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HEALTH CARE BATTLEGROUND
OMAHA—Now that Congress is preparing to recess for its summer break, the fight over health-care reform is moving from Washington to the heart of Nebraska. The fissure runs mostly along partisan lines, with both sides looking to sway Nebraskans on the issue through rallies, town hall meetings and television ads over the next month. By Margery A. Gibbs.
PET RESCUERS
WAHOO—You might say that Debora Wilcox is really going to be in the doghouse. Not that she’s in trouble. Quite the contrary. For some time now, the Wahoo resident has been rescuing lost dogs in Saunders County and helping to find them homes. Now, she and others involved in Saunders County Lost Pets-Pet Rescue have bought a 5,500-square-foot building in Wahoo. By Tammy Real-McKeighan of the Fremont Tribune. Eds: A Nebraskaland Feature.
STRESS MAP-THE SAFE ZONE
TORRINGTON, Wyo.—Carl Rupp and his neighbors follow the old rancher’s creed: “Keep your money in your pocket.” Rupp has farmed his whole life. He lives in Goshen County, a rural spot along the Nebraska line where cattle outnumber humans 16 to 1 and you can still see the ruts cut by wagons that hauled pioneers along the Oregon Trail. “We’re very conservative,” said Rupp, 62. “We don’t go out too far on a limb.” By Ben Neary And Mike Schneider.
AP Photos WYBN201. AP Graphic ECON STRESS MAP.
BUSINESS:
EXPANDING IN RECESSION
LINCOLN—The recession isn’t holding businesses back from expanding in Nebraska, but it has trimmed the number of jobs companies are proposing to create. Forty-three companies applied for tax breaks under the Nebraska Advantage Act in the state’s 2009 fiscal year, which ended June 30. That’s three more applications than were received last year.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— CULTURAL FUNDRAISER—An estimated crowd of 250 attended a weekend fundraiser that in part was designed to raise awareness about Nebraska’s growing diversity.
— THREAT ARREST—A man wanted for burglary in Colorado has been arrested and accused of threatening a Nebraska sheriff’s deputy with a knife.
— CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEERS—A portion of an Omaha street has been renamed to honor two women who’ve been recognized for helping desegregate Omaha Public Schools in the early 1970s.
— ACCIDENTAL FISH KILL—Officials believe they know what killed hundreds of fish that recently were found washed up along the banks of the Loup River in northeast Nebraska.
— NEB HOTEL FIRE—Dozens of guests were forced to evacuate from a La Vista hotel after a small fire was reported overnight.
— HONORED TEACHER—Lincoln teacher Scott Bendler has won an award from Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale for his efforts to improve students’ understanding of civics.
— SOYBEAN MANAGEMENT—The 11th annual Soybean Management Field Days are designed to help Nebraska farmers stay competitive in a global marketplace while increasing profits.
— SOYBEAN DEFOLIATION—Experts say grasshoppers and bean leaf beetles are showing up along more and more Nebraska soybean fields, particularly in the southern part of the state.
— TURKEY HUNTING—The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says turkey-hunting permits will be available to buy starting Aug. 10.
— CORN BOARD APPOINTMENTS—Gov. Dave Heineman has reappointed three directors to the Nebraska Corn Board to serve three-year terms.
The AP, Omaha.
