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DEVELOPING:
ADDS: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY-S&P 500, CATERPILLAR EARNINGS
ATHLETE KILLED-APPEAL
OMAHA—The Nebraska Supreme Court will again hear an appeal from a man behind bars for the 2004 shooting death of a Nebraska soccer player. In his latest appeal, Lucky Iromuanya says, among other things, that his lawyer was ineffective. By Margery A. Beck.
VERMONT’S SACRIFICE
BENNINGTON, Vt.—Vermont, a bastion of ex-hippies and Ben & Jerry liberals, has another distinction seemingly at odds with its peace-loving, tie-dyed politics: It has suffered more deaths per capita in the Iraq war than any other state. Beginning with Chief Warrant Officer 4th Class Erik Halvorsen on April 2, 2003, a total of 22 Vermont men have perished in roadside bombings, firefights, sniper attacks and helicopter crashes during the six-year-long war. Nebraska is No. 4 on the list. By John Curran. Eds: Also moving on national lines.
AP Photos MR501-507.
LEGISLATURE:
— FREE SPEECH-STUDENTS—Nebraska school administrators and students are squaring off over a free-speech proposal.
— HIGHWAY MINITRUCKS—The minitrucks popular on farms, ranches and other rural spreads someday may legally find their way onto Nebraska’s highways.
— NEB BUSINESS CONTRACTORS—Businesses that manage payroll, benefits, workers’ compensation and other human-resources functions for employers could be regulated in Nebraska.
— LIEN ON NEIGHBORS—Nebraskans who belong to homeowners associations may soon have another reason to pay dues that help keep their neighborhoods tidy.
BUSINESS:
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY-S&P 500
OMAHA—Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. will soon join the S&P 500 and S&P 100 stock indexes after it acquires Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., Standard & Poor’s said Tuesday. Buffett’s company will replace BNSF in both indexes after shareholders approve Berkshire’s acquisition of the railroad company next month. By Business Writer Josh Funk.
AP Photos NYBZ117, NENH105, NENH104.
CATERPILLAR EARNINGS
OMAHA—Caterpillar Inc. will release its fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday morning and let investors know whether the maker of mining and construction equipment sees any sign of economic recovery. The Peoria, Ill.-based company has struggled with lower demand since 2008 because of the global recession. By Business Writer Josh Funk. Eds: NOTE company will release report at 6:30 a.m. CST
GERMANY-MUNICH RE-BUFFETT
BERLIN—U.S. investor Warren Buffett holds just over 3 percent of leading reinsurer Munich Re AG, the German company said Tuesday. An ad hoc statement from the company said that Buffett has informed it he now has 3.045 percent of the voting rights in Munich Re. The statement attributed the holding to Buffett rather than to his company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which is based in Omaha, Neb.
SPORTS:
DEEP VALLEY
KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Missouri Valley Conference got one team into last year’s NCAA tournament, leaving Creighton wondering what happened. The year before, Illinois State found itself watching the dance from outside the bubble. Play in a mid-major conference, slights are going to happen. By Sports Writer John Marshall. Eds: Note Nebraska interest.
AP Photos NY157, INTS206.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— CHILD DUCT-TAPED—Two Beatrice residents face child-abuse charges, accused of taping the woman’s 22-month-old child to a wall and barricading him in a closet.
— NEBRASKA STIMULUS—About 20 percent of the federal stimulus dollars allotted to Nebraska have been spent.
— FATHER KILLED—An Omaha woman has been sentenced to 18-20 years in prison for her role in her husband’s murder last year.
— LA VISTA DEATH—Police say a man found shot to death at his suburban Omaha home shot himself.
— PLAINS STORM-POWER—Utility crews were taking advantage of a break in the weather on Tuesday to restore electricity to parts of the Dakotas and Nebraska hammered by ice and wind over the weekend.
— DOCTOR-PANDERING—A Grand Island gynecologist has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of soliciting prostitution.
— SWINE FLU-NEBRASKA—Health officials say a Douglas County man sickened by swine flu has died.
— FATAL AURORA FALL—Authorities say the man who suffered a fatal fall near the unfinished Aurora West ethanol plant has been identified as a 40-year-old Grand Island resident.
— NEB DRUG DELIVERY—A 28-year-old North Platte woman tied to a case involving 16 pounds of marijuana sent through the mail has been given 18 months of probation.
The AP, Omaha.
