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STOLEN PAINTING-ABORTION
OMAHA—A Nebraska man who stole a painting of the Virgin Mary to finance an abortion for a teen he raped has been convicted of first-degree sexual assault and felony theft. Aurelio Vallerillo-Sanchez, 39, of Omaha pleaded no contest to the charges Friday and faces up to 70 years in prison when sentenced in October, Douglas County prosecutor Brenda Beadle said Saturday. By Timberly Ross.
OSPREY PROGRESS
YANKTON, S.D.—A project to reintroduce osprey to the Yankton area has returned for a second summer, and Jane Fink-Cantwell, the raptor biologist overseeing the effort, says it’s going a lot smoother this time around. Last year, Fink-Cantwell said she had to go on numerous rescue missions for young osprey that hadn’t quite learned to fly and found themselves helpless in the water. Eds: Note Nebraska interest.
AP Photo SDYAN101.
DRIVEN TO COLLECT
FREMONT—From coops to coupes. In the 1940s, Dr. Leonard Witt inspected poultry for the military. But his inspection career was soon scratched. By Debra Jacobsen of the Fremont Tribune. Eds: A Nebraskaland Feature.
WORLDLY BEATRICE
BEATRICE—For many, Beatrice doesn’t seem like a world traveler’s destination. But for eight global citizens recently, Beatrice was the destination to learn about the culture of Nebraska. Main Street Beatrice hosted a group of eight Fulbright scholarship recipients from places as far away as Yemen, Indonesia, Chad and Pakistan to teach them about life on the Great Plains. By Chris Dunker of the Hastings Tribune. Eds: A Nebraskaland Feature.
NURSING ART
BEATRICE—Emma Spilker leaned over the table watching the hands of Yuki Sugimoto as they delicately folded a 6-inch piece of paper into the shape of a swan. “I wouldn’t be able to do anything like that,” Emma told Yuki and her companion, Chihiro Uchiyama. “My hands don’t work that well anymore, but it sure is fun to watch.” By Gloria Masoner of the Beatrice Daily Sun. Eds: A Nebraskaland Feature.
SPORTS:
NEBRASKA RESURGENCE
LINCOLN—Bo Pelini downplays the notion that maybe, just maybe, Nebraska is on the verge of recapturing its past glory on the gridiron. Unlike his predecessor, he knows and embraces the history of the program he took over. Eds: Moved in advance for weekend use.
AP Photo NY182, NY184, NY185, NY183.
CUBS SALE
CHICAGO—A billionaire brokerage family will attempt what a newspaper publisher and a chewing-gum dynasty failed to do: Break baseball’s longest World Series drought. The Rickettses, longtime Cubs fans whose wealth comes from family-owned Ameritrade, signed an agreement Friday to buy a 95 percent stake of the team and its Wrigley Field home from Tribune Co. The $845 million deal also includes Tribune’s approximately 25 percent share of regional cable TV network Comcast SportsNet Chicago. By Business Writer Dave Carpenter.
AP Photos CX102, CX103, CX104.
With:
— BC-US–CUBS SALE-TIMELINE
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— ARTISTIC IMPRESSIONS—The Great Plains Art Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will soon be exhibiting work from Nebraska artists depicting their impressions of the state.
— VA HOSPITAL—Construction is about to begin on a new veterans hospital that will care for service members from Colorado and surrounding states.
— ECONOMY-STAYING POSITIVE—Layoffs. Pay cuts. Hiring freezes and mandatory furloughs.
— BRIDGE CLOSED—The Lied Platte River Bridge near South Bend will be closed temporarily so debris can be removed from the river next to the bridge.
— NO-TILL FIELD DAY—A University of Nebraska-Lincoln No-till Field Day on the Ben Steffen Farm near Humboldt next month will highlight soil quality and cover crops.
— BIOLOGY CONFERENCE—Two Chadron State College science professors were among about 500 teachers, administrators and researchers who recently spent two days in Washington, D.C., seeking ways to improve how biology is taught.
— OMAHA GREEK FEST—Omaha’s annual Greek Festival is taking place this weekend at the city’s riverfront district.
The AP, Omaha.
