(11/20/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - Lawmakers are nearly done working on a large package of tax cuts to close a $334 million state budget gap.  A final vote by the Legislature was expected Friday morning.

Gov. Dave Heineman was expected to move quickly as well, issuing any vetoes he may have on the same day.

Lawmakers would then consider whether to try to override the vetoes on Friday.

The Legislature began meeting in special session a little more than two weeks ago and have largely stuck with the budget-cutting proposal Heineman gave them.
Heineman called a special session to make changes to the two-year budget passed last spring. State tax revenues have been falling below projections.

(11/20/09) OMAHA, NE (AP) - For the third straight month, a survey of rural bankers in the Midwest and Plains suggests the weak economic conditions are strengthening, if slowly.

A report issued Thursday by economist Ernie Goss of Creighton University says the overall index for the Rural Mainstreet economy rose to 38.4 this month, compared with 37.5 in October and 36.5 in September.

The new figure is well below the growth-neutral score of 50 but far above the record low of 16.9 set in February.

The index runs 0 to 100. Organizers say a score below 50 suggests the economy will contract in the next few months; above 50 indicates the economy will expand.

The survey covers Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

(11/20/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - Gov. Dave Heineman says state resources will be available to help portions of southeast Nebraska recover from a damaging wintry storm.

Heineman has signed a disaster declaration to help repair damage caused by Monday's storm. The storm brought high winds and heavy, wet snow to Gage, Jefferson, Nemaha, Pawnee, Richardson and Thayer counties. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency estimates more than $3 million in damages.

The storm brought down tree limbs and damaged power lines and poles. More than 6,000 customers were without power at one point.

Emergency managers continue to assess the damage. They will coordinate with federal emergency management officials to determine whether thresholds have been met to trigger federal assistance.

(11/20/09) BOYS TOWN, NE (AP) - Over the past 20 years, Boys Town's crisis hot line has offered advice to more than 8 million callers.

The hot line was set up in 1989 in response to a growing number of children and families in trouble.

The Boys Town National Hotline is at 1-800-448-3000. It's toll free, and crisis counselors can assist callers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Boys Town says the hot line helped 175,000 children and parents in 2008 alone.

The Nebraska home for troubled youth was immortalized in the Oscar-winning 1938 movie "Boys Town" that featured Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney.

(11/20/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - The Nebraska State Patrol will be stepping up enforcement as part of a national campaign emphasizing seat belt use and keeping holiday travelers safe.

The patrol will participate in the nationwide "Click It or Ticket" campaign, which kicks off Monday and runs through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Troopers and dispatchers will put in overtime during that period, thanks to a $29,000 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety.

According to that office, 182 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes on Nebraska roads in 2008 and 114 of those were not wearing their seat belts.

(11/19/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - As Nebraska lawmakers make budget cuts that could reduce services and lead to layoffs, they may be protecting themselves from similar consequences.

The budget cuts that got second-round approval on Wednesday include a measure that would allow the legislative branch to keep more than $1 million.

Gov. Dave Heineman had proposed that the money left over from the last budget cycle be used to help close the state's $334 million budget gap.

But Sen. John Wightman of Lexington said that without the change, lawmakers' staff may have been subject to layoffs.

Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha said lawmakers need to be careful to not exempt themselves from cuts when they are asking other parts of state government to make sacrifices.

(11/19/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - Nebraska health officials say another person who had the swine flu has died.

Health officials based in North Platte say a Lincoln County man in his 30s who didn't have a chronic underlying health condition has died. Because of privacy laws, officials said they can't release the man's name or other details.

His death is the 12th in the state with ties to the swine flu.

The state's chief medical officer says flu activity has dropped, but urges Nebraskans to remain vigilant.

Officials say most people have been able to recover at home from the flu strain without needing medical care.

Those who have trouble breathing or experience other serious complications are advised to consult a health care provider.

(11/19/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - Police say one person was killed when an Amtrak train struck a car at a crossing on the west side of Lincoln.

Capt. Jim Thoms says the collision occurred at 5:57 a.m. Thursday.

He says the street will be closed for several hours.

There was no word yet on the cause or on the identity of the victim.

(11/19/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - Nebraska home economists say that setting a holiday gift-giving budget could help financially strapped individuals and families weather the season.

Experts say the first step toward controlling the desire to buy everything for everyone is writing down the names of the people you want to give gifts, then decide whether you have to.

For those who remain on the list, set a spending limit for each.

Also, check your credit-card balances before deciding how much to spend on whom.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension has more moneysaving advice and budget tips on its Web site called Managing Tough Times, at www.toughtimes.unl.edu.

(11/18/09) OMAHA, NE (AP) - Some new online tools might be able to help holiday cooks ensure the meals they serve are safe.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says new a Web site has been created to offer useful tips for chefs at Thanksgiving and other holidays.

The holidayfoodsafety.org site includes advice on everything from shopping for a turkey to preparation and cooking advice.

Even if consumers don't use a Web site to cook their bird, USDA officials hope they will use a meat thermometer. The USDA's Jerold Mande says a turkey must reach at least 165 degrees inside to make sure any bacteria are killed.

Also, cooks should make sure they wash their hands before and after handling food.

(11/18/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - Nebraska senators are making massive budget cuts look easy.

After about two hours of debate, the Legislature on Tuesday gave first-round approval to bills that would help close a $334 million, two-year budget gap caused by lower-than-expected revenues.

Lawmakers made no changes to the bills handed to them by the budget-writing Appropriations Committee.

And the committee made few significant changes to the budget-cutting plan handed to them by Gov. Dave Heineman.

Heineman disagrees with some changes made to his plan, but overall agrees with the package.

No senators voted against the budget bills on Tuesday.

The plan relies heavily on across-the-board cuts to state agencies of 2.5 percent this year and 5 percent next year.

(11/18/09) FALLS CITY, NE (AP) - Nebraska utilities continued working to restore power Tuesday in the southeast corner of the state after as much as 8 inches of heavy, wet snow fell and damaged power lines and poles.

The three utilities serving the area estimated roughly 1,500 customers remained without electricity, primarily south of Tecumseh on Tuesday afternoon. At the height of the storm, more than 6,000 customers lost power.

Crews from Norris, Omaha and Nebraska public power districts are repairing damage.

OPPD officials say barring additional severe weather, the last of their repairs will occur Thursday night.

National Weather Service observers reported Monday's storm dropped 8 inches of snow just north of Falls City, and 6 inches of snow fell in Falls City and Fairbury.

(11/18/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - Nebraska officials say two related Omaha companies have been improperly selling unregistered investments promising as much as a 1,000 percent annual return.

The Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance said Tuesday it ordered Citywide Financial Service Corp. and K&R Development LLC to quit selling investments.

Both companies, which shared employees and a west Omaha address, sold investments to at least four investors, but officials could not say Tuesday how much money had been invested.

Efforts to reach the companies were unsuccessful because Citywide changed its number to an unlisted one and no one answered the number listed for K&R.

Officials say the firms failed to disclose the risks and failed to register the investments with the state.

(11/17/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - Another relatively warm and dry week in Nebraska let farmers make up some harvest time.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that as of Sunday, the corn harvest was 48 percent complete and three weeks behind average. Grain moisture levels remain high.

Snow hampered the Panhandle harvest.

The USDA says the soybean harvest is 97 percent complete in Nebraska. By this time last year farmers had brought in all their soybeans.

The sorghum harvest is 44 percent finished, compared with 60 percent last year at this time.USDA says Nebraska corn harvest nearly half done.

(11/17/09) OMAHA, NE (AP) - Billionaire Warren Buffett's company has bought a nearly $60 million stake in ExxonMobil, and has cut holdings in oil rival ConocoPhillips.

Berkshire Hathaway also nearly doubled its holdings in Wal-Mart Stores during the latest quarter.

Omaha-based Berkshire disclosed the changes to its $59.7 billion U.S. stock portfolio in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday.

During the quarter ended Sept. 30, Berkshire Hathaway bought nearly 855,000 shares of ExxonMobil. Its stake in ConocoPhillips was cut from more than 64 million shares at the end of June to more than 57 million.

Berkshire Hathaway's stake in Wal-Mart now stands at 33.6 million shares, up from nearly 20 million.

(11/17/09) BEATRICE, NE (AP) - Heavy, wet snow is being blamed for power outages in southeast Nebraska.

An estimated 6,200 customers in Pawnee City, Table Rock, Burchard, Dubois, Humboldt, Dawson, Crab Orchard, Shubert and Verdon were without power as of Monday afternoon.

The Nebraska Public Power District said that included about 2,000 of its customers and about 4,200 customers served by Norris Public Power District, an NPPD wholesale customer.

Officials say the snow brought down tree branches, which damaged power lines and poles.

The reports of power outages began Monday morning.

The state's southeastern corner has already seen several inches of snow from the storm that forecasters say could drop as much as 10 inches in some areas.

(11/16/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - Documents revealing agricultural liens can now be filed online in Nebraska.

Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale says being able to file these notices online will make it easier to do business in the state.

Lenders regularly make loans on crops and livestock and secure those loans with a lien.

Gale says making sure the public knows about liens helps ensure stability and security in commodity markets.

(11/16/09) LINCOLN, NE (AP) - A public hearing is being held Monday on a three-drug cocktail and the process of administering it to condemned killers in Nebraska.

The proposed lethal-injection protocol would replace electrocution as the state's sole means of execution. Nebraska has been without a means of execution since early last year, when the state Supreme Court ruled electrocution was cruel and unusual punishment.

Nebraska's proposed protocol lays out specific responsibilities for all involved in executions.

The Corrections Department could make changes to the proposal after the public hearing, before handing it to Attorney General Jon Bruning and Gov. Dave Heineman for final approval.

(11/16/09) OMAHA, NE (AP) - Creighton University is opening a new center devoted to reducing medical errors and ensuring patient safety.

The Center for Health Services Research and Patient Safety will be part of Creighton's School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.

Faculty members who specialize in health sciences, law and business will have a part in its work.

The center will be funded in part through a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

(11/16/09) HASTINGS, NE (AP) - Hastings residents who leave couches, recliners, mattresses or other indoor furniture outside could have to pay fines.

The city follows the International Property Maintenance Code, which does not allow for homeowners to have indoor furniture outdoors.

City planner Rich Cartier says offenders could receive warning letters or be fined.