Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 1

Inside today. Collect to save BIG! Coming Siome Cursive returns to Nebraska for shows in Lincoln, OmahaGround Zero NU's new heavy hitter Kori Cooper is making a big impact on volleyball teamSports, 1C FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2007 LINCOLN, NEBRASKA LINCOLN TT 79 62 1 A "5 1-5 1 'If if v-' if 1 rr 1 X'- .1 1 i i0 Inside2A A look at what Bush, lawmakers want to do in the reform legislation. HEIDI HOFFMANLincoln journal Star This is the view looking north toward the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus from Travis Berry's condo on the 12th floor of University Towers. Some residents fear the view will be disrupted by proposed high-rise buildings to be built in the area. But Lincoln will see a net gain of 100 jobs.

BY RICHARD PIERSOL Lincoln Journal Star Nelnet expects to have a net gain of 100 jobs in Lincoln for a total of 1,000 by the end of the year, when fallout from student loan reform in Congress settles. Nelnet announced Thursday it is cutting 400 positions nationwide, including some in Lincoln, as the company lowers expenses. The company said it is coping with the expected passage of federal legislation that will cut back subsidies for student lending companies and deliver more direct aid to financially eligible students. 4 -a Although Lincoln will lose some jobs initially, expansion of loan default management staff and relocation of customer service staff from Indianapolis will add 100 Nelnet jobs in Lincoln by the end of the year, said spokesman Ben Kiser. Nelnet's headquarters and hundreds of employees are in Lincoln, but it has operations in more than 25 cities coast to coast The company is closing what Kiser called small loan-origination See NELNET, Page 2A I ii i ii PTnw ic tnn Director of foster review agency comes under fire Some downtown residents are worried that proposed Wgh-rise structures may block their view.

BY DEENA WINTER Lincoln Journal Star From her ninth-floor downtown condo, Kim Sturzenegger has a good view of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. But she wonders what will happen to her view from University Towers when three high-rise structures are built a block north of her window. A big beige wall, she said, would be a "monumental mistake." And so she registered her concern with an ob-, scure city committee working on design goals for the $180 million project that includes three tall towers on a prime downtown block. Dick Quinn, another University Towers resident, said his view of the campus is pretty green right now. "I'm concerned about the sheer mass of the tower," he told the Urban Design Committee on Wednesday.

"This is going to be a massive building." The city is negotiating with Lincoln Synergy Group to build three towers on the north side of the block bounded by 13th and 14th streets. The area is the former home of the StarShip 9 theater and Taste of China and Wasabi restaurants. The towers would be among downtown's tallest Synergy wants to build two on top of a city parking garage a 22-story hotel and apartment tower on the east side and a 15-story office tower on the west. The development group also proposed an 18-story retirement home atop another parking garage across the street to the north. The developer plans to put a skywalk with a "people mover" across Street at least four sto ries above the street, Synergy representative Monte Froehlich said.

But neighbors with a view aren't the onlyones concerned about the size of the buildings so is the Capitol Environs Commission, which oversees architectural, landscape and design issues in a 12-block ring around the Capitol. Bob Ripley, a nonvoting member, said the Environs Commission is concerned about the high-rises and is "working to formulate a position" on the matter. "They wanted to discuss me issue further because they believe it has impact on the Capitol," he said. The proposed hotel apartment tower would be 267 feet tall at its highest point The Capitol is 398 feet tall, and the U.S. Bank building 220 feet tall However, the proposed height is permissible under city and state laws.

The proposed building is adjacent to a portion of the Capitol Environs District, where building height is limited to 57 feet. Urban Design Committee member Ed Zimmer said taller buildings are allowed adjacent to the district to create a "canyon effect" to onlookers. The developer and city are beginning to focus on the design of the development, from the size of the building to the number of parking stalls. And that's why the Urban Design Committee, which reviews and advises on public-private projects, is drafting design goals. At its meeting, three University Towers residents expressed concern about the size of the towers.

Michael Cartwright called Lincoln a prairie See TALL, Page 2A Stitt committed 'errors in judgment' but no criminal wrongdoing, official's report says. BY NANCY HICKS Lincoln Journal Star The director of the state's foster care review agency did not break any state laws, according to an ombudsman's investigation into allegations by a former employee. The ombudsman report cleared Carol Stitt of any criminal wrongdoing in all three issues investigated: alleged improper use of an outside counselor, attendance by staff and some foster care children at a Tom Osborne campaign event and allegedly asking a staff member to give confidential information to a 'IV reporter. But the state ombudsman's office did recommend that the foster review board of directors more di-' HEIDI HOFFMANLincoln Journal Star Carol Stitt, executive director of the state's Foster Care Review Board, responds to allegations made in an ombudsman's report during a news conference Thursday in her office. Street II wi I rs Street r- i 1 JLg Street ti II bL Inside2A The allegations, the report's findings and Stitt's responses.

rectly oversee Stitt's work. "We believe that the board needs, temporarily at least, to in- See FOSTER CARE, Page 2A Source: City of Lincoln SHEILA STORYUncoln Journal Star 14fiat I Sefieve Sixth of seven parts JENNIFER HARMS Christian, MS patient i ttt i i' BY COLLEEN KENNEY Lincoln Journal Star ennifer Harms was married to the love of her life for 23 years. Then she asked him for a divorce. Her multiple sclerosis had put her in the nursing home in Lincoln. She's 47.

Her hair is dark, her skin smooth and tan. She's surrounded by people much older, such as the roommate beyond the blue curtain who's sleeping now, a little after lunch. Jennifer says her great joy, besides the Lord, is her computer. She plays solitaire on it. She makes inspirational greeting cards and prints them for friends, her sisters, her brother, the nurses, the other residents.

She put a basket of flowers on a card for Peg and Matt, her sister and nephew, thanking them for visiting: God knew what he was doing. (Open the card) Mien he made us family. On Sundays, the church van comes. Jennifer is bored a lot, but not alone. The Lord brings people into her life, such as her ex-husband and his new wife, who visit once a week.

Such as Susan, the volunteer who reads to her from the Bible. Such as Kathy and the other nurses. She can use her arms, but she feels nothing from the waist down. She asks God to stop the disease from progressing. She feels the Holy Spirit with her.

She didn't used to feel it, she says. See BELIEVE, Page 2A in a wheelchair. Her eyes had blurred, her memory faded. Monthly bills in the thousands made her fear that her husband, a farmer, would go broke. To get Medicaid, she says, they had to divorce.

"I really hated to bow out I told him, 'You've got to go on and live your She's in her room at Milder Manor, a HLIUI HOhf-MANLincoln Journal Star Jennifer Harms concentrates on lifting her arm and keeping her balance as she touches physical therapist Maria Salisbury's hand during a therapy session Aug. 21 at Madonna. "I can't believe something so simple for you is so hard for me," Jennifer says. i i SAVE MONEY DINING at your favorite restaurants today! Call 473-2690 or online at: starcitydiningcard.com. JVdv.

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