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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1996)
MONDAY «<33»N<««33»M««33»M<«<333>ft<«C33»M««33»h«<C33»M«<33» WEATHER: Today - Quite windy and cold. Northwest wind 25 to 40 mph. Tonight - Clearing and cold, low 5 to 10 above. March 25, 1996 Matthew Waite/DN Ben Behlen stands next to Wagner Lakes; where hie brother Jacob, a UNL freshman, drowned in an accident last week. Three other Columbus teen-agers, one of whom was also a UNL freshman, died in the accident. Columbus teens killed in accident Two UNL freshmen among victims; funerals today By Matthew Waite Senior Editor COLUMBUS—With the hclpof friends and family, the family of Jacob Bchlen is coping with hisdeath,hisbrother Ben Behlen said Saturday. Standing near the spot where his brother drowned just days earlier, Bchlen said neigh bors and friends have been stopping by the house with food and condolences. The kind words the family needs. The food already has filled four refrigerators. Jacob Behlen died last week in an acci dent that killed three other teen-agers from Columbus. Behlen, Eric Kudron, Ryan Gragert and Christina Dyer were all 19. Bchlen and Dyer were both University of Nebraska-Lincoln freshmen. The four had been missing since Monday, March 18. They were found in a submerged car in Wagner Lakes on Wednesday night. According to a preliminary autopsy re port released Friday, each of the four teen agers was legally drunk, with blood-alcohol levels above .10. Exact figures were not released by the Platte County Attorney’s office Friday. Another report released Friday said me chanical tests done on the car confirmed the brakes did not fail — an early theory by investigators and family members. Ben Bchlcn, 16, said investigators were looking into a possible blowout on the car that could have caused it to be thrown out of control. Police found a scar on a concrete median at an intersection near the site and also found a bent rim on the car. Jacob Behlen was reported to have been driving the car. Many questions remain, and few answers have been found. For Ben Behlen, now is a time for family and healing. Funerals for the four arc today in Colum bus. Jacob Bchlcn, a businessmajor, and Dyer, a psychology major, were home on spring break from UNL. Both lived in Abel Resi dence Hall. “I guess he was liking the vacation — being with the family,” Ben Bchlcn said. “He came home a lot.” / Behlen said his brother made no enemies. “Not a person that met him didn’t like him,” he said. “He made friends really quick.” A steady stream of mourners passed by the crash site Saturday afternoon. Many shed tears, some left flowers, despite a sign posted by the Columbus police department asking them not to. The land is private property. A lone rose lay near a fence post, a fence the car crashed through before going into the lake. A card that read “I love you Jacob” lay nearby. Mark Shannon, a Columbus resident who lives a few blocks from the crash site, said people in the central Nebraska town of20,000 people are reacting typically to the tragedy. “We’re all shocked, outraged,” he said, looking at the lake. “I am really appalled that four kids had to die so senselessly.” Shannon was on the scene of the crash when police pulled the vehicle out of the water. He said as lie walked away, several teen-agers asked what happened, and if the four were alive. “Those young people were hoping for the best. We all were,” he said. “It’s a terrible waste of human life.” Senators to review property tax plans By Ted Taylor Senior Reporter State senators today move into their second weekofwork on several prop erty tax relief plansadvanced by the Legislature’s Revenue Committee. Last Tuesday lawmakers quickly advanced LB 1085, the first step in the committee’s package, by a 38-1 vote. Gov. Ben Nelson has said he supports the package. The package includes LR292CA, a constitutional amendment that would allow local governments to consolidate or merge if voters approve. Other points include: # requiring political subdivisions to pass a resolution to receive more from property tax than from the previous year, • giving county boards direct oversight of the operations of certain services, • setting procedures for the merging and consolidation of local governments, # giving the property tax administrator full responsibility for assessment of property. Property taxes are levied, collected and spent by local governments under conditions set by the Legislature. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said LB1085 could make things worse. “If we lei counties do what’s in their best interest even if it is non-bencficial to other counties, might this worsen the situation?” he asked. But other senators said they thought the plan would help increase participation within the counties. Sen. Chris Beutler of Lincoln said the bill was designed “to make counties really think about” the idea of consolidation. Other property tax relief proposals on the table include LB 1114, which would limit the property tax rates local governments can levy, and LB299, which would put two-year spend ing limits on local governments. Debate is scheduled to resume on the prop erty tax relief plans today. Regents OK Union plans for expansion By Julie Sobczyk Senior Reporter Plans for the Nebraska Union expansion went one step further Saturday. At its monthly meeting, the NU Board of Regents approved the project’s schematic plansand budget of $12.6 million. James Griescn, UNL vice chancellor for student affairs, told the board the estimated construction cost of the project would increase by $300,000. That amount would cover additional fire and safety sys tems that wil 1 need to be added to the existing union building, Griesen said. The additional $300,000 will be funded by UNL’s general repair and improvement budget, he said, so the project’s budget would not need to increase. The expansion project is set to begin next semester. The board unanimously approved an increase of $77,757 in the budget for repairs and up grades for the three elevators in Oldfathcr Hall. The regents also unanimously approved Clark Encrsen Partners to design the multi-level park ing structure west of Memorial Stadium. ■ The firm was chosen from seven architec tural and engineering companies that showed interest in designing the structure, which will contain 600 parking spaces, offices for Parking Services, the Athletic Department ticket office and the UNL Police DeparUncnt. The firm’s approved budget is $409,531. In other business, the board unanimously See REGENTS on 6 Moeser wants betterprograms for undergrads By Julie Sobczyk Senior Reporter Gaining high qual ity students, improving the campus env ironmcnt, prov iding nat ional ly rec - ognized programs and kecpingupwith tcchnol - ogywillallbeapartofUNL’s p . future, the university’s top NU Kegenis administrator said Saturday. Chancellor James Moeser outlined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s goals for 1996 to 2001 at the NU Board of Regents’ monthly meet ing. The strategic plan for UNL I focuses on the areas of in struction, research, outreach, student access and the campus community and environment, he said. Administrators have worked for two years to define the goals for the next five years. At the top of the list, Moeser said, is improv ing UNL’s undergraduate programs. “This is my No. 1 priority,” he said. “This is a major issue for me, and it must be for this university.” UNL got off to agood start this year, Moeser said, as the average ACT score of incoming freshmen increased from 22.7 to 23.1. The increase could be attributed to recruit ing done by the Office of Admissions, he said. “If we don’t recruit the students, they won’t stay in Nebraska,” Moeser said. The new admissions standards, which will go into effect in the fall of 1997, make sure freshmen are prepared to succeed academically See MOESER on 6
