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DEVELOPING: EARNS-UNION PACIFIC
ADDS: BUFFETT-ECONOMY, BUYING INTO BUFFETT
XGR–NEBRASKA DEATH PENALTY
LINCOLN—Nebraska lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a request for a study into the cost of carrying out the death penalty—a decision that could ease the transition from the electric chair to lethal injection. Lacking support for a vote to repeal the death penalty altogether, death-penalty opponents quickly switched the debate to whether the state auditor should compile a comprehensive report of the penalty’s costs. By Nate Jenkins.
AP Photos NEBW101-NEBW106.
With:
— IMMIGRANT TUITION—A Nebraska law that allows some illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition is in jeopardy.
— SCHOOL PERFORMANCE—Underperforming Nebraska schools may have to open their doors to special teams of educators that would help get the schools back on track.
— CHARTER SCHOOLS—Nebraska lawmakers may consider laying the groundwork for a new type of educational system in the state.
— WHITECLAY ALCOHOL—A Nebraska lawmaker has a proposal he says could help ease alcohol-related problems in and near Whiteclay.
ICE STORM-PLAINS
DES MOINES, Iowa—A storm brought freezing rain and ice to the nation’s midsection on Wednesday, causing widespread power outages and forcing school closures in several states, and contributing to at least one traffic fatality in South Dakota. Ice up to a 1/2-inch thick coated parts of western and northern Iowa, turning streets and sidewalks into near skating rinks. By Melanie S. Welte. Eds: Note Nebraska mention.
AP Photos AP Photo NENH101.IACN101, IACN104, IACN102.
BUSINESS:
EARNS-UNION PACIFIC
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)—Union Pacific Corp. will release its fourth-quarter earnings report Thursday morning, and investors will be looking for any sign of an increase in freight traffic at the nation’s largest railroad. The Omaha-based company has reported lower profits over the past year because the weak economy translated into lower shipment volumes. By Business Writer Josh Funk.
BUYING INTO BUFFETT
OMAHA—People previously priced out of billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway stock can now get a piece of the action. Thanks to a new stock split, for the first time in decades you too can own a piece of his company for a mere $66 and some change. “It now makes it available to a child who cuts grass for spending money,” said Andy Kilpatrick, a stockbroker and author. By Margery A. Beck.
AP Photos.
BUFFETT-ECONOMY
OMAHA—Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said Wednesday he’s still not sure when the economy will recover, but he expects the rebound to be slow because American consumers remain uneasy. The Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway said before the economy will recover, Americans will have to feel more comfortable about spending money. By Business Writer Josh Funk.
AP Photos NENH105, NENH104, NENH103, NENH101.
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY-STOCK SPLIT
OMAHA—Berkshire Hathaway Inc. shareholders approved splitting the company’s Class B shares 50-for-1 on Wednesday as part of the company’s $26.3 billion acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. The stock split will enable Berkshire to offer even small BNSF shareholders Berkshire stock as part of the acquisition of the nation’s second-largest railroad. And Berkshire CEO Warren Buffett said there are other benefits to the split. By Business Writer Josh Funk.
AP Photo NENH101.
KRAFT-CADBURY-BUFFETT
OMAHA—Warren Buffett said Wednesday he doesn’t approve of Kraft’s $19.5 billion acquisition of Cadbury, but he doesn’t plan to sell his stake in the company. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is Kraft’s largest stockholder and he has been vocal about his belief that Kraft overpaid for the European chocolate and gum maker. Kraft sold its pizza business for about $3.7 billion to help fund the deal. By Business Writer Josh Funk.
AP Photos AP Photos AP Photo NENH101.IACN101, IACN104, IACN102.LON105, LON106, NYBZ172, LON107. AP Graphic KRAFT CADBURY.
GEN RE SETTLEMENTS
WASHINGTON—The insurer General Re Corp. has agreed to pay $92.2 million to settle charges by federal authorities and shareholder claims over its alleged role in accounting misconduct schemes by American International Group Inc. and Prudential Financial Inc. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department announced the settlements Wednesday with Gen Re, which is part of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the company led by billionaire investor Warren Buffett. By Business Writer Marcy Gordon. Eds: Note Nebraska mention. Also moving on national lines.
IOWA-MORRELL PLANT CLOSING
DES MOINES, Iowa—John Morrell & Co. is closing its pork processing plant in Sioux City, eliminating all 1,450 hourly and salaried jobs at one of the city’s largest employers, the company announced Wednesday. The subsidiary of Smithfield, Va.-based Smithfield Foods Inc. said the plant that employs more than 3 percent of the city’s workers would close April 20. By Melanie S. Welte. Eds: Note Nebraska mention.
SPORTS:
T25-NEBRASKA-TURNER
LINCOLN—Best known for her defense during her first three years at Nebraska, Yvonne Turner is starting to develop quite the reputation as an offensive player. Turner’s improved 3-point shooting has given the seventh-ranked Cornhuskers (16-0, 3-0 Big 12) another threat to complement one of the nation’s premier post players in Kelsey Griffin. By Sports Writer Eric Olson.
AP Photos AP Photos NEBW101-NEBW106.TXJL111, TXJL102.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— ROSENBLATT TRADEMARK—The city of Omaha is working out a deal to gain the rights to use the name Rosenblatt Stadium.
— BOYS TOWN SUED—An Omaha nurse who says her severe latex allergy played a role in her firing from a Boys Town clinic is suing her former employer.
— FARMHOUSE BODY—The Butler County Sheriff’s Office and fire officials are investigating after a body was found in a burned rural Ulysses farmhouse.
— PARALYZED CHEERLEADER SUES—A former cheerleader paralyzed in a tumbling accident is suing a Nebraska-based insurance company that he says failed to pay his claim.
— NEW YEAR’S SHOOTING—An Omaha man has been given 18-to-20 years in prison for fatally shooting a man at a New Year’s party.
— NEB FATAL FALL—A settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit filed by a Nebraska man over his wife’s fatal fall at a Chadron Wal-Mart store.
The AP, Omaha.
