Friday,  August 17, 2012 • Vol. 13--No. 0334• 16 of 39 •  Other Editions

(Continued from page 15)

Railroad board again seeking Platte-Napa proposals

• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- The South Dakota Railroad Board is again accepting proposals from companies wanting to restore service on an abandoned railroad line from Platte to Napa Junction near Yankton.
• The board in 2006 agreed to sell the state-owned line to Wagner Native Ethanol for $1.5 million, but it voted to consider new proposals at an April meeting. None of the four submissions were approved.
• Board chairman Chet Groseclose says the new deadline is Oct. 1, and board members will discuss proposals at their mid-October meeting. He says there's an opportunity for economic development in the area.

• 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)

© 2012 Groton Daily Independent • To send correspondence, click here.