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Groton Daily Independent
Friday, Oct. 27, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 110 ~ 32 of 48
The land up for lease was guided by industry interest in the past. But earlier this year, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke directed the bureau to maximize the amount of reserve land available for lease.
The reserve saw a spike in interest from the oil industry last year, which was spurred by a series of oil discoveries around the northeast part of the reserve.
Alaska’s congressional delegation praised the announcement, while environmental groups said the re- serve should not be “plundered without restraint.”
“The (reserve) was always intended for development, not to be locked away in perpetuity like the previ- ous administration attempted,” Republican U.S. Rep. Don Young said.
President Barack Obama’s administration decided to mark portions of the reserve off-limits to leasing, citing the protection of bird and caribou habitat. Donald Trump’s administration is reviewing those marked areas.
“We need a thoughtful, careful approach that emphasizes responsible development and recognizes that some places are simply too special to drill,” said Nicole Whittington-Evans of the Wilderness Society.
The lease sale is scheduled for Dec. 6.
Judge resentences tax-evading prosecutor to probation
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A federal judge has resentenced a former South Dakota state’s attorney con- victed of tax evasion to ve years of probation.
The Rapid City Journal reports that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Viken ruled that the original prison sentence he imposed was illegal. Viken on Wednesday resentenced 48-year-old Ken Orrock for evading businesses taxes.
He had previously ordered Orrock to complete 12 months in prison by serving the time on weekends over 3 1/2 years. Viken had crafted the unusual sentence so that Orrock could maintain his business, pay back the Internal Revenue Service and help care for his special needs son.
But Viken in an order earlier in October invalidated that sentence after the federal Bureau of Prisons said it can only implement intermittent con nement of up to a year.
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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com
Catalan regional parliament passes motion for independence By ARITZ PARRA and CIARAN GILES, Associated Press
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Catalonia’s regional parliament passed a motion Friday to establish an inde- pendent Catalan Republic, voting to secede from Spain after an acrimonious debate that saw opposition lawmakers walk out in protest before the vote.
The vote in Barcelona came after Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy delivered an impassioned speech in Madrid, urging the country’s Senate to grant his government special constitutional measures that would allow it to take control of Catalonia’s autonomous powers and halt the region’s independence bid.
The vote was approved with 70 in favor of independence, 10 against and two blank ballots in Catalonia’s 135-member parliament.
Rajoy immediately called for calm despite the vote, which Spain is deeply set against. No country in the world has expressed support for independence for Catalonia, a region in northeastern Spain that has 7.5 million people.
“I call on all Spaniards to remain calm. The rule of law will restore legality to Catalonia,” he said on Twitter.
Separatist lawmakers in the regional parliament erupted in applause and chants when the chamber’s main speaker, Carme Forcadell, announced the passing of a motion to declare the region’s independence. The lawmakers stood to chant the Catalan of cial anthem, joined by dozens of guests. Regional Presi- dent Carles Puigdemont and his vice president, Oriol Junqueras, exchanged congratulatory embraces and
handshakes following the ballot.