The supervisor in Omaha is Nelson Lampe. Josh Funk takes over at 3:30 p.m. If you have a news tip or questions about the report, call (800) 642-9920 or (402) 391-0031.
AP stories, along with the photos that accompany them, can also be obtained from . Reruns are also available from the Service Desk (877-836-9477).
Please send stories of state or regional interest by electronic carbon, by fax at (402) 391-1412 or e-mail to omahane(at)ap.org. Technical problems may be reported to (800) 822-9921.
DEVELOPING:
ADDS:
CHANGING ELECTORATE
OMAHA—You might think Democrats would be down in the dumps in Nebraska. On a night when their party won the presidency and swept Republicans aside across the country, Nebraska Democrats didn’t flip any congressional seats, didn’t win an open U.S. Senate seat and didn’t win the statewide presidential vote. By Anna Jo Bratton.
ELECTORAL VOTE SPLIT
OMAHA—More than 9,000 uncounted ballots could determine whether Barack Obama’s victory will come with one more electoral vote. One of Nebraska’s five is tied the state’s 2nd Congressional District, where Republican John McCain leads Obama by just 569 votes. By Anna Jo Bratton
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
LINCOLN—Cities, counties, the state’s flagship university and possibly other public groups are beginning to scour their programs to see if they violate a ban on affirmative action voters approved on Tuesday. At the University of Nebraska, officials are expected to review a wide range of programs and policies aimed at boosting diversity—including a math camp for high school girls, Native American Day, the recruitment of foreign students and a law college policy that uses race as one factor when deciding which students to admit. By Nate Jenkins.
EXIT POLL-SENATE
OMAHA—Democratic Senate candidate Scott Kleeb saw support among Nebraska voters troubled by the state of the economy, but that wasn’t enough for him to defeat Republican candidate Mike Johanns. An Associated Press exit poll taken on Election Day shows that among the more than half of voters who indicated they are very worried about the direction of the nation’s economy in the next year, nearly half voted for Kleeb. By Margery A. Gibbs.
ALSO:
— JUDGE’S SENTENCE-HEIGHT—A judge criticized for sentencing a 5-foot-1 sex offender to probation has been voted out of office.
— CCC LEVY REJECTED—Voters in a 25-county area have rejected a 3-cent tax levy that would have let Central Community College finish several building projects on its three campuses.
— BOND ISSUES—Voters in some Nebraska cities have approved raising their taxes for better schools, while others rejected plans to build a new jail.
— FLUORIDE VOTES—Voters in several Nebraska cities and towns told their leaders not to add fluoride to their public water supply.
— NELSON-ELECTION—Democrat Ben Nelson says he expects he’ll have an excellent relationship with his new Nebraska Republican colleague in the U.S. Senate, Mike Johanns.
— FREMONT-MAYOR—An incumbent mayor whose only challenger was drawn to the race over strong opinions about illegal immigration has cruised to victory for another term.
— BAYARD MAYOR—Voters have recalled the mayor of Bayard.
BUSINESS:
SLAUGHTERHOUSE-BANKRUPTCY
DES MOINES, Iowa—Kosher slaughterhouse Agriprocessors has filed for bankruptcy, blaming a May immigration raid for financial difficulties. The move to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday came a day before Agriprocessors was to meet in federal court with its biggest lender, First Bank of St. Louis. By Nigel Duara.
ALSO:
— GORDON SLAUGHTERHOUSE—A Gordon slaughterhouse run by Agriprocessors has closed because of the financial problems the kosher meat company is having.
— KENEXA JOB CUTS—Job cuts are in the works at Kenexa, which expanded its Lincoln office space over the summer to handle new growth.
SPORTS:
NEBRASKA-TALENT
LINCOLN—First-year coach Bo Pelini isn’t about to blame Nebraska’s struggles on the level of talent he inherited. The Cornhuskers have lost five of their past 16 games by 31 points or more. That’s hardly the trend fans would have expected of teams built with many of former coach Bill Callahan’s heralded recruits. By Sports Writer Eric Olson.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— REFUGEE COORDINATOR—State officials have named a new coordinator of Nebraska refugee resettlement programs.
— POLICE AUDITOR—Attorneys for Omaha’s former public safety auditor who says she was wrongfully fired have asked to have her lawsuit heard in federal court, rather than state court.
— COUPLE KILLED—The arraignment for a man accused of killing a rural Lancaster County couple has been delayed.
— THEFT PLEA—A former accountant at a state-owned cemetery in Lincoln has pleaded no contest to stealing from the cemetery and his church, where he was treasurer.
The AP, Omaha.
