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DEVELOPING: BEATRICE PROBLEMS, RETAIL SALES, GYM–NEBRASKA-ALLEN RETIRING
ADDS: EX-PANTHER APPEAL, TROOPER OPENS FIRE
BEATRICE PROBLEMS
LINCOLN—Nebraska lawmakers could learn on Thursday whether the progress state officials have promised at the troubled Beatrice State Developmental Center is actually being made. A special investigative committee was slated to discuss a draft report from a doctor who has been inspecting the center for the developmentally disabled. By Nate Jenkins
EX-PANTHER APPEAL
OMAHA—A former Black Panther convicted nearly four decades ago in the bombing death of an Omaha police officer has filed another request to be released from prison. Edward Poindexter, who’s serving a life sentence at the state penitentiary, filed a petition for habeas corpus on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln, saying he is being illegally held. By Jean Ortiz.
TROOPER OPENS FIRE
GRAND ISLAND—A 20-year-old man was treated for gunshot wounds Thursday, accused of trying to run down a state trooper in Grand Island. The Nebraska State Patrol did not name the trooper, but it said that he was not injured during the incident.
BUSINESS:
RETAIL SALES
NEW YORK—U.S. retailers reported same-store sales fell in May below expectations, as pressures like rising unemployment continued to curtail consumer spending. Luxury chains and department-store operators continued to be the weakest sectors, with discounters and teen apparel retailers such as The Buckle Inc. stronger. Cheap chic discounter Target reported a bigger drop than analysts expected, as apparel and home products continued to be weak sellers. Overall, necessities like food and health care products continued to be the strongest sellers. By Retail Writer Mae Anderson. Eds: Note Nebraska mention of The Buckle. Also moving on national lines.
AP Photos CAPS207, CAPS203, NYDD209.
ALSO:
— PENNY-STOCK FINE—Financial-industry regulators have fined an Omaha company $350,000 for failing to adequately monitor suspicious penny-stock trades that could have been used for money laundering. Eds: Moved on state news and financial lines.
SPORTS:
GYM–NEBRASKA-ALLEN RETIRING
LINCOLN—Longtime Nebraska men’s gymnastics coach Francis Allen has announced he’ll retire on July 1. The 66-year-old Allen coached the Cornhuskers for 40 seasons. He was U.S. Olympic coach in 1980, when the Americans boycotted the Moscow Games, and again in 1992 in Barcelona. By Eric Olson.
AP Photos planned
ALSO:
— FBC–NEBRASKA-VIRGINIA TECH—The Nebraska game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg will be a regional broadcast on ABC Sept. 19.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— POT PATROL—The Nebraska State Patrol seized 182.5 pounds of marijuana and arrested two Massachusetts residents.
— SEXUAL ASSAULT—Lincoln police say a man jailed on suspicion of sexually assaulting a mentally disabled woman now faces an additional charge of witness tampering.
— PIT BULL ATTACK—Authorities have taken custody of a young pit bull that chased down and attacked a 10-year-old boy in Lincoln.
— ANONYMOUS MILLIONS—Millions have been given anonymously to help two colleges in Nebraska.
— RURAL AIRPORTS—Nebraska’s U.S. senators are trying to persuade the Federal Aviation Administration to continue helping rural airports even if passenger numbers drop below the threshold for aid.
— FREMONT CAMPAIGN—Members of a Nebraska community embroiled in a debate over illegal immigration say they are set to launch a campaign that emphasizes unity.
— SPECIAL OLYMPICS—Organizers are looking for about 8,000 volunteers for the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games, set to take place in Lincoln next year.
— STIMULUS-NEBRASKA PROJECTS—U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that more than $2.5 million in federal stimulus money will go to projects in Scotts Bluff and Knox counties in Nebraska.
— NEBRASKA RIDE—Trenton’s population of nearly 460 people is expected to more than double soon with the arrival of a few hundred bicycle riders and other participants.
— EDUCATION ECONOMICS—The University of Nebraska plans to set aside $1.2 million to help students who face unexpected financial problems.
— AFRICANS ORGANIZING—Two African immigrant groups in Grand Island are organizing to improve efforts at helping immigrants become more self-sufficient.
— PINES THREATENED—A beetle species that has ravaged pine forests in much of the western United States and Canada have arrived in Nebraska’s Panhandle, likely from neighboring Wyoming.
— SWINE FLU-NEBRASKA—Nebraska’s count of confirmed swine flu cases has reached 57 in a week in which word spread that a woman with Omaha ties died of complications from the virus.
— EDITORIAL RDP—Excerpts from recent Nebraska daily newspaper editorials on topics of statewide interest.
The AP, Omaha.
