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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1994)
Americorps to help youth By J«ff Randall Staff Reporter Some Nebraska col lege students are hoping to pay some of their tuition by helping fight youth vio lence. Starting in 1995,23 AmeriCorps volunteers will work on a conflict resolution program throughout Ne braska schools, said Fayette Car penter, interim executive director of the Nebraska Center for National and Community Service. AmeriCorps is a national com munity service program that allows students to earn grants. Lorrie Bensen, program direc tor for AmeriCorps at Community Action of Nebraska, said the pro gram had several goals. “We want to provide the AmeriCorps volunteers with an un derstanding of community service and what it can accomplish,” Bensen said. “They will also receive train ing in counseling and conflict me diation, plus assistance in college tuition.” The project is called the Youth Mediation and Conflict Resolution Program, she said. “We hope to reach thousands of students by teaching them how to solve conflicts without violence, and we hope that knowledge will help them and their families in any problems they may encounter,” she said. The commission selected youth violence as a focal point for this year because research indicated it was the societal issue about which Nebraskans are most concerned, Carpenter said. “Our research determined that youth violence is a problem that needs to be dealt with, and this program is designed to do just that,” she said. Community service centers in Chadron, Fairbury* Gering, Humboldt, Kearney, Lincoln, Loup City, Omaha and Wisner will inde pendently modify and develop the specifics of the program, Carpenter said. Carpenter said giving each cen ter independence and freedom would allow the program to adapt to each community and be more effective. “Allowing each center to work in this way allows them to meet the unmet needs of individual commu nities,” Carpenter said, “and that is AmeriCorps’ main goal.” The 23 project volunteers will be hired and trained by the Ne braska Office of Conflict Resolu tion. The basic training will last about one week and teach volun teers how to settle arguments with out violence. Volunteers then will receive in ternships under the supervision of the Nebraska Office of Conflict Resolution staff. Fully trained vol unteers will be sent to Nebraska middle schools to teach students between the ages of 10 and 15. The volunteers will talk to stu dents about interpersonal conflicts, the problems created by violence and peaceful methods for solving conflicts. They also will answerstu dents’ questions and hold one-on one counseling sessions with at risk youths, Carpenter said. Anyone who is interested in vol unteering for AmeriCorps can reach Bensen at Community Action of Nebraska, 471-3714. Recruiting for the program will take place through autumn, and training sessions will begin in late November and early December. -- I Fewer DNs tossed in trash By Angle Qoatt»di Staff Reporter Before last spring, Daily Nebras kans ended up in the garbage can, but now about 20 percent to 30 percent of DNs are recycled. And Dale Ekart, University of Ne braska-Lincoln re cycling coordina tor, hopes to bring that number to 100 percent this year. “The DN is, and all newsprint is very recyclable,” he said. “Slick type inserts are a little more difficult to reuse, but in general, newspapers are ideal for recycling,” he said. Blue boxes, with “We recycle” signs, were put next to 14 Daily Ne braskan pick-up locations last spring. The response was good consider ing students were given no warning and weren’t informed about the pur pose of the containers, he said. “With a little push and some pub licity, we could double this volume,” Ekart said. Some buildings receive such large volumes of DNs that they need more than just a collection box. At these locations, such as dormitories and li braries, excess DNs are col lected once a week. Newspapers in Love Library are cleared off the tables and shelves and put on a dock in the back of the build ing. After the papers are collected, they are taken to Dennis Paper Sales or Paragon Sanitation Inc., where they are recycled into paper products, ani mal bedding or insulation for housing. About half of the Daily Nebras kans that are recycled come back in through the collection boxes. Landfill costs, gas expenses and money used for labor to collect the papers about equals the money made by recycling them. At first, recycling was more expen sive because only a small volume of papers were returned, Ekart said. But now, enough papers are prop erly recycled to justify the time and money spent trying to protect the en vironment, Ekart said. The recycling office will be using the same system during the next few months. Some new ideas may be imple mented later on if the current system needs improvement, Ekart said. “For right now, the most important point is that the use of the blue con tainers is understood,” Ekart said. “We want people to realize what they are. Now that we know it works, we are excited to improve the percentage of Daily Nebraskans that are recycled.” Bjorklund asks to be called pauper LINCOLN (AP) — Convicted murderer Roger Bjorklund wants a judge to declare him a pauper so he won’t have to pay for an appeal to the state Supreme Court. Prosecutors said the request could delay Bjorklund’s scheduled Tuesday sentencing. During a hearing before Lancaster County District Judge Donald Endacott Wednesday, defense attor neys asked him to grant Bjorklund pauper status so he won’t have to pay for his appeal of a Sept. I decision overruling his motion for a new trial. A jury convicted Bjorklund of first degree murder in the 1992 abduction, rape and slaying of Candice Harms, 18. On Sept. I, Lancaster County Dis trict Judge Paul Merritt Jr. overruled Bjorklund’s motion for a new trial. Merritt concluded the jury had not been influenced by a short prayer Endacott said with them after they were selected. Endacott has refused to delay Bjorklund’s sentencing Tuesday or to recuse himselfas the sentencingjudge. But Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey said the issues raised Wednes day ultimately could result in a delay. Prosecutors contend the issue cited in Bjorklund’s high court appeal can not be raised until Bjorklund has been sentenced. Defense attorneys contend the is sue falls under “special circumstances” that allow them to appeal it before the case has been concluded. Bjorklund attorney Richard Goos told Endacott there are benefits to his client appealing the issue now so it can be handled separately from other appeal issues. Following the hearing, Bjorklund’s attorneys said they would pursue the appeal, regardless of whether Endacott grants Bjorklund pauper status. And they said the sentencing could occur while the appeal is pending. But Lacey said it is unclear whether a sentencing would be valid if it were pronounced while an appeal was in process. He said prosecutors would ask the state Supreme Court to d ismiss the appeal. — RUGBY VS. Creighton Tonight! 8:00 . Mable Lee Fields FREE Admission Come and see the exciting Rugby match at the lit field. Grandpa's Ribs Restaurant 5 2m& ?!^ard I Everyday Specials! Nachos.$.99 Happy Hour Specials Meat Nachos .. .$1.99 3-6 p.m. Seven Days a Week Buffalo Wings . .$.15 500 Draws $3 pitchers Burritos.$.99 Grandpa's Ribs Breakfast Card-- Hamburger.$.49 Buy one, get one of equal Cheeseburger.. .$.59 or lesser value FREE Tacos.$.25 OPENS FRIDAY SEPTEMBER P AT A THEATRE NEAR YOU.