a MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2005 MIDLANDS OMAHA WORLD- HERALD Briefly Bar patrons subdue, disarm gunman Two shots were fired into the ceiling of a Benson bar as patrons wrestled a gunman to the ground. Omaha police said a 37-year-old man pointed a gun at another man about 6:15 p.m. Sunday inside the Wild Rose Saloon, 7024 Maple St. Another patron confronted the gunman and tried to take the weapon from him. During a struggle, shots were fired.
The man eventually lost the gun, and patrons held him down until police arrived. The gunman was arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree assault and destruction of property. -Lynn Safranek Snow removal takes a toll on some Last week's storm produced weekend business at emergency rooms in the Omaha area. Ed Rider, manager of public relations at Methodist Hospital, said emergency room activity Saturday and Sunday included 35 patients with "strains, sprains and fractures" associated with the year's first major snowfall. "The numbers always seem higher for the first storm of the season, so we'll just have to see if people learn from it," Rider said.
Stephanie Joekel, communications specialist for Alegent Health, which operates five hospitals in Omaha and Council Bluffs, reported little out of the ordinary. Weekend reports were not immediately available Monday from the Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University Medical Center. -Abe Winter Meetings planned on Millard program Two meetings are scheduled Tuesday night for parents and students interested in the International Baccalaureate program. The academically rigorous program will be offered next fall at Millard North Middle School for sixth-graders. It is currently available to high school juniors and seniors at Millard North.
The first of three informational meetings for the middle school program will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Harvey Oaks Elementary, 15228 Shirley St. A meeting on the high school program is set for 7 p.m. in the Millard North High School auditorium. -Michaela Saunders Teenager found shot near car A 19-year-old shooting victim was found Monday next to a car that appeared to have been broken into, Omaha police said.
Witnesses called police about 3:15 a.m. after hearing several gun shots and seeing Esteban Gregorio-Bernabe outside a house in the 3500 block of Street, said Sgt. Teresa Negron. Medics found Gregorio-Bernabe on the ground, she said. He was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center in critical condition.
The hospital would not release an update on his condition Monday. -Lynn Safranek Accident victim's condition improves A 49-year-old Papillion woman who was injured Dec. 28 in a traffic accident has improved to serious condition, a hospital spokesman said Monday. Mary Berg had been taken to the Nebraska Medical Center in critical condition. She was injured in a two-car collision on South 84th Street near Interstate 80.
Casino expansion on board agenda COUNCIL BLUFFS The City Council is scheduled tonight to consider a proposed $85 million expansion of Bluffs Run Casino. The plan already has received approval from state regulators and city planners. The Iowa West Racing Association wants to make major changes to the development plan, including enlarging the building, adding a parking garage and changing a sign to reflect the casino's new name Horseshoe Casino. The council will consider an amendment to the development plan to allow the project to begin. Bluffs Run officials want to locate all gambling devices on the main floor, increase the food offerings and improve guest amenities and services.
They plan to add 133,364 square feet to the existing first floor for a total of 226,385 square feet used for gambling, dining and guest services. A new four-level parking garage will connect on the northeast of the expanded facility. -AP Morning commute could be dicey and icy Service for woman missing 5 years set The end to Theresa McKinney's years of wondering came in an envelope from Mississippi. Inside was the death certificate for her daughter, Shannon, 23, who had been missing for more than five years. It was confirmed last month that remains found in 1999 near Jackson, are those of her daughter.
A memorial service will be at 6 p.m. Friday at Bethany Funeral Home, 8201 Harrison St. in La Vista. Besides her mother, Shannon is survived by a 9-year-old daughter, Alyssa Hitz; her father, Robert Thomas; a brother, James Card; and grandfather Sherman Thomas, all of Omaha, and grandmother Diane Kripps of Missoula, Mont. -Kristin Zagurski NEBRASKA G.I.
economic group names chairman GRAND ISLAND- Bill Westering has been named 2005 chairman of the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corp. Westering, a businessman and developer, said he hopes to take a more active role in business recruitment in the area. He said one of his goals is to have a building constructed at the Platte Valley Industrial Park on south Highway 281. The proposed spec building a shell ready to be finished for a specific industrial use would total at least 50,000 square feet, said the development group's president, Marlan Ferguson. Other officers of the organization are Mark Moravec, Chief Industries, first vice chairman; Cindy Thiemann, Woods Brothers Realty, second vice chairwoman; and Kurt Haecker, Wells Fargo Bank, treasurer.
-AP Woman's body found after house fire OGALLALA A house fire that took five hours to bring under control has claimed the life of an Ogallala woman. Pearleen Copley, 57, was found inside the home Saturday, Keith County Attorney Jeff Eastman said. An autopsy will be conducted in Scottsbluff, Eastman said. About 40 firefighters from Ogallala and Brule responded to the fire, which remains under investigation. -AP North Platte woman is new Miss Rodeo NORTH PLATTE Alesa Chrisman of North Platte has begun her reign as 2005 Miss Rodeo Nebraska.
Chrisman, 22, was crowned Saturday at the North Platte Fairgrounds by her predecessor, Lindy Quaney. -AP Stuhr Museum launches promotion GRAND ISLAND- Stuhr Museum is taking customer service to heart this year, executive director Joe Black says. The museum's slogan for 2005 is "I (heart) Stuhr Museum." Black said programs that have been successful over the museum's 43-year history will be reprised this year. Among the scheduled events are a Civil War encampment and battle re-enactment, a display and program on Victorian love and courtship, unveiling of rail cars constructed in a historically accurate manner and the continuation of popular programs such as "Christmas Past and Present" and "Railroad Town Upside Down." The museum also plans to add classes offered by the Education Department aimed at adults. Black said it has been suggested that adults be able to take versions of the classes in which their children participate.
-AP Man convicted of murder, conspiracy The man accused of providing a handgun to a North Platte man convicted of murder has been convicted himself. Two months after his first trial ended in a mistrial, Emilio Teniente, 22, of Greeley, was convicted Friday of murder and conspiracy in the January 2004 shooting death of Joe Lopez, 19, also of Greeley. The Cheyenne, jury deliberated for about five hours before coming back with the verdict Authorities never said Teniente shot Lopez, but instead argued that he gave Eddie Magallanes, 25, of North Platte a handgun and ordered him to shoot Lopez. Magallanes was convicted in September and sentenced to life in prison. -AP BY RHONDA STANSBERRY AND KRISTIN ZAGURSKI WORLD-HERALDSTAFFWRITER Sleet, freezing rain and a few snowflakes could make Tuesday morning's commute dicey.
Forecaster Dave Houk of AccuWeather said that overnight temperatures are expected to be around 20 degrees. Expect slow rise in temperatures Tuesday, to a high of 28, with a little light precipitation. The World-Herald's private weather consultant said that by midweek, another major push of arctic air will drop temperatures into the single digits Thursday. And those single digits will be the high readings. Temperatures will be zero Thursday night and 8 below zero Friday night.
A high of 34 Wednesday will be as good as it gets this week, Houk said. The snow cover plays into the cold that awaits Midlanders this week. The snow tends to hold onto the cold, Houk said. Sunday, with a high of 33 degrees, was the first time since Jan. 1 that the temperature rose above freezing.
Houk said January temperatures are proving to be much below normal. The average high is 31; the average low is 11 degrees. Temperatures were in the teens in December a high of 13 on Dec. 23 and 17 on Dec. 22.
but this week will bring daytime highs to their lowest point this winter season. The arctic front that will push from the Montana Rockies into Nebraska and Iowa later this week will sink as far south as Texas. Weekend temperatures brought some much needed rest to Omaha road crews, said Public Works Director Hank Vieregger. Sunday, 16 trucks were on the street, prepared to drop salt and sand in case the moisture on the roads refroze, Vieregger said. That was the smallest number of workers on duty since the wintry weather hit the area early last week.
All rental road crews were sent home Saturday, Vieregger said. City crews also were pared back. Workers will still be on duty around the clock, and some will even continue working 12-hour shifts, Vieregger said, but many will return to their normal shifts and eight-hour workdays. "We are kind of in mop-up mode," he said. The crews could have even more work ahead, if cold and wet weather hits the area this week, according to AccuWeather's Ray Martin.
The overnight freezing rain, sleet and snow should last through Tuesday, Martin said, but "it's not going to be a big accumulation or Icy road conditions and fog might make driving tricky through Tuesday, Martin said. "It's just not going to be a very good time to "he said. State Farm to find, pay car owners for titling flaw LINCOLN State Farm Mutual Insurance Co. will pay consumers nationwide about $40 million in a settlement with state attorneys general that was announced Monday. The money will go to an estimated 30,000 owners of cars, sport utility vehicles and trucks who now own vehicles that State Farm had purchased from its policyholders because of damage or theft.
Owners could receive as much as $10,000, depending on the current average value of BY LESLIE REED WORLD-HERALD BUREAU. their vehicle, but most payments are expected to range from $800 to $1,850. The company was unable to confirm whether it had properly titled all cars that required a "branded title," which indicates the car has been salvaged or damaged. Along with money to compensate consumers, State Farm will pay the expenses of identifying the vehicles and tracing them to their current owners. The company said it expects to identify and notify owners of the eligible vehicles by this fall.
State Farm came to the states after an internal review identified the problem. The company confirmed that 2.4 million vehicles had been properly titled. Jeffrey W. Jackson, State Farm vice president and counsel, said his company wanted todo the right thing. "Our cooperative effort with the state attorneys general reflects a commitment to resolve salvage-titling concerns in a proactive manner," he said.
Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller joined colleagues from other states in announcing the settlement during a Monday conference call. Iowa was the lead state, and Nebraska served on a eight-state executive committee that took the lead in resolving the issue. Bruning praised State Farm for coming forward. "It's rare for a company to come to us, disclose a problem and present a viable solution that corrects the problem and helps consumers," he said. "We hope this agreement will encourage other companies to step forward, take responsibility, improve practices and make things right for consumers." State Farm also will pay $1 million to participating states for consumer education, future consumer litigation and other purposes.
Search: Scarf, footprints found in the area Sunday Continued from Page 1 Hornickel and Wamsley was planned for 8 tonight at St. John Catholic Church at Creighton University. The vigil is open to the public. Memorial funds for the two have been set up at three banks. On Sunday, a scarf and some footprints were found, but Sarpy County Sheriff's Office Capt.
Rolly Yost said it had not been determined whether either belonged to Hornickel or Wam- School: State Continued from Page 1 "We will never get a passing grade, probably, in that particular category," she said, referring to the accountability and achievement grade. "We operate under a different philosophical basis." Jeffrey said the researchers sley. Some of the lakes showed footprints on the ice, but Yost said officials have no indication that Hornickel might have fallen into one of the lakes. He said searchers have to eliminate all areas. When the search was called off about 4 p.m.
Sunday, nearly 100 searchers had covered almost every square foot of ground between the place where the couple got stuck and the site officials call should consider that Iowa and Nebraska comply with federal and state guidelines even though they have strong local control. Nine states got A's for accountability and achievement standards. Florida was among them, re- where Wamsley was found. As they fanned across the snow without success, some grew fearful searchers had stepped unknowingly over Hornickel's body. Authorities hope the melting snow will soon reveal the body.
By the end of Sunday's search, volunteer Jeff McLaughlin of Omaha said he felt "alittle dejected." "I was hoping we'd find her today," he said. report biased, searchers said. Florida has clear standards of achievement in English, math and science for all grades, has aligned its testing with the standards and rewards schools that make improvements. It also issues sanctions and offers assistance to those that fall short. MacKay Jimeson, spokesman To help the families Donations for travel, funeral and other expenses may be sent to: Missing Couple Benefit, any US Bank location.
Michael Wamsley Fund or Janelle Hornickel Fund, any Wells Fargo Bank location. Michael Wamsley Fund, First National Bank in Ord, P.O. Box 248, Ord, NE 68862. unfair for the Florida Department of Education, said the state allows districts to develop their own curriculum to meet local needs, but it has a major role in policy-making. "We have state standards, we give a statewide assessment, and we grade every school in every district," he said.
Pederson: Gov. Ben Nelson got him into politics Continued from Page 1 Sen. Lowen Kruse of Omaha, an Appropriations Committee member, said Pederson displayed his strengths as the committee's vice chairman for the past six years. "He's pretty even, got a great sense of humor, very collegial, has a minimum of special interests," Kruse said. "He's got a mind that looks at the forest as much as the trees." Pederson was born 76 years ago, just before Christmas.
His father was a district sales manager for Cook Paint and Varnish of Omaha and his mother, a homemaker, had worked as a model. Although born in Hastings, he grew up in Omaha, earned a bachelor's and a law degree at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, and spent most of his adult life in North Platte. He raised four sons there, including Steve, now athletic director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He also built a successful private law practice while gaining a reputation for leadership and community service. Gale recalled one of Pederson's accomplishments: leading a communitywide school bond Budget recommendations The governor's recommendations will be delivered to the Legislature on Thursday.
The Appropriations Committee must present its budget proposal to the full Legislature by April 28. The Legislature then has until May 18 to debate, amend and pass the budget. issue in 1975 that no one thought would pass, but did. The bond issue "totally rehabilitated, restored and modernized the school system in North Platte," Gale said. Over the years, Pederson served on the then-North Platte Junior College board and was president of the Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation board and the North Platte school board.
His legislative career began in 1996, when Democratic Gov. Ben Nelson appointed the longtime Republican following the resignation of David BernardStevens. "I felt that I had an opportunity to make a difference," Pederson said. "I didn't want to simply sit back and relax. People need to step up to the plate." He won election in his own right later in 1996, then again in 1998 and 2002.
The last time around, he almost didn't run. His wife of nearly 50 years, Virginia, was diagnosed in 1999 with a rare form of cancer in her appendix. But she urged him to stay in the Legislature, where both had made many friends. The woman he described as his best friend died in July 2002. Pederson has since remarried.
His wife, June, is a former lobbyist. Coming to the Legislature took some adaptation, Pederson said. After being in private practice for so many years, he was impatient with the pace of working things out in a 49-member body. And his first reaction on being told colleagues wanted him to take a seat on the Appropriations Committee was "Oh, no!" Then a freshman senator, he had hoped for committee assignments that would make use of his legal background or other experience. "I just didn't realize that would be a fit for me," he said.
"That was the heartbeat of state government." Committee members method- Omaha Chief sass Triumphant Franks visits Omaha World-Herald Subscribe today, call 346-3363 or 1-800-234-6942, or visit www.omaha.com and click on "Subscriber Services." ically review the budget requests from each state agency. They then weigh each request against the others and against the state's needs in making decisions. Two years ago, in the throes of a difficult budget-cutting session, Pederson publicly criticized fellow Republican Gov. Mike Johanns. Pederson charged that the governor had dropped off an unrealistic budget proposal and that it was lawmakers who had to make the politically unpopular decisions about cuts and taxes.
Tough words from a genteel man. But they didn't surprise his legislative colleagues. "The politeness in his manner derives from a basically genial character, but it shouldn't be interpreted as denoting weakness," said Sen. Chris Beutler of Lincoln, an Appropriations Committee member. For Pederson, his colleagues said, decisions come down to the best interests of Nebraska, not the wishes of party leaders or other special interests.
"I feel that you are a senator from a district but you are a senator for the state," Pederson said. "I think it's important for you to step forward and do the things you have to do.".
