1
Kerrey urges senators to support
farm land bills at special session
By Judl Nyien
With the rap of a gavel and the presentation of the
flags, the special legislative session opened Thurs
day morning.
It proved to be a short session, about one hour,
with most of the morning devoted to Gov. Bob Ker
rey's opening speech and catch-up conversation
among senators.
In his speech, Kerrey urged senators not to allow
urban and rural interests to divide them on the farm
land issue. Urban residents who are frustrated with
high property taxes should not "last out" at farmers
and ranchers, he said.
Kerrey also asked legislators to look at a bill which
would allow out-of-state banks to buy Nebraska
banks. The bill is "a good policy of the state," he said.
After Kerrey spoke, the Legislature passed a
motion to suspend the rules and go straight to the
farm land hearing.
At the afternoon hearing, session action began.
Kerrey, Robert Raun, state secretary of agriculture,
Donna Karnes, state tax commissioner and director
of the Department of Revenue, addressed the Con
stitutional Revision and Recreation Committee, and
explained why they thought Kerrey's two farm land
bills may helpt armers avoid further financial prob
lems. Kerrey said according to the state constitution,
Nebraska must tax agriculture land at 100 percent.
This is not fair to farmers and ranchers, he said.
"Because you cannot forecast a steady stream
Marching Red
By Ward W. Triplet! HI
Its participants describe it as a week of pure
intensity. Even its organizer will be glad when it's
over. When that date comes next Saturday, the 265
members of the 1984 Cornhusker Marching Band
will be chosen and uniformed. But first, each of
them has to survive band camp.
Over 300 band hopefuls come to Lincoln a week
early each year to try and play their way into the Big
Eight's largest ensemble unit. They are the survivors
of one-on-one spring playing auditions, but they will
.Have to show band director Bill Ballenger they can
march at the same time they play. If they can't,
Sunday afternoon's cut will end their chances for
another year. v
"No one is ever guaranteed a spot in the band,"
said Rose Johnson, a former band secretary who is
now an administrative assistant.
"The veterans with the experience stand a better
chance to make it, but if we have a rookie who plays
better than a third-year player, well take the rookie.
It's rough sometimes, but we have to look at it from
what's better for the whole ensemble, and most of
"the students realize that."
The schedule calls for the flag corps and musicians
to have an orientation meeting, dinner and discussion
Saturday, with a 2-hour rehearsal in the stadium.
Sunday morning, woodwinds, percussion and flags
will have separate marching auditions, and at 6
p.m., the final roster will be posted at Westbrook
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Mark B2v'3D:!y Kcfenskan
Bob Dev&ney and Torn Osborne watch m tha
Double Handled Club dedicates a memorial
in honor of their achievements and contribu
tions to the community.
Page?
income," he said, "it is reasonable to access farm
land separately."
To allow a separate classification, Kerrey said leg
islators must approve one of the bills.
One bill calls for an amendment that would allow
legislators to classify farm land separate from ether
land. The' other bill calls for an amendment that
would allow legislators to exempt a portion of the
land value from taxation.
Raun, echoing Kerrey's supp5rt for either bill, said
action must be taken because "if taxes go up, it could
be the straw that breaks the camel's back." He urged
legislators to leave-inflationary factors out of farm
land assessments and to only consider land's ability
to produce an income.
Karnes said she hopes the Legislature approves
one of the bills "so you have more options once
everything is uniformly assessed."
Karnes also presented her staffs research on
other states' farm land taxation policies. Most states
do classify farm land lower than other land, she
said.
"The states that have moved ahead before us real
ize the problem of evaluating ag land at actual
value," she said. While Kerrey's staff favored either
bills several senators expressed reservations.
State Senator Donald Wescly of Lincoln said he
was not sure either bill was progressive enough. He
said he feared that the larger farm operations
would get the largest tax break and the smaller
operations would carry the bulk of the tax burden.
Sen. Clarence Jacobson said he had reservations
about the bills because they may lead to several
separate land classifications.
has
tryouts
Music Hall.
The survivors will then split time with the football
team on Memorial Stadium's new All-Pro Turf, with
three rehearsals a day at 7:15 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 7
p.m. .
"I know the schedule looks a little bit like boot
camp," Johnson said. "But the people out there
want to be there. They have a lot of experience at
music camps, and they will feel it's worth the work."
The selection process began in March, when
Johnson sent letters to all those returning from the
1983 band asking them if they planned to try out
again. Local high schools were then contacted about
possible candidates to fill the 70 spots left open :
mainly because of graduation. From March to July 1,
prospective members came in to audition for Bal
lenger and his staff, some as far away as New York.
"I look mainly for a strong, mature tone quality,
advanded technical facility, and sight-reading ability,"
Ballenger said. "If someone has a terrible time in
audition, I will let them try out again.
"But now we're in the marching part, and at this
point we have to make cuts. We can only take those
people that we know are going to produce."
For the first-timer, it can be a "overwhelming"
experience, or so said Tony Ballard, a Lincoln High
graduate who will be looking lor a spot among the
alto saxophones.
"It's been my dream for as long as I can remember
to be in the marching band here," Ballard said. "In
my opinion, it's one of the top 10 bands in the
country."
Another freshman, Tom Ofea ofScottsbluff, picked
up the same dream last year, when the Scottsbluff
High band played at halftime of the Nebraska-UCLA
game. ,
Cectinaed on P&gs 6
Summer grads to get
full-scale ceremony
By Jcy MnlULTsn
For the first time since 1971, UNL will receive a
full-scale ceremony for 900 summer graduates,
complete with caps and gowns, according to Uonnie
Price of the UNL Information Office.
Commencement exercises will begin at 9:30 a.m.
Aug. 18.
John Yost, assistant to the Chancellor, said the
decision to have summer graduates go out in style
was made in response to several requests from stu
dents and parents to have a more formal program.
"In previous year 3, students attended an informal
ceremony where their names were called and they
stood up. "I think this year's ceremony will be more
personable," Yost said.
If students cannot attend the Aug. 18 ceremony,
they can pick up their diplomas at their conven
ience in the Administration Building, Yost said.
Price said the ceremony will be like other com
mencement exercises with the exception that no
honorary degrees will be awarded.
. "Of course it will be on a smaller scale " Price said.
This year's program will be reviewed and if it is
found to be a success, it will be continued, she said.
Daily Nebraskan
ff The Wke
National and international news
from the Renter News Report
Deioraan case
mm j t
enos m
LOS ANGELES John De Lorean, fallen
auto magnate, was found not guilty of cocaine
charges Thursday.
The verdict by the six men and six women
was read in a crowded courtroom after four
months of one of the decade's most sensational
trials. The jury had deliberated seven days.
The government had accused De Lorean of
conspiracy to possession and distribution of
220 pounds of cocaine worth $24 million. If
convicted, the 59-year-old De Lorean could
have been sentenced to 67 years in prison on
eight counts.
The defense maintained that federal under
cover agents and a convicted drug smuggler
and government informant, James Hoffman,
had tried unsuccessfully to trap De Lorean
into a giant drug deal. The prosecution alleged
De Lorean had tried to save his failing sports
car factory in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which
was closed by the British government seven
hours before De Lorean was arrested in a Los
Angeles hotel. The British government had
provided $140 million for the factory, which
was hit partly ry a slump in U. S. Car sales.
After hearing 18,000 pages of evidence from
17 witnesses, inspecting 200 exhibits and lis
tening to six hours of video and audio tapes,
recorded secretly by federal agents as De
Lorean met with undercover operatives, the
jury found De Lorean not guilty of ail eight
counts.
Hondurancabinetemptied
TEGUCIGAPLA, Honduras President Ro
berto Suaso Cordova, in a surprise move Thurs
day asked for the resignation of his entire
cabinet. The move came against the background
of mounting criticism over the government's
handling of the economy, caught in one of the
worst crises in Honduran history.
Honduras, the second poorest country in the
Western Hemisphere after Haiti, has emerged
as the closest ally of the United States in
Central America and the center of U.S. military
operations in the turbulent region. As in many
Third-World countries, the problems of the
Honduran economy have been compounde'd
by influences beyond government control such
as falling commodity prices and rising interest
rates on foreign loans. The country's total debt
has been estimated at roughly $1.8 billion.
Agent Orange exonerated
CHICAGO - A study of children born to US.
Soldiers who served in Vietnam has found no
evidence of birth defects that might have been
caused by Agent Orange, medical researches
said Thursday. It is the second such recent
study to reach that conclusion. An earlier
investigation which concentrated on Australian
men who served in Vietnam also found no
provable birth defect link. The latest findings
were an nounced by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control.
Veterans who served in Vietnam and were
exposed to the chemical defoliant during the
10 years in hich 100 million pounds of the
substance were sprayed have claimed to have
suffered a number of health problems, including
birth defects among their offspring. The chem
ical dioxin, one of the most toxic substances
known to man, has been blamed for the prob
lems. Seven chemical companies which made
the herbicide agreed in May to settle a suit
brought by some of the veterans for $180
million. .
Brazilian oil rig ablaze
PJO DE JANEIRO, Brazil Forty people
survived a biasing fire on an offshore oil
platform Thursday only to drown when a
rescue boat carrying them to safety capssed in
heavy seas. A spokesman for the state oil
company Petrodras said that at least another
165 were injured, six seriously, in the fire
aboard the Enchova platform 60 miles off the
coast of Rio de Janeiro state. The spokesman
said the rig in Brazil's most important oil
producing area was still ablaze. He said the fire
was caused by a blow-out when gases released
during drilling caught fire.
Friday, August 17, 1984
