The supervisor in Omaha is Nelson Lampe. Eric Olson takes over at 3 p.m. If you have a news tip or questions about the report, call 800-642-9920 or 402-391-0031.
AP stories, along with the photos that accompany them, can also be obtained from . Reruns are also available from the Service Desk (877-836-9477).
Please send stories of state or regional interest by electronic carbon, by fax at 402-391-1412 or e-mail to omahane(at)ap.org. Technical problems may be reported to 800-822-9921.
ADDS: INDIAN GANGS
DEALERSHIP REVERSALS
BROKEN BOW—Thomas McCaslin might never know for sure why General Motors called two weeks ago to say his 80-year-old dealership in the heart of Nebraska cattle country wouldn’t close after all. He has a feeling that a hamburger cookout and an old-fashioned brand of political lobbying had something to do with it. “There’s no doubt in my mind” it helped, McCaslin said Thursday as about 200 residents gathered to celebrate the town’s only GM dealership continuing to sell Chevrolets. “You have all these elected officials who make things happen because they depend on votes.” By Nate Jenkins.
AP Photos NENH102, NENH105, NENH108, NENH104.
WATER WOES
OMAHA—Kansas and Nebraska on Thursday rejected parts of an arbitrator’s ruling in their battle over use of the Republican River, but state officials wouldn’t immediately say whether they would take the dispute to court. Among other things, the Colorado-based arbitrator’s June 30 ruling determined that Nebraska owed Kansas $10,000 for overusing water in 2005 and 2006. Kansas claims Nebraska violated a decades-old compact guiding use of the heavily irrigated river basin. By Jean Ortiz.
INDIAN GANGS
WASHINGTON—American Indian communities are being overwhelmed by gang violence and drug trafficking, tribal leaders told lawmakers Thursday, appealing for help with problems more commonly found in big cities. Tribal law enforcement officials, testifying before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, described severely undermanned police departments that must patrol reservations the size of small states, allowing gangs to thrive and turning reservations into hubs for drug distribution. By Ken Thomas.
TEPID TORNADO SEASON
DES MOINES, Iowa—This has been an unusually mild year in Tornado Alley, which is good news, of course, for the people who live here, but a little frustrating to scientists who planned to chase twisters as part of a $10 million research project. “You’re out there to do the experiment and you’re geared up every day and ready. And when there isn’t anything happening, that is frustrating,” said Don Burgess, a scientist at the University of Oklahoma. But he was quick to add that he is pleased the relative quiet has meant fewer injuries and less damage. By Melanie S. Welte.
AP Photo GFX613. AP Graphic MONTHLY TORNADOES.
BUSINESS:
— EARNS-LEE ENTERPRISES—Lee Enterprises Inc., publisher of the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and dozens of other newspapers, reported a $24.5 million quarterly loss Thursday, hurt by write-offs on the book value of its assets and a persistent advertising slump.
SPORTS:
— GREATEST COACHES-OSBORNE—Nebraska football legend Tom Osborne has been named one of the 50 greatest coaches of all time.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— BONG CAT ADOPTED—The kitten that drew worldwide attention four months ago after being found stuffed in a makeshift bong has a new home.
— SAFE HAVEN—Genetic tests are being performed on a couple who say they are the parents of an infant legally abandoned on July 20 at an Alliance hospital under the state’s safe-haven law.
— BOY SHOT DEAD—The Seward County Sheriff’s Office has identified a 10-year-old boy killed in an accidental shooting.
— PORTABLE POT—A traffic stop in southeast Nebraska led to the arrest of a Minnesota man and the seizure of a mobile pot crop.AP Photo pursuing.
— OMAHA POSTAL CLOSURES—Authorities say nine Omaha-area postal stations might be closed or consolidated.
The AP, Omaha.
