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NO THIRD PARTIES
OMAHA—Nebraska voters tired of the growing acrimony between the Democratic and Republican parties likely won’t be able to turn to any third-party candidates this election year. The Libertarian, Green and Nebraska political parties were declared defunct in Nebraska early last year, because none of their candidates for president or Congress garnered 5 percent of the vote in November 2008, as required by state law for a political party to remain certified. By Margery A. Beck.
LOAN FRAUD
OMAHA—A Nebraska couple has been charged with scheming to defraud banks of about $75,000, according to a 23-page indictment. Edward and Jumana Bakhit, who live in the Omaha area, each face 19 counts that include conspiracy, wire fraud and identity theft.
GRAIN TRAIN COUPLE
HASTINGS—A cog in the wheel. That’s how Mike and Karen Widhalm of Hastings describe their roles as volunteers with The Orphan Grain Train program. By John Huthmacher of the Hastings Tribune. Eds: A Nebraskaland Feature.
SPORTS:
— SHOTGUN SKILLS—Shotgunning skills will be tested at a Beyond BOW event March 27 at the One Box Shooting Complex near Broken Bow.
— HASTINGS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR—Hastings College athletic director Fran Hummel has announced he’ll retire at the end of the school year.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
— CAT TRAPS—Police and animal-control officers in Beatrice are investigating whether someone is trapping feral cats.
— COLLEGE ESSAYS—Nebraska State Treasurer Shane Osborn and the Omaha Royals Baseball Club have kicked off the their annual college-essay contest.
— CHILD SEX ABUSE—A second girl has come forward with claims she was sexually abused by an Omaha man who runs a youth ministry.
— AG RESEARCH—A University of Nebraska-Lincoln study says agricultural research is a good investment.
— MISSING FAMILY—A Brazilian woman has come to Omaha to find her family, which vanished in December.
— LIVESTOCK EXPORT FUNDS—The Nebraska Department of Agriculture is reminding the state’s ag producers of available cost-share funds to promote U.S. livestock exports.
— ORGANIC WORKSHOPS—Two Norfolk workshops are aimed at giving Nebraskans the tools they need to farm organically.
The AP, Omaha.
