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NEWSMAKER-RAGE
OMAHA—Neither the promise of a job nor the comfort of being near family were responsible for drawing Mohamed Rage to Nebraska. For the Mogadishu, Somali native, who has become the voice of Nebraska’s growing Somali population, that decision eight years ago came down to chance. By Jean Ortiz.
AP Photo NEBW101-103.
SURVEY-ABORTION
OMAHA—The majority of Nebraska lawmakers who responded to an Associated Press pre-session survey say they would support a measure to ban abortion in the state. The question asks whether the state should prohibit all abortions except to save the life of the mother or in cases where the conception was the result of incest or rape. By Margery A. Gibbs.
With:
— BC-NE-XGR–SURVEY-ABORTION-QUESTION
BUSINESS:
GRAIN CONTRACTS
LINCOLN—The financial failure of a large ethanol company with three plants in Nebraska has farmers who have contracts with the company searching for answers. The state Department of Agriculture has responded by scheduling two more workshops for farmers in Ord and Central City, where ethanol plants owned by VeraSun Energy Corp. have been idled. VeraSun, the nation’s second-largest ethanol producer, filed for bankruptcy in October. By Nate Jenkins.
MEXICO-MEAT IMPORTS
MILWAUKEE—Mexico has lifted the suspension on meat imports from 25 of the 30 processing plants it banned imports from last week, according to a list posted Tuesday on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Web site. Last week, the USDA said Mexico officials told them the country had concerns about the general condition of beef, pork and chicken products, sanitation issues and “possible pathogen findings.” By Food Industry Writer Emily Fredrix.
DOW CHEMICAL-ROHM&HAAS
NEW YORK—A year-end surprise has left the nation’s largest chemical company scrambling to salvage a deal it had hoped would make riding out a recession a little easier. Following the collapse of a $17.4 billion joint venture with a state-owned Kuwaiti company, Dow Chemical must weigh taking on more debt than it wanted, entering intense negotiations to restructure a buyout of rival Rohm & Haas, or both. By Energy Writer Ernest Scheyder.
AP Photos NYBZ106-107, PALAP201.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— SCOTTSBLUFF DEATH—A 41-year-old man suspected in the shooting death of a Scottsbluff businessman will be brought back to Nebraska from California to face a first-degree murder charge.
— SYRACUSE DEATH—The man suspected of smothering a Syracuse woman to death with a pillow has waived extradition from Illinois and is expected to make his first court appearance in Otoe County on Monday.AP Photo NY123.
— SHICKLEY DOUBLE FATAL—An elderly couple from Shickley has died in a traffic accident in south-central Nebraska.
— BUFFALO COUNTY CHASE—A 16-mile chase in Buffalo County ended with two people injured and their vehicle on its side on a creek bank.
— DRUG SETTLEMENT—Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning has announced drug maker Cephalon (SEF-uh-lon) has paid more than $2.6 million to the state to settle allegations of off-label marketing of three pharmaceutical products.
— ATV-CAR CRASH—The condition of a 12-year-old Nebraska boy injured in a crash between a car and his all-terrain vehicle has been upgraded to fair condition.
— LINCOLN HIRING FREEZE—Lagging sales tax revenue has prompted Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler (BITE-lur) to announce a hiring freeze for city employees.
— SHOOTING DEATH—Officials say no charges will be filed in the weekend shooting death of a 19-year-old Omaha man killed with his own gun.
— WINDSTREAM RETIREES—A judge won’t block Windstream Corp.’s plan to reduce retiree benefits and force retirees to share health insurance costs.
— POWER OUTAGE—Power has been restored to western Nebraska locations that lost electricity during an outage that may have been caused by high winds.
— RAILROAD HISTORY—Union Pacific Railroad will be featured in a new episode of “Extreme Trains” on cable’s History Channel.
— WORLD-HERALD DISTRIBUTION—The Omaha World-Herald will eliminate one of its five daily editions on Feb. 2 and stop same-day delivery in much of western Nebraska to save money.
— BASEBALL BAT ATTACK—A judge has sentenced a 22-year-old Lincoln man to six months in jail for his role in the baseball bat beating of Plattsmouth man.
— AUDITOR PERU STATE—State Auditor Mike Foley says he is concerned about the compensation package given to the outgoing president of Peru State College.
SPORTS:
NEBRASKA-DILLARD
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Phillip Dillard is approaching the Gator Bowl as if Nebraska’s reputation were on the line. The junior middle linebacker from Tulsa, Okla., said he absolutely doesn’t want to miss Thursday’s game against Clemson after being out with an ankle injury since the second half of the Baylor game Oct. 25.
AP Photo NY151.
NEBRASKA TRAINER
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Nebraska finished the majority of its preparation for the Gator Bowl against Clemson with a two-hour practice in helmets and shorts at the University of North Florida on Tuesday. The Cornhuskers will go through a walk-through on Wednesday morning and make a stop at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in the early afternoon.
Also:
— BKC–S. Carolina St-Nebraska.
The AP, Omaha.
