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COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA SINCE 1901 VOL. 95 NO. 81 ?™un ;
-. . ■ — _January 11, 1996_
Coupon holds no smoke
Provision
problematic,
retailers say
By Chad Lorenz
Senior Reporter
Coupon clippers and merchants
beware.
A coupon recently distributed in
Nebraska newspapers, if honored, vio
lates Nebraska’s smokeless tobacco
laws. A number of Lincoln retailers
Wednesday accepted the coupon.
The Dec. 10 edition of “Parade”
magazine, a nationally distributed in
sert found Sundays in the Omaha
World-Herald and the Lincoln Jour
nal Star, contained a coupon for a
$ 1.50 discount on Skoal’s flavor packs
of chewing tobacco.
At the bottom the coupon, in small
print, arc the words “Void in Ne
braska.” _j
Article 19 of Nebraska’s tobacco
laws says distribution of smokeless
tobacco at a discount, free sample or
“two-for-one” offer could bring the
seller a $500 penalty for the first of
fense and $600 to $3,000 for subse
quent offenses.
The law, which was passed in 1989,
is exclusive to Nebraska.
Kathy Burklund, a community
health educator for the state health
department, said the attorney general,
district courts and county sheriff were
responsible for enforcing the law.
But Burklund said the law wasn’t
enforced well. And a deputy at the
Lancaster County sheriff’s of
fice said no set procedure ex
isted for enforcing the law.
Retailers interviewed by *
the Daily Nebraskan said they *
had not heard of the law, and ^
most were accepting the coupon. '
Jason Holm, a manager at the \
Kwik Shop at 2701 W St., said not *
notifying sellers of the law was un
fair.
“I’m sure they have their reasons
for the law, but I think they should
make it clear to the public.”
Brian Coles, a shift manager at Hy
Vec, 14th and Superior streets, said he
See TOBACCO on 3
NU officials
acquire free
bowl tickets
By Julie Sobczyk
Senior Reporter
University of Nebraska administrators got a
free trip to national championship festivities in
Arizona, but NU didn’t pick up the tab, an offi
cial said Wednesday.
Gary Fouraker, assistant athletic director for
business affairs, said $38,000 was allotted to
send administrators, their spouses and the Board
of Regents to the
—game.
“The other “We set thi“
money as an al
regents put in for lowancc from the
quite a few, so I bowl package” he
just upped my said.
„ The money paid
requests. for tickets, air fare
ROBERT ALLEN fnd lodging for
the NU Board of
NU Regent Regents, members
of the chancellor’s
= office and the NU
President’s office.
Members of the UNL chancellor’s and NU
president’s offices could take their spouses for
free, but regents had to pay for their spouses.
Tickets cost anywhere from $65 to $95,
FOuraker said, and air fare was about $350 per
scat.
The total amount spent on the trip, however,
is not available yet, Fouraker said, because he
has not received the hotel bill.
Administrators could request additional tick
ets, but the requests had to be paid for out of
their own pockets.
Some regents made large requests for tick
ets. Regents chairwoman Nancy O’Brien of
Waterloo received 41 additional tickets, and
Regent John Payne of Kearney got 37.
Other large requests included Regent Don
Blank of McCook, who requested 35 tickets,
and Regent Robert Allen of Hastings, who re
quested 31.
The requests were in addition to the one free
ticket each regent received.
Allen said he bought tickets for his wife and
daughter. He sold the remaining 29 tickets to
friends and people who asked him to get tick
ets.
“It got out of hand,” Allen said. “People I
knew in Arizona called me for tickets, friends
of mine called, and the mother of a yell squad
member.”
But Allen said he wasn’t alone. He requested
so many tickets because of the large requests
made by other regents.
“The other regents put in for quite a few, so
See TICKETS on 3
Travis Heying/DN
Marty Ramirez, along with his partners Joe Lopez and Cruz Quintana (not pictured), have started a boxing club in
Lincoln and are hoping to gain a large following. Ramirez is a counselor at the University Health Center.
Boxing club aims to knock out gangs
By Joshua Gillin
Staff Reporter
With gangs and drugs seemingly increas
ing problems in Lincoln, the future of the
community’s youth could be thrown into
question.
But three men feel they may have an an
swer — the Lincoln Boxing Club.
The club will be open to youths and adults
and will offer an alternative to the streets,
said Marty Ramirez, one of the club’s three
organizers.
“I think there’s a need out there,” he said.
“As far as the competition and skill-building
are concerned, I think it’s an excellent alter
native to gang violence.”
Ramirez, a counselor at the University
Health Center, said he and his two fellow
coaches — Joe Lopez, a barber, and Cruz
Quintana, a social worker — had wanted to
open a club for more than a year, but the re
sources simply hadn’t been available.
Ramirez said the city was leasing the
space for the club at the Air Park Recreation
Center. He said the help was greatly appre
ciated, because it allowed the club to focus
more on guidance and helping children sue
ceed in life, rather than trying to find the
money to keep it running.
The club is sponsored by the Hispanic
Community Center and meets from 6:30 p.m.
to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Prac
tice is at the recreation center, 3720 N.W.
46th St.
“When you talk about opening something
like this, a lot of people go, 'Oh, yeah, yeah,
yeah,”’ Ramirez said. “Now you can see it
isn’t just 'yeah, yeah, yeah.’”
Members of the club are expected to pro
vide their own trunks and handwraps, as well
as a mouthguard and some form of insur
ance. Gloves and training are free.
Donations are being sought to help keep
the operation going, though.
“We’ve had a few people donating
money,” Lopez said. “I think it will be fine,
though. When clubs died out before, it was
because they didn’t have any place to work
out of. We’ve got that taken care of now.”
All three coaches have been Golden
Gloves boxers before, and they hope to carry
on that tradition.
A newer twist on the traditional boxing
club is the possibility of having female mem
bers.
“I know boxing is one of those stereo
typical macho thingsRamirez said, “but if
there are girls out there who want to box,
who need somewhere to go, we feel we
should be there for them.”
A wide range of age groups may partici
pate in the club—anyone between eight and
38, who are physically well enough to train.
While some may not consider boxing a
safe or constructive use of one’s spare time,
Ramirez considers it one of the best things a
community could offer.
“I feel that many people have a negative
reaction toward boxing, that there’s a nega
tive connotation that’s always present,” he
said. “I think that extends from what people
see from the professionals. We’re more about
sportsmanship, competition and safety, not
doing this as a career someday.
“We’re trying to keep these kids safe, and
I think there’s no better way to do that then
to have them participate in a sport that’s re
ally as American as apple pie.”
Ramirez said those interested in partici
pating in the club could call him at the Uni
versity Health Center at 472-7461, or at his
home at 467-3640.__