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COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA SINCE 1901 VOL. 95 NO. 14 --
- - - -. - — _Septembers, 1995_
Nelson announces he will run for Senate
Staci McKee/DN
Goy. Ben Nelson, left, announces Thursday morning at the Governor’s Mansion that he will run for U.S. Senate next
year. Nelson’s wife, Diane, stands to his right.
Republicans criticize Nelson's goals
By John Fulwider
Staff Reporter
The Republican Party had fewer than five
minutes to respond to Gov. Ben Nelson’s
announcement of his U.S. Senate candidacy.
Then the spotlight switched to Nelson
again.
While Andy Abboud, executive director
of the Nebraska Republican party, gave a
press conference on the south lawn of the
State Capitol, a smiling Nelson walked across
the street from his mansion to talk to Abboud.
Abboud returned the governor’s smile
and kept talking as several TV cameras
turned toward Nelson. Nelson made his way
through the crowd of reporters and shook
Abboud’s hand.
“I really look forward to having a positive
campaign,” Nelson said.
“It will be a positive campaign,” Abboud
said. “I guarantee it.”
Wo matter what they may think of him as governor,
Nebraskans will not want to send another Clinton
Democrat to the United States Senate. ”
DON STENBERG
attorney general
Before Nelson arrived, Abboud criticized
him for breaking his pledge to finish his
four-year term as governor.
“We are disappointed that the governor is
not a man of his word,” Abboud said.
Abboud said Nelson had attempted to
distance himself from Democrats and run a
more independent-oriented campaign. But
that won’t wash with voters, Abboud said.
He said President Clinton, Sen. Bob Kerrey
and “a bunch of other Democrats” con
vinced Nelson to run.
“The independent thing is a sham,”
Abboud said.
Abboud took a few moments to discuss
the Republican side of the Senate race. He
said it didn’t matter to him when Nelson
officially began campaigning. The Republi
can campaign alreaay has started, he said.
See REACTION on £
Governor
to bid for
Exon’s seat
By Martt Woody
Senior Reporter
Eliding weeks of speculation, Nebraska
Gov. E. Benjamin Nelson announced Thurs
day morning that he would seek election to
the U.S. Senate.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m., Nelson entered a
news conference at the Governor’s Man
sion. Nelson presented his statement with
his wife, Diane, at his side and his children
standing behind him.
“After careful consideration and a lot of
consultation with my family, friends and
supporters, I have decided to run for the
United States Senate,” he said.
Cheers and applause broke loose from
about 50 supporters in attendance.
The governor said he would officially file
as a candidate for Sen. Jim Exon’s Senate
seat in early 1996 and make an official ||
campaign announcement then. Exon will "
retire after finishing his third term next year.
Although many had expected Nelson to
run for the Senate, he said ne made the final
decision less than an hour before the news
conference.
Nelson said he wanted to take a nonpar
tisan attitude to Washington. He referred to
his involvement on the unfunded mandates
bill that was passed by Congress earlier this ...
year. • ;
If he and other lawmakers are able to put *
aside partisan politics and work together, he S
said, they can begin to fix a “broken system.”
“The politics of the past have failed the
people of this state and this nation,” Nelson
said. “Anyone who knows me knows that
I’m not interested in petty and divisive poli
tics.”
In his announcement speech, Nelson
pointed to his accomplishments as governor.
Nelson said he had worked together with
state leaders to cut the growth of state spend
ing, to lead Nebraska to a low 2.5 percent
unemployment rate and to pass tougn crime
bills.
“We’ve moved this state forward,” he
said, “and we’ve done it together.”
Nelson said he expected to hear criticism
from some that he broke a pledge to serve out
his term as governor. At the time he signed
the pledge, Nelson said, he fully intended to
See NELSON on 8 |
Student found dead in Burr Hall
•V,/; •
Police say foul play
is not suspected in
East Campus death
By Jeff Zeleny
Senior Reporter
An 18-year-old UNL freshman was
found dead Thursday afternoon in her
Burr Residence Hall room.
The female student was found by
her roommate about 12:30 pjn. in her
third-floor room on East Campus, said
University Police Chief Ken Cauble.
The death is classified as undeter
mined, he said.
“It does not appear to be a criminal
investigation,” Cauble said.
The name of the student was not
immediately released because her fam
ily had not been notified. Cauble said
the student was from Lyons, a town of
more than 1,200 people about 35 miles
north of Fremont.
Police do not believe the death was
caused violently.
The Lancaster County Sheriffs
office and the University Police de
partment continued late Thursday af
ternoon to investigate the death. An
autopsy will be performed on the
woman today.
Housing officials informed Bun
Hall residents of the death at a meet
ing Thursday evening. Counseling was
offered to the students, said Lyn
Jakobsen, assistant director of hous
ing.
Students huddled in clusters in the
Burr Hall lobby Thursday afternoon,
whispering about the death, as family
and friends of the student and her
roommate removed things from her
room.
Two group counseling sessions will
be offered today at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“It does not appear to be
a criminal
investigation. ”
KEN CAUBLE
University Police Chief
in Burr Hall, Jakobsen said. Thera
pists from the University Health Cen
ter talked individually with students
and staff Thursday.
“We’ll see the need,” Jakobsen said,
standing in the Burr Hall lobby.
“Whenever anyone lodes distraught,
we’ll get them over to the counseling
center.”
East Campus students should not
be afraid of the death, Jakobsen said,
because the student was not a crime
victim.
Recent assaults appear
to be related, police say
By Jeff Zeleny
Senior Reporter
Lincoln and University police are
investigating two assault cases this
week that appear to be related.
In two separate incidents that hap
pened within 45 minutes Tuesday
night, two women told police they
were followed by a man in his mid
20s. In both cases the man caught,
grabbed and scared the women.
Police said the women fought the
man away and were not injured.
Lincoln Police Sgt. Ann Heermann
gave the following account of the first
assault, which occurred about 11 p.m.
Tuesday:
As a 20-year-old woman was jog
ging west on O Street between 13 th
and 14th streets, she noticed a man
exit a bar and begin to follow her. As
the woman approached 11th Street,
she noticed the man was jogging be
hind her.
The man then grabbed the woman
by the shoulders. As she struggled to
break free, he grabbed her buttocks
with one hand and her breasts with the
other.
The woman escaped and called
police.
University* Police Sgt. Bill Man
ning said a third-year female student
reported an assault about 11:45 pun.
Tuesday. Manning gave the follow
ing account of the assault, which oc
curred in an alley off 16th Street,
between Q and R streets:
See ASSAULT on 8