Nebraska task force outlines priorities for Whiteclay

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A legislative task force has released a list of goals to improve life in Whiteclay, a Nebraska village that sold massive amounts of beer near a South Dakota Indian reservation until state regulators intervened.

The report issued Wednesday calls for a new, permanent cellphone tower in the area to replace one that was vandalized and destroyed by a windstorm. It also suggests finding land for a possible treatment and detox center, a memorial for Whiteclay and additional economic development efforts.

Four stores in Whiteclay sold the equivalent of 3.5 million cans of beer annually next to South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation until April, when the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission voted not to renew their licenses. Whiteclay has a population of nine and no full-time law enforcement.