Fremont Tribune from Fremont, Nebraska • 1

Thursday May 5, 1994 FREMONT NSID i 35 cents 126th Year No. 302 2 sections Fremont, Nebraska 1: Bin (i I A- Weapons ban gains support WASHINGTON (AP) Gaining some surprising converts. House supporters of a ban on 19 types of assault-style weapons say they are close to winning their battle. While both sides said, the vote scheduled' for today was too close to call, there was some notable changing of positions, 'including two Texas Democrats and a Pennsylvania Republican who had opposed another ban on such weapons in October 1991. That bill had failed 247-177.

Rep. Ron Coleman, D-Texas, who has never voted against a National Rifle Association position before, said Wednesday that his decision to vote for the ban followed discussions with his local police chief and sheriff. Ultimately, I think you have to defer to law enforcement leaders in your community, said Coleman. When the chief of police and the sheriff both say they support banning these deadly weapons, then I have to stand up and take notice. Virtually all the major iaw enforcement organizations support the ban.

See BAN, Page A2 Ex-Lyons police chief sentenced BY LISA CHUDOMELKA Tribune Staff TEKAMAH Greg Webb, the former Lyons police chief found guilty of manslaughter and 1 tampering with jphysical evidence March 3, was sentenced today to no less than eight years and four months and no more than 19 years in prison by Burt County District Judge Darvid Quist. Webb pleaded no contest March 3 to manslaughter in the Dec. 15, 1986, death of 34-year-old Anna Anton. Her body was found 12 days later in a field near Walthill, 20 miles north of Lyons. The former police chief pleaded guilty to tampering -with physical evidence.

He moved the body from his apartment, to his vehicle and then to the Walthill field. Anton and Webb lived in- separate apartments in the same building. They were drinking alcohol together the night of Antons death. Manslaughter is a class III felony that carries a minimum prison sentence of one year up to 20 years in prison or a $25,000 fine or both. On that charge Webb was sentenced to not less than six years eight months to not more than 14 years with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.

The minimum sentence on a tampering conviction is no time in jail up to five years jail or a See WEBB, Page A 2 Staff PhotoNIck Hytrek needed to cut health care and prescription drug expenses for senior citizens. Jeanne Mahlendorf of Fremont was also named this years winner of the Golden Citizen Award. Lt. Gov. Kim Robak, right, and Mollie Brown of KHUB browse at Bill Caltas booth at the KHUB KFMT Mature Lifestyles Expo 94 Wednesday at Fremont Mall.

Robak said government hlp is Jacobsen says hed work to create jobs Robak discusses health care BY LISA CHUDOMELKA Tribune Staff Republican gubernatorial candidate Alan Jacobsen realized in September that he wanted to run for political office. As a small businessman, Jacobsen said he was becoming more and more aware of how big government was affecting his ability to operate profitably. Jacobsen said he got interested in fighting the issue, called the Republican Party and eventually became the Lancaster County party chairman. Since becoming chairman, hes testified before several legislative committees and admittedly locked horns with Gov. Ben Nelsons administration.

The candidate said he realized; The government wasnt as in terested in creating private interest jobs as creating new government jobs. In his campaign rhetoric, the 40-year-old outlines three major objectives that his administration would tackle: 1) Government growth, 2) crime, and 3) economic development that includes all of Nebraska. To address the size of government, Jacobsen would review every state agency, identify spending patterns and unnecessary spending particularly in the fourth quarter, eliminate unnecessary upper- and mid-level management in agencies, encourage employee participation, eliminate non-essential and feel good programs, consolidate See JACOBSEN, Page A2 their prescriptions filled and pay for necessities like groceries. Literally, some seniors cant afford to take drugs and eat, she said. Unless the federal government acts on it, theres not a whole lot the state can do.

Another large expense for senior citizens is full-time care in nursing homes. That care usually is paid for by families, but some of it is paid through state Medicaid funds. Because of increased demands on the Medicaid budget, Robak said, the state might not be able to pay as much of the cost as before. There are alternatives that are Man sent to prison for vehicular homicide less expensive, however. Robak said Nebraska is working on better home-based and intermediate care systems to save Medicaid funds.

With home-based care, nurses or other mid-level practitioners visit elderly patients at home and save the patient the cost of seeing a physician. Intermediate care would provide a center that senior citizens could go to for activities and other services, but not necessarily stay at full time. Both options are cheaper and save families and the state the cost of full-time care in a nursing home, Robak said. worlds largest operating steam Wednesday. The train was on its BY LISA CHUDOMELKA Tribune Staff A South Dakota man is serving five years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls for his role in the deaths of a rural Fremont man and a West Point man last August.

Paul Mlnarik, 35, of rural Fremont, and Roland Wortman, 36, of West Point, were killed Aug. 13, 1993, when the vehicle' driven by Ronald Tucker, 29, of Bridgewater, S.D., crossed the centerline of South Dakota Highway 262 two miles west of Bridgewater and struck the two men. Mlnarik and Wortman were among a group of five motor Steam power The Union Pacific 3985, the locomotive, stopped in Fremont BY NICK HYTREK Tribune Staff Government needs to do more to help senior citizens cope with the increasing cost of prescription drugs and longterm health care, Lt. Gov. Robak said.

Hopefully some of these issues will be resolved in the national health care reform, she said. Robak spoke Wednesday at the KHUBKFMT Mature Lifestyles Expo 94 at Fremont Mall. Prescription drugs currently are not covered by Medicaid. 'Because of that, Robak said, older people on fixed incomes sometimes cant afford to have cycle riders traveling to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally when the 1 :45 a.m. accident occurred.

A McCook County Circuit Court jury found Tucker, who was sent to prison earlier this week, guilty of two counts of motor vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated. Prior to the trial he pleaded guilty to driving during suspension, according to prosecuting attorney Roger Gerlach. He was sentenced earlier this month to five years on the vehicular homicide counts, 90 days and $500 fine for DWI and 30 days and $200 for the driving during suspension conviction. The Hunts on Wednesday pleaded innocent in Washington County Court to violating the burning ban. Trial was set for May 18.

Hunt, executive vice president of Huntel Systems, and his wife built their house on two acres 4'2 yearn ago and planted a buffalo grass lawn. The house and part of the yard are within Blair city limits, the remainder in Washington County. They burned the lawn without incident each spring until this year. City Administrator Rod Storm said the prairie-grass lawns can be mowed instead of burned. Burning is not necessary as a management tool, Storm said.

Blair couple accused of violating burning ban staff PhotoNIck Hytrk way to Ogden, Utah, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the completion of the first trans-continental railroad. Clinton trims Supreme Court candidates list White House aides and court watchers admire the credentials of Arnold, Cabranes and Kearse, but wonder if Clinton would prefer a political figure who would be more of a law-yerly statesman than a legal technocrat. BLAIR (AP) Richafd and Janyce Hunt have been cited for violating this citys burning ban after they burned their native grass lawn as part of their lawn care efforts. We are so environmentally aware, Janyce Hunt said. We dont use fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide and all the other cides.

We dont put grass clippings in the landfill. We dont mow, and there are no fumes from a lawn mower polluting the air. We dont use precious water on the lawn. But the City Council has adopted a burning ban that only allows volunteer firefighters to ignite old buildings so they can practice putting out blazes. People had 'complained that burning leaves and other yard waste polluted the air and contributed to health problems.

The Hunts on Wednesday pleaded innocent in Washington County Court to violating the burning ban. Trial was set for May 18. Heres an idea of how the known candidates are being viewed at the White House: Arnold, 58, seems to be the handicappers favorite, and Clinton has said hed love to put his old friend on the Supreme Court. His writings tend to be just left of center, particularly on civil rights and civil liberties. Some rulings, including a case upholding abortion counseling in federal clinics, could be conservative enough to draw some criticism from womens groups.

Aides are convinced, however, that his record can stand the scrutiny they are more worried about his residence. With the president already accused of cronyism in the Whitewater affair, appointing an Arkansan to the bench may open the White See CANDIDATES, Page A2 WASHINGTON (AP) President Clinton has narrowed his list of Supreme Court candidates to four, including Interior Secretary (3 ruce Babbitt, who has said he doesnt want the job, officials said today. The list, which senior officials warn is an ever-changing document, also includes federal judges Richard Arnold of Arkansas, Jose Cabranes of Connecticut and Amalya Kearse of New York, all respecteJurists with moderate to just-leftf-center credentials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity. Few advisers are privy to Clintons thinking, and those who know the names on the latest list are saying little to reporters.

But aides just outside the inner circle think Arnold, an old friend of Clinton, is the favorite to replace retiring Justice Harry Blackmun. White House aides and court long way from George Mitchell watchers admire the credentials to Amalya Kearse. Babbitt, a front-runner during Clintons last court search, would fit the political-figure model, but he said the day Blackmun retired that he didnt want the job. It was unclear if he has had a change of heart. Aides say that Clinton tends to add and subtract names from his list- until the last minute.

A decision could be announced this week, but its not expected until next week. of Arnold, Cabranes and Kearse, but wonder if Clinton would prefer a political figure who would be more of a lawyerly statesman than a legal technocrat. These are good people who would make good justices and, indeed, may go on to distinguished careers, but none of them have significant political experience, said Kcrmit L. Hall, law professor at the University of Tulsa and a court scholar. Its a iJim-kHU-urrEPg 3.