Sen. Rivers selected for legislative training program

State Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, announced on Friday that she was one of 39 legislators picked to attended the 2012 Western Legislative Academy — a program designed to train newer lawmakers for their elected positions.

The academy is put on by the Council of State Governments’ western U.S. division, and it takes place in Colorado Nov. 13-16 — about a week after the Nov. 6 general election. Rivers faces opposition in her Senate race from Democrat Ralph Schmidt.

Rivers was recently appointed to finish out the Senate term previously held by Ridgefield Republican Joseph Zarelli. He resigned from this job on May 18 after serving 17 years as a state lawmaker.

Prior to Rivers’ Senate appointment, she served as a state representative in the House. She was elected to that position in 2010.

Ninety-three people applied for spots in the academy, which trains legislators on topics of ethics, communication and leadership.