KWIT Local
(2010-02-08)
SIOUX CITY, IA
(kwit) -
In Iowa...
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Government efficiency and budget cutting
will again be the focus at the Legislature this week as lawmakers
scramble to cover an expected shortfall.
Legislators know they need to act quickly because leaders have
agreed to trim the session from 100 days to 80 days to save money.
That means moving fast on the budget and speeding up a
self-imposed cutoff for legislation that will be considered this
year. That cutoff means that unless a bill has won committee
approval by Friday, it will die for the session.
Most attention will remain on the budget, as legislators hold
hearings on a government restructuring plan.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - The murder trial of a former football
player accused of killing his high school coach has been delayed.
Nancy Newhoff, media coordinator for the trial of Mark D.
Becker, says the judge cited an impending snowstorm as he postponed
the start of jury selection.
Jury selection will now start Wednesday instead of Monday.
Butler County, where the trial is being held, is expected to get
10-12 inches of snow.
Becker is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death
of his former coach Ed Thomas last June in the
Aplington-Parkersburg High School weight room.
Defense attorney Susan Flander has said the 24-year-old Becker
will use a defense of insanity or diminished responsibility.
The shooting has drawn national attention.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Serious about fishing? Carter Lake near Omaha
could be your kind of fishing hole.
All length and daily bag limits at Carter Lake have been
rescinded through Sept. 30 in preparation of lake renovations.
Don Gabelhouse with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says
because Nebraska shares the lake with Iowa, the two states'
agencies have worked together to relax fishing regulations to
safely remove as many fish from the lake as possible.
The two-pole restriction (five for ice fishing) has been
rescinded. Anglers will be allowed to catch all species using an
unlimited number of poles, as long as there are no more than two
hooks per line and all poles are attended.
Also, harvested fish may not be sold, and transporting live fish
is prohibited.
In Nebraska...
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Icy conditions contributed to a pileup
involving more than 20 vehicles on Interstate 80 in Lincoln.
Nebraska State Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins says no serious
injuries were reported from the chain-reaction crashes, which
happened about 7 a.m. Saturday.
Collins says a vehicle lost control on the slick interstate,
sparking the series of crashes that involved three semis and
numerous other vehicles. The westbound lanes of I-80 were closed
between the Waverly and 56th Street exits for a short time.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Thousands of elementary school students
have been invited to a series of birthday parties celebrating
Nebraska's statehood.
Secretary of State John Gales says he expects 3,300 students to
attend the parties, scheduled for Feb. 22-26. They'll be held in
Omaha, Boys Town, Sidney, Scottsbluff, McCook, Kearney, Fremont,
Seward, Columbus and Norfolk.
Gale says he wants "students to develop state pride and become
good citizens."
He plans to attend all 10 parties, appearing in costume as
"Cactus Jack."
The parties are sponsored by Gale's office, the NEBRASKAland
Foundation, the Nebraska Humanities Council and the National
Endowment for the Humanities.
March 1 marks the 143rd anniversary of Nebraska's statehood.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Training will be offered for adult
Nebraskans who want to be volunteer instructors for apprentice
hunters.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will train firearm
instructors Feb. 23 at Chadron State College. Training for
bow-hunting instructors will be offered March 5 at the Ramada Inn
in Kearney.
For more information or to register, contact hunter-education
coordinator Mike Streeter at 402-471-6134 or
mike.streeter(at)nebraska.gov.
A 2008 state law allows people ages 12 through 29 who want to
hunt but have not completed the proper coursework to hunt with the
proper permit or stamp if they are accompanied by a licensed, adult
hunter. The licensed hunter must have direct verbal and visual
contact with the apprentice hunter at all times.
In South Dakota...
BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) - Some South Dakota cities saw a rise in
building permits last year but a drop in the value of construction.
The number of building permits issued in Brookings in 2009
increased more than 5 percent from the year before, setting a
record. However, the total value of construction fell nearly 11
percent from 2008.
City Engineer Jackie Lanning says a lot of smaller remodeling
permits were issued last year, which could explain the rise in the
number of permits but the fall in total construction value.
The situation was much the same in Pierre, which saw an increase
in permits but a drop in construction value. Building inspector
John Irvine says the reason is some bigger, more expensive projects
in 2008.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The copper wire that brings broadband
Internet to the Estelline School District can get pretty jammed
when more than 200 students are accessing distance classes and
pulling up Web sites from their tablet PCs.
District network administrator Joey Struwe says it's like trying
to put a large stream of water through a small garden hose.
That hose will soon get a lot bigger for Estelline and hundreds
of other schools, hospitals, National Guard spots and government
agencies, thanks to some $20 million in federal stimulus funds.
Sioux Falls-based SDN Communications this year will begin adding
359 miles of lines to its fiber optic network, bringing 10
megabit-per-second Internet access to some 305 institutions in
rural areas across the state.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - Black Hills hunters are closing in on
the bag limit set for mountain lions in 2010.
The Game, Fish and Parks Department says 30 lions - 19 females
and 11 males - were taken as of Sunday. The most recent was a
female taken Saturday southeast of Spearfish.
The season began Jan. 1 and runs through March but will end
early when 25 female lions or a combination of 40 male and female
lions are killed.
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