• South Dakota bought the 82-mile stretch after the Milwaukee Road declared bankruptcy in the late 1970s. Estimates to restore the portion are reaching $30 million and the state doesn't have the money to fix it. •
Rape trial scheduled to conclude Friday in SD
• HURON, S.D. (AP) -- Closing arguments are expected Friday in the trial of a South Dakota bar owner accused of raping three girls after serving them alcohol. • Prosecutors allege 35-year-old Werner Fajardo (fa-HAHR'-doh) provided alcohol to a 12-year-old and two 14-year-old girls at his El Cuervo bar in Huron and assaulted them. He's pleaded not guilty. • On Thursday, the three girls took to the stand to testify. The 14-year-old girls recounted how she blacked out after consuming alcohol and awoke to Fajardo performing a sexual act on her. • The 12-year-old girl testified she was assaulted multiple times while passing in and out of consciousness. • Fajardo's defense lawyer said there are a number of inconsistencies between the girls' testimony and what they reported to authorities. •
Ariz. court to rule on appeal in murder of SD man
• PHOENIX (AP) -- The Arizona Supreme Court rules Friday on an appeal for a death row inmate convicted of murdering a South Dakota man during a Sun City home invasion. • Gilbert Martinez Sr. was sentenced to death on his murder conviction in the (Continued on page 17)
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