Chambers: Papers shouldn’t print odds
By London Bridge
Staff Reporter
Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha criticized
newspapers that publish point spreads and
betting odds but write editorials against gam
bling when he testified Thursday before the
Nebraska Legislature’s Judiciary Committee.
Chambers testified in favorofLB 1149,abill
he sponsored, which would require criminal
penalties for newspapers that publish point
spreads and betting odds.
Chambers used the Omaha World-Herald as
an example of a newspaper that publishes bet
ting odds and point spreads while writing about
f -—
the evils of legalized gambling on the editorial
page.
“This manifests two conflicting behaviors,
one on the sports page and one on the editorial
page,” Chambers said.
Chambers said newspapers that provide
these services to readers know that someone
will pick up the paper to read the betting odds.
He asked the other senators how a newspa
per can condemn sports betting and then pub
lish the latest betting line.
While only Chambers testified in favor of
the bill, the opposition also had only one
speaker.
Alan Peterson, a representative of Media of
Nebraska, said the bill was unconstitutional.
The Media of Nebraska includes The Lin
coln Journal, Omaha World-Herald, Daily
Publishers Association of Nebraska, Nebraska
Press Association and the Nebraska Broadcast
ers.
“It (the bill) flunks every First Amendment
test to protect speech and discourse,” Peterson
said.
Peterson said he thinks ihe bill is unneces
M §s?8§s mm&M
‘It (the bill) flunks every
First Amendment test to
protect speech and
discourse. ’
—Peterson
sary. He said eliminating point spreads in
,, newspapers would not be the best solution.
“The problem with this bill is that in sweep
ing out some of the bad, it sweeps out some of
the good,” he said.
Peterson said betting odds arc published
because “this is a sports-crazy country; people
really want to know who’s on top or who the
underdog is.”
“The First Amendment says people have to
protect themselves from speech,” he said.
“People arc supposed to hear the bad and the
good. There is no virtue in a cloistered mind.
This is the very basis of the whole democratic
system: The government is supposed to keep
laws out of people’s minds.”
Chambers said some newspapers in the
country won’t print odds because they indi
rectly support gambling.
“Certain types of things are detrimental to
society,” he said. “Restrictions need to be put
upon them.”
The committee will vote next week on
whether to advance the bill to the floor of the
Legislature.
Dava Hanaan/Daily Nabtaakan
Balancing act
Rod Larsen and Lance Voyles of Lincoln practice trial manuevers Thursday afternoon in
the Sheldon sculpture garden.
Official says Malone
ready to compromise
By Dave Holloway
Staff Reporter
Negotiations between Malone
neighborhood residents and Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln officials
over a boundary between the two
could quicken, said Dallas McGee,
Lincoln community development
program manager.
The Malone Community Center
board voted Wednesday 8-4 with
three absentees in favor of a proposal
which calls for creating a city park
between the Malone neighborhood
and the University of Nebraska-Lin
coln.
Dallas McGee, community devel
opment program manager, said the
decision shows that Malone is willing
to work with other groups, making the
negotiations faster.
Tim Francis, Malone Community
Center Board member, said the pro
posal was rejected by the board in
January because of its desire to see
what the Lincoln City Counc i 1 and the
Malone Neighborhood Association
would decide.
The Rev. Terry Cain, Malone
Community Center representative,
said the earlier decision was to take a
stand at 20th Street.
“The neighborhood and the city
were in favor of the new plan, so the
Malone Center went along with it
also,” Cain said. But, he added, the
southern boundary of the buffer zone
must still be determined.
Francis said there needs to be a
clear boundary between the univer
sity and the community.
“For years, the community has
never really known if they would
have to move from their homes,”
Francis said. “If there is a clear
boundary the property owners can go
in with confidence and be willing to
put money into their own homes, thus
raising property values.”
“The critical issue is the question
of the university’s future plans of
expanding eastward,” Francis said.
UNL Chancellor Martin Massen
gale and John Goebel, vice chancellor
for business and finance, were out of
town Thursday and could not be
reached for comment.
Helmet not ‘total answer’
Cyclists support safety education bill
By Amy Edwards
Senior Reporter
Although many Nebraska motorcyclists
opposed the helmet bill Gov. Kay Orr signed
Feb. 19, many of those cyclists support a bill
proposed by Sen. Jacklyn Smith that would
require motorcycle-safety education.
Smith of Hastings said she will make the
motorcycle-safety education bill her priority
bill next session.
Smith proposed an amendment to the helmet
bill with Sen. Scott Moore of Stromsburg to
make education a part of the bill and to require
helmet use only for motorcyclists age 19 and
under. The bill was passed without the amend
ment.
Smith said she was disappointed the amend
ment was not added to the bill because the
amendment was a compromise motorcyclists
supported.
The amendment’s purpose was to educate
motorcyclists on the benefits of wearing a
helmet, Smith said.
“People do things because they understand
them,” Smith said. “You can’t mandate a
change of behavior, you have to educate for that
change.”
Mike Frasier, an agricultural engineering
senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
said he thinks the amendment would have
helped the bill.
Frasier, 22, has been riding a street bike for
three years. He said he took a motorcycle
safety course when he was 15 years old.
The course teaches motorcyclists the re
sponsibility that goes with driving a motor
cycle, Frasier said. Then they can choose for
themselves if they should wear a helmet, he
said.
Frasier said he wears a full-face helmet on
the highway but not in town because it blocks
his peripheral vision. If the law is not over
turned, Frasier said, he may take his chances
not wearing a helmet in the interests of comfort
and safety.
Richard Alfieri, owner of A&A Trailer and
Cycle Accessories at 4011 N. 11th St., said he
is afraid the helmet law without the education
amendment could cause more problems than it
solves.
“These kids aren’t going to be careful. They
are going to think nothing can hurt them while
they’re wearing a helmet,” Alfieri said.
Alfieri said he belongs to four motorcycle
clubs, and almost all the club members wear
helmets. Wearing a helmet is safe and an
example for other riders, he said.
“We want to ride,” Alfieri said, “but safely
comes before the ride and before speed.”
Alfieri said he supports education for motor
cycle riders ages 16 to 21 before he supports a
mandatory helmet law.
“Wearing a helmet is safe,” he said, “but a
helmet is not the total answer.”
Kerby Ham, 21, senior accounting major,
said he wears a helmet occasionally, but
doesn’t believe he should be forced to wear a
helmet.
Ham said the helmet law is like the seat belt
law that Nebraskans repealed in November
1986. But, Ham said, there aren’t enough
motorcycle riders in Nebraska to vote the law
down if it is put on the ballot
Eric Salem, a UNL advertising junior, said
requiring motorcycle safety education is a good
idea. But Salem said Moore’s 19-and-under
amendment would not have been a good idea.
“If you’re going to have a helmet bill, have
it for everyone,” said Salem, 21, a motorcyclist
for five years.
Gary Biskup, owner of Jerry Co Motors Inc.,
2400 N St., said about 80 percen t of people who
buy motorcycles from him buy helmets at the
same time.
Biskup said most motorcyclists tend to wear
helmets sometimes. But, he said, “It’s not good
having Big Brother tell us what to do.”
The key is not requiring helmet use, yet
teaching riders safely, Biskup said.
John Lanz, former area representative for
the Goldwing Road Riders Association, said
the law won’t affect the club because most of
the members wear helmets anyway.
But Lanz said he would prefer not to have a
Nebraska helmet law.
Lanz said people are prejudiced against
motorcyclists because they’re a minority.
‘‘The same people who voted for this law
voted against the seat bell law,” he said.
Lanz said a mandatory helmet law should .
include everyone who rides a motorcycle.
More people over the age of 19 have accidents
than people under 19, he said.
Smith said she will have an interim study
done to look at all angles of moiorcycle-salety
education. She said the bill will include a
section about the qualifications of course in
structors.
Smith said the study probably will be done
within her office so she can make sure the bill
is a good one.
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