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ADDS: CHILD WELFARE, UNEMPLOYMENT, VOLUNTEER PAY.
CHILD WELFARE
LINCOLN—A new federal report says Nebraska still falls short at achieving safety, permanency and well-being for children under state care. But state officials point out improvements in many areas. By Anna Jo Bratton.
UNEMPLOYMENT
LINCOLN—Nebraska’s unemployment rate decreased to 4.2 percent in February, down a tenth of a point from January, state officials said Friday. Every other state saw unemployment go up between January and February.
VOLUNTEER PAY
OMAHA—The Nebraska Supreme Court says it can’t rule on an appeal in the case of an 87-year-old Omaha woman who worked thousands of hours for the state without being paid. In an opinion Friday, the court said mistakes in Douglas County District Court mean the judge’s ruling against the state isn’t final, and therefore can’t be appealed. By Anna Jo Bratton.
SPORTS:
— NEBRASKA TRAINER—Developments from Nebraska spring football practice.
— NEBRASKA-HELU—Nebraska running back Roy Helu Jr. hopes bigger is better.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— ESCAPED INDIANA INMATES—Three escaped Indiana inmates captured in Nebraska are being held in the Box Butte County Jail.
— UNL REPORT CARD—The University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows enrollment growth and increasing diversity among its students, increases in total research funding and continued improvement in its six-year graduation rate.
— BEATRICE PROBLEMS—The medical director at the Beatrice State Developmental Center is no longer on the job.
— GUARD-HELICOPTER FACILITY—Officials say the $17.5 million Nebraska Army National Guard Aviation Support Facility is scheduled to open in May in Grand Island.
— SAFE HAVEN-FATHER—A father who left nine children at an Omaha hospital last fall under Nebraska’s old safe haven law has appeared in court.
— COUNCILMAN-DUI—A former La Vista city councilman has been given one year of probation for drunken driving.
— STIMULUS-HEALTH CENTERS—Nebraska is slated to get $1.5 million from the federal stimulus money to expand services offered at community health centers.
— DELTA ROUTES—Delta Air Lines will launch a nonstop daily flight from Salt Lake City to Lincoln, Neb., starting in June.
— GUARD EMPLOYER AWARD—A total of 29 Nebraska National Guardsmen and reservists have nominated their employers to receive the 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
— PICKUP HITS HOUSE—Emergency officials say a 13-year-old boy was thrown across the living room of a home after a pickup smashed into the house.
— HEALTH CARE-CONFERENCE—A three-day conference focusing on how student-run clinics affect community health care will get under way Friday at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
— JUDGE RETIRING—A county judge in western Nebraska has announced his retirement.
— STEEL SUPPLIER CLOSING—A steel company owner in Scottsbluff says it’s closing soon, a victim of tough economic times.
The AP, Omaha.
