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Western Governors' Association.
• During a private lunch Friday, Jewell pledged to collaborate with Western governors on every major federal decision affecting public lands-- it was "the first question she was asked," Hickenlooper said.
• Several governors said at a news conference held after Jewell's departure that they embraced her vision of outdoor recreation as an important use of federal lands. But Idaho Gov. Butch Otter said the government's vision of recreation can be "dysfunctional" when federal agencies shut down forest roads to vehicles or close trails to protect land.
• "A large portion of Idaho is federal land, and we need more cooperation," he said.
• The Western governors' annual meeting goes through Sunday at the Montage Deer Valley.
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SD Judge upholds sentence in cab driver killing
CHET BROKAW,Associated Press
• FORT PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- A South Dakota judge refused Friday to set aside the 261-year prison sentence given to a Minnesota man who was 16 when he was involved in the 1996 kidnapping and slaying of a Pierre taxicab driver.
• Shawn Cameron Springer, now 34, pleaded guilty in 1996 to kidnapping for his role in the robbery and death of cab driver Michael Hare earlier that year.
• Springer, of Marshall, Minn., will be eligible for parole in 2029, but there is no guarantee he will be released then. He asked to be resentenced, arguing his 261-year prison sentence should be struck down because it amounts to a life sentence.
• "I guess I would just humbly ask that you consider my plea for a lesser sentence," Springer told Circuit Judge Kathleen Trandahl during a 35-minute hearing.
• Trandahl said she had to decide whether Springer's sentence met legal standards, not whether she would have imposed the same sentence as the trial judge.
• Asked whether Springer would appeal to the South Dakota Supreme Court, Springer's lawyer, Jamie Damon of Pierre, said: "I'm just going to explore the options."
• Springer and Paul Dean Jensen Jr. of Pierre -- 14 at the time -- were arrested minutes after the 28-year-old Hare was killed. Prosecutors said the two had Hare drive them out of town and they robbed him of $34.48 before shooting him to death. The two were prosecuted in adult court.
• Jensen was convicted of kidnapping and murder -- the jury said he was guilty of (Continued on page 19)
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