Inside Tuesday
Sports
■ Nil's Stokes recovers from tumor, Page 9
Arts & Entertainment
■ The circus comes to the Big *0/ Page 12
PAGE 2: Prosecutors: Blood Implicates OJ.
August 23, 1994
Sen. Kerrey discusses crime bill via satellite
By DePra Janssen
Senior Reporter
More law enforcement alone won’t
win the war against crime in the United
Slates, Sen. Bob Kerrey said Monday
at a videoconference in Lincoln.
Kerrey, who spoke from the Stale
Office Building about the crime bill
being considered by the U.S. Senate,
said prevention needed to be a key
factor in fighting crime. Kerrey and
law enforcement officials from across
the state tuned into the conference
Monday via satellite.
State officials echoed Kerrey’ssen
Crime rate
increasing
in Lincoln
By Brian Sharp
Senior Reporter
Lnoofci
Crime is on the rise in Lincoln, and
trying to control the numbers is hit and
miss, Lincoln PoliccChiefTomCasady
said.
Casady predict
ed that in the next
five to six years,
crimes against per
sons will increase
dramatically.
Some of those
crimes arc already
increasing. Lincoln
police figures show
felony cases this
year are up 12 percent from about
13,000 felony cases last year. Felony
cases include assaults, rape, robberies,
vandalism and auto theft.
Police Sgt. Ann Hccrmann said
those numbers gave an inaccurate pic
ture oferime in Lincoln. Somcof those
offenses were down last year, she said,
and the statistics tend to dip and rise
yearly.
Some numbers tend to level out,
she said, so officials have to look at
what’s happening on the long term —
10 years or longer.
With so many variables affecting
crime, it’s impossible to predict what’s
going to happen, she said.
“It could be something as simple as
what’s the weather going to be like,”
Hecrmann said. “In so many ways
there’s no reason to it.”
Police have no sure-fire ways to
control crime, Casady said.
“One of our problems in the United
States is wc really don’t know what
works and what doesn ’ t,” Casady said.
“We definitely need more research.”
See CRIME on 7
Participants say prevention’s important in stopping criminals
timent that prevention, in addition to
more law enforcement, must be a vital
part of the bill.
The House of Representatives
passed a version of the $3 0 bill ion anti
crime package Sunday night. Among
other things, the bill would provide
local governments with funding for
more law enforcement officials.
Kerrey compared the battle against
crime to a leaky boat. But, he said,
prevention will fix the leak.
“All of us that are looking at crime
understand that we’ve got a boat that’s
leaking,” Kerrey said. ‘‘I think that’s a
very apt metaphor.
“We know that we’ve got to pre
vent crime. We understand that a per
missive attitude toward young people
or the failure to provide adult-super
vised activities for young people pro
vides a breeding ground for future
problems.”
Omaha Police Chief James Skin
ner, using the same metaphor, said
prevention could be just as important
as law enforcement.
“If the hole keeps getting bigger in
the boat and the only response usually
from people is bail faster and faster,
then we have to start closing the hole
in this boat,” Skinner said.
“That’s where the prevention mon
ey comes into play.”
Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady
agreed with his Omaha counterpart
that prevention must be a vital part of
the bill.
“All of us have very deep-rooted
feelings that we can’t solve the prob
lem by adding more police officers
and more prisons alone,” Casady said.
“I am absolutely committed to a pre
vention program.”
But Casady said he was concerned
that too much money would be spent
on prevention programs that weren’t
proven to affect crime.
“Oftentimes, we spend money on
what our intuition thinks will work
rather than on facts,” he said. “We
need evidence that a given strategy
works.”
See CRIME BILL on 7
Jam packed
It’s standing room only Monday on the bus to East Campus. The university signed a contract with StarTran to provide free
busing for UNL students and staff. Beginning Monday, three of those free routes ran between City and East campuses.
Students take advantage of free ride, fill buses to the brim on first day of classes
By Brian Sharp
Senior Reporter
They came in droves.
With the start of classes at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
came the start of free bus service.
And the three buses that ran be
tween City and East campuses were
packed—more than 80 passengers
per ride, according to StarTran bus
driver Frank Hruza. That’s on a bus
with seats for 31.
“There was a lot of confusion.”
Hruza said. “We put on as many
people as we possibly could stand
ing.”
Brad Plant/, a graduate student
in biological sciences, was taking
his fourth ride of the day Monday
evening. By then, things had calmed
down a lot.
“This morning it was full.” Plant/,
said. “Way full. T’vc never seen the
buses as packed as they were. (Pas
sengers) were about falling out the
door.”
Paul Carlson, associate vice
chancellor of business and finance,
looked in on the buses Monday
morning. Carlson helped to get the
contract with StarTran for the ser
vice.
“I was pleasantly surprised.” he
said. “What we saw today is what
we should anticipate the rest of the
year.
The bus was filled from front tc
back. Passengers held every scat
and two stood abreast in the aisle
When the bell sounded for a re
quested stop, the driver had to ask
riders near him if anybody exited
He wasn’t able to sec.
Carlson said he didn’t foresee
any decl inc in numbers. I f the crowds
continue, another bus will be added,
he said.
Hru/.a said he expected more
people to ride the buses as the year
progresses.
“It’s a free ride,” he said.
“Wouldn’t you?”
Mijin Bartholomew, a sopho
more studying to oe a pnysicians
assistant, was on her second ride
Monday afternoon. The ride was
much different from her first.
On her morning ride, passengers
stood on the stairs to enter the bus.
she said. That afternoon, only a
dozen people rode.
Kent Hcislcr, a freshman pre
veterinarian major, was on that ride.
But he, along with Bartholomew
and most other students interviewed,
said that without the new contract,
they wouldn’t have ridden the bus.
“It saves you from walking or
driving,” Heislcr said. “I probably
wouldn’t ride though if it wasn’t
free.”
Conference’s first day hits on agriculture and Farm Bill
Governors, officials
create priority list
to assist Congress
By Joel Slrauch
Senior Reporter
The 1995 Farm Bill will help set the Midwest
on the right path toward a future of security and
prosperity, Sen. Bob Kerrey said Monday.
Kerrey spoke during the first session of the
29th annual Midwestern Governors’ Confer
ence. Governors and officials from 13 states
gathered Monday for the two-day conference.
The group plans to make a list of priorities for
Congress to consider as it works on a new five
year farm bill.
The session began with an introduction from
Gov. Ben Nelson, who stressed the importance
of agriculture to Midwestern states’ economies
— especially to Nebraska’s.
“One of every four Nebraskans depends on
agriculture for employment,” Nelson said. “Ag
riculture is the foundation for this area’s eco
nomic health.”
Nelson a^?o outlined the general goals that
the region should have for the future of agricul
ture.
“We need to make sure that we can find ways
to make sure that farming is not just a good way
of life, but a good living as well,” he said.
Kerrey said agriculture was a prosperous
business in the Midwest recently. But he said he
See FARM BILL on 7
Espy promises bill
to slash tax dollars,
needless bureaucracy
By Matthew Waite
Senior Reporter
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy
extended his hand Monday to governors and
state officials from 13 Midwest states and of
fered help in the crafting of the 1995 Farm Bill.
“The department began its work late last
spring, and we’re certainly going to continue on
through this fall,” said Espy, who addressed the
farm bill at the Midwest Governor’s Confer
ence. “And we will be aggressively seeking your
ideas, your concepts and recommendations."
The 1995 Farm Bill will be going before
Congress next year for budget approval. Espy
said the bill would be like no other in the past.
Urban districts could have more influence
written into the bill than before. Espy said. Of the
435 congressional districts in the nation, he said,
only 50 generate 10 percent or more of their
income from farming.
‘‘This means that representatives from subur
ban districts — where consumer and environ
mental interests are more dominant—will add
a new twist to the urban-rural alliances that
served to forge so many compromises to pass so
many farm bills in the past," he said.
The changing world economy also could
See ESPY on 7
