Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 17

Nebraska Page Design: Ibsha Rae Long atwlwifin iiv'T'Mfiii' itnifi i'lt'tr i it iVi "rnuT 'in' New faces, names in T77Z It (the extra support) helps them treasure their Lisa Ankrom dances with her daughter Kaylee Ankrom, 2, as she tries on hats. Man gets prison for sexually assaulting boy OMAHA "You don't belong in society," Judge William Zastera said to the Omaha man he sentenced to 40 to 50 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child. Chnstopher Payne, 25, had pleaded no contest in'Sarpy County Distnct Court to first-degree sexual assault, in this case a 6-year-old male relative. On Friday the judge ordered Payne to serve the sentence concurrent with one for a sexual assault in Douglas County. Douglas County prosecutors had accused Payne of having sex with a 13year-old boy 25 times between August and December of 2004.

Also, Payne was found guilty in 2004 of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Over the Internet, Payne had been pursuing two Sarpy County children. Hastings group pushing indoor smoking ban, too HASTINGS A local group will tell the Hastings City Council on Monday why Hastings should join other Nebraska cities in banning indoor smoking in workplaces or other public places. The effort has grown out of a school project by four Hastings College students. "We've been talking with the city councils in Lincoln and in Kearney," said group member Brandi Stanek, "so we've got some information from them on what to say and good ways to attack" indoor smoking.

The group may find a receptive audience at the Hastings council meeting. Mayor Matt Rossen said he's al Helen Raikes, nationally known researcher in early childhood education I I jsv iwW I A 1 legisl; lative contest First impact of 2000 amendment on senators can be seen in upcoming race. BV NANCY HICKS Lincoln Journal Star The familiar names are gone, David Landis, Chris Beutler and Marian Price are not a part of the primary ballot for the legislature this spring. A term limits constitutional amendment, passed by voters in 2000, has taken effect, hitting the first batch of state senators this year Twenty senators are barred from running for re- --election to the -Legislature, Oil the Web That means a list of times there are 20 wnen government open seats access Channel 5 and a healthy wm re-air forums list ot oi new that show names faces. and legislative candidates' views During the and DaCkgr0unds v.

can oe accessea rpwpr than fill uii uie juumai people ran for starWeb site: the 24 or 25 vww.journalstar. legislative com races in any primary elec- tion, In the past two primaries, there were nine races with just one candidate. But this year there is plenty of competition. There are at least three candidates for most of the open seats. And in four districts there are six or seven candidates on the ballot.

In fact, only one race has a single candidate. Sen. Amie Stuthman of Platte Center, one of four incum- i 1 ut'iu SL-Iicuuis running iui a scluiiu term, faces no opposition. Three former state senators are among the legislative candidates: Cap Dierks, John DeCamp and Brad Ashford. Term limits are intended to open up elected offices to more interested citizens, according to Loree Byk-erk, political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Oma ha.

Incumbents have fewer opponents because they have a tremen- dous advantage. They have better name recognition. They find it easier to raise money for a cam paign, and if they are worth their salt, they are newsworthy and get their names in news stories, Byk-erk said. Much of the research she's seen focuses on leveling the playing field so more women and minorities can get into office. That doesn't seem to be the case in Nebraska's legislative races this year, she said.

The Journal Star will run stories on the seven southeast Nebraska legislative races during the next i i i -i i weeK, Deginning ivionaay. tacn aay will focus on one race, The open Southeast Nebraska races include three Lincoln districts District 26, now represented by Sen. Marian Price; District 28, now represented by Sen. Chris Beutler; and District 46, now represented by Sen. David Landis.

Other regional open seats include: District 24, now represented by Sen. Elaine Stuhr of Brad-shaw; District 30, now represented by Sen, Dennis Byars of Beatrice; and District 2, now represented by Sen. Roger Wehrbein of Plattsmouth. In District 32, incumbent Jeanne Combs of Milligan has two opponents, Russ Karpisek of Wilber and George A. Shada Jr.

of Fairbury. Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicksjoumalstar.coni. matically change where any child goes to school or resegregate Omaha's schools. That, he said, "is like saying we're making water wetter." Chambers said he has reassured district teachers that laws already on the books will protect their jobs and explained that the new district administrations would be making teaching assignments. The measi in Hrxxs hnwevpr" Create three new districts "for the purposes of administration and governance, not attendance," Make changes in school funding, providing more money for edu- Allow students to attend schools anywhere within the new.

See CHAMBERS, Page 2C Photos by ROBERT BECKERLincoln Journal Star Charisse Castillo plays with her son, Cassius Pitcher, 2, as Jada DuBray, 2, lends a helping hand at the Bryan Community Student ChiJd Learning Center. Programs foster learning for parents and children ready talked to the mayors in Grand Island and Kearney about the cities adopting the same smoking policies. That way "you don't have separate rules each time you go to different communities," he said, "and it just makes it a little bit easier for the public to understand it." After Monday, the group will corn duct a public survey, then it will return to the council to ask for a ban or to have an issue placed on the ballot for Hastings voters to decide. Longtime Grand Island chamber manager dies GRAND ISLAND Longtime Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce Manager Dick Good has died. He was 78.

Good became chamber manager in 1959 and held the job for 32 years. He died of cancer Wednesday at St. Francis Medical Center. "I would say that anything that was for the benefit of Grand Island or in the area, he had a vital interest in," said Ken Hilligas, retired division manager of Northwestern Public Service. Dick McFeely of Hastings, who worked for 17 years as assistant chamber manager under Good, said Good was instrumental in helping bring agricultural and construction equipment business Sper-ry New Holland, now CNH Case New Holland, to Grand Island.

McFeely said Good also led a campaign to bring the Swift Packing Plant to Grand Island. Hilligas said Good had an ability to listen to many people in a room talk about an issue or problem, then draw various ideas together into a program or project that everybody could support. Water may be flowing into Lake Maloney soon NORTH PLATTE Water could reach droughtdepleted Lake Maloney soon. Pat Pope, vice president of the Nebraska Public Power District, told 20 lake residents at a meeting Thursday that NPPD and Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District will begin to release water to the canal system from Lake McConaughy and Sutherland Reservoir by Monday. Because of a six-year drought and the closing of release gates at Sutherland Reservoir, Lake Mak oney has dropped to 37 percent of its normal level.

Pope said it could take up to a month for the lake west of North Platte to refill. Lakeside residents had been complaining about the storms of silt and sand from Maloney's dry lakebed. They had asked NPPD to at least cover the lakebed, using water from Sutherland. But NPPD had said using water from Sutherland Reservoir was too risky, fearing that it would be unable to seal the Sutherland gates. If the gates stayed open, NPPD said, the district might not be able to maintain Sutherland to run Gerald Gentleman hydroelectric station.

160-m2e garage sale bCed as Bargain Buyway The Bargain Buyway continues today along a 160mile circuit of the Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway. The "ultimate road trip'starts in Niobrara, runs along Nebraska 12 to Butte, down Nebraska 11 to Atkinson, then across U.S. 20 to O'Neill, through Orchard, Royal, and again up Nebraska 14 to Niobrara. Participants can be recognized by (me green signs along the route. Shoppers can look forward to findng homemade kolaches, NatKe tacos, antiques, rummage and garage sates, fresh produce and other goods.

For more information, including an expanded listing of participating communities and activities, visit the Outlaw Trail Web: www. nebraskaoutJawtrail.org. From wire reports Although the primary goal of the LPS program is to help teen parents graduate, it also provides quality day care for children and helps the parents leam and practice good parenting skills. They may learn: The importance of sitting down and reading a simple book to a 1-year-old, where the loving closeness of being held spills over into the sound of language. The education that occurs when little hands put lids on plastic margarine containers then stack them one by one by one.

The possibility of patient guidance without spanking or yelling. In the near future, a public-private endowment will channel money into other programs like this, focused on babies and their parents. The goal is to help parents become the nurturing first teachers to Nebraska's youngest citizens from Red Cloud to Rulo. The Early Childhood Endowment, created by the Legislature, will blend $40 million in public dollars and $20 million in private donations, including a jump start of $5 million from Susan and Peter Buf-fett. The interest, $2 million to $3 million a year, will help fund programs for children from birth to age 3, and their parents.

Endowment created by the Legislature will fund programs for young parents and at-risk children. BY NANCY HICKS Lincoln Journal Star Shinesta Parra cradles her fussy daughter, gently swaying back and forth in the soothing rhythm that is as natural as breathing to parents of little ones. This is how 1 1-month-old Adrianna gets ready for a nap, after a little weeping, her mom says during a visit at the child care center at Lincoln High School. Parra, a high school senior, is one semester away from her diploma. While she's ih classes all day, Adrianna is at the school day care center, where she will may take her first step, perhaps say her first word.

And as part of the Lincoln Public Schools program for teen parents, Mom has learned a little about developmental stages, about using toys to teach. Wearing a waterproof smock, Jada DuBray, 2, paints shades of green during the morning at the Bryan Community Student Child Learning Center. That will be enough money to work with 15 percent of the state's 24,000 at-risk babies and toddlers, said Mary Jo Pankoke, executive director of the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation. At-risk means the parents are teenagers, or low income or dont speak much if any English, or the babies have a low birth weight. See CHILDREN, Page 8C Chambers tries to clear confusion on OPS bill If they had, he said, they'd know the law also requires funding for transportation and mandates an integration plan for the two-county told his north Omaha constituents: You know me.

Have I ever betrayed this community? Why do you think I'd betray our children?" The flaying of the Nebraska Legislature has continued since April 13, when senators trying to solve Omaha's boundary disputes with two Douglas County suburban districts passed the measure (LB1024). The national reactions in these two editorial-page headlines were typical: "Nebraska turns back the clock on segregation," said The Argus of Fremont on Thursday. "Jim Crow moves to Omaha," said the Toledo (Ohio) Blade on "We will go down in history as one of the first states in 20 years to set race relations back," said another Omaha senator, Pat Bourne, on the day of the vote. State Attorney General Jon Binning sent a letter to Bourne saying that the bill could be in violation of the U.S. Constitution's equal-protection clause and that lawsuits almost certainly will result Tommie Wilson, president of the Omaha branch of the NAACP, says the national organization is promising to use "every advocacy tool, including legal, at our disposal to fight this unconstitutional law." Chambers said national NAACP officials probably haven't read the law.

The Omaha legislator outlines changes that will occur, refuting misinformatioa The Associated Press OMAHA The new law that divides Omaha Public Schools into three districts has been misconstrued or even gone unread by critics who are howling about resegre-. gation, Sea Ernie Chambers says. So, the Omaha legislator says, he's trying to clear up the confusion and educate those shouting their ignorance. On Friday, Chambers said he has metro area. "They are going to be embarrassed," he said, "especially when they're pledging legal resources." Parents, teachers and others have called him, Chambers said, CHAMBERS equally confused and misinformed about what the measure would da For example, it does not auto-.