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

There’s a new peak on the horizon, as the Mountainview Baptist Church has begun construction of its new church. The new church will house almost three times the space of their current building, and will be adequate for its immediate ministry needs. Plans to expand yet even further are also in the works in case  more room is needed in the future.

Gold Discovery days was full of sporting activities, from volleyball to softball, horseshoes to disc golf.

“Almost Original” won the four-on-four volleyball tournament. The team of Ashley Schultz, Kate Starr, Chad Bryant and Luke Roddy defeated the Wyoming Slow “Pokes” for the championship. The Slow Pokes consisted of Toby Cass, Stacey Cass, Ryan Bailey and Roxy Gray.

Two weekends ago, Rapid City hosted a contest that pitted firefighters from all over the country in the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge. 

The challenge annually attracts hundreds of U.S. and Canadian municipal fire departments at more than 25 locations and is now expanding to countries around the world, including New Zealand, Germany, Argentina, Chile and South Africa.

Before the massive national health care bill was passed earlier this year, it became known that the enforcement arm of this bill would be the Internal Revenue Service. It was estimated that the IRS would have to hire at least another 16,500 agents to see that businesses and individuals comply with the mandatory provisions of this bill. These are more jobs created that the Obama administration can take credit for. Government employment is the fastest growing sector of our nation's workforce and this is just another example. Yet to be seen is whether the IRS information systems will be able to manage and track all the additional data needed to be gathered.