News from Neighbors
Platte recovery program extended
STERLING JOURNAL-ADVOCATE, Dec. 21 — The people of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska got an early Christmas present from the U.S. Senate on Thursday, and it has Don Ament breathing a sigh of relief.
Ament has said he was delighted to hear that the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill Thursday to extend the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program as part of the year-end spending package. The bill was introduced by Colorado Senators Michael Bennet (D) and Cory Gardner (R). The bill was passed by the House of Representatives earlier this week and will now go to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
The PRRIP was initiated by Congress in 2008 to alleviate habitat threats along the Platte River for the endangered whooping crane, interior least tern and pallid sturgeon, and the threatened piping plover. A recent announcement from the Fish and Wildlife Service credited the PRRIP with helping to recover the interior least tern.
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Defendants in murder case facing January preliminary hearings
IMPERIAL REPUBLICAN, Dec. 19 — Three individuals charged in the Annika Swanson murder will face preliminary hearings in January.
At separate 10-minute arraignments Dec. 11 in Chase County (Nebraska) Court, Judge Edward Steenburg set preliminary hearings Jan. 10 for Kevin German, Keonna Carter and Russell Mann.
German’s hearing will be at 10 a.m., Carter’s at 1 p.m. and Mann’s at 3 p.m., all in Chase County Court that day.
About 25 people were in the courtroom for last week’s arraignments, including Annika Swanson’s parents, Monti and Cheryl of Imperial, Nebraska, and other relatives. Family members of the defendants were also present.
State of Nebraska prosecutor Douglas Warner, lead prosector on the case, submitted amended complaints at last week’s hearings, dropping all but the first-degree murder and kidnapping charges against German and Carter.
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City of Wray receives second EIAF grant for Main Street
WRAY GAZETTE, Dec. 18 — In April of this year, the City of Wray was successful in obtaining $1 million from the Department of Local Affairs Energy/Mineral Impact Assistance Fund for the first construction phase of the Main Street Water Main and Enhancement Project. At the Dec. 10 City Council meeting, City Manager James DePue announced that the City has been awarded a second grant of $1 million from EIAF for construction.
At a total construction cost of approximately $6 million, funding for this project includes $2 million of EIAF grants through the Department of Local Affairs and $3 million from the State Drinking Water Revolving Fund Loan awarded to the City Dec. 6.
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