Whiteclay problems draw new scrutiny from Nebraska lawmakers

Senators say they're looking seriously at ways to improve conditions in Whiteclay, which sells millions of cans of beer each year on the border of South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned.

Lawmakers and officials with the Nebraska Public Service Commission will tour the area on Wednesday before releasing details about the new initiative.

Former state Sen. LeRoy Louden of Ellsworth introduced bills that would have allowed tighter restrictions on alcohol sales in Whiteclay, but the measures stalled amid opposition from the grocery store and alcohol industries, which argued they could create unintended problems in other parts of the state.

The list includes placing full-time Nebraska law enforcement in the area; creating a detoxification and treatment center; getting rid of abandoned buildings; developing a village economic development plan; seeking authority from lawmakers to enact ordinances aimed at panhandling and vagrancy; and improving the state's relationship with the Oglala Sioux Tribe, whose members live on the reservation.

Pansing Brooks said she also wants to see broadband service in the area to connect with law enforcement and public health officials in distant cities.

Sheridan County Attorney Jamian Simmons has said authorities received conflicting statements about a "potential assault" involving Wounded Foot in Whiteclay.