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XGR–DEATH PENALTY
LINCOLN—Nebraska could theoretically put inmates to death with rat poison if lawmakers approve a measure to change the state’s method of execution to lethal injection, a former state senator and death-penalty opponent said Thursday. The state corrections department would devise the lethal recipe and administration of drugs to execute prisoners under the bill (LB36) that was introduced by Sen. Mike Flood and considered by the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee on Thursday. By Anna Jo Bratton.
AP Photos NENH101-106, NENH108 by Nati Harnik
With:
— DEATH PENALTY-GLANCE
XGR–PERMIT FEES
LINCOLN—The cost of hunting, fishing and even having a picnic in a Nebraska state park could increase under a measure that appears headed toward approval by the Legislature. If OK’d by lawmakers, Nebraska would likely lose its status as the cheapest state in the country for residents to buy annual, state park permits. State officials say fee hikes are needed to keep up with rising costs and collect more dollars as the number of annual permits that are sold slips in the state. By Nate Jenkins.
With:
— XGR–POLITICIANS’ JOBS—Having failed to bar them from professional moonlighting, a Nebraska lawmaker wants to force the state’s top elected officials to tell the public how much time they spend in outside jobs.
SCHOOL BOND SUIT
OMAHA—Some Nebraska residents are suing a school board, its president and the district, asking a court to throw out the results of a $3.8 million bond issue vote. The lawsuit’s 27 plaintiffs say the Verdigre Public Schools bond election in November for a new school and other improvements wouldn’t have occurred if not for school officials meeting in secret to put the issue on the ballot. By Jean Ortiz.
PEANUT RECALLS IOWA
DES MOINES, Iowa—Two Iowa companies on Thursday announced recalls of their products after an expanded recall by the Peanut Corporation of America. Hy-Vee Inc. announced on that it is recalling freshly made party mix and peanut brittle because the products contain whole peanuts that are potentially contaminated with salmonella.
BUSINESS:
KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE
HELENA, Mont.—The U.S. State Department is taking public comment to consider in planning the environmental study of a proposed Canada-U.S. oil pipeline routed through Montana. The Federal Register this week published the department’s notice that it will prepare an environmental impact statement and hold public meetings about the Keystone XL pipeline, part of a system that would carry Canadian crude oil to Texas refineries. By Susan Gallagher. Eds: Note Nebraska mention. Also moving on general news lines.
SPORTS:
HARD-LUCK HUSKERS
LINCOLN—Nebraska coach Doc Sadler says it’s high time that the nation’s smallest Division I team be rewarded for its hard work. The Cornhuskers have pushed Oklahoma State, then-No. 6 Oklahoma and defending national champion Kansas to the limit during a three-game losing streak. By Sports Writer Eric Olson.
AP Photos NENH104, NENH107.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— SON SHAKEN—A Lincoln man has been sentenced to 180 days in jail for shaking his infant son.
— TACO BELL SHOOTING—A Douglas County jury has convicted a man of a fatal shooting at a Taco Bell in north Omaha.
— CLOONEY FILM—Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney will be in Omaha this spring to film a new movie titled “Up in the Air.”
— PLANT DEATH—Lincoln police say a 52-year-old man is dead after a fall at the Archer Daniels Midland plant in southwest Lincoln.
— HUNTING ACCIDENT—Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner says a man is recovering after being shot in the face in a hunting accident.
— UNK FOUNTAIN—A 20-year-old University of Nebraska at Kearney student has been ordered to pay up—and apologize—for his role in damaging a campus fountain.
— ECONOMIC STIMULUS-NEBRASKA—Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns says he hopes there’s more flexibility on both sides of the aisle when President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus bill is debated in the Senate.
— EDITORIAL RDP—Excerpts from recent Nebraska daily newspaper editorials on topics of statewide interest.
The AP, Omaha.
