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DEVELOPING: XGR–DEATH PENALTY, BBC–BAYLOR-NEBRASKA
XGR–DEATH PENALTY
LINCOLN—If lethal injection becomes the new method to execute Nebraska’s condemned killers, it could take a year or more for it to be put to use. That’s according to a letter from the state Attorney General’s Office to lawmakers.
PRETEEN PAGEANT
FREMONT—Dan and Sheila Blackburn had reservations about their daughter competing in a pageant. “The first thing that came to my mind was JonBenet Ramsey and these shows on TV where the girls are wearing false eyelashes and fake teeth,” said Sheila Blackburn, mother of 11-year-old Demi Blackburn. By Tammy Greunke of the Fremont Tribune. Eds: A Nebraskaland Feature.
BUSINESS:
PIPELINE WORK
ABERDEEN, S.D.—Wet weather and soft roads have delayed the resumption of work on the TransCanada Keystone oil pipeline through Marshall and Day counties in northeast South Dakota. Mike Brouillete of Michels Pipeline, the prime contractor on the project, said that May 1 was the tentative date to start construction. But many fields are too wet to work in. And, he said, spring load limit restrictions are still in place on some roads, so it’s not possible to get equipment in the fields.
ALSO:
— RAILROAD BRIDGE—A project to rebuild an Iowa railroad bridge that collapsed into the Cedar River during last year’s floods is expected to begin in June. Eds: Note Nebraska mention.
SPORTS:
BBC–BASEBALL CUTS-NORTH
WATERLOO, Iowa—It was about the worst day Northern Iowa coach Rick Heller could have imagined when he had to tell his team that the university was cutting the program at the end of the year to cover a budget shortfall. Life hasn’t gotten any less miserable for Heller since he got the bad news in late February. He played a key role in an unsuccessful effort to save the program and helped his players find new teams for 2010—while coaching them through 2009. By Sports Writer Luke Meredith. Eds: Note Nebraska mention.
AP Photos IACN201, IACN202, IACN203, IACN204, IACN205, IACN206, IACN207, IACN208, IACN209.
ALSO:
— BBC–BAYLOR-NEBRASKA: Game time is 2:05 p.m. CDT.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— STIMULUS SURPRISE—A southeast Nebraska family has received $10,000 from the Web site Overstock.com to help pay bills.
— LICENSE PLATES—Nebraskans are running out of time to vote on what they’d like their 2011 car licenses to look like.
— HOLIDAY TRAVEL—Auto club AAA Nebraska projects vacation travel will be up 1.5 percent this Memorial holiday weekend, with about 32.4 million people taking a trip of 50 miles or farther from home.
— OMAHA ART TOUR—The Omaha Public Art Commission will host its first Public Art Tour through downtown Omaha this weekend.
The AP, Omaha.
