To add a positive voice to American Corn Ethanol production, realize this: The argument against American produced biofuels stems from the fact it is NOT YET perfected and has a positive carbon dioxide contribution. But. Is the production of oil and gas any better? The transportation alone across perilous seas is not a negative balance in the production of oil and gas which requires acquisition, refining and transporation of this energy commodity. A balance sheet to the 'actual' carbon dioxide production across all forms of energy is called for. As a matter of fact, the local production of biofuels will reduce transporation costs and carbon dioxide when deliveries are to local distributors. Follow? The dominance of oil and gas is so pervasive it clouds the clearly needed discussion regarding the global reduction of carbon dioxide in even incremental ways.
DEFINITION OF BIOFUELS does not include destroying trees. It does include dedicated and easily replenished crops from season to season and any 'garbage' that can be recycled. Trees are too important a carbon sink and too long in realizing a full canopy to the sky to even consider their part in a biofuel production cycle. It's my estimation, that when communities/states look at their overall energy consumption, solutions can be easily found from right inside their own landfills, winds and exposure to sun.
Oil vs. corn (click here)
Ethanol critics don't get the point
All the criticism heaped on ethanol only goes to make the oil companies richer. All the big oil boys and OPEC members are just having a good old laugh on Americans who are so upset because they believe their food costs are going up because of ethanol.
What they are really are happy about is that people are taking their anger out on ethanol when the real villain are rising oil prices.
The real hilarity for the big oil boys, though, is as people get angry at those rich corn farmers and their government subsidies, the high cost of food caused by corn for ethanol and all those government subsidies to ethanol producers, they keep raking in the big dough.
All those lobbyists on the dole by the big oil companies to attack corn farmers and ethanol should be getting a big bonus as the oil companies continue to rake in the dough and our dependency on foreign continues to grow.
And what has those big oil boys really rolling in the aisle with laughter is oil prices will ...
Nebraska News
The Beatrice Daily Sun
Conservation Efforts are paying off, here is proof.
This time last year extremely hot weather caused Beatrice and Sunland locations to set records for electricity usage.
But this summer, no records have been set and current high peaks remain below last year's high.
In Beatrice the current electricity usage peak high is 2 megawatts below last year's high peak, according to Pat Feist, Board of Public Works electric superintendent.
“Thankfully, it hasn't been quite as hot or humid,” Feist said.
The summer's electric usage peak so far occurred last week during the Gage County Fair and Expo when usage reached 38.5 megawatts, he said. Last year's peak record was 40.9 megawatts reached during the fair when temperatures climbed to 105 degrees.
The week of the Gage County Fair and Expo is usually the time of year where the most electricity is used, Feist said.
Of course, Feist said though usage remains lower than last year, one hot and humid week could change all of that.
http://www.beatricedailysun.com/
Timetable unclear on flood damage relief
By Keith Rydberg/Daily Sun staff writer
Friday, July 27, 2007 9:14 AM CDT
How soon Gage County can expect to receive compensation on damages stemming from early May flooding depends on who you talk to on the matter.
After Gage County and 17 other Southeast Nebraska counties were declared federal disaster areas in early June, Federal Emergency Management Agency examiners have been meeting with representatives from Gage County, Beatrice and each of the 13 townships in the county affected by the flooding.
Along with allowing officials to view the damage firsthand, the inspections serve to help FEMA determine whether the funding requests made by the 15 applicants are valid.
Overall damage in Gage County from the early May flooding was estimated at more than $680,000.
http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2007/07/27/news/news2.txt
More than just a game
By Jane White/Daily Sun sports editor
Friday, July 27, 2007 9:15 AM CDT
CHICAGO - Although in distance, Scottsbluff, Neb., and Chicago are nearly 1,000 miles apart, for at least one Nebraska family the Shriners Hospital for Children in Chicago couldn't feel more like home.
Five-month-old Ayden Kersenbrock of Scottsbluff made his first visit to the Chicago hospital just a month ago.
This week, the infant was back in Chicago with his family for surgery to repair a cleft lip, a separation in the two sides of his upper lip.
The Chicago hospital has been the model for cleft lip and palate repair for other Shriners Hospitals and has been treating patients like the young Kersenbrock with the congenital disorder for more than 35 years.
http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2007/07/27/sports/sports1.txt
York News Times
Readers ask about wind power, school fence
By News-Times Staff
"Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the development of future wind-powered generation projects.
"The RFP is for a total of up to100 MW of capacity, to be located near NPPD transmission facilities, as well as the associated energy and renewable energy credits. The target operational date is Dec. 31, 2008. A successful proposal will require the negotiation of a power purchase agreement for NPPD to purchase electricity from the proposed facility over a 20-year period. NPPD will seek to enter into one or more power purchase agreements based upon the proposals and subsequent negotiations.
"The deadline for submitting a proposal is Aug. 20 at 5 p.m. (CDT). NPPD expects to make a final decision in the October-November time-frame, which it said will allow time to compare the proposals and complete detailed negotiations.
"Due to the interest in the development of wind-powered energy for Nebraska, NPPD designed the RFP process to encourage Community Based Energy Development (C-BED) projects and other private developers to submit formal proposals."
http://www.yorknewstimes.com/stories/072807/localnews_schoolfence.shtml
House passes multibillion-dollar farm bill
JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled House passed legislation Friday that combines billions in aid for farmers with money for low-income nutrition programs, defying a veto threat from President Bush over the bill's largesse to crop producers.
The measure, passed on a vote of 231-191, devotes more money to conservation, renewable energy, nutrition and specialty crop programs than in the past but leaves in place — and in some cases increases — subsidies to producers of major crops such as corn and soybeans at a time of record-high prices.
It reflected a delicate straddle for Democrats writing their first farm bill in more than a decade, who struggled to balance the needs of first-term, farm-state lawmakers against the demands of liberals seeking more money for environmental and nutrition programs.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the measure "signals change and shows a new direction in our farm policy," but it fell well short of the changes many in her party had demanded.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/state/ne/20070727/187444219.shtml
A glance at where the money would go in House farm bill
The Associated Press
The Bush administration is complaining that the House farm bill spends too much on farm subsidies. Yet food stamp entitlements and other nutrition programs administered by the Agriculture Department are a much bigger piece of the $286 billion pie. All numbers are five-year estimates.
—Subsidies and other help for farmers, $42 billion.
—Conservation programs designed to help protect the land, $25 billion.
—Food stamps and other nutrition programs, $190 billion.
—Other, including rural development, research and energy programs, $29 billion.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/state/ne/20070726/187172310.shtml
Wild Oats Markets says prices at its stores will fall if they are bought by rival Whole Foods
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Wild Oats Markets Inc. says prices at its stores will fall if they are bought by rival Whole Foods Market Inc., and regulators shouldn't oppose the deal because it would be good for consumers.
The Federal Trade Commission filed an antitrust lawsuit to block the $565 million sale of Wild Oats to Austin-based Whole Foods, saying the combination of the nation's two largest natural-food chains would raise prices and stifle competition.
But in a court filing Friday that echoed recent comments by Whole Foods, Wild Oats lawyers said the FTC had a faulty view of the market.
Wild Oats lawyers said competition is expanding because other supermarkets are selling more organic and natural products. They also said a U.K.-based organic chain, Tesco, plans to enter the U.S. market this year.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/business/20070728/187484250.shtml
Midwest winter wheat crop turns out not so bad after all
DAVID MERCER
Associated Press Writer
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After his fields thawed from an April freeze, Gary Berg wanted to forget about wheat.
Like many farmers in Illinois, Missouri and elsewhere in the central Midwest, Berg's wheat was in bad shape after the late-season string of 20-degree days.
"I got tired of looking at wheat there for a few weeks," said Berg, who farms in St. Elmo, about 70 miles northeast of St. Louis.
But a funny thing happened along the way to what was expected to be a poor harvest: In some states, it wasn't so bad after all.
Winter-wheat farmers in Illinois averaged 57 bushels an acre, well off the 67 bushels of 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but better than the 50 bushels per acre that experts predicted a couple of months ago.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/state/ne/20070727/187283314.shtml
Grain prices at Lincoln area elevators
The Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. — Grain prices at Lincoln area elevators Thursday. Figures are low and high prices:
Wheat No. 2, 5.93-5.98.
Corn No. 2, 2.95-2.98.
Milo No. 2, 2.78-2.98.
Soybeans No. 2, 6.99-7.05.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/state/ne/20070726/187165087.shtml
Body found in search for missing Minnesota sewer workers; 1 man still missing
AMY FORLITI
Associated Press Writer
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Recovery crews found the body of a missing sewer worker in the Mississippi River a day after he and another man were caught deep below the city's streets during a heavy rain.
The body of Dave Yasis, 23, of Maplewood was found at about 6 p.m. Friday about 15 feet from where a sewer line drains into the river, Ramsey County Sheriff's Cmdr. Joe Paget said.
The search for the man Yasis was working with, 34-year-old Joe Harlow of Plainview, was set to resume early Saturday.
Family and friends gathered near the river Friday morning as boats moved back and forth in an effort to locate the men. Dennis Yasis, 25, was hopeful his brother would be found alive.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/us/20070728/187521617.shtml
NRD board authorizes maintenance for lake
Drainage problem at Recharge Lake to be corrected
By Marcia Schlegelmilch
Staff Writer
YORK -- At the monthly meeting of the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District (UBBNRD) Board of Directors held Thursday, July 26, 2007 directors voted to accept a bid from WyAd Utility Contractors to install drainage improvements along the entrance road to Recharge Lake (also known as Bruce Anderson Recreation Area). The quote of $11,424 from the local contractor was the only bid received. Engineer's estimated cost of the project was $12,400. Work will correct a drainage problem which has developed along the entrance road to the lake near the boat dock and ramp area. The plan to relieve the problem includes installation of guard rail posts to keep vehicles from driving through the low area. In accordance with the District's design, work will be completed by WyAd.
http://www.yorknewstimes.com/stories/072807/localnews_nrdboard.shtml
Another lake under alert for toxic algae
The Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. — The state issued a health alert Friday for Pawnee Reservoir west of Lincoln, continued alerts for three other lakes and dropped one for Fremont Lake No. 20.
The alerts warn about dangerous toxin levels from blue-green algae.
The continued alerts are posted at Conestoga Reservoir in Lancaster County, Swan Creek Lake No. 5A in Saline County and Iron Horse Trail Lake in Pawnee County.
Health alert signs are posted, and the beaches at the lakes will remain closed during the alerts.
The state is sampling more than 40 public recreational lakes through September.
Nebraska health officials say people can camp, fish, go boating and participate in other recreational activities on lakes under alert for the algae. But people should not have full-body contact with the water and they should not swallow it.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/state/ne/20070727/187369894.shtml
Flying wheel chairs and faith
McCool author writes children's book series
By Violet Spader Kirk
news-times intern
McCOOL JUNCTION --JDelores Roesti has been surrounded by children and books throughout her career as an elementary school teacher and a librarian. In the past seven years, Roesti substitute taught children with special needs, including a student from York High School with cerebral palsey. These experiences inspired her to begin a book series entitled "Mareena Maree Mulligan and the Flying Wheelchair."
The first installment -- "School Days" -- took her three years, writing off and on, to complete. She says she almost gave up on it. But when she had to quit substitute teaching because of health reasons, she was prompted to finish the book.
The main character, Mareena Maree Mulligan, is an abandoned orphan with cerebral palsey. She lives at Community Christian Orphanage, and at summer camp, she becomes a Christian. Her faith becomes important to her as a means of overcoming obstacles, most significantly the betrayal of a friend. Her wheelchair is equipped with a special button, installed by angels, which transports her to heaven, where she meets with Jesus in a secret garden. He gives her assignments, the first of which is to be a friend.
http://www.yorknewstimes.com/stories/072807/localnews_mccoolauthor.shtml
N.C. near to shelving winner-take-all for electoral votes
GARY D. ROBERTSON
Associated Press Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina appears headed to becoming the third state in the nation to abandon the winner-take-all method for awarding its electoral votes as the House tentatively agreed Thursday to shelve the method.
In its place, according to the measure approved on a largely party-line vote, would be a more proportional method that would reward the presidential candidate who receives the most votes in each of the state's congressional districts.
The Senate already has passed the meaure, which would take effect in 2008. A final House vote could come Friday, then the bill would go to Gov. Mike Easley, a Democrat, just like the majority in the Legislature, which has backed the change. The state Democratic Party also supports it.
Republicans called the change a cheap way to give Democrats, who have been shut out in North Carolina since 1980, some electoral votes.
"This is clearly a partisan bill. There's no question about that," said Rep. Leo Daughtry, R-Johnston. "You've got to change the law to make it an advantage."
A candidate would get one electoral vote for each congressional district he or she carries. The candidate who wins statewide would take the remaining two votes.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/state/ne/20070726/187198097.shtml
Cross-country marchers oppose Iraq war
MIKE WILSON
Associated Press Writer
MONTEZUMA, Iowa — Two teens from opposite coasts are marching across the country for peace, hoping to gain followers and attention with each step.
Ashley Casale, 19, of Clinton Corners, N.Y., and Michael Israel, 18, of Jackson, Calif., had hoped others who oppose the war in Iraq would join them on their 3,000-mile walk from San Francisco to Washington.
However, since they started off May 21, it's just been the two of them for the most part.
"Although it's always nice to have as many people as possible, it's more about the message and we haven't been disappointed there aren't tons of people walking," Casale said.
It wasn't what Casale planned when she started a Web site and sent fliers to colleges nationwide to promote what she called the "March for Peace." Still, after 1,600 miles and three pairs of sandals, she seemed satisfied with the march's progress.
The two met 10 minutes before beginning their journey. Casale just finished her freshman year at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and Israel recently graduated from high school.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/state/ne/20070727/187283133.shtml
Afghan elders, former Taliban lawmaker join talks on South Korean hostages
AMIR SHAH
Associated Press Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan — Two lawmakers — one of them a former Taliban member — and several influential elders have joined negotiations with the hardline militia to step up pressure for the release of 22 South Korean hostages, an official said Saturday.
A South Korean presidential envoy, Baek Jong-chun, was scheduled to hold talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday, an official from the South Korean Embassy in Kabul said. She spoke on condition of anonymity because of embassy policy.
The Taliban has demanded the release of insurgent prisoners in exchange for the South Koreans, who were captured on July 19. One of the original 23 captives was shot to death on Wednesday.
A former Taliban commander — Abdul Salaam Rocketi, now a member of parliament — has joined the talks, said Shirin Mangal, spokesman of the Ghazni provincial governor. A second lawmaker and several respected leaders from around Qarabagh, the area in Ghazni province where the hostages were taken, have also joined, he said.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/world/20070728/187543661.shtml
Car bomb kills 4 in mainly Shiite district of Baghdad in latest attack on commercial areas
BUSHRA JUHI
Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD — A parked car bomb exploded in a busy shopping street in predominantly Shiite eastern Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least four people and wounding 10, police said.
The bomb was the latest in a series of explosions targeting commercial centers.
The blast struck about noon, a peak time for street vendors and nearby stores along the Maaskar al-Rashid street, a popular gathering point for people selling tires and spare parts for automobiles. Police who gave the casualty toll said several stores also were damaged.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/world/20070728/187535370.shtml
Shambo saga underlines difficulties UK faces in accommodating wide array of religions
JIM HEINTZ
Associated Press Writer
LONDON — A Hindu monastery in a quiet corner of Wales seems an unlikely locale for dissent. But the seizure of Shambo the bull from Skanda Vale and his subsequent slaughter underlined the difficulties Britain faces in accommodating its wide array of religions.
Hindus, Muslims and Christians have seized on the Shambo case to complain that the government is interfering in their spiritual lives.
Shambo was taken away from the monastery on Thursday at the end of a long and public battle between Hindus who revere bulls and authorities who said he must be killed because he had tested positive for tuberculosis.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/world/20070728/187535222.shtml
Reports: Pakistan's Musharraf and Bhutto discuss power-sharing deal in secret talks
ROHAN SULLIVAN
Associated Press Writer
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf held secret talks with opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto about a possible power sharing deal, media reported Saturday.
The meeting, held Friday in the Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi, lasted about one hour and ended without an agreement, Pakistani newspapers and television networks reported.
Official spokesmen for Musharraf and Bhutto said they had no information on any meeting.
"I am not in a position to confirm or deny the development," said Farhatullah Babar, Bhutto's spokesman in Pakistan. He said he hoped to speak with Bhutto later Saturday about the reports.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/world/20070728/187513611.shtml
Israel to allow Palestinians in Egypt into Gaza Strip
DIAA HADID
Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM — Israel has agreed to allow at least 627 Palestinians who have been stranded in Egypt for weeks to pass into the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said Saturday.
Some of the 6,000 Palestinians who have been waiting in the Egyptian border town of Rafah will be allowed to pass through Israel and into Gaza at the beginning of next week, said Palestinian Information Minister Riad Maliki.
Israel has approved a list of 627 Palestinians who will be allowed to cross, said Hani Jabbour, a Palestinian security coordinator stationed the Egyptian side of Rafah.
On Sunday, 100 will cross and the rest will pass on Monday, Jabbour said. Further transfers through such a route are expected in the future, Jabbour said.
The Palestinians have been unable to return to Gaza because the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the coastal strip has been closed since June 9. The terminal was jointly controlled by Egypt, Israel, the Palestinians, and overseen by European monitors.
Hamas has demanded partial control of the terminal since its bloody takeover of Gaza in mid-June, but Israel and Egypt have refused.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/world/20070728/187525084.shtml
Reports: Japan agriculture minister apologizes over fund scandal
CHISAKI WATANABE
Associated Press Writer
TOKYO — Japan's agriculture minister apologized for double booking expense claims, news reports said Saturday, marking the latest embarrassment for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government ahead of an expected tight upper house election race.
Norihiko Akagi, whose predecessor committed suicide in May hours before he was to face legislative questioning over his own financial scandal, apologized for what he called administrative errors.
The apology comes at a delicate time for Abe, whose party is facing one of the most hotly contested parliamentary elections in years on Sunday. One-half of the seats in the 242-member upper house of parliament will be contested.
While losing the election wouldn't immediately threaten his party's hold on power, a big defeat could increase pressure on Abe to resign.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/world/20070728/187510752.shtml
4th suspect arrested in abduction of 5-month-old girl from Mississippi home
CHRIS TALBOTT
Associated Press Writer
JACKSON, Miss. — A fourth person has been arrested in the abduction of a 5-month-old girl from her adopted parents' home in northeast Mississippi, authorities said.
Amanda Bell, who described herself as a friend of the birth mother's sister, turned herself in Friday to Itawamba County authorities and appeared at an initial hearing, said Sheriff Phil Crane. She was jailed on a $100,000 bond.
Police say three masked people broke into the home of Jennifer and Matt Erickson near Mantachie, Miss., on July 21, tied up Jennifer Erickson at gunpoint and made off with the girl.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/us/20070728/187510809.shtml
African students trace U.S. civil rights history in tour of Southern landmarks
ANDREW DeMILLO
Associated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Just a day into a tour of civil rights landmarks in the South, Nadia Samie says she already sees parallels between the Jim Crow era and the apartheid period in her country, South Africa.
Samie, a student at the University of Cape Town, is among 19 college students from Africa who embarked Friday on a tour of many of the landmarks of the civil rights struggle.
"The practices were similar in the ways black people were segregated and just the way black people were treated," Samie said. "It's become even more apparent how similar the fights were between the people on both continents."
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/us/20070728/187508695.shtml
U.S. brings drug kingpin charges against jailed Peruvian; federal charges filed in Miami
CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press Writer
MIAMI — An imprisoned Peruvian cocaine trafficker on a U.S. list of top worldwide drug kingpins was indicted Friday on federal charges of using real estate transactions to hide proceeds from illegal narcotics.
The 16-count indictment against Fernando Zevallos and his wife, Sandra Elisa Sanchez, mark the first time the 1999 Kingpin Act has been used to target traffickers' financial dealings, federal prosecutors said.
"It's important to hit drug traffickers where it hurts, and that's in their pocketbooks," U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta said.
Zevallos is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in Peru for 2005 drug trafficking and money laundering convictions. He was ordered to pay a $29 million fine for conspiring to ship more than 3 tons of cocaine to Mexico — a prime distribution point for the drug into the U.S.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/us/20070728/187484589.shtml
Fully operational
Blue Valley Mental Health comfortable in new surroundings
By Marcia Schlegelmilch
Staff Writer
YORK -- "We are operational," says a smiling John Day. Day is director of Blue Valley Mental Health (BVMH), a private not-for-profit corporation serving 15 counties in southeast and south-central Nebraska.
The mental health provider maintains 11 offices and three satellite offices. Day reports Beatrice, his home base, is the largest and busiest office in the system, with York, Nebraska City and Seward vying for second, third and fourth.
"We serve several hundred people in York every year, and we continue to grow from where we were three of four years ago," Day says, as he explains the need for larger accommodations. Back then the agency employed one full-time mental health therapist and one substance abuse therapist. Since that time requests for services have prompted growth in both therapists and support staff.
"Now we have two full-time secretaries, one part-time secretary, two full-time mental health counselors, one full-time substance abuse counselor, one part-time substance abuse counselor, a community support worker and a psychiatrist who is here once a month," says Day.
http://www.yorknewstimes.com/stories/072807/localnews_bluevalley.shtml
Congress moving to rewrite laws to cut down on poor-quality or needless patents
ERICA WERNER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Crustless peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, a way to move sideways on a swing, a technique for exercising cats using a laser pointer — these are among the inventions patented in the United States over the years. Now Congress is trying to cut down on poor-quality or downright ridiculous patents, and at the same time adapt the patent system to a high-tech era in which computers and other electronic devices may contain thousands of patentable parts.
Rather than the patent system being the incentive for "so much of our innovation, it has become a constraint on innovation," said Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., author of a sweeping patent reform bill that passed the House Judiciary Committee on July 18.
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed similar legislation the following day. The full House could take up the issue before leaving for summer recess Friday, though it's more likely to be considered in the fall.
Disputes between the high-tech industry, drug companies and other interest groups have stalled patent reform attempts in the past, and legislation introduced during the last session of Congress never made it out of committee.
Patents give holders ownership rights to their inventions for 20 years. That can mean hundreds of millions of dollars to companies, research universities and individual inventors.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/business/20070728/187510415.shtml
Dow industrials, S&P 500 conclude worst week in 5 years; Dow sheds 208 points over 2 days
TIM PARADIS
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK — Wall Street extended its steep decline Friday, propelling the Dow Jones industrials down more than 500 points over two days after investors gave in to mounting concerns that borrowing costs would climb for both companies and homeowners. It was the worst week for the Dow and the Standard & Poor's 500 index in five years.
Investors cast aside a stronger-than-expected read on the economy and maintained negative sentiment that dominated Thursday when the market shuddered amid worries over the U.S. mortgage and corporate lending markets. Investors globally took flight from equities, shifting cash into safer investments in Treasury bonds.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/business/20070728/187507778.shtml
Goodyear union workers approve tentative contract with Carlyle
The Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. — United Steelworkers members at four Goodyear plants approved a tentative contract with The Carlyle Group, purchaser of Goodyear's engineered products division, the union said Friday.
Continuing talks are needed to resolve "outstanding issues" before a contract is finalized, the union said.
Members in Lincoln, St. Marys, Ohio, Marysville, Ohio, and Sun Prairie, Wis., approved the proposed contract by a 2-1 margin in voting this week. More than 1,600 workers are represented by the union at the four plants.
The agreement guarantees only 308 of the Lincoln plant's current 480 jobs until 2012, but offers a buyout for workers who were not eligible for the one offered by Goodyear.
It also includes $45 million worth of investment in the union plants, a profit sharing agreement and continued cost of living pay adjustments through 2012.
If the contract is finalized, it will pave the way for Carlyle to complete the proposed $1.475 billion sale, which was announced in March. The engineered products division has about 6,500 employees worldwide in 32 countries.
Carlyle would continue to produce Goodyear brands of hoses, belts and other products under the company name of EPD, Inc.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/state/ne/20070727/187435639.shtml
Baby sitter accused of letting man have sex with girl, 12, for money in Illinois
The Associated Press
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GRANITE CITY, Ill. (AP) — A baby sitter accused of allowing a man to have sex with a 12-year-old girl in her care for money was charged with pimping, police said.
Amber Salts, 20, took the girl to the home of a 48-year-old man she had been "romantically involved" with and allowed the girl to have sex with him, said Madison County sheriff's Sgt. Mike Dixon.
Larry Westwood paid the girl $140, which she split with Salts, police said.
Salts was charged Friday with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and pimping. Westwood was charged with two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault.
The girl was treated at a local hospital this week and released with no physical injuries.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/us/20070728/187567367.shtml
Court rules dead worker's family should be able to sue companies
JOSH FUNK
Associated Press Writer
OMAHA, Neb. — A Nebraska Supreme Court ruling Friday cleared the way for the family of a worker electrocuted during a 2001 utility project to argue that two companies involved in the project contributed to the man's death.
Nickolas Hughes died in June 2001 a day after cutting into an electrical line and igniting a ball of fire while trying to remove a piece of equipment stuck in a different conduit.
None of the companies involved in the project had called the "Diggers' Hotline" to identify the four different utility conduits workers had exposed in the west Omaha street before Hughes' accident.
So Hughes' family sued three entities: Omaha Public Power District, which owned the electrical line that Hughes cut; Nebraska Communications Inc., which was hired to clean out an empty conduit in the area; and Radiodetection Corp., which makes equipment designed to find underground utilities.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/state/ne/20070727/187404558.shtml
Exeter native plays for Team USA
By News-Times Staff
Jen Horne, an Exeter native, recently returned from Groningen Holland where she had the opportunity to play volleyball with Team USA.
Courtesy Photo Exeter native Jen Horne, pictured at far left, recently had the opportunity to play volleyball with Team USA.
The team was made up of 10 girls from around the nation with three of them hailing from Nebraska. Horne, a junior at Bellevue University was the youngest member of the squad.
As a team they played both Holland and Germany's national teams while placing third in the DKV tournament. No other USA national team has ever placed that high in the DKV tournament. They played games in the evenings of the first four days but also had the opportunity to do some sightseeing.
"The competition was at a very high level and it was a great atmosphere," said Horne. "It brought a new dimension to my game." Horne plans to complete her studies in business next year and will continue to play on the volleyball team at Bellevue.
In addition to the volleyball experience, Horne also had "a great cultural experience...the scenery, food and atmosphere was a lot to take in. We managed to fit in as much as we could in a week's time."
http://www.yorknewstimes.com/stories/072807/sports_teamusa.shtml
What we aren't learning
Mark Houston
The Ink Well
It was August, 1914, the outbreak of World War I, and the Germans were cutting their way through the tiny country of Belgium, enroute to (they believed) a swift and glorious victory over France. With efficient and stunning precision, the German timetable for advance had been planned and executed. In numbers and at a speed the world had never before seen, they advanced.
But there was one problem: the Belgians were actually standing their ground and fighting, something--according to the German plan--they were not supposed to do. The Germans could not understand this behavior. They were on a mission; not simply the mission of one nation to conquer another, but a mission to spread the noble influence of German civilization. German culture (they believed) was the most industrious, earnest, progressive, and educated. Germany was destined to enlighten the rest of the world.
And the Belgians were getting in the way.
This both confused and enraged the German commanders and soldiers. They soon came to believe (erroneously) that every village was full of civilian snipers and saboteurs. Incensed by this "treacherous" behavior, the Germans responded. Hostages were taken whenever they entered a village or city. At first it was just the leading men of the city; later it could be someone from every household. If the Germans encountered resistance anywhere in or near the town, the hostages were shot. Things snowballed from there. Villages were looted and burned, civilians executed enmasse. 211 in Andenne, 50 at Seilles, 400 at Tamines (in the square in front of the church), 612 at Dinant-- "including Felix Fivet, aged three weeks".
So writes Barbara Tuchman in her pulitzer prize winning book The Guns of August. The reasons Tuchman sees for the German will to power and justification of their brutal means for achieving it, are telling: the influence of "A hundred years of German philosophy went into the making of this decision ... of Fichte who saw the German people chosen by Providence to occupy the supreme place in the history of the universe, of Hegel who saw them leading the world to a glorious destiny of compulsory Kultur, of Nietzsche who told them that Supermen were above ordinary controls, of Treitschke who set the increase of power as the highest moral duty of the state, of the whole German people, who called their temporal ruler 'All-Highest'.... the body of accumulated egoism which suckled the German people and created a nation fed on 'the desperate delusion of the will that deems itself absolute.'"
What fascinates me about Tuchman's analysis is the enormous power she attributes to literature and philosophy. If the German people had read different books and listened to other voices would events have unfolded differently in Belgium? How different would the aims and methods of their culture have been?
http://www.yorknewstimes.com/stories/072807/editorial_whatwearent.shtml
Southeast Asian countries to set up watchdog agency to ensure safety at nuclear plants
JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press Writer
MANILA, Philippines — Southeast Asian countries will set up a safety watchdog to ensure that nuclear power plants in the region are not used to produce weapons or aid terrorists and other criminal groups, an official said Saturday.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations wants to ensure that any member countries pursuing nuclear energy programs "do not allow the exportation of certain materials which could lead to the development of nuclear power other than for peaceful purposes," said Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo.
The possibility of nuclear weapons getting into the hands of terrorists is also a concern.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/business/20070728/187534871.shtml
Sara Lee recalls 27 brands of whole wheat bread due to possible metal contamination
The Associated Press
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — Sara Lee Corp. is recalling 27 brands of whole wheat bread products because they could contain small metal pieces, the company said Friday.
A recent routine inspection of a bakery in Meridian, Miss., uncovered problems with a flour-sifting screen, said company spokesman Mark Goldman.
The machine was "not up to our specification and raised the possibility some metal could have dislodged," Goldman said.
The problem was isolated to the Meridian bakery, which continued production using bagged flour that did not require the sifting system, Goldman said.
The recall involves EarthGrains, Publix, Sara Lee Delightful, Sara Lee Hearty & Delicious and several other brands that were stamped "best if purchased by" July 25, 2007, to Aug. 7, 2007, and included the code "222."
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/business/20070728/187545509.shtml
Despite botulism recall, potentially contaminated products still being sold nationwide
ANDREW BRIDGES
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Stores nationwide are continuing to sell recalled canned chili, stew, hash and other foods potentially contaminated with poisonous bacteria even after repeated warnings the products could kill.
Thousands of cans are being removed from store shelves as quickly as investigators find them, more than a week after Castleberry's Food Co. began recalling more than 90 potentially contaminated products over fears of botulism contamination.
The recall now covers two years' production at the company's Augusta, Ga., plant — a tally that spirals into the tens of millions of cans.
Spot checks by the Food and Drug Administration and state officials continue to turn up recalled products for sale in convenience stores, gas stations and family run groceries, from Florida to Alaska. The FDA alone has found them in roughly 250 of the more than 3,700 stores visited in nationwide checks, according to figures the agency provided to The Associated Press.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/business/20070728/187513272.shtml
Ever since debut of Toyota RAV4, U.S. car buyers have been crossing over to crossovers
JAMES PRICHARD
AP Business Writer
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Ever since the debut of the Toyota RAV4 in 1996, U.S. car buyers have been crossing over to crossovers.
The success of crossover vehicles, which resemble sport utility vehicles but are smaller and built on car instead of truck frames, has been one of the few bright spots in recent years for the troubled domestic automotive industry.
Analysts and auto executives say that trend likely will continue when automakers release July U.S. sales figures on Wednesday, although the general market decline is likely to continue.
The Edmunds.com automotive Web site forecast that automakers will sell about 1.37 million vehicles in July, a 7.9 percent drop from a year ago.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/business/20070727/187437324.shtml
2 Chinese sentenced to death for plot to steal oil from underwater pipeline
The Associated Press
BEIJING — Two men were sentenced to death for masterminding a plan to steal oil from an underwater pipeline, a botched plot that caused tens of millions of dollars in damages, China's state news agency reported Saturday.
Wang Yujiang and Liu Linbin were sentenced to death Friday by the Intermediate People's Court in Dongying, a city in Shandong province in eastern China, Xinhua said.
By law, death sentences have to be approved by the country's Supreme Court.
The court heard that Wang's gang drilled into what they thought was an oil pipeline in the Shengli oilfield in Shandong in June 2005. Instead, they found they had drilled into a natural gas pipeline, Xinhua said.
The natural gas leak was not discovered until March 2006, it said.
The gang succeed in stealing about 65 barrels of oil from a pipeline
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/business/20070728/187517438.shtml
Buffett sells portion of PetroChina stake
The Associated Press
HONG KONG — U.S. investor Warren Buffett has sold a small portion of his stake in Chinese oil company PetroChina but still remains its second-biggest shareholder, according to an official filing Friday by the company.
There was no indication whether he was responding to demands by activists to cut his ties to the company due to its investments in Sudan.
Buffett, who heads Berkshire Hathaway Inc., reduced his stake in the company to 10.96 percent from 11.05 percent, selling 16.9 million shares for about 210 million Hong Kong dollars ($27 million), according to the filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange.
Buffett remains PetroChina's second-largest shareholder after its Chinese government-owned parent, the China National Petroleum Corp., according to the filing.
CNPC, which signed a 20-year oil deal with Sudan in June, is facing international pressure to reduce its involvement in Sudan. Activists say Chinese investments are helping Sudanese leaders resist pressure over Darfur.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/state/ne/20070727/187332242.shtml
Cheney to undergo minor surgery to get new battery for device monitoring his heart rhythms
DEB RIECHMANN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney was in the hospital Saturday for minor surgery to replace the battery that powers a device monitoring his heart rhythms.
He arrived with his wife, Lynne, in the morning for the procedure at George Washington University Hospital.
During Cheney's annual physical last month, doctors tested his implanted cardioverter-defibrillator and learned that the battery powering the device had reached a level where replacement is recommended, Megan McGinn, deputy press secretary for Cheney, said Friday.
Dr. John Kassotis, director of electrophysiology at State University of New York's Downstate Medical Center, said doctors typically use a local anesthetic on the chest and shoulder area below the collar bone. They make an incision and remove the defibrillator's generator, detaching it from wires that are connected inside the patient's heart.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/politics/20070728/187567949.shtml
Health care professionals, once Republican givers, now donating money to Democratic candidates
JIM KUHNHENN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Health care professionals are giving Democrats a second look after more than a decade of opening their wallets in favor of Republican candidates.
The shift in giving is apparent in the presidential contest, where leading Democrats are raising more cash from doctors, nurses and other caregivers than are Republicans.
Two main factors are at play: Democrats now control Congress and Democratic presidential candidates are raising more money than are Republicans.
"The health care industry wants to influence the majority in Congress and ... they are reading the same tea leaves as everyone else that suggest the Democrats could have good results in the 2008 elections," Jonathan Oberlander, a health politics expert at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said in an e-mail.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/politics/20070728/187521924.shtml
Analysis: Democrats set an ambitious agenda for next 10 days in Congress
DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON — Beset by poor approval ratings and internal differences, congressional Democrats hope to give themselves a triumphant send-off when Congress departs on a monthlong summer vacation.
"They can't possibly do all the things they want to do," counters Rep. John Boehner, the House Republican leader.
Perhaps not.
But Democratic leaders, seven months in power, have set an ambitious agenda for themselves for the next 10 days, even momentarily dispatching their efforts to end the Iraq war to the background.
They intend to send President Bush bills to counter terrorism and tighten congressional ethics, measures that were among the party's half-dozen top priorities when Congress convened in January.
The House and Senate are scheduled to vote on legislation expanding the health care program for low-income children — a signature issue for the new majority — and raise tobacco taxes to finance it.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/politics/20070726/187163435.shtml
ALL BUSINESS: Nobody should act surprised by the housing market collapse
RACHEL BECK
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK — Century 21 Real Estate's CEO Thomas Kunz may have unintentionally hit the nail on the head when he declared that a "pity party" is gripping the housing industry right now.
Many recent home buyers are expressing shock that their properties may be worth a lot less than when they bought them. CEOs like Countrywide Financial Corp.'s Angelo Mozilo are claiming that "nobody saw" the deterioration of real estate values coming, and are pointing fingers at others for causing this mess. And Wall Street seems to only now be waking up to the implications of mortgage securities imploding.
They all need an education in how markets work. In a perfect world, everyone keeps making money on their investments because values never drop. This is the real world. Things just don't work that way.
Everyone in the industry who claims they didn't see the housing market collapse coming at them like an out-of-control subway train, seems to have forgotten the lessons from the dot-com stock crash in 2000. Once-soaring technology share prices suddenly tumbled from record highs. It took some indices more than six years to regain those losses, and there are plenty that still haven't bounced back yet.
http://ap.yorknewstimes.com/stories/business/20070727/187359006.shtml
North Platte Telegraph
Homeowner receives keys to new Habitat home
By DIANE WETZEL, The North Platte Telegraph
07/28/2007
Relatives and friends, along with Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans volunteers crowded into the tidy new house at 908 North Bryan Friday afternoon for a key presentation of the 20th Habitat house completed in North Platte. A small sapling stands sentry in the front yard, donated by Randy and Penny Billingsly of Golden Glove Landscaping.
Angela Rosane-Blaesi and her four children, Kaitlyn, Dustin, Evelyn and Zarah are the new owners.
“A friend of mine lives in a Habitat House in Omaha,” Rosane-Blaesi said. “She told me I should fill out an application.”
http://www.nptelegraph.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18638711&BRD=377&PAG=461&dept_id=601696&rfi=6
Search for Savannah has happy ending
By PATRICIA DANNATT, The North Platte Telegraph
07/24/2007
It was a scene that could have come right out of the movies but it took place Sunday in North Platte.
Around 8 to 8:15 p.m. Sunday evening a community alert was issued over the cable service: A 4-year-old girl named Savannah was missing from Grande Avenue. The message on the alert indicated Savannah may have been missing about an hour.
It’s still light until after 9 p.m., but precious time was ticking by while this little girl was still “out there” somewhere. Once the sun went down, the search would become incredibly more difficult.
I was on my way to Cedarberry Road so I decided to drive by one or two of the streets near Grande knowing I probably wouldn’t see Savannah.
As I neared the corner of Grande and McDonald, I became aware of busier-than-usual traffic.
http://www.nptelegraph.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18619614&BRD=377&PAG=461&dept_id=602468&rfi=6
Lincoln Journal Star
YouTube says September is target to block copyrighted videos
By LARRY NEUMEISTER / The Associated Press
Saturday, Jul 28, 2007 - 12:06:44 am CDT
NEW YORK — Google Inc.’s YouTube hopes recognition technology will be in place in September to stop the posting of copyrighted videos on the popular Web site, a lawyer Friday told a judge presiding over copyright lawsuits.
The lawyer, Philip S. Beck, told U.S. District Judge Louis L. Stanton in Manhattan that YouTube was working “very intensely and cooperating” with major content providers on a video recognition technology as sophisticated as fingerprint technology the FBI uses.
He said the company planned to have the technology in place in the fall, “hopefully in September.”
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/living/gz/video_games/doc46aa533f58eb9857086707.txt
Explosion at Mojave Airport Kills 3
By ALICIA CHANG
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 10:43:48 pm CDT
MOJAVE, Calif. - A fatal explosion at a Mojave Desert airport during testing of a propellant system for a new space tourism vehicle has shaken a small community that prides itself as the hometown of the first private space launch.
The blast Thursday at a remote test facility belonging to Scaled Composites LLC killed three workers and critically injured three others.
The company, headed by maverick aerospace designer Burt Rutan, made history in 2004 when its SpaceShipOne became the first private manned rocket to reach space. Since that milestone, Rutan has partnered with British billionaire Richard Branson to build a fleet of commercial vehicles dubbed SpaceShipTwo for Virgin Galactic.
http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/ap/us/d8qlars00.txt
Everest Highway Plans on Hold
By ANITA CHANG
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 06:43:35 pm CDT
LHASA, China - Tibet has put on hold plans to build a highway on the side of Mount Everest aimed at easing the Olympic torch's journey to its peak, a government official said Friday.
The $20 million project was to have turned a 67-mile rough path into a blacktop highway that snaked from the foot of the mountain to a base camp at 17,060 feet.
"The paved road project is on hold," Ju Jianhua, director of Tibet's Foreign Affairs Department, told The Associated Press. He refused to give a reason or any other details.
http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/ap/international/d8ql7a4g0.txt
Finding God in nature
BY JOE DUGGAN / Lincoln Journal Star
Saturday, Jul 28, 2007 - 12:06:45 am CDT
A duck hunter must hunt, even one who believes in God.
Perhaps that should read especially one who believes in God.
Many Sundays you will find Scott Wessel worshipping at Thabor Lutheran Church in Wausa. But when the air cools and waterfowl start their autumn migrations, the wildlife biologist from Northeast Nebraska will more likely spend Sunday mornings in the blind.
http://journalstar.com/living/religion/doc46aa70dc1fce3546907424.txt
Nature genre has legs, but what about teeth?
By DESSON THOMSON / The Washington Post
Saturday, Jul 28, 2007 - 12:06:45 am CDT
WASHINGTON — Call it the “fuzzumentary,” this new documentary sub-genre in which creatures of the wild — think the birds of “Winged Migration,” or the emperors of “March of the Penguins” — are turned into almost-human characters on the big screen. Wildlife footage is combined with an off-screen narrator to concoct a G-rated story of loyalty, survival, family togetherness and other themes designed to draw human empathy.
Forget the fact that some of these critters, particularly the polar bears and walruses in “Arctic Tale,” opening Friday, might rip us apart if given half a chance. C’mon, they’re so adorable! And when will the stuffed toy versions hit the shelves?
The answer is: probably soon. National Geographic Films, which produced “Arctic Tale” with Paramount Classics, already has plans for an “Arctic Tale” video game, a special week of ecological awareness (in conjunction with Starbucks), and a perfect storm of coverage within National Geographic’s vast multimedia platforms, including its magazine and Web site. And there will even be a sweepstakes, according to National Geographic Entertainment’s marketing head, William Weil, in which the winner travels to the Arctic and (presumably with some supervision) frolics with its feral residents.
http://journalstar.com/living/gz/movies/doc46aa6fa9d52f3711487393.txt
Financial aid changes let students win
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 12:04:31 am CDT
Congress is on the verge of giving college students the biggest boost in financial aid in years. Both the House and the Senate have passed legislation that ends an era in which Congress kowtowed to the student loan industry at the expense of students struggling to cope with spiraling tuition costs.
The excesses of recent years — including revelations that some college financial aid officials were getting kickbacks from loan companies in the $85 billion a year industry — gave momentum to the reform effort.
The legislation now goes to a conference committee to reconcile differences between the two bills.
http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/opinion/editorial/doc46a949d0082b1462117420.txt
Coffee drinks hook kids, but caffeine, calories worry nutritionists
BY JOSEPH AX / The Record (Hackensack N.J.)
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 12:04:31 am CDT
HACKENSACK, N.J. — Like many people, Nicole Rivera uses coffee to survive a long day of hard work.
One cup in the morning, and sometimes a second at lunch for a little pick-me-up. Another cup in the afternoon to avoid a late-day slump. A final mug around 7 p.m. to help her finish the work she’s brought home.
“Without coffee, I’m dead to the world,” she says.
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/living/family/doc46a917112eb65533561071.txt
Four men face federal drug charges
By the Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 09:48:42 pm CDT
Federal charges have been filed against four men suspected of conspiring to distribute drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Three of the men — 30-year-old Enrique G. Sosa, 35-year-old Cesar A. Torres and 34-year-old Fernando M. Marquez — are suspected of conspiring to distribute at least 220 pounds of marijuana, 500 grams of cocaine and 500 grams of methamphetamine in Lincoln during an 18-month period.
Torres was arrested and has been in custody since Tuesday. Authorities were looking for Sosa and Marquez on Friday night.
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/news/local/doc46aaae8fd3f1a985138682.txt
Homeland security bill goes to president
By JIM ABRAMS / The Associated Press
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 05:23:45 pm CDT
WASHINGTON — Congress sent President Bush legislation Friday to intensify anti-terror efforts in the U.S., shifting money to high-risk states and cities and expanding screening of air and sea cargo to stave off future Sept. 11-style attacks.
The measure carries out major recommendations of the independent 9/11 Commission.
The bill, passed by the House on a 371-40 vote, ranks among the top accomplishments of the six-month-old Democratic Congress. The Senate approved the measure late Thursday by 85-8, and the White House said the president would sign the bill.
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/news/politics/doc46aa704273a4e345881489.txt
Despite hardships, community develops among refugees
By NANCY HICKS / Lincoln Journal Star
Saturday, Jul 28, 2007 - 12:06:45 am CDT
Sara Pipher has heard the horror stories firsthand from the women in the refugee camps along the Thailand-Burma border.
“You think you’ve heard the worst. And then you sit and listen to another story.”
Pipher met Ah Mu 10 years ago, during her first visit to a refugee camp as a student in the School for International Training study abroad program.
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/news/local/doc46aaa04f6ae92618087560.txt
Serbian Court Upholds Killers' Sentences
By JOVANA GEC
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 10:43:31 pm CDT
BELGRADE, Serbia - Serbia's Supreme Court Friday upheld the sentences for Slobodan Milosevic's paramilitary commander and five others convicted of the 2000 killing of a former Serbian president.
After deliberating for more than three months, the court rejected an appeal filed by Milorad Ulemek, the group's leader. The court said the initial verdicts were "fully regular in determining what had happened."
The court also rejected similar motions by the five other inmates, including Milosevic's former state security chief, Radomir Markovic.
http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/ap/international/d8qlak6g0.txt
Charges Files Against Former French PM
By VERENA VON DERSCHAU
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 06:43:34 pm CDT
PARIS - Political leader Dominique de Villepin, the impassioned voice of French opposition to the U.S. war in Iraq, was formally accused Friday of complicity in a tawdry campaign to smear his rival Nicolas Sarkozy's reputation and presidential aspirations.
A silver-haired intellectual who has served as foreign minister, interior minister and prime minister, de Villepin was hit with preliminary charges that include "complicity in slanderous denunciations" and "complicity in using forgeries," according to one of his lawyers. De Villepin, who vehemently denied the charges, could face up to five years in prison if convicted.
The charges filed by investigating judges stem from an alleged attempt in 2003-2004 to discredit Sarkozy, who was, like Villepin, a government minister, member of the conservative UMP party and potential candidate for the country's highest office.
http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/ap/international/d8ql6fu80.txt
Bombing, Mosque Riot Rock Islamabad
By SADAQAT JAN
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 10:43:27 pm CDT
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A suspected suicide bomber killed at least 13 people at a hotel Friday after hundreds of stone-throwing protesters clashed with police as the capital's Red Mosque reopened for the first time since a bloody army raid ousted pro-Taliban militants holed up there.
The blast, targeting police, was the latest in a string of militant revenge attacks and deepened the security crisis facing President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a close U.S. ally.
The bombing comes on the back of almost daily suicide blasts in Pakistan's restive northwestern frontier, where Musharraf is also under U.S. pressure to crack down on al-Qaida. More than 300 people have died in violence which began with the siege of the Red Mosque at the start of July.
http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/ap/international/d8qlbgeo0.txt
School Board to consider closing two schools
By KEVIN ABOUREZK / Lincoln Journal Star (Copyright 2007)
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 08:52:39 pm CDT
Big questions lie ahead for the Lincoln Board of Education.
On Monday, the school board’s planning committee plans to unveil a proposal to close two schools — Hawthorne Elementary School, 300 S. 48th St., and Dawes Middle School, 5130 Colfax Ave., just southeast of North 48th Street and Cornhusker Highway.
Ed Zimmer, chairman of the committee, told the Journal Star Friday the suggestions come as part of a plan drafted by the planning committee that would redraw attendance area boundaries within the district.
http://www.journalstar.com/news/local/doc46aa760c43eb4138075586.txt
Underwear thief gets prison term
By The Associated Press
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 02:06:05 pm CDT
KEARNEY — A Loup City man was given up to five years in prison for stealing underwear and other personal items from a Gibbon woman.
Dale Trompke, 37, was sentenced by Judge John Icenogle of Buffalo County District Court to 20 months to five years and ordered to pay restitution of $295.
Trompke was charged with burglary after officers found more than 500 women’s undergarments in a December search of his home.
http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/news/nebraska/doc46aa40f768fb8378202654.txt
Franklin officer accused of abusing female inmate
By the Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Jul 27, 2007 - 07:11:45 pm CDT
State prosecutors have charged a Franklin police officer on suspicion of sexually abuse of an inmate.
Matthew Bower, 25, is alleged to have taken a female inmate from the Franklin County Jail on numerous occasions between March 31 and July 3. On some of those occasions, he allegedly engaged in illicit activities with her, Attorney General Jon Bruning said.
Bower, who has been employed by the Franklin Police Department since November 2003, also allegedly threatened a Franklin County citizen and broke into a Franklin County home, he said.
http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/07/28/news/nebraska/doc46aa65516703f402847783.txt
Scottbluffs/Gering Star Herald
Cooperation makes drought conditions more workable
By SANDRA HANSEN, Ag Editor
07/27/2007
It took a few years, but Wyoming and Nebraska water officials have established a pretty good working relationship. The settlement of the Nebraska vs. Wyoming lawsuit in 2000 came just in time for the two states to turn their efforts to managing the North Platte River in what appears to be a never-ending drought.
The settlement laid a foundation of rules and regulations for water users in both states, and as it turns out, has made it possible to better monitor the dwindling supply that comes down the river.
This week, officials from both states participated in a two-day tour of the North Platte River reservoir system from near the Colorado-Wyoming state line to the Tri-State diversion just east of Henry.
http://www.starherald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18634156&BRD=484&PAG=461&dept_id=553251&rfi=6
McCook Daily Gazette
Bush declares disaster area
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
LINCOLN -- President Bush on Tuesday declared parts of Southwest Nebraska a major disaster area and ordered the federal government to supplement state and local recovery from storms that struck May 28 through June 2.
The declaration makes federal funding available to the state and some local governments and nonprofit organizations.
The declaration covers 15 Nebraska counties: Buffalo, Custer, Dawson, Frontier, Greeley, Hayes, Hitchcock, Howard, Kearney, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, Madison, Valley and Wheeler.
Gov. Dave Heineman had asked for the designation after storms and flooding damaged roads, bridges and culverts. Some public buildings and electrical systems also saw wind damage.
http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1233362.html
Falling ice chunks hit Iowa neighborhood
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) -- Large chunks of ice, one of them reportedly about 50 pounds, fell from the sky in this northeast Iowa city, smashing through a woman's roof and tearing through nearby trees.
Authorities were unsure of the ice's origin but have theorized the chunks either fell from an airplane or naturally accumulated high in the atmosphere - both rare occurrences.
"It sounded like a bomb!" 78-year-old Jan Kenkel said. She said she was standing in her kitchen when an ice chunk crashed through her roof at about 5:30 a.m. Thursday. "I jumped about a foot!"
She traced the damage to her television room, where she found a messy pile of insulation, bits of ceiling, splintered wood and about 50 pounds of solid ice.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/ODD_FALLING_ICE?SITE=MOCAP&SECTION=AMERICAS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Dentist wins case over tusks in mouth
By DAVID AMMONS
Associated Press Writer
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- An oral surgeon who temporarily implanted fake boar tusks in his assistant's mouth as a practical joke and got sued for it has gotten the state's high court to back up his gag.
Dr. Robert Woo of Auburn had put in the phony tusks while the woman was under anesthesia for a different procedure. He took them out before she awoke, but he first shot photos that eventually made it around the office.
The employee, Tina Alberts, felt so humiliated when she saw the pictures that she quit and sued her boss.
Woo's insurance company, Fireman's Fund, refused to cover the claim, saying the practical joke was intentional and not a normal business activity his insurance policy covered, so Woo settled out of court. He agreed to pay Alberts $250,000, then he sued his insurers.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/J/JOKESTER_DENTIST?SITE=MOCAP&SECTION=AMERICAS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
ATM gives out too much money
MANSFIELD, La. (AP) -- An ATM at a northwest Louisiana truck stop gave out $20 bills instead of $5s, but authorities say they know who took the extra $7,000 the machine spit out and plan to track them down.
DeSoto Parish sheriff's Lt. Toni Morris said the automated teller machine has records showing 26 people who received the extra cash during five days in late June and early July.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/ODD_MALFUNCTIONING_ATM?SITE=MOCAP&SECTION=AMERICAS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Coin dealer carries $1.9M dime in pocket
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- John Feigenbaum didn't sleep at all during his redeye flight across country. He's not a nervous flier - he had a dime worth $1.9 million in his jeans pocket.
Feigenbaum, 38, of Virginia Beach, Va., is a rare coin dealer, and the dime he was carrying from San Jose to New York is a 1894-S dime, one of only nine known to exist.
He picked up the dime, one of only 24 known to be coined in 1894 in San Francisco, on Monday from the seller's vault in Oakland. He delivered it to the buyer's vault the following day, in midtown Manhattan.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/ODD_VALUABLE_DIME?SITE=MOCAP&SECTION=AMERICAS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
The Kearney Hub
Leaders primed to attack thirsty weeds
By GINGER JENSEN, Hub Regional Correspondent
07/27/2007
Updated 07/27/2007 12:15:38 PM CDT
FRANKLIN — A group of Nebraskans rolled up their sleeves in Franklin Thursday to control invasive weeds that are sucking precious water from streams and lakes in the Republican and Platte basins.
One of the state’s new water laws, LB701, has funding for the statewide Riparian Vegetation Management Task Force to begin attacking weeds. LB701 is the Nebraska Legislature’s 2007 comprehensive water bill. A progress report is due to the governor and Legislature by 2009.
“Vegetation control and our attempt to do something at the state level is a win-win for everyone,” said state Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege, who had designated weed control legislation as his priority bill. “As we look at possibilities for vegetation control, nobody loses. We have two years to get something meaningful done.”
Included in LB701 are $2 million in state funds for each of the next two years for projects to remove invasive vegetation in basins designated by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources as fully appropriated or overappropriated.
http://www.kearneyhub.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18636083&BRD=268&PAG=461&dept_id=577571&rfi=15
Itty-bitty car a really big draw
By RICK BROWN, Hub Staff Writer
07/23/2007
Updated 07/24/2007 01:06:03 PM CDT
KEARNEY — Heads turn when Kermit Wilke drives down the street.
In a show of standout cars, Wilke’s three-wheeled 1957 Messerschmitt KR200 vehicle stands out.
“It was designed by a German engineer named Fend,” Wilke said Saturday at Cruise Nite’s show and shine in Downtown Kearney: The Bricks. “The Messerschmitt company said they would manufacture the car if they could put their name on it.”
Wilke, a resident of rural Harlan County near Wilcox, described the vehicle as “runable” when he acquired it a year ago. Since then he has restored it to his own satisfaction, though not to original specifications.
“It’s not restored pure,” he said, “because it’s too hard to find parts for it.”
http://www.kearneyhub.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18617852&BRD=268&PAG=461&dept_id=577571&rfi=15
Fremont Tribune
Jerry Garcia's Kitchen Sink for Sale
LOS ANGELES - The man who bought Jerry Garcia's house 10 years ago is selling everything, including the kitchen sink.
David Koltys _ who sold the deceased Grateful Dead guitarist's toilet and other fixtures last year _ said Friday he plans to clear out the last of his Grateful Dead inventory.
Koltys said he will offer up the home's kitchen sink, Jacuzzi, stereo speakers and several other items.
The toilet fetched $2,500 at a similar auction last year.
http://www.ftrib.com/articles/2007/07/28/ap/headlines/d8qli0k80.txt
Bonds Hits 754th Homer, 1 Behind Aaron
By JANIE McCAULEY
SAN FRANCISCO - Hammerin' Hank, he's right behind you now. Barry Bonds hit his 754th career home run Friday night, and needed just one more to tie Hank Aaron's record.
The Giants star sent a 2-1 pitch from rookie Rick Vanden Hurk over the wall in left-center in the first inning for a solo shot against the Florida Marlins, his 20th homer of the season. The Giants went on to win 12-10.
Asked whether being on the verge of catching Aaron had finally sunk in, Bonds said with a chuckle: "It's sinking."
http://www.ftrib.com/articles/2007/07/28/ap/headlines/d8qljrp00.txt
Jail administrator wrestles with inmate boarding, medical costs
By Russ Krebs/Tribune Staff
Doug Campbell wishes he could control the number of people arrested and the amount of medical care those inmates need.
With that type of crystal ball, the administrator of the Dodge County Jail wouldn't have to worry about being over budget.
Unfortunately there is no such thing as a crime crystal ball and Campbell is no medical psychic.
“Basically, the two areas where my budget is normally over are boarding of prisoners and medical costs and those are two areas you can't control,” Campbell said. “I can't control how many people are arrested (and stay) or get out on bond. How do you anticipate how many people come in?”
The rated capacity for the Dodge County Jail is 42 prisoners. After that, anyone who comes in has to be shipped out to another facility, usually Platte County, Madison County, Washington County or the State Department of Corrections Diagnostic and Evaluation Center. Prices range from $45 to $71 per inmate, per day at these facilities. He said he increases the inmate placement estimate each year, but it continues to grow.
http://www.ftrib.com/articles/2007/07/28/news/news4.txt
Stretching revenues to meet needs not a simple matter
By Don Bowen/Tribune Staff
As a member of the Dodge County Board of Supervisors, Paul Marsh said he worries most about the county's budget.
Marsh, who is serving in his 19th year as a supervisor and chairs the county board's budget committee, said the biggest worry is trying to pay for everything that needs funded with the county's revenues.
“It gets frustrating,” he said.
“We have a tight budget. It doesn't get easier. Some of what we've seen over the last few years is where there's been a decrease in state-generated revenues. The other thing is that there are some areas where the costs are just hard to control - corrections being one of them. That whole arena of legal issues just drowns us some years.”
http://www.ftrib.com/articles/2007/07/28/news/news3.txt
Columbus Telegraph
Dworak honored for work in wildlife
By Jim Osborn/josborn@columbustelegram.com
COLUMBUS - Former Columbus state senator Don Dworak spent countless hours criss-crossing the state in the mid-1970s marshaling support for public funding of wildlife development and conservation efforts.
He attended dozens of public meetings, mustered citizen support and introduced legislation in the Unicameral that eventually led to the passage of Nebraska's Habitat Stamp Program in 1977.
“There is no conservationist or hunter in the state more dedicated to the preservation of outdoor resources and wildlife than Don Dworak,'' said Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Chairman Gary Parker this morning while honoring the former District 22 senator.
The commission voted unanimously this morning to rename Prairie Wolf Wildlife Management Area south of Genoa as the Don Dworak Wildlife Management Area. The commission held its regular meeting today at Columbus' Holiday Inn Express.
http://www.columbustelegram.com/articles/2007/07/27/news/news1dworak.txt
Honey Man's death a painful puzzle
By Sara Jean Green/The Seattle Times
EATONVILLE, Wash. - Bees would sometimes crawl out of Roy Park's collar when he came to town every other Thursday to sell his honey.
Once, he parked his beat-up pickup across from the post office with 80,000 honeybees in wood boxes jury-rigged to the truck bed. When a local businessman voiced concern over a bunch of bees flying loose, Park told him, "Don't worry - they'll follow me when I leave."
And the bees did.
Park was Eatonville's "Honey Man," a loner everybody loved but nobody really knew.
Though he could talk for hours - about honey, world events or politics - he kept certain things to himself. Like who he thought was making all those threatening phone calls or why he installed video cameras on his junk-strewn property just months before he was found bludgeoned to death, his throat slashed.
http://www.columbustelegram.com/articles/2007/07/27/in_depth/news1honey.txt
911 committee seeks new pagers for 100 rural firefighters in county
By Jim Osborn/josborn@columbustelegram.com
COLUMBUS - About 100 rural firefighters will receive new pagers this fall to improve emergency response times if the Platte County E911 Technical Committee's recommendation gains final approval.
The committee, made up of Columbus and county government, law enforcement and fire officials, OK'd spending $67,000 Thursday for upgraded pagers while approving a proposed 2008 E911 capital improvement budget.
The E911 panel's recommendation now goes to the Columbus City Council for final approval. The E911 budget is administered through the city's annual spending plan, which runs from Oct. 1-Sept. 30.
http://www.columbustelegram.com/articles/2007/07/27/news/news3pagers.txt
Fighting abortion issue, Christians turn to adoption
By James Hohmann/The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS - Some conservative Christians say an intense focus on hot-button issues like abortion and gay marriage has come at the expense of caring for needy children. And they're doing something about it.
Some families are leading by example - by taking in children from around the world. Parents and pastors are starting ministries. A national coalition that includes Focus on the Family aims to persuade thousands of churches to start adoption ministries. And in Texas, the state is spending $500,000 this year to encourage churchgoers to adopt and care for foster children.
The push, still in its infancy, could help recast the image of conservative Christians, broaden the appeal of the church and, consequently, find homes for children.
http://www.columbustelegram.com/articles/2007/07/27/in_depth/news2adoption.txt
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