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WATER WOES
LINCOLN—Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman’s administration has suggested irrigation shutdowns in a large swath of the Republican River basin during dry years to help send Kansas the water it is owed under a three-state compact, according to an official familiar with the proposal. The official discussed it with The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the plan is supposed to remain secret for now. Farmers and others in the irrigation-heavy region of southwest and south-central Nebraska said such a shutdown could be a huge economic blow. By Nate Jenkins.
WHOOPING CRANE DEATHS
KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The world’s only naturally migrating whooping cranes, and the species’ best chance for survival, died at about twice their normal rate last year and will likely see an overall drop in their numbers, a worrying sign for the once near-extinct bird that has been making a comeback. The whooping crane—the tallest bird in North America at 5 1/2 feet tall—numbered just 15 in 1941 but now numbers 539 and is considered a success story by conservationists. By Maria Sudekum Fisher. Eds: Note Nebraska mention.
AP Photo NY114.
DRUG WAR-TRAINS
BROWNSVILLE, Texas—When rail cars idle on side tracks in Mexico to be loaded with legitimate cargo and shipped to the United States, drug smugglers scan for places to hide their own loot—and if no good place is apparent, they make one. Now the federal government says it’s time American rail companies cracked down on their Mexican business partners to keep the drugs from reaching the border. By Christopher Sherman. Eds: Note Nebraska interest. Also moving on national lines.
AP Photos TXBD101, TXBD102, TXBD103, TXBD104, GFX934. AP Graphic US MEX RAILROADS.
BADLANDS RANCH MINERALS
BISMARCK, N.D.—A Montana man who has threatened to mine gravel on a historic Badlands ranch says he plans to auction off the mineral rights next year and if he doesn’t get a high enough bid, he will just dig up the minerals himself. Roger Lothspeich of Miles City, Mont., has been in a dispute with the U.S. Forest Service over claims that he owns most of the mineral and gravel rights beneath the 5,200-acre ranch in western North Dakota where Theodore Roosevelt once ran cattle. Lothspeich says the subsurface rights represent about $10 million in high-grade gravel that can be sold for road building. By James MacPherson. Eds: Note Nebraska mention.
SPORTS:
T25-NEBRASKA-MENDOZA
LINCOLN—Nebraska’s Marcus Mendoza was told to hang in there at wide receiver last week when he asked his coaches about the possibility of returning to running back. A couple days later, after Quentin Castille was kicked off the team, the coaches came back to Mendoza and asked him the same question. By Sports Writer Eric Olson.
AP Photo NEDW101.
With:
— NEBRASKA TRAINER
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— NEB HEALTH RALLY—More than 400 Nebraskans rallied in favor of health-care reform at the Capitol on Tuesday, part of a national effort by supporters of President Obama’s agenda to counter skepticism of his proposed overhaul.
— ASHLAND COCAINE BUST—Saunders County authorities say they’ve arrested a 24-year-old Michigan man and seized more than 2 pounds of cocaine after an early morning traffic stop.
— GRAIN ELEVATOR DEATH—Authorities say a Nuckolls County man is dead after falling 15 feet from a grain elevator.
— MEATPACKER FURLOUGHS—Premium Protein Products has again extended its furloughs at plants in Hastings and Lincoln, this time through Sept. 8.
— FOOTBALL-PONZI SCHEME—Federal prosecutors who accused a financial adviser of running a Ponzi scheme say they don’t believe the three NFL players who partnered with her did anything wrong.
— DAVID CITY RECALL—The mayor of David City is challenging signatures on petitions calling for his recall and asking a court to forbid a special election to oust him.
— NEB CONSTRUCTION DEATH—Investigators are awaiting test results from an autopsy performed on the body of a York man who died after he was injured at a construction site in rural York County.
The AP, Omaha.
