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President Obama Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline: Not In National Interest

On the State Department’s recommendation, President Obama rejected TransCanada’s plans to extend the Keystone XL pipeline on Wednesday, January 18th. In a move that many have called controversial,...

Dr. Annette Miller Presents Her Resignation to Brown County Hospital Board of Trustees

A regular meeting of the Brown County Hospital Board of Trustees was held Monday, January 16, 2012. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Mike Kreycik, at 4:05 p.m. Other Board members in attendance...

Nebraska Loves Public Schools Films B.E.A.T. and Destination Imagination

On Wednesday, January 28, 2012, Ainsworth Community Schools was visited by Nebraska Loves Public Schools’ film crew. The film crew of five from Omaha spent the day gathering footage of interviews with...

Brown County Blood Drive to be Held January 31st and February 1st

The Brown County Hospital Auxiliary is sponsoring a two-day blood drive on Tuesday, January 31st and Wednesday, February 1st, at the United Methodist Church Hall in Ainsworth. Hours on Tuesday are 12:45-6:30...

Ainsworth Schools Calendar of Events/Lunch Menu

Activities Wednesday, January 25 NeSA Writing Tests Grades 4, 8 and 11. 9:00 a.m.: FCCLA District 9 Star at O’Neill. Thursday, January 26 NeSA Writing Tests Grades 4, 8 and 11. Southwest...

Brown County News Briefs

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Gregory

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Area firefighters called to fire last Friday afternoon

Area firefighters called to  fire last Friday afternoon

by Colleen Flynn Roy’s Honda on Highway 18 is a total loss following an afternoon fire last Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. The Gregory Volunteer Fire Department responded, and firefighters from Burke, Dallas...

Special school meeting agenda set: Elementary heating, track repairs, sports coop to be discussed

by Colleen Flynn Two major capital outlay projects and the possibility of sports cooping will be discussed Monday evening. A special meeting of the Gregory Board of Education will be held on Monday, January...

Kim Vanneman column

The Capitol was very quiet and somber on Tuesday when Clint and I attended the memorial service for former Governor Bill Janklow in Pierre.  I extend my sympathy to the Janklow family, friends and all...

Billie Sutton column

Week two of the legislative session was a shortened week due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Governor Janklow’s prayer service and funeral on Tuesday in Pierre and Sioux Falls. We came back into session...

Welding certification project proposed

A committee of community members has been formed to aid in the development for attracting a welding certification course in Gregory. In conjunction with the City of Gregory, the committee has received...

Gorillas defeated last week by Chamberlain and White Lake

Iona news

Wewela/Colome news

Gregory News Briefs.....

Satellite welding course is possibility

Main St. bond to be refinanced, extended

Governor delivers state of the state address to begin 2012 Legislature

Survey compares education indicators, ranks states, SD receives low score

Importance of federal funds to state, local highways stressed

Gregory County Court News Land Transfers

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Valentine

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Brown County skunk tests positive for rabies

On January 5, 2012, a skunk in Brown County tested positive for rabies. The skunk was submitted by Dr. Wood from the Butler Veterinary Clinic in Valentine. Nebraska reported 35 cases of rabies last year....

National Park Service remembers one of their own

Some wonder why we have law enforcement rangers in National Parks? After all, most folks come to the 396 national treasures, like Niobrara National Scenic River, to enjoy themselves. But even in serene,...

Scammers call to get Social Security numbers using Obama’s healthcare

by Laura Vroman Attorney General Jon Bruning’s top five consumer complaints lists phishing and identity theft as number two. And here it is, a few weeks into the new year and local resident Marie Wietzke...

Valentines for veterans

The American Legion Auxiliary is getting ready to send out Valentines to our troops and the VA Homes.  If you are wanting to donate Valentines, the drop box is set up at 108 E. Seventh St. in Valentine....

Life Drawing sessions bring artists from several counties together

Several area artists met for their fourth Life Drawing session this winter. These workshops are held at “The Connection”, on Main Street in Ainsworth. The most recent meeting was held on Saturday,...

St. John’s Food Pantry successful in 2011

Dean wins third round of Vet’s Club Soup Contest

VHS Speech results

C-K students film Subs Across Cody

Cowgirls better their record over the weekend, 7-5

VHS Wrestling results

VHS Basketball results

Valentine Youth Basketball results

Valentine FFA District Leadership Skills results, May to speak at state

Cody-Kilgore offers students multi-lingual opportunities in Spanish, French

Importance of federal funds to state, local highways stressed PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 19 January 2012 16:01

By Elizabeth “Sam” Grosz - CNS
Two-thirds of the state’s transportation funds are federal dollars, a group of state lawmakers was reminded recently. Darin Bergquist, state Secretary of Transportation, said almost all of that comes from the federal highway program. The old federal program expired in 2009, he said, “and to date we still don’t have a replacement program for that—we continue to operate under periodic extensions of the old program, getting a little bit of funding at a time, with the hope that at some time Congress will pass a new long-term program to provide some certainty to states…”
South Dakota lawmakers in the House Transportation Committee received an overview of the department from Bergquist and others. He said the corresponding Senate committee had also received the presentation that week.
The extension the department is operating under now, he said, expires March 31.
“So, Bergquist said, Congress is in a position where they are going to have to do something, one way or another.. to continue that federal funding.”
The problem Congress faces, he said, is that in the past few years, the expenditures have far exceeded the revenues coming in.
“As a result of that,” Bergquist said, “the federal highway fund has been on the verge of going broke on multiple occasions.” To date, he added, three different times general fund money, totaling $35 billion, has been added to the highway fund.
One House committee proposal had been to reduce the federal funding 35 percent, which Bergquist called “a big deal for South Dakota and a big deal for every other state.” He said that could mean the loss of about $90 million for South Dakota.
The Senate disagreed with that and said they could come up with their own approach, he said, and has introduced a funding program, called MAP-21, or Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century.
It would be a two-year program, he said, with a small inflationary increase from the previous transportation program. The problem remains a $2 billion shortfall on how to pay for it.
Bergquist said South Dakota now gets back $2 for every $1 collected, and that remains the same in the Senate proposal.
“One of the big concerns under MAP-21,” said Bergquist, “is there is a provision that while providing funding for the states on one hand, would rescind all prior standing earmarks that have not already been obligated.” The state using other funds.
There are a number of such projects in the state, said Bergquist, including the Sioux Falls Railroad Relocation Project, which has about $35 million earmarked, but not obligated.
It is expected the federal House will introduce its own version of the bill, with a five-year provision, seeking funding at the same level as the prior transportation program.
Bergquist said his thought is that there will be another extension the end of March to get Congress past the November election.
In response to a question by Rep. Steve Street, D-Revillo, about trying to make up a federal shortfall, Bergquist said the state’s gas tax generates $6 million per penny.
He also noted that it costs $1 million per mile for total reconstruction of state highways.
County, city funding
One organizational change has moved the Local Government Assistance office from the Division of Finance and Management into the Division of Planning and Engineering, said Bergquist.
He said it is hoped to provide a better level of service and assistance to local governments, particularly those counties and cities receiving an allocation of highway funds each year they use for projects. It is expected to better share resources, he added.
In 2007, Bergquist said there were a number of programs that had to be suspended for financial reasons, but over the past year a couple have been reinstated. One of those is the economic development program, which is a combination of the community access grants, the agri-business grants, and industrial park grants.
Prior to 2007, he said, it was about a $3.5 million program. Last year, a version of it was reinstituted, he said, and three eligibility categories were combined into one. Grants totaling $1.5 million were awarded to local entities to help with their road needs, Bergquist said.
Last fall, he said, $2 million in grants was awarded. But, there were 35 applicants totaling $7.1 million, so it is expected they will apply again.
“There is a significant amount of need out there,” said Bergquist.
The other local government assistance program they were able to implement last spring is the old 90-10 slot program, Bergquist said. This allows communities to trade federal highway funds for state highway funds, he said.
A lot of the needs were not necessarily on federal projects, Bergquist said, so “having state funds rather than federal funds gave them much more flexibility for projects off their federal aid system.”