The supervisor in Omaha is Nelson Lampe. Anna Jo Bratton 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.
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DEVELOPING: ELECTORAL VOTE-NEBRASKA, SOUTHERN-CREIGHTON,
ADDS: BEATRICE PROBLEMS, MATTEL-TOY SETTLEMENT
BEATRICE PROBLEMS
LINCOLN—The Nebraska government’s strategy to fix deep problems at the state center for the mentally disabled appears doomed to fail, a special legislative committee has concluded. In a scathing report released on Monday, the committee of state lawmakers lays much of the blame for the problems at the Beatrice State Developmental Center on top state officials. By Nate Jenkins.
COLD SNAP
UNDATED—Temperatures on Monday crashed to record lows—well below zero—as a huge mass of arctic air blustered southward, keeping people indoors and leading some cities to open shelters. The cold and remnants of the weekend blizzard that accompanied it closed hundreds of schools on the northern Plains. Eds: Note Nebraska mention. Also moving on national lines.
AP Photos ORDZ101, ORDZ102, ORDZ103, ORDZ104, FO101.
With:
— CHILLY NEBRASKA
ELECTORAL VOTE-NEBRASKA
LINCOLN—Nebraska’s electors will be castings their ballots Monday, including one for President-elect Barack Obama, who won the popular vote in the 2nd Congressional District. By Anna Jo Bratton
BUSINESS:
MATTEL-TOY SETTLEMENT
NEW YORK—Toy maker Mattel Inc. will pay $12 million to Nebraska and 38 other states to settle an investigation over Chinese-made lead-tainted toys shipped to the U.S. in 2007, state officials said Monday. Mattel and its Fisher Price unit recalled more than 21 million Chinese-made toys last year, beginning in August, fearing the items were tainted with lead paint and tiny magnets that children could accidentally swallow. Eds: Also moving on national lines.
SPORTS:
SOUTHERN-CREIGHTON
OMAHA—Creighton (7-2) takes a four-game win streak into a nonconference game against winless Southern (0-7). The Bluejays have won 12 straight at home since last season. Game starts 7:05 p.m.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— RIVER REPORT—A new Nebraska report says the Platte River Basin upstream of the Missouri River is fully appropriated.
— RIVERSIDE ZOO—The director of Riverside Zoo in Scottsbluff has announced his resignation.
— LAME DUCK—A duck entangled in fishing line for months has finally been caught by animal workers.
— TREASURER CHARGED—Adams County voters may get the chance to decide whether the county treasurer caught up in a tax evasion scandal should be recalled.
— OBIT-BROWN—Longtime Omaha radio personality Steve Brown has died.
— STEAK HEIST—Police say a man suspected of stealing nearly a ton of steak from a meat processing plant in Lincoln last week is in custody.
— CAR CHASE—Omaha police say two teenagers are in custody after a high-speed chase that ended when their car hit a house.
The AP, Omaha.
