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Groton Daily Independent
Friday, May 17, 2018 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 3088 ~ 15 of 55
Former tribal executive sentenced to prison for embezzlement
ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) — A former executive board member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe has been sentenced to more than a year in prison for embezzlement.
Sixty-six-year-old Barbara Kirk of Sisseton was sentenced in federal court to 16 months in prison. Kirk also was ordered to pay more than $100,000 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Kirk and others stole money from the Old Agency District, a subdivision of the tribe. Kirk and others were accused of writing checks to themselves for payroll, stipends and travel.
The defendants were accused of stealing more than $360,000 from the district.
The Aberdeen American News reports Kirk was indicted in 2016 along with fellow board members Thomas Adams and Leslie Barse Sr. Barse and Adams were sentenced earlier.
Judge orders owners of giant house to tear down in 30 days
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A judge has given the owners of a disputed giant house in Sioux Falls 30 days to tear it down.
Judge John Pekas ordered Josh and Sarah Sapienza to demolish or move the house by June 16.
The judge previously ruled the house was not compliant with building standards for national historic districts. In January, the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled the owners must make the home conform to the neighborhood’s historical standards.
The Argus Leader reports an attorney for the Sapienzas asked for more time. He says the couple has submitted new plans to the Sioux Falls Board of Historic Preservation for its June meeting.
But an attorney for neighbors Pierce and Barbara McDowell says his clients have been living with the towering home for more than three years.
Survey shows improving economy rural parts of 10 states
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of bankers shows that the economy is slowly improving in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says that while commodity prices have improved recently, they remain below breakeven for a large share of grain farmers.
The overall Rural Mainstreet index slipped slightly to 56.3 in May, up from 53.5 in April. It’s the highest level since July 2013. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy in the months ahead, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.
Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Da- kota and Wyoming were surveyed.
More than one-third of bank CEOs identified rising regulatory costs as the top economic challenge to their operations over the next five years.
Sioux Falls school wish list could hit $150M
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A task force has compiled a wish list of Sioux Falls school construction and renovation projects that could hit $150 million.
The 30-member panel met Wednesday night to look at how best to address crowded classrooms in Sioux Falls public schools, the Argus Leader reported. The $150 million request was not given the go-ahead, but the task force decided to accept the package as a placeholder while it considers the amount voters could be asked to pay.
Members did agree on building a new elementary, middle and high school. The task force also set pri- orities on more than a dozen multi-million dollar projects to be considered. Topping the panel’s list was funding a $4.7 million land purchase to replace Whittier Middle School.
The task force agreed to recommend building a new $43 million middle school on the east side of Sioux Falls, specifically in the southeast. Members also said they would recommend construction of an $84.7