hills Conference championship last weekend in Hot Springs.

The boys team piled up 188 points at the meet, 56 more than second place St. Thomas More. The race was closer than the score might indicate heading toward the end of the meet, but Custer head coach Craig Black had an ace in the hole. Three aces, in fact.

The sounds of the Custer High School band and choir have always been wonderful, but after last week’s Region 8 Large Group Contest, the sounds are a bit sweeter. 

At the contest in Rapid City, which is open to all high school choirs, bands and orchestras in the Region 8 area (from Edgemont up to Harding County), CHS ensembles brought pieces they had performed for the spring concert in March and performed for three judges. The band played “Shaker Variants” by Elliot del Borgo and “Festivo” by Vaclav Nelhybel while the choir sang “Come to the Music” by Joseph M. Martin, “Keep Your Lamps” arranged by Andre Thomas and “O Sifuni Mungu” arranged by Roger Emerson. 

Chilling revelations were made last week that the Internal Revenue Service applied extra scrutiny to groups critical of government spending and the rising national debt that were applying for tax-exempt status. Included in this group were patriotic tea party organizations that were seeking a return to more responsible Constitutional government in the country.