2010 legal and public hells angels to hold annual...

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2010 Legal and Public Notices Room at the Technical Education Center, 1200 West 21st Street, Yankton, South Dakota, where any person or persons interested in the approval or rejection of the above application may appear and be heard. Dated at Yankton, South Dakota this 9th day of July, 2012. Ann Clough DEPUTY FINANCE OFFICER 7+13 NOTICE OF HEARING UPON APPLICATION FOR SALE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an application has been re- ceived by the Board of City Com- missioners of the City of Yankton, South Dakota, for the transfer of location of a Retail (on-sale) Liq- uor License for January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2012, from Drotzmann & Portillo Enterprises, LLC, (Steve Drotzmann, partner) d/b/a Rounding 3rd Bar & Casino, 304 West 3rd Street, Yankton, S.D. NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that a Public Hearing upon the ap- plication will be held on Monday, July 23, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. in the City of Yankton Community Meeting Room at the Technical Education Center, 1200 West 21st Street, Yankton, South Dakota, where any person or persons inter- ested in the approval or rejection of the above application may ap- pear and be heard. Dated at Yankton, South Dakota this 9th day of July, 2012. Ann Clough DEPUTY FINANCE OFFICER Broker Associates Sally & Terry 660-5352, 660-6679 www.SallyandTerry.com Price Reduced!! Now $205,000 www.147marinadell.com Lewis & Clark Realty, Inc. www.yanktonareahomes.com 147 Marina Dell Circle This is a great opportunity to buy a 5 bedroom, 3 bath home on 5 acres in the Marina Dell development. Just up the hill from Lewis & Clark Lake and marina on a hard surface road. Act Now...Sellers’ Want Offer! GERING, Neb. (AP) — Support- ers of a grand jury investigation into the 2008 death of a 2-year-old Nebraska girl say they have gath- ered enough petition signatures to force the probe. A petition containing more than 1,700 signatures was submit- ted Wednesday to Scotts Bluff County authorities calling for the grand jury probe into the death of Juliette Geurts, the Scottsbluff Star- Herald reported (http://bit.ly/Li- ilmK ). Nebraska is one of six states that allow grand juries to convene by petition. The signatures must be veri- fied by the county clerk before the petition is submitted to Dis- trict Court Judge Randy Lipp- streu, who will review its language. By law, 974 valid signa- tures are needed to force a grand jury to convene and to have a spe- cial prosecutor assigned to the case. The petition effort was started earlier this year by relatives and others who are dissatisfied with officials’ efforts to find out whether the Gering toddler was a homicide victim and who might have killed her. An autopsy showed Juliette died of blunt- force trauma to her head and ab- domen on July 11, 2008. “This has been a long day com- ing,” Juliette’s aunt, Monica Hall, said of turning in the petition sig- natures. “This is a small step in the mountain we have to climb. Maybe Juliette will finally get some justice.” No arrests have been made in the girl’s death, and Scotts Bluff County Attorney Doug Warner told The Associated Press on Thursday that the case is still under investigation. Warner said he has sought the help of the FBI, asking the agency to review the case. In 2008, Warner said the girl’s mother was among three suspects in the girl’s death. The mother and two men were in the home when Juliette suf- fered the fatal injuries. The child’s father, who had separated from her mother in 2007, was serving with the U.S. Army at the time of the death. Relatives of the father have said she moved out of Nebraska. She lost custody of Juliette’s twin after the death. Warner said he is not put off by the petition effort and that a grand jury would not hinder the investigation that’s already under way. But he added: “I can’t predict whether it will help.” “I will cooperate fully with the grand jury if one is convened,” Warner said. “This case needs to be solved, and I will do what I can to accomplish that goal.” BY CHET BROKAW Associated Press PIERRE — Extra law enforcement offi- cers will be brought in to help patrol the northern Black Hills when the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club holds a major event in Spearfish later this month, a police depart- ment official said Thursday. Up to 1,200 people, including 400-600 club members, are expected to attend the club’s annual USA Run in Spearfish July 25- 29, Spearfish Police Lt. Curt Jacobs said. The event has been described as the club’s annual convention. The South Dakota Highway Patrol will have extra troopers in the area, and other law agencies will help patrol the area, Ja- cobs said. “We expect them to follow the rules that the citizens do in this area for 365 days out of the year. As long as they follow those rules, there shouldn’t be any issues,” he said. Jacobs said he and Spearfish Police Chief Pat Rotert met earlier with represen- tatives of the Hells Angels, but they have no valid phone numbers for the club. The club did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. “The Hells Angels are used to this. Any- time they have their USA Run they know that law enforcement is going to beef up their numbers in that area,” Jacobs said. “They have their meetings, their barbe- ques, their picnics and then they head back home,” he added. Jacobs said the crowd at the Hells An- gels event will be small compared with the hundreds of thousands of bikers who at- tend the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally held in the area each year. This year’s Stur- gis rally is set for Aug. 6-12. Christina Steele, a Sturgis city official who also represents the rally, said some of the people who attend the Hells Angels USA Run will likely stay in the area for the Sturgis rally. “It’s an economic boost anytime you get a group like that,” Steele said. Steele said officials are not expecting any major problems from the Hells Angels event. The club also held its USA Run in the area a few years ago, she said. “I don’t recall there being any problems that last time they were all here. They’ll be treated just like anybody else,” Steele said. Members of the Hells Angels have had run-ins with the law during Sturgis rallies in past years. Two club members involved in a stabbing that left two people with in- juries during last year’s rally were con- victed of assault charges. PRESS & DAKOTAN n FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2012 THE MIDWEST: PAGE 13A S.D. Officer Accused Of Mistreating Woman WAGNER (AP) — An officer with the Custer County Sheriff’s Of- fice is accused of mistreating a woman after misidentifying her as a suspect. The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation is looking into the accusations against David Keale. An agency spokeswoman declined to provide details to the Rapid City Journal (http://bit.ly/PSH8Rg). Sheriff Rick Wheeler also declined to talk about the case. Susan Brown, of Custer, says she was shopping when Keale mis- takenly tried to arrest her for an outstanding warrant. She says the officer treated her roughly. She says Keale later apologized but she refused to accept the apology. Keale was put on paid leave June 22. A telephone listing for him could not immediately be found. Man Pleads In Fed Court In S.D. Bank Robbery SIOUX FALLS (AP) — A Michigan man has pleaded not guilty in federal court to robbing a Sioux Falls bank. Twenty-one-year-old Alvione Jones earlier had pleaded not guilty in state court to robbery and kidnapping charges. The Argus Leader newspaper reports (http://argusne.ws/MmEvBV ) that the case has been moved to federal court because the Great Western Bank is federally insured. Authorities say the Grand Rapids, Mich., man ambushed two bank employees in the parking lot on June 25, forcing them to hand over more than $60,000 in cash from the bank’s vault. If Jones is convicted on the federal robbery charge he would face at least 10 years in prison and possibly a life term. He is being held without bond. S.D. Guard Unit Wins Weapons Award RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota Army National Guard unit has won an award for having the nation’s highest weapons qualification rate. The 740th Transportation Company, headquartered in Milbank, won the National Guard Association Pershing Award for the second time in six years. The unit earned the highest figure of merit score during annual qualification firing with assigned individual weapons. The unit’s overall qualifications rate was 99.4 percent. It quali- fied 64 experts, 75 sharpshooters and 30 marksmen. Capt. Jeremy Schafer, the company commander, says the award is reassurance that the unit’s training is effective and sufficient. Search On For Women In Neb. Jewelry Thefts OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Douglas County authorities are looking for two women who are targeting homes and stealing jewelry. KETV-TV in Omaha says the sheriff’s office says two women have hit at least three homes in the past three weeks in the west- ern part of the county. In one home, over $100,000 worth of jewelry was taken. In surveillance video on June 29, the women can be seen ringing the doorbell at a house and trying to see if anyone is inside. The two leave, but then they walk out the front door about 15 minutes later. The women are suspects in similar crimes two days earlier and again on July 7. USDA Loan To Help SE Electric Improve Line SIOUX FALLS (AP) — The U.S. Agriculture Department says it is guaranteeing a loan of nearly $37 million to Southeastern Electric Cooperative to help it build and improve 467 miles of distribution line and make other system improvements for more than 1,600 customers. It’s part of $287 million in loan guarantees announced Thursday by USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the guarantees will help ensure that rural areas can retain existing businesses, support new ones and have reliable, up-to-date infrastructure. The loan to Marion-based Southeastern includes $2.8 million in smart grid projects. Vilsack says the smart grid funding helps utilities make effi- ciency improvements to the electric grid and helps consumers lower their electric bills by reducing energy use in homes and businesses. Officials: Man Aimed Laser Pointer At Planes OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have questioned an Omaha man who is suspected of flashing a laser pointer at planes and helicopters. KETV-TV in Omaha says the most recent incident occurred Tuesday night when a police helicopter was targeted. Authorities say he also may have aimed the pointer at passenger planes flying in and out of Omaha’s Eppley Airfield. The man has not been arrested, so authorities aren’t releasing his name. The laser pointer has been confiscated. Experts say a laser beam could harm a pilot’s night vision or cause blindness. The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it will pursue civil penalties on those who point lasers into the cockpits of aircraft. Hells Angels To Hold Annual Event In Spearfish Petition Submitted For Probe Of 2008 Nebraska Toddler Death JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR/MCT A stressed and fallen leaf looses its green coloring in the brown grass of a home in Olathe, Kansas, on Thursday, July 12, 2012. Temperatures in the area topped 90 degrees Thursday with forecasts calling for rising numbers into the weekend. L OSING G REEN BY JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. — Billionaire in- vestor Warren Buffett said Thurs- day that U.S. economic growth has slowed in the last two months as fears about Europe’s debt woes mounted. Buffett’s comments during an interview Thursday on the cable TV network CNBC contrast with what he has been saying for a couple years. Buffett has said the economy was gradually improving since the fall of 2009 in every area except businesses related to housing. Buffett said the U.S. economy has not turned negative, but busi- ness in Europe has dropped off quickly in the past two months. Berkshire Hathaway’s chairman and CEO draws insight into the economy from the reports he gets from the Omaha-based company’s subsidiaries and investments which range from railroads and power companies to insurance, car- pet and soft drinks. “The general economy has been pretty much flat,” said Buffett, who was in Sun Valley, Idaho, attending the annual confer- ence hosted by investment banker Allen & Co. that attracts Wall Street and media moguls. He said one bright spot is that businesses tied to residential housing are improving a bit. “The little pickup in housing has not been enough to offset what has been going on in the rest of the world,” Buffett said. Buffett said he’s not sure why the overall economy has been slowing. Buffett was also asked about JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, a day before the bank is set to report its latest earnings re- sults and shed more light on its loss on a bad trade. Buffett reiterated his confi- dence in Dimon even though JP- Morgan has said it may lose $2 billion or more on a bad trade. Dimon has apologized to share- holders, and days after the loss was disclosed, Chief Investment Officer Ina Drew, who oversaw the trading group responsible for the trade, left the company. “I think Jamie Dimon is one of the best bankers in the world. He understands banking and risk,” said Buffett, who invested in the bank in his personal portfolio and often suggests investors read Dimon’s letters to shareholders. JPMorgan’s loss has height- ened concerns that the biggest banks still pose risks to the U.S. fi- nancial system, less than four years after the financial crisis in the fall of 2008. Buffett was also asked about recent troubles at the British bank Barclays, which has been fined $453 million by U.S. and British authorities for supplying false data which went into calculations of the London interbank offered rate, LIBOR, a key global interest rate. Buffett said he understood why Bob Diamond subsequently resigned as CEO of Barclay’s. “I don’t think he had any choice but to go,” Buffett said. Diamond agreed to terms for a final settlement, which includes forfeiting up to $31 million in bonuses and incentives, on Tuesday. Berkshire owns roughly 80 subsidiaries, including railroad, clothing, furniture and jewelry firms, but its insurance and utility businesses typically account for more than half of the company’s net income. It also has major in- vestments in such companies as Coca-Cola Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A Ne- braska jury on Thursday convicted a former worker of abusing resi- dents at a state-run center for devel- opmentally disabled people. Matthew Pangborn, 31, was found guilty on four counts of abuse of a vulnerable adult, one count of attempted abuse, three counts of strangulation and one count of at- tempted strangulation. Pangborn was acquitted on one count of abuse of a vulnerable adult. The jury deliberated for about four hours on Wednesday and re- sumed Thursday morning. Pangborn was accused of beat- ing and choking residents when he worked at the Beatrice State Devel- opmental Center last summer. Sixteen employees were sus- pended after an investigation found that at least seven of the center’s developmentally disabled residents were routinely slapped, shoved, vio- lently pinched, punched, ridiculed and choked. Five workers were ini- tially charged with abuse. Pangborn was the only one to face trial, after the four others pleaded to reduced charges. Prosecutors said in their opening statement that the case was about the “fundamental rights” of the residents. On Monday and Tuesday, former co-workers testified about the abuse they say they saw Pangborn deliver. Connie Baird, who was fired for failing to report abuse and neglect, said she saw Pangborn threaten one person and choke another. Carmen Yates, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor attempted abuse of a vulnerable adult, said she saw Pangborn choke a resident into unconsciousness. In Pangborn’s defense, his attor- ney put on the stand another co- worker, Martha McCarthy, who said the center residents liked Pangborn. “They were happy to see Matt,” said McCarthy, describing some res- idents as getting “smiley” when they saw Pangborn. The Beatrice center has suffered a string of problems. A U.S. Justice Department investigation reported about 200 cases of alleged neglect and abuse at the center from late 2006 to late 2007. In September 2009, the state lost its appeal to re- gain Medicaid certification that would bring $29 million in annual federal funding. The state later decided to divide the center into five smaller, inde- pendently licensed care facilities on the Beatrice campus and regained funding. SIOUX FALLS (AP) — Resi- dents of South Dakota’s largest city can once again freely carry guns on city property, after officials decided a ban imposed 15 years ago was never enforceable. Sioux Falls Mayor Gary Hanson in 1995 issued an exec- utive order prohibiting city employees from bringing guns on city property. He expanded it two years later to include all people. After a review of exec- utive orders on the books in Sioux Falls, City Attorney Dave Pfeifle recommended lifting the gun ban because state law did not allow for it. “This executive order — though it was not a law and it was very well-intended — it had absolutely no teeth,” cur- rent Mayor Mike Huether said Wednesday. Huether signed a revised executive order that applies only to city employees, turning it into a personnel regulation. Hanson told the Argus Leader newspaper that he cre- ated the executive order in 1995 because a number of city workers were bringing rifles, shotguns and pistols to work, cleaning them in the cafeteria and keeping them in their lock- ers. A number of workplace shootings also had occurred throughout the country, and Hanson said he wanted to take preventive action. Hanson said when he amended his order in 1997, he and other administrators were unaware that the state prohib- ited cities from banning firearms. “I appreciate the fact that Mayor Huether took the action that he did; I think it’s quite appropriate,” Hanson said. Buffett Says General Economy Slowing This Summer Buffett Man Convicted Of Abusing Disabled People Guns Deemed OK On City Property In Sioux Falls

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Page 1: 2010 Legal and Public Hells Angels To Hold Annual …tearsheets.yankton.net/july12/071312/ypd_071312_SecA_013.pdfnorthern Black Hills when the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club holds a

2010 Legal and PublicNotices

Room at the Technical Education Center, 1200 West 21st Street, Yankton, South Dakota, where any person or persons interested in the approval or rejection of the above application may appear and be heard.

Dated at Yankton, South Dakotathis 9th day of July, 2012.

Ann CloughDEPUTY FINANCE OFFICER

7+13NOTICE OF HEARING UPON APPLICATION

FOR SALE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an application has been re-ceived by the Board of City Com-missioners of the City of Yankton, South Dakota, for the transfer of location of a Retail (on-sale) Liq-uor License for January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2012, from Drotzmann & Portillo Enterprises, LLC, (Steve Drotzmann, partner) d/b/a Rounding 3rd Bar & Casino, 304 West 3rd Street, Yankton, S.D.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that a Public Hearing upon the ap-plication will be held on Monday, July 23, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. in the City of Yankton Community Meeting Room at the Technical Education Center, 1200 West 21st Street, Yankton, South Dakota, where any person or persons inter-ested in the approval or rejection of the above application may ap-pear and be heard.

Dated at Yankton, South Dakotathis 9th day of July, 2012.

Ann CloughDEPUTY FINANCE OFFICER

PRESS & DAKOTAN ■ FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2012 PAGE 13A

Broker Associates Sally & Terry 660-5352, 660-6679 www.SallyandTerry.com

Price Reduced!! Now $205,000

www.147marinadell.com

Lewis & Clark Realty, Inc . www.yanktonareahomes.com

147 Marina Dell Circle This is a great opportunity to buy a 5 bedroom, 3 bath home on 5 acres in the Marina Dell development. Just up the hill from Lewis & Clark Lake and marina on a hard surface road.

Act Now...Sellers’ Want Offer!

GERING, Neb. (AP) — Support-ers of a grand jury investigationinto the 2008 death of a 2-year-oldNebraska girl say they have gath-ered enough petition signaturesto force the probe.

A petition containing morethan 1,700 signatures was submit-ted Wednesday to Scotts BluffCounty authorities calling for thegrand jury probe into the death ofJuliette Geurts, the Scottsbluff Star-Herald reported (http://bit.ly/Li-ilmK ). Nebraska is one of sixstates that allow grand juries toconvene by petition.

The signatures must be veri-fied by the county clerk beforethe petition is submitted to Dis-trict Court Judge Randy Lipp-streu, who will review itslanguage. By law, 974 valid signa-tures are needed to force a grandjury to convene and to have a spe-cial prosecutor assigned to thecase.

The petition effort was startedearlier this year by relatives andothers who are dissatisfied withofficials’ efforts to find outwhether the Gering toddler was ahomicide victim and who mighthave killed her. An autopsyshowed Juliette died of blunt-force trauma to her head and ab-domen on July 11, 2008.

“This has been a long day com-ing,” Juliette’s aunt, Monica Hall,said of turning in the petition sig-natures. “This is a small step inthe mountain we have to climb.Maybe Juliette will finally getsome justice.”

No arrests have been made inthe girl’s death, and Scotts BluffCounty Attorney Doug Warnertold The Associated Press onThursday that the case is stillunder investigation.

Warner said he has sought thehelp of the FBI, asking the agencyto review the case.

In 2008, Warner said the girl’smother was among three suspectsin the girl’s death.

The mother and two men werein the home when Juliette suf-fered the fatal injuries. The child’sfather, who had separated fromher mother in 2007, was servingwith the U.S. Army at the time ofthe death.

Relatives of the father havesaid she moved out of Nebraska.She lost custody of Juliette’s twinafter the death.

Warner said he is not put off bythe petition effort and that agrand jury would not hinder theinvestigation that’s already underway. But he added: “I can’t predictwhether it will help.”

“I will cooperate fully with thegrand jury if one is convened,”Warner said. “This case needs tobe solved, and I will do what I canto accomplish that goal.”

BY CHET BROKAWAssociated Press

PIERRE — Extra law enforcement offi-cers will be brought in to help patrol thenorthern Black Hills when the Hells AngelsMotorcycle Club holds a major event inSpearfish later this month, a police depart-ment official said Thursday.

Up to 1,200 people, including 400-600club members, are expected to attend theclub’s annual USA Run in Spearfish July 25-29, Spearfish Police Lt. Curt Jacobs said.The event has been described as the club’sannual convention.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol will

have extra troopers in the area, and otherlaw agencies will help patrol the area, Ja-cobs said.

“We expect them to follow the rulesthat the citizens do in this area for 365days out of the year. As long as they followthose rules, there shouldn’t be any issues,”he said.

Jacobs said he and Spearfish PoliceChief Pat Rotert met earlier with represen-tatives of the Hells Angels, but they haveno valid phone numbers for the club. Theclub did not immediately respond to anemail requesting comment.

“The Hells Angels are used to this. Any-time they have their USA Run they know

that law enforcement is going to beef uptheir numbers in that area,” Jacobs said.

“They have their meetings, their barbe-ques, their picnics and then they headback home,” he added.

Jacobs said the crowd at the Hells An-gels event will be small compared with thehundreds of thousands of bikers who at-tend the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rallyheld in the area each year. This year’s Stur-gis rally is set for Aug. 6-12.

Christina Steele, a Sturgis city officialwho also represents the rally, said some ofthe people who attend the Hells AngelsUSA Run will likely stay in the area for theSturgis rally.

“It’s an economic boost anytime you geta group like that,” Steele said.

Steele said officials are not expectingany major problems from the Hells Angelsevent. The club also held its USA Run inthe area a few years ago, she said.

“I don’t recall there being any problemsthat last time they were all here. They’ll betreated just like anybody else,” Steele said.

Members of the Hells Angels have hadrun-ins with the law during Sturgis ralliesin past years. Two club members involvedin a stabbing that left two people with in-juries during last year’s rally were con-victed of assault charges.

PRESS & DAKOTAN n FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2012 THE MIDWEST: PAGE 13A

S.D. Officer Accused Of Mistreating WomanWAGNER (AP) — An officer with the Custer County Sheriff’s Of-

fice is accused of mistreating a woman after misidentifying her as asuspect.

The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation is lookinginto the accusations against David Keale. An agency spokeswomandeclined to provide details to the Rapid City Journal(http://bit.ly/PSH8Rg). Sheriff Rick Wheeler also declined to talkabout the case.

Susan Brown, of Custer, says she was shopping when Keale mis-takenly tried to arrest her for an outstanding warrant. She says theofficer treated her roughly. She says Keale later apologized but sherefused to accept the apology.

Keale was put on paid leave June 22. A telephone listing for himcould not immediately be found.

Man Pleads In Fed Court In S.D. Bank RobberySIOUX FALLS (AP) — A Michigan man has pleaded not guilty in

federal court to robbing a Sioux Falls bank.Twenty-one-year-old Alvione Jones earlier had pleaded not

guilty in state court to robbery and kidnapping charges. The ArgusLeader newspaper reports (http://argusne.ws/MmEvBV ) that thecase has been moved to federal court because the Great WesternBank is federally insured.

Authorities say the Grand Rapids, Mich., man ambushed twobank employees in the parking lot on June 25, forcing them to handover more than $60,000 in cash from the bank’s vault.

If Jones is convicted on the federal robbery charge he wouldface at least 10 years in prison and possibly a life term. He is beingheld without bond.

S.D. Guard Unit Wins Weapons AwardRAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota Army National Guard

unit has won an award for having the nation’s highest weaponsqualification rate.

The 740th Transportation Company, headquartered in Milbank,won the National Guard Association Pershing Award for the secondtime in six years.

The unit earned the highest figure of merit score during annualqualification firing with assigned individual weapons.

The unit’s overall qualifications rate was 99.4 percent. It quali-fied 64 experts, 75 sharpshooters and 30 marksmen.

Capt. Jeremy Schafer, the company commander, says the awardis reassurance that the unit’s training is effective and sufficient.

Search On For Women In Neb. Jewelry TheftsOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Douglas County authorities are looking

for two women who are targeting homes and stealing jewelry.KETV-TV in Omaha says the sheriff’s office says two women

have hit at least three homes in the past three weeks in the west-ern part of the county. In one home, over $100,000 worth of jewelrywas taken.

In surveillance video on June 29, the women can be seen ringingthe doorbell at a house and trying to see if anyone is inside. Thetwo leave, but then they walk out the front door about 15 minuteslater.

The women are suspects in similar crimes two days earlier andagain on July 7.

USDA Loan To Help SE Electric Improve Line SIOUX FALLS (AP) — The U.S. Agriculture Department says it is

guaranteeing a loan of nearly $37 million to Southeastern ElectricCooperative to help it build and improve 467 miles of distributionline and make other system improvements for more than 1,600customers.

It’s part of $287 million in loan guarantees announced Thursdayby USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the guarantees will helpensure that rural areas can retain existing businesses, support newones and have reliable, up-to-date infrastructure.

The loan to Marion-based Southeastern includes $2.8 million insmart grid projects.

Vilsack says the smart grid funding helps utilities make effi-ciency improvements to the electric grid and helps consumerslower their electric bills by reducing energy use in homes andbusinesses.

Officials: Man Aimed Laser Pointer At PlanesOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have questioned an Omaha

man who is suspected of flashing a laser pointer at planes andhelicopters.

KETV-TV in Omaha says the most recent incident occurredTuesday night when a police helicopter was targeted. Authoritiessay he also may have aimed the pointer at passenger planes flyingin and out of Omaha’s Eppley Airfield.

The man has not been arrested, so authorities aren’t releasinghis name. The laser pointer has been confiscated.

Experts say a laser beam could harm a pilot’s night vision orcause blindness.

The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it willpursue civil penalties on those who point lasers into the cockpitsof aircraft.

Hells Angels To Hold Annual Event In Spearfish

Petition Submitted For ProbeOf 2008 Nebraska Toddler Death

JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR/MCT

A stressed and fallen leaf looses its green coloring in the brown grass of a home in Olathe, Kansas, on Thursday,July 12, 2012. Temperatures in the area topped 90 degrees Thursday with forecasts calling for rising numbersinto the weekend.

LOSING GREEN

BY JOSH FUNKAP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. — Billionaire in-vestor Warren Buffett said Thurs-day that U.S. economic growthhas slowed in the last two monthsas fears about Europe’s debt woesmounted.

Buffett’s comments during aninterview Thursday on the cableTV network CNBC contrast withwhat he has been saying for acouple years. Buffett has said theeconomy was gradually improvingsince the fall of 2009 in every areaexcept businesses related tohousing.

Buffett said the U.S. economyhas not turned negative, but busi-ness in Europe has dropped offquickly in the past two months.Berkshire Hathaway’s chairmanand CEO draws insight into theeconomy from the reports he getsfrom the Omaha-based company’ssubsidiaries and investmentswhich range from railroads and

power companiesto insurance, car-pet and softdrinks.

“The generaleconomy has beenpretty much flat,”said Buffett, whowas in Sun Valley,Idaho, attendingthe annual confer-

ence hosted by investmentbanker Allen & Co. that attractsWall Street and media moguls.

He said one bright spot is thatbusinesses tied to residentialhousing are improving a bit.

“The little pickup in housinghas not been enough to offsetwhat has been going on in the restof the world,” Buffett said.

Buffett said he’s not sure whythe overall economy has beenslowing.

Buffett was also asked aboutJPMorgan Chase CEO JamieDimon, a day before the bank isset to report its latest earnings re-

sults and shed more light on itsloss on a bad trade.

Buffett reiterated his confi-dence in Dimon even though JP-Morgan has said it may lose $2billion or more on a bad trade.Dimon has apologized to share-holders, and days after the losswas disclosed, Chief InvestmentOfficer Ina Drew, who oversaw thetrading group responsible for thetrade, left the company.

“I think Jamie Dimon is one ofthe best bankers in the world. Heunderstands banking and risk,”said Buffett, who invested in thebank in his personal portfolio andoften suggests investors readDimon’s letters to shareholders.

JPMorgan’s loss has height-ened concerns that the biggestbanks still pose risks to the U.S. fi-nancial system, less than fouryears after the financial crisis inthe fall of 2008.

Buffett was also asked aboutrecent troubles at the British bank

Barclays, which has been fined$453 million by U.S. and Britishauthorities for supplying falsedata which went into calculationsof the London interbank offeredrate, LIBOR, a key global interestrate.

Buffett said he understoodwhy Bob Diamond subsequentlyresigned as CEO of Barclay’s.

“I don’t think he had anychoice but to go,” Buffett said.

Diamond agreed to terms for afinal settlement, which includesforfeiting up to $31 million inbonuses and incentives, onTuesday.

Berkshire owns roughly 80subsidiaries, including railroad,clothing, furniture and jewelryfirms, but its insurance and utilitybusinesses typically account formore than half of the company’snet income. It also has major in-vestments in such companies asCoca-Cola Co. and Wells Fargo &Co.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A Ne-braska jury on Thursday convicteda former worker of abusing resi-dents at a state-run center for devel-opmentally disabled people.

Matthew Pangborn, 31, wasfound guilty on four counts of abuseof a vulnerable adult, one count ofattempted abuse, three counts ofstrangulation and one count of at-tempted strangulation.

Pangborn was acquitted on onecount of abuse of a vulnerable adult.

The jury deliberated for aboutfour hours on Wednesday and re-sumed Thursday morning.

Pangborn was accused of beat-ing and choking residents when heworked at the Beatrice State Devel-opmental Center last summer.

Sixteen employees were sus-pended after an investigation foundthat at least seven of the center’sdevelopmentally disabled residents

were routinely slapped, shoved, vio-lently pinched, punched, ridiculedand choked. Five workers were ini-tially charged with abuse.

Pangborn was the only one toface trial, after the four otherspleaded to reduced charges.

Prosecutors said in their openingstatement that the case was aboutthe “fundamental rights” of theresidents.

On Monday and Tuesday, formerco-workers testified about the abusethey say they saw Pangborn deliver.

Connie Baird, who was fired forfailing to report abuse and neglect,said she saw Pangborn threaten oneperson and choke another.

Carmen Yates, who pleadedguilty to misdemeanor attemptedabuse of a vulnerable adult, said shesaw Pangborn choke a resident intounconsciousness.

In Pangborn’s defense, his attor-ney put on the stand another co-worker, Martha McCarthy, who saidthe center residents liked Pangborn.

“They were happy to see Matt,”said McCarthy, describing some res-idents as getting “smiley” when theysaw Pangborn.

The Beatrice center has suffereda string of problems. A U.S. JusticeDepartment investigation reportedabout 200 cases of alleged neglectand abuse at the center from late2006 to late 2007. In September2009, the state lost its appeal to re-gain Medicaid certification thatwould bring $29 million in annualfederal funding.

The state later decided to dividethe center into five smaller, inde-pendently licensed care facilities onthe Beatrice campus and regainedfunding.

SIOUX FALLS (AP) — Resi-dents of South Dakota’s largestcity can once again freelycarry guns on city property,after officials decided a banimposed 15 years ago wasnever enforceable.

Sioux Falls Mayor GaryHanson in 1995 issued an exec-utive order prohibiting cityemployees from bringing gunson city property. He expandedit two years later to include allpeople. After a review of exec-utive orders on the books inSioux Falls, City Attorney DavePfeifle recommended liftingthe gun ban because state lawdid not allow for it.

“This executive order —though it was not a law and itwas very well-intended — ithad absolutely no teeth,” cur-rent Mayor Mike Huether saidWednesday.

Huether signed a revisedexecutive order that appliesonly to city employees, turningit into a personnel regulation.

Hanson told the ArgusLeader newspaper that he cre-ated the executive order in1995 because a number of cityworkers were bringing rifles,shotguns and pistols to work,cleaning them in the cafeteriaand keeping them in their lock-ers. A number of workplaceshootings also had occurredthroughout the country, andHanson said he wanted to takepreventive action.

Hanson said when heamended his order in 1997, heand other administrators wereunaware that the state prohib-ited cities from banningfirearms.

“I appreciate the fact thatMayor Huether took the actionthat he did; I think it’s quiteappropriate,” Hanson said.

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Buffett

Man Convicted Of Abusing Disabled People

Guns DeemedOK On CityProperty InSioux Falls