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SEX HARASSMENT-SHERIFF
OMAHA—Eight more current and former Dakota County corrections officers sued the northeastern Nebraska county, its sheriff and others Monday, echoing allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination lodged by their colleagues. Dakota County Sheriff James Wagner and Chief Deputy Rodney Herron pressured female employees into sexual relationships, made unwanted, crude, sexually charged comments toward female employees and treated those who refused their advances as outcasts, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Omaha. By Jean Ortiz.
GARDENING-DECORATIVE CROPS
UNDATED—Fall is a busy time for decorating, second only to Christmas, and the period when vegetables are valued more for their beauty than their flavor. Back when America was largely rural, bringing in the harvest was cause for celebration. Corn stalks were bundled into “fodder shocks”—stalks, ears, tassels and all—and stacked upright around light poles and near entries, and fed to livestock. Then came Halloween pumpkins, and Thanksgiving with its fresh fruit and colorful gourds gracing dining room tables. By Dean Fosdick. Eds: Note Nebraska mention. Also moving on national lines.
AP Photos NYLS417, NYLS416, NYLS415.
ENERGY SYMPOSIUM-FREUDENTHAL
JACKSON, Wyo.—Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal warned Western state lawmakers gathered in Jackson for an energy symposium that competition among the states is a natural impediment to interstate cooperation. Wyoming, the nation’s leading coal-producing state, is sponsoring the three-day Western States Energy and Environment Symposium. It’s billed as a chance for state lawmakers from across the West to brainstorm on energy issues. By Ben Neary. Eds: Note Nebraska interest.
BUSINESS:
BROKER DATA THEFT
OMAHA—A federal judge has refused to approve a class-action settlement over contact information stolen from online brokerage TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco says the deal offers little significant benefit to the more than 6 million current and former customers affected. The proposed deal offered anti-spam software and a promise of tighter security at TD Ameritrade. By Business Writer Josh Funk.
SPORTS:
BIG 12 NOTEBOOK
OMAHA—The spread isn’t dead, but Missouri coach Gary Pinkel says the offense isn’t thriving like it was in recent seasons in the Big 12 and the rest of college football. Defenses appear to be catching up to the dinking and dunking of the quick-pass offense, meaning it might not be long before a new fad crops up. By Sports Writer Eric Olson.
KNIGHT COMMISSION
MIAMI—College and university athletic departments might have to drop some sports unless reforms such as controlling the cost of coaching contracts are implemented, according to a survey released Monday. The survey of presidents of schools at major college football’s highest level also suggests even the administrators aren’t sure how to rein in costs. That’s not saying no one will try: A group representing the athletic directors at those schools will present seven presumably cost-cutting proposals to the NCAA in the coming weeks. By Sports Writer Tim Reynolds. Eds: Note Nebraska mention. Also moving on national sports lines.
ALSO:
NEBRASKA TRAINER—The latest from Nebraska’s practice in Lincoln.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— PARTS EMBEZZLEMENT—An Omaha man has been accused of embezzling from the auto dealership where he had worked by ordering parts and auctioning them off on eBay.
— ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION-FREMONT—The Nebraska Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case stemming from Fremont’s proposed illegal-immigration ordinance.
— OMAHA HIT-RUN—Police are searching for two men who were in a pickup that ran a red light and rammed into a car in south-central Omaha, killing the car driver.
The AP, Omaha.
