1500x jili super ace Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun said Wednesday if he were a betting man, "I would bet on Rapid City." Salamun struck an optimistic tone while also touching on challenging topics in a broad-ranging state of the city address at Elevate Rapid City's Critical Luncheon Series event at The Rushmore Hotel in downtown Rapid City. Pennington County Commissioner Gary Drewes gave a state of the county address at the event, while Sheriff Brian Mueller also spoke briefly about the proposed county jail expansion. "What makes Rapid City great is the people that live here. I often think about the government's role in this, and I think people may want to give the mayor more authority, more credit or blame, whatever the case may be, and that's fine — but really, who makes Rapid City go is you, people who are actually building businesses, people who are actually raising families, people are actually making a difference in their communities," Salamun told the crowd. "That's actually what it is, and the government's role in that is to stay out of your way ... (and) make sure that we are able to live together." Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun speaks about the state of the city during Elevate Rapid City's Critical Luncheon Series event on Thursday, Dec. 5 at The Rushmore Hotel in Rapid City. MIKE BROWNLEE, JOURNAL STAFF Salamun said public safety was among the most popular topics he heard about while campaigning. He lauded Police Chief Don Hedrick's work to fill staffing shortages as the city went from more than 30 open officer positions to five. "I think the city's portion is like the cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich. Our job as a city is to enforce the law," he said, turning to an analogy about public safety. One piece of bread of the grilled cheese is, "in the home." "Public safety does not begin with city government or county government or federal government," he said. "It actually begins with you and I, in the families that we're raising, the people that we're loving. Kids need structure to thrive. So do communities. And that's the big part of the equation." Completing the sandwich is the criminal justice system and other programs to help offenders, Salamun said, noting, "But what happens after we arrest them? And quite frankly, I don't have any authority there." He turned to the topic of addiction, noting much of the public safety concerns in the city are born of drug and alcohol abuse problems. "That is actually the enemy. I have people in my life, people I love very dearly, probably like many of you, who have suffered and are suffering from addiction issues, and it's tough to watch, because it's people you love," Salamun said. "It robs them. It robs you of your loved ones." Salamun mentioned ongoing local programs while also noting the need for the area to do better on the topic. Turning to the economy, Salamun lauded Elevate Rapid City's work on development, noting the city has seen a rise in average weekly wages among the population. He noted that's not the case for everyone, but it's a strong indicator that the city isn't just low-wage tourism jobs. "The fact is, there are careers (here)," he said. The mayor also touched on the city's oft-talked about Vision Fund , which he wants to see focus on more public projects. At the Monday City Council meeting, councilors set a public hearing for the Dec. 16 meeting to discussion resolutions related to the fund, including the establishment of a citizen committee that will "solicit and recommend projects submitted by the community" to be funded from the Vision account, as stated on the council agenda. "These are taxpayer funds. They should be used for taxpayer purposes," Salamun said. "My goal was to prioritize public projects with those vision funds so that it helps our economy, it helps us address our needs as a community." Salamun also voiced his support for Rapid City Regional Airport expansion efforts. Afterward, Salamun said, "I would want folks to take away that Rapid City is getting stronger, and we will continue to grow better as each year goes on. "What I tried to lay out is an optimistic vision of the future of Rapid City," he told the Journal. "I believe in us. And I think kind of the guidepost for us is to make sure that we're building a city for the next generation in mind, not just the one we want today, but the one that's going to be even better tomorrow." Commissioner Gary Drewes brought a slideshow presentation with facts about Pennington County, along with notes highlighting upcoming challenges. The county is at around 109,222 residents, an 8.2% growth from the 2010 to the 2020 U.S. Census. There are 53,713 total parcels in the county, with taxable property valued at $18.36 billion. Property taxes continue to be a hot topic in the area and state, with the legislature expected to further examine the issue, including valuation formulas, in the upcoming session. Drewes noted the county is funded with property taxes and services and fees, with more than 80% of its expenditures required by state statute and more than 9% statutorily authorized — not mandated, but deemed necessities. Pennington County Commissioner Gary Drewes gives a state of the county address during Elevate Rapid City's Critical Luncheon Series event on Thursday, Dec. 5 at The Rushmore Hotel in Rapid City. MIKE BROWNLEE, JOURNAL STAFF "Counties are the level of government that most directly impact every citizen. I constantly hear people say, 'well, the county only provides services to the rural areas.' That's just not true. Whether you live in town, city or rural, the county is the front line provider for many familiar government services," Drewes told the crowd. "Our services are available to every person in the county." And, "Our goal is to provide the highest quality of services at the least possible cost." Challenges include aging infrastructure, including the jail, roads and bridges. During his speech, Sheriff Brian Mueller talked about the jail expansion and renovation project, which could cost upwards of $129-$168 million. The effort will require a bond vote, he said. "We've got about $37 million in the bank to start this project, but it's going to require a bond, and it's going to require a lot of support from the community to get this done," the sheriff said during his brief time at the podium, noting a public awareness campaign will begin in earnest early next year. Drewes said another county expense that has commissioners and others looking for solutions is indigent legal services — helping those who can't afford legal representation. To help offset that, the legislature in 2024 doled out $3 million to counties, of which Pennington County got more than $700,000 — not quite 12% of the county's 2024 cost for court-appointed attorney, public defender and abused/neglected children's attorney fees of $5,929,084.65. "South Dakota is the only state in the nation that places this burden on counties. The other 49 states assume these costs. The good news for this year is in the state, with the encouragement of the Chief Justice of the Unified Judicial System along with Gov. Noem, they supported a slight movement of some of these expenses to the state," Drewes said. Looking forward to the 2025 legislative session, Drewes said he'd also like to see the general assembly remove the sunset clause on a recent increase in the 911 surcharge fee to $2 per service user line, which is set to bring in a revenue increase of $700,000. "I think the state of the county is in good shape at this point in time. Yeah, we've got challenges, just like anybody else does, just like our school district does, just like the city does. Our growth has been phenomenal. We have 66 counties that are in South Dakota, 46 of the 66 that are actually smaller in numbers than what we had in just growth the last four years. That means we have to provide the additional services. We're mandated, so we try to control our (cost) environment as much as we possibly can." Drewes added, "I look at things being very positive moving forward. Yeah, there's going to be some bumps in the road. There's some big challenges. But not all challenges are negative. There's a lot of positive things coming from this."

The No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs (10-2, 6-2 SEC) take on the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (11-1, 7-1) in the SEC Championship Game at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET (ABC). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's college football odds around the Georgia vs. Texas odds , and make our expert college football picks and predictions . The Bulldogs had their eyes opened and fortitude tested as they needed 8 overtimes to take down Georgia Tech 44-42 Nov. 29. The Dogs failed to cover as 17-point favorites to cap off a 3-9 season against the spread (ATS). Georgia went 6-2 in SEC play, losing at the Ole Miss Rebels 28-12 and at the Alabama Crimson Tide 41-34. The Longhorns finished up with an impressive 17-7 win over Texas A&M Nov. 30, covering as 4.5-point favorites. Texas went 7-5 ATS during the regular season and 7-1 in the conference. The Longhorns' only loss was to these Bulldogs, at home, in a 30-15 setback Oct. 19 as 4-point favorites. Georgia QB Carson Beck threw 3 INTs, but RB Trevor Etienne ran in 3 TDs. Texas didn't score a point until the second half and were down 23-0 at the break. QB Quinn Ewers was 25-for-43 for 211 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. He lost 2 fumbles, though. - Rankings : US LBM Coaches Poll , conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports Stream select live college football games and full replays: Get ESPN+ Georgia vs. Texas odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college football odds. Lines last updated Friday at 5:10 p.m. ET. Georgia vs. Texas picks and predictions Prediction Georgia 24, Texas 21 Moneyline Etienne is listed as questionable with a rib injury, and he has missed 3 straight games. He has been limited in practice this week, but this feels like a situation that he was held out in order to be ready for this one. If the Longhorns lose this game, they can probably still get in the college playoff. However, it's probably lights out for the Bulldogs if they don't win. With this game being in Atlanta, that motivation for the Bulldogs, and the previous win by them, I like Georgia here. Texas has a little bit of a quarterback controversy with Arch Manning mixing in the offense, and Ewers averaged just 195 yards passing the last 3 games. Take GEORGIA +125 . Against the spread Since we're going with the value at the ML, forget the spread. Instead, take QUINN EWERS UNDER 233.5 YARDS PASSING ( -115 ). He has not eclipsed this moderate number in 6 of his last 8 games. Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now ! Over/Under Texas is 3-6-1 O/U in its last 10, and Georgia is 6-4. These teams have met twice since 2019; both went Under and had fewer than 51 total points scored. I look for a tightly contested matchup where the run game will be key. Take the UNDER 50.5 ( -115 ). Want to play some games of your own? Play for free at the best social casinos and enjoy lots of slots, blackjack, video poker, roulette and more. You can even earn real prizes! For more sports betting picks and tips , check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW . Follow Ryan Dodson on Twitter/X . Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook . College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group: Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / Recruiting / Transfer portal / College Football Playoffs / College Sports Wire / High School More NCAA College Football Picks and Predictions! ACC Championship Game: Clemson vs. SMU odds, picks and predictions MWC Championship Game: UNLV at Boise State odds, picks and predictions C-USA Championship Game: Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State odds, picks and predictionsNoneSchmidt scores 19 off the bench, Valparaiso downs Eastern Illinois 81-53

Second Gatwick runway 'VITAL' for UK growth By CITY & FINANCE REPORTER Updated: 21:50, 6 December 2024 e-mail View comments Britain 'risks losing its competitive edge' if a second runway at Gatwick is not approved, ministers have been warned. In a letter seen by the Mail, more than 50 business groups urged Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to support plans to use the northern runway full time. At present, the extra runway at the West Sussex hub is used only for taxiing and emergencies. But with permission for regular use, the airport could introduce more long-haul routes, creating 14,000 jobs and a £1billion annual boost to the economy, the letter added. 'Competitive edge': At present, the extra runway at Gatwick is used only for taxiing and emergencies RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary urges air traffic chief to step... French owner of Gatwick to buy majority stake in Edinburgh... Share this article Share HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP How to choose the best (and cheapest) stocks and shares Isa and the right DIY investing account This would deliver 'a significant boost [to] the economy by helping support new jobs, tourism and trade', according to a letter organised by the Gatwick Diamond Initiative (GDI) business partnership group. It was backed by 55 signatories including the Confederation of British Industry. GDI chairman Brett North said the runway approval would be a 'vital step' for the South East's future economic growth. DIY INVESTING PLATFORMS AJ Bell AJ Bell Easy investing and ready-made portfolios Learn More Learn More Hargreaves Lansdown Hargreaves Lansdown Free fund dealing and investment ideas Learn More Learn More interactive investor interactive investor Flat-fee investing from £4.99 per month Learn More Learn More Saxo Saxo Get £200 back in trading fees Learn More Learn More Trading 212 Trading 212 Free dealing and no account fee Learn More Learn More Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence. Compare the best investing account for you Share or comment on this article: Second Gatwick runway 'VITAL' for UK growth e-mail Add comment Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence. More top stories