A plat approval for a road on Fjerdingren Farm Subdivision led to a spirited discussion on county road specifications and the county and city’s relationship over the three- mile jurisdiction during the Aug. 25 meeting of the Custer County Commission.

The plat in question belongs to Dan Dale, who wants to subdivide his land in the subdivision, which is in the county outside the City of Custer’s limits, but falls within the three-mile jurisdiction of the city, which means the city is the entity that can approve or disapprove plats within that jurisdiction. Because of this, the plat was never run by the county planning commission, and was approved despite not having roads that meet county specifications.

It turns out the liquor store building is going to be a liquor store after all.

At the Aug. 23 special meeting of the Custer City Council, the council unanimously approved the bid proposals from Bobbie Alexander that will see Alexander pay the city $1,000 a month for the 15-month lease of its off sale liquor operating agreement it was using when it ran the municipal liquor store, and another $500 a month for a 15-month lease of the building.

Two entities that receive partial or full funding from the City of Custer were on hand at last night’s special meeting of the Custer City Council to plea with the council to leave their funding intact for 2011. One entity—the municipal swimming pool—is in the budget but could be cut, while the other—the school liaison officer—is currently out of the budget. The budget isn’t finalized until the end of September, and things can still be added back in or cut

Former Custer resident Joshua Holtquist is free on bond after being arrested last week in the wake of leading sheriff’s deputies from two states on a pursuit from Central City to Wyoming and back into South Dakota.

The incident began at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17, when a motorist reported a driver was following him and firing gunshots from his vehicle. Lead police officer Paul Witcraft and Lawrence County sheriff’s deputy Joe Leveque responded to the call and caught up with the pickup Holtquist was driving. After pulling Holtquist over and approaching the truck, Holtquist took off, driving at a high rate of speed, driving west out of Lead toward Weston County, Wyo.

On Aug. 24, 2000, Janice Stevenson of Newcastle, Wyo., stopped her car to go to the bathroom along the side of the road just west of Hell Canyon. While stopped, Stevenson lit a cigarette with a match. At 2:17 p.m., she dropped the match, watched a small fire start, got in her car and drove away.

The ensuing fire was the largest in the history of the Black Hills National Forest.

The Jasper Fire, as it was later named, consumed 83,508 acres of land before it was contained Sept. 8, 2000, and later controlled Sept. 25. The fire cost $8.2 million to supress and came within six miles of Custer. On one day alone, it scorched more than 48,000 acres

The shows are over and the reviews are in; touring is best left to rock bands.

After 23 shows of three different plays over the course of two months, hundreds of miles logged and many hours of setting up, taking down and moving equipment for this summer’s abbreviated Black Hills Playhouse schedule, Playhouse officials agree that while the experience was a learning one, it’s one that all involved would just as soon not have to endure again.

The agenda was lighter than it had been in past weeks, but the Custer School Board still addressed several issues ranging from honor roll to the progress of construction on the district’s new elementary schools when it met last Monday.

The hiring of temporary aids for rural elementary schools in the district was one of the main items on the agenda. Enrollment at both Fairburn and Spring Creek is higher than originally anticipated. Fairburn has two teachers and one special education aide for 23 students, but the board agreed the school needs one additional temporary aide. Spring Creek has one teacher for 11 students. The board voted to hire a temporary aide for that school as well.

Area businesses are seeing mixed preliminary numbers this year for Motorcycle Rally Week.

City community development director Rex Harris said the number of visitors appears to be higher this year than la

By losing 34-1/2 pounds, comprising 21.97 percent of her body weight, Tammy Walker has been named the winner of this year’s Custer County Chronicle “Biggest Loser”â��contest.

Walker lost weight every month of the competition and beat out second place finisher Loyce May by over 3 percentage points of her weight. May earned runner-up status by losing 17.58 percent of her weight. In third place was Robert Meakim, who shed 15.22 percent of his weight. 

Already on record as not supporting the city locking itself into more years of supporting Custer Clinic and Custer Regional Hospital with city sales tax money, Mayor Harold Stickney reiterated that stance at a special meeting of the city council July 26, issuing a letter that gave a history of the city’s involvement with the hospital subsidy and outling a number of projects for which the city needs funding.

Every piece of consumable merchandise at the former city liquor store will be making a trip a few blocks down the road to be sold.

At the July 26 bid opening for the municipal liquor store inventory, Lynn’s Dakotamart was the highest bidder for all of the merchandise at the store—liquor, beer, wine, tobacco and miscellaneous.

Although the city has been contacted by at least three Custer Cruisin’ vendors about the possibility of setting up their booths early this year, the Custer City Council nixed the idea at its July 19 meeting.

The Custer County Commission got its first look at the projected budget for 2010-11, and if it remains as is, the county would spend either $6.734 million or $6.796 million, depending on whether or not raises are given to county employees. Either budget will be a small increase over last year’s budget, which was around $6.56 million. However, because this is only a projected budget, all the figures can change before the budget is officially approved

Friendly competition abounded at several Gold Discovery Days events last weekend.

In the hospital bed races, team Useta Cuddas retained the title they won last year, coming in first place and earning a $153 prize. After an initial loss in their own custom designed bed, the team went on to win the rest of their races with the traditional carts provided. The Custer Regional Hospital team came in second, winning a $102 prize.

A compromise reached between the City of Custer and Custer Community Health Services, Inc.,  (CCHS) will see the city pay $347,000 annually for 10 years to pay for debt retirement for expansion of the Custer Clinic. Around $3.47 million in city sales tax money will be committed to the project.

Custer High School class of 2010 graduate Josie Thomsen will serve as this year’s Gold Discovery Days queen.

“When I was told Iâ��would be the 2010 queen, I was very honored and excited,” Thomsen said.â��“It really means a lot to me because I feel as though I’m truly part of the Custer community.”

Roy and Joyce Miller have powered many past Gold Discovery Days parades with their horses. This year, they will be a part the parade once again, but this time as parade marshals. 

This year’s Gold Discovery Days Committee selected the Millers because of their history of involvement with the community and Gold Discovery Days in particular.

Two fires lit up Custer County last week, burning down a trailer house and storage warehouse.

The first fire occurred on Monday, July 5, at 9:10 p.m. at Triple T Trailer Court, approximately three miles east of Custer. 

To give or not to give, that is the question.

At its July 19 meeting, the Custer City Council will give thumbs up or thumbs down to a new proposal from Custer Community Health Services (CCHS), Inc., that would see the City of Custer obligated to give CCHS $300,000 a year for 20 years to help pay for a $4 million expansion project of the Custer Clinic and Custer Regional Hospital  (CRH) Emergency Room area.

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You can no longer buy alcohol from the City of Custer.

At its July 6 meeting, the Custer City Council voted to close its municipal liquor store by a 5-1 vote. The closure went into effect at 8 a.m. on Thursday, July 8. Alderman Duane Murphey was the lone council member to cast a vote against the immediate closure.