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Partly cloudy on Tuesday with a high
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Barb BrandaDally Nebraskan
September 23, 1985
eCam
By Todd von Kampen
Senior Reporter
As debate begins today on a bill to
give $8.5 million to depositors of the
failed Commonwealth Savings Co., state
senators on both sides of the issue
agree it is no longer as simple as Gov.
Bob Kerrey or depositors would like.
The Legislature will consider a bill
that allows Commonwealth depositors
to receive payment for a tort claim
against the state. This may be done by
adding specific words to an existing
bill.
But depending on an opinion due
today by Attorney General Robert Spire,
senators also may debate a bill that
would bar depositors from recovering
the $50 million in insured deposits lost
when Commonwealth collapsed in No-
of NU9 femur state
An article titled "Consolidation not
' acceptable; NTJ President Roskens says
he'll quit if campuses merge" in last
Thursday's Daily Nebraskan contained
grievous errors.
The article said Roskens would quit
if UNL, UNO and the NU Medical Center
were consolidated. It said Roskens
thought consolidation would eliminate
duplication, but consolidation is unde
sirable because it implies that he is
trying to build an empire.
The article should have said Roskens
would resign immediately if the NU
system UNL, UNO and the NU Medi
cal Center and the four state col
leges were merged under a single
governing body.
The merger was proposed by the
Citizens Commission for the Study of
Higher Education, formed by Gov. Bob
Beloved pets find resting place at Rolling Acres
Patricia Strnot holds a casket used for pet birds. Strnot,
owner of Rolling Acres, 400 S. 134th St., offers burials from
$20 to $500. She began the pet cemetery, in 1977, wanting a
more dignified way for people to bury their pets.
Seven Mini
fuel Husker
Sports, page 9
vember 1983.
Kerrey called the Legislature into
special session Wednesday after.Spire
ruled that LB713 needs the words
"there is hereby appropriated" before
the state legally can pay depositors.
LB1, introduced at Kerrey's request
and advanced unanimously to the full
Legislature Friday by the Business and
Labor Committee, added the four words.
The second bill, which was intro
duced by Neligh Sen. John DeCamp,
would give depositors the $8.5 million
but change its legal definition. Under
LB2, the Legislature would say the tort
claim "does not have a valid legal
basis" but would be paid "to effect a
complete, final and binding resolution
of the matter."
DeCamp said his bill follows the
Lancaster County District Court ruling
Roskens
Kerrey. The 65-member commission
issued its report last January.
Roskens, who made the comments
David CreamerDaily Nebraskan
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln
brings new
that payment of the tort claim repres
ents "a full and complete compromise
settlement of any and all claims"
against the state by Commonwealth dep
ositors. He told the Legislature's Ref
erence Committee Thursday night that
the current LB713 was intended to
reflect the ruling but left the issue
unclear to senators.
"If there's that misunderstanding
sitting here between people that have
been involved in this for 2Vz years, what
must there be among 1.5 million Nebra
skans, the Commonwealth people them
selves?" DeCamp asked the committee.
But Lincoln Sen. Chris Beutler, com
mittee chairman, said DeCamp's bill
changes "the purpose and intent of
713" by denying depositors a chance
for extra state money. He said the court
ruling allows Commonwealth depos-
merger
C0)llB$gi
during a "Face the .Chamber". session
with the Lincoln Chamber of Com
merce, said he supports consolidation
because it would improve efficiency
and eliminate duplication.
"We'd do a better job in higher edu
cation of both those institutions were
united under a single board," Roskens
said.
But if a merger occurs, Roskens said
he would quit "to avoid people saying
'Roskens is trying to build an empire.' "
Roskens said he doubts that he would
resign because Nebraska's political
climate makes a merger nearly im
possible. The Daily Nebraskan regrets the
errors and apologizes for any misun
derstanding it may have caused read
ers and any embarrassment it may have
caused Roskens.
X- '
By Deb Hooker
Staff Reporter
The closest thing to animal heaven
is only three miles from Lincoln.
More than 2,000 beloved pets rest
under the plush Kentucky bluegrass of
Rolling Acres Pet Cemetery, Crematory
and Funeral Home, 400 S. 134th St.
Most of the animals buried at Rol
ling Acres are dogs and cats. But two
horses, two chinchillas, countless para
keets, two African parrots, guinea pigs
and all sorts of rodents also fill the
cemetery's small graves.
Owner Patricia Strnot said she does
not discriminate against human bur
ials either as long as the bodies are
cremated. It is illegal to bury a human
body at a pet cemetery, Strnot said.
However, once a body has been crem
ated, it is out of the law's jurisdiction,
she said.
One man's ashes were sprinkled
near the pine trees lining the west side
of the graveyard. Strnot said the ever
green location was picked partly as a
favor to a woman who works at the
cemetery.
"I was going to put him in the rose
New magazine SPIN
rises on the music scene
Arts and Entertainment, page 12
twist to
Mors to ask the Legislature to approp
riate more money.
Beutler told the committee that
DeCamp's bill cannot be considered be
cause Kerrey called the special session
to pass only the correction bill. How
ever, according to DeCamp, Kerrey has
the right to tell senators to discuss a
general topic, but not a specific bill.
"I don't think you or anybody can
tell me that a governor can come in and
mandate one specific, single thing
under the constitutional authority to
call a special session," DeCamp said.
After a public hearing on both bills
Friday, the Legislature's Business and
Labor Committee voted to hold the
DeCamp bill until Spire rules whether
it can be considered. Even if the bill
never leaves the committee, DeCamp
can try to amend the correction bill to
Bookstore
ByJenDeselms
Staff Reporter
Sales at the University Bookstore
increased by 45 percent over last
year's sales during August, said
Dick Lewis, bookstore operations
manager.
Lewis said the store's renovation
and increased services account for
the increase.
Letters sent to all registered
freshmen inviting them to the book
store also helped boost sales, he
said. The letters urged students to
use the University Bookstore because
all profits go to UNL Lewis said the
profits helped prevent increases in
student fees.
The renovation will be paid for
with a $1.9 million bond issue.
"There were no state funds. You
,and I as taxpayers did not pay for
this," Lewis said. Paying back the
garden," Strnot said. "Well, she didn't
want him in there because she'd step
on him."
The man's pets haven't died yet,
Strnot said, but when they do, they will
either be buried or sprinkled at Rolling
Acres with their master.
Another person's ashes are buried
there, and about five families have
plots reserved, Strnot said.
Rolling Acres can bury pets at almost
any price. Prices start at $20 for a group
burial of small pets and can go on up to
as much as an owner wants to spend.
Deluxe meal and stainless steel
caskets start at $500.
"We get people from all sections of
town that have money set aside for
their pet's burial. And it won't matter
what the price is," she said. "But you
can have the rich come out here, and
they won't do anything. They're mad
that they have to pay $20 to bury their
pet. You know, it's people who are more
caring and more loving and things like
that, that will care enough about their
pet to want to do this."
Rolling Acres offers a variety of ser
vices for pets. There is a viewing room,
four types of caskets, concrete vaults,
Vol. 85 No. 29
session
include his bill, said committee chair
man Sen. Bill Barrett of Lexington.
Opponents of the state's plan to pay
off depositors are likely to fight the
correction bill and support LB2 as a last
resort, said Imperial Sen. Rex Haber
man. Some senators who voted for the
original bill as a final settlement, hav
discovered the bill's supporters actu
ally meant to keep alive the chance of
full payoff, he said.
"Now it comes to light that that's
not the end that they can sue over
and over and over until they get the
entire $60 million," said Haberman,
who voted against LB713.
Scottsbluff Sen. William Nichol,
speaker of the Legislature, said the
correction bill needs 33 votes to pass
Please see DECAMP on 7
sales rise
bond issue is the bookstore's top
priority, he said. Although the bond
issue is being paid back with store
profits, Lewis said the university
should get as much or more money
as it has before.
"We price textbooks and trade
books the same as we did before,"
Lewis said. Book prices are deter
mined by publishers. Used textbook
wholesalers set the prices for used
books.
Lewis said if problems arise in
paying off the bond issue, which he
does not expect, the payroll will be
cut so prices would not increase.
He said the store has about 10
more full-time employees working
during non-rush periods than before
the renovation.
Lewis said there is a trend in
university bookstores to expand and
carry a wider variety of items to
meet student needs.
tombstones and slabs, crematory vases
and embalming and cremation servi
ces. No one has to buy a casket or have
their pet embalmed unless they want
to keep the animal in the viewing room
for a few days.
An owner also can buy a casket and
bury their pet at home, rhe said. Crem
ated pets can be buried at Rolling
Acres sprinkled anywhere, put in their
owner's coffin at a human cemetery,
buried at home or displayed on their
owner's fireplace nu itel.
Strnot said she started the pet
cemetery in 1977 after her dog died. At
that time, animals could not be buried
in people's backyards within city lim
its. They usually were taken to the city
dump or cremated at the Humane
Society. Stmot said she wanted a more
dignified way for people to bury their
pets.
People become very attached to
their pets, she said. They take care of
their animals and love them. In return,
they have a friend who always is there
no matter what. She said it helps to see
that their friend is taken care of after
death.