bet365 casino live 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."

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But the City boss has vowed to stay on and lift the club back to the top even if they are sent all the way down to the National League. Guardiola ended speculation over his immediate future this week by extending his contract, which had been due to expire at the end of the season, through to the summer of 2027. That has given the club some stability at a time of great uncertainty as they fight 115 charges related to alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations. City have denied all wrongdoing but their punishment if found guilty could be severe, with demotion even a possibility. Guardiola has strongly defended the club in the past and is happy to continue doing so. The Spaniard said: “I don’t enjoy it, I prefer not to be in that position, but once it’s there I love it because, when you believe in your club, and the people there – I believe what they say to me and the reasons why. “I cannot say yet because we’re awaiting the sentence in February or March – I don’t know when – but at the same time, I like it. “I read something about the situation and how you need to be relegated immediately. Seventy-five per cent of the clubs want it, because I know what they do behind the scenes and this sort of stuff. “I said when all the clubs accused us of doing something wrong, (and people asked) what happens if we are relegated, (I said) I will be here. “Next year, I don’t know the position of the Conference they are going to (put) us, (but) we are going to come up and come up and come back to the Premier League. I knew it then and I feel it now.” The immediate priority for Guardiola, who said his contract negotiations were completed in “just two hours”, is to arrest a run of four successive defeats in all competitions. Yet, ahead of their return to action against Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, the champions continue to grapple with a lengthy injury list. Mateo Kovacic is their latest casualty after sustaining a knock on international duty that could keep him out for up to a month. On the positive side, defenders Nathan Ake, John Stones and Manuel Akanji could feature and Jack Grealish is also closing in on a return after a month out. Much to Guardiola’s frustration, Grealish was called up by England for their recent Nations League games, although he later withdrew. Guardiola said: “I want the best for Jack and I want the best for Jack with the national team but the doctor said to me that he was not ready to play. “I know (England) want him but they have 200 players to select from and Jack was not fit. He had to recover from many things.” Kyle Walker played for England against both Greece and the Republic of Ireland despite limited game time since suffering injury in the October international break. Guardiola said: “If he is fit I like him to play in the national team. It is not a problem, don’t misunderstand me. “Kyle has a dream to make 100 caps for the national team. Do I want to cancel this dream? Absolutely not. “But if you are not fit, if you cannot play here, you cannot play for the national team. It is quite obvious.”SAU livestock forum stresses need for research to boost indigenous breeds National and international veterinary experts, along with progressive farmers, have underscored the need for establishing a livestock breeders forum and initiate research to protect the country's indigenous animal breeds. They highlighted the importance of adopting sustainable artificial insemination techniques and modern technologies to genetically improve animal breeds, thereby boosting milk and meat production and forming alliances to enhance exports. Addressing the closing session of the two-day Livestock Breeders Forum organised by the Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tando Jam in collaboration with the Sindh Higher Education Commission, Sindh Minister for Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah stated that there remains significant potential for government support in the livestock sector. He suggested exploring partnerships with neighbouring countries to acquire superior animal breeds and recommended that grants for improving livestock quality be provided directly to farmers. Opposing agricultural taxation without sufficient facilities, the minister called such policies inappropriate. He also praised Sindh Agriculture University for its proactive efforts. Secretary of Universities and Boards Muhammad Abbas Baloch emphasised the importance of initiatives for addressing critical livestock issues and urged institutions to facilitate direct market connections for farmers. SAU Vice Chancellor Dr Fateh Marri highlighted the economic potential of agriculture and livestock, asserting that these sectors could outperform industries in driving economic growth. He stated that a 6 per cent annual increase in productivity in agriculture and livestock could reduce poverty by 50 per cent over the next decade. He called for a shift in research focus toward improving quality and productivity rather than just increasing the number of animals. Sindh Higher Education Commission Secretary Moeenuddin Siddiqui recommended fostering superior breeds through research and exploring livestock export opportunities, particularly to countries such as Saudi Arabia. Speaking virtually from the United States, Professor Emeritus Dr Mushtaq Ahmed Memon highlighted reliance on modern technology in global livestock advancements and urged veterinary professionals and young experts to seize numerous opportunities available in the field. Progressive farmer Nazoo Dharejo proposed extending such programmes to rural areas to maximise their benefits for small-scale farmers. Sindh Minister for Social Welfare Mir Tariq Ali Talpur, addressing the second session, recognised the significant role of livestock in addressing economic challenges in underprivileged areas. He encouraged universities, the livestock sector and progressive farmers to provide guidance to locals, especially women, in this regard. The forum included technical discussions led by prominent experts such as D. Syed Ghiyasuddin Shah Rashdi, farmer leader Ghulam Akbar Dars, Syed Zarar Haider Shah, and Dr Parshotam Khatri. Contributions from leading researchers, including Dr Jan Muhammad Mari, Dr Chandra Kumar, Dr Aqeel Ahmed Memon, Dr Ghulam Bilal, Dr Mubarak Jatoi, Dr Seema Baloch, Dr Saeed Ahmed Soomro, and others enriched the sessions with valuable insights and findings. Key recommendations arising from the forum included adopting advanced genetic technologies and artificial reproduction programs to enhance local breeds, improve disease resistance, and increase productivity. Measures to prevent the premature slaughter of buffalo calves through collaboration with district administrations, departments, and educational institutions were also proposed. The experts also recommended promoting the local production of soybean to meet livestock protein needs and called for strengthening embryo transfer laboratories and genomic facilities to develop high-quality breeds. Subsidies for sex-selected semen and embryo transfer technologies were suggested to ensure wider adoption of these advancements.

Popular social network TikTok did not receive a reprieve from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and it is still facing a ban that is set to be enacted in January, reports The Wall Street Journal . TikTok and several of the social network's users challenged an April bill that is forcing Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok . The bill provided ByteDance with a nine-month period to sell TikTok to a company outside of China, and if the sale doesn't happen, TikTok won't be able to be distributed in the United States. TikTok claimed that the bill was unconstitutional because it infringes on free speech, but the court rejected that claim. While the ban is set to go into effect in January, TikTok is likely to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking an emergency stay. From there, the Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case. If TikTok is banned, Google, Apple, and other app distributors will not be able to provide the app for download, nor offer updates to the app. Internet hosting services will also be blocked from supporting the app, giving U.S. users no way to download it. TikTok users will, however, be able to keep using the app so long as it functions. ByteDance does not plan to sell TikTok, and even if the company complied and did so, China would need to approve the sale. The Chinese government has made it clear that it will firmly oppose any sale of the TikTok app. ByteDance says that it would be impossible to give the TikTok source code to a new owner because it would take years for new engineers to become familiar enough with it to perform routine maintenance. U.S. lawmakers want TikTok sold to a non-China company over concerns that the Chinese government could force ByteDance to hand over data from users in the United States, and there have also been suggestions that China could use TikTok to spread political propaganda. Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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