Property taxes likely
to dominate Legislature
PREVIEW from page 1
“It’s perceived as being an impor
tant project for the state of Nebraska,”
Wehrbein said. “Private money has
been very helpful, too.”
But getting help with the $88 mil
lion the university wants for deferred
maintenance problems in 16 buildings
on NU campuses may be harder and
will be looked at with “intense scru
tiny,” Wehrbein said. The university
wants to issue bonds that would raise
about $102 million.
The university’s budget will not be
discussed until March, when it goes
before the appropriations committee.
Arguments over property tax de
tails ate up a lot of floor debate time
last year and will again this year. But
more philosophical questions will be
raised on bills that affect fewer people
than property taxes do.
“There’s going to be some real con
troversy,” Wehrbein said.
Sen. David Maurstad of Beatrice
will be introducing a bill that would
prohibit partial-birth abortions except
when the mother’s life is in danger.
In a partial-birth abortion, a doc
tor dilates the woman’s cervix, deliv
ers the legs and arms of the fetus, then
pokes a hole in the head of the fetus
and suctions out the brain to collapse
the skull, which is too large to fit
through the cervix. The abortions are
I
usually performed in the second tri
mester, up to the sixth month of preg
nancy.
Maurstad said he was not sure how
many partial-birth abortions were per
formed in Nebraska each year, but the
procedure was not usually necessary
to save the mother’s life.
“It’s essentially elective,” he said.
“It’s difficult for me to understand.”
The governor had indicated he
would support LB23, Maurstad said.
Most other constituents he’d talked to
told him the same.
“I don’t think there’s a question
that the majority of Nebraskans feel
this is unnecessary,” Maurstad said.
He expects opposition from some
members of the Legislature, which
could result in hours of debate.
Maurstad stressed he did not want to
dredge up a general abortion debate.
“I want to facilitate discussion on
this procedure, not abortion,”
Maurstad said.
Last year, Nebraskans packed hear
ing rooms and protested both in favor
and against a failed bill that would
have legalized same-sex marriages.
A similar standoff will rise again
this year, both Withem and Wehrbein
said. A bill proposed by Jim Jensen of
Omaha would ban same-sex marriages
in the state, Wehrbein said.
“That will be a battleground,” he
said.
Law & Order
Burglary
The breaking and entering of a
gun store early Friday morning has
police starting from scratch.
Police were called to Archer
Arms-Pawn, 1334 S. 33rd St.,
around 2 a.m. When they arrived,
49 handguns, worth about $13,000
all together, were missing.
The perpetrator entered the
building through the roof, police
reports said.
Capt. Kim Koluch said Friday
morning the theft has the
department’s attention.
“It’s a major concern,” Koluch
said. “We don’t like having guns
unaccounted for out on the street
any more than you do.”
Some of the 49 weapons stolen
were large caliber and semi-auto
matic handguns, such as a 9 mm
pistol, a .380-caliber semi-auto
matic, a .357-caliber Magnum and
a .44-caliber Magnum.
Investigators have no new
leads, Koluch said, and encouraged
anyone with information to call
Crime Stoppers at 475-3600.
Suspicious package
The bomb squad was called to
the downtown post office, 700 R
St., when employees reported a sus
picious package around 9:20 a.m.
Thursday.
Lincoln Police Sgt. Ann
Heermann said employees heard
broken glass inside the package and
reported a white liquid leaking
from the box.
When authorities opened the
box, they found bottles of milk that
had been mailed from Kansas.
Vandalism
A string of vandalism with a
BB- or pellet-gun in north Lincoln
destroyed more than $2,000 worth
of car windows.
Heermann said because the in
cidents were reported on the same
day about the same time, police
believe they are the result of one
person or group.
Cars were damaged in the ar
eas of 12th Street near Irving,
Fairfield and Hartley streets. No
burglaries were reported from the
cars.
Students’ cars vandalized during break
From Staff Reports
Thirteen students got a welcome
back present they wished they could
return when their cars were broken
into while they were away on break.
Several owners had yet to be noti
fied by police before they returned to
campus.
“Hopefully, they’ll go to their
cars,” University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Police Sgt. Mylo Bushing said. “We
should start hearing from them over
the weekend.”
On Dec. 27, four cars in the Area
20 lot between 14th and 16th streets
on W Street and nine cars in the Area
3 lot north of the Harper-Schramm
Smith Residence Hall were broken
into.
The crimes, now listed as vandal
ism/criminal mischief, totaled $2,850
in damages, mostly from broken win
dows. Four of the break-ins were
changed to larceny from automobiles
when the owners found items miss
ing.
Bushing said if owners found items
missing, each crime would be changed
to a larceny from auto, which carries
stiffer penalties.
Owners reported three car stereos
and a tire gauge missing from four
cars. A vandal did $400 damage to one
car to steal the $5 gauge.
Bushing said the thefts were prob
ably related.
Seven local Subways dose
after owners faced with debt
SUBWAY from page 1
Moes’ largest creditor, Ayars and
Aykrs Inc., and reopened under new
management.
Will Safris, the new manager of
both stores, also is the owner of
Lincoln’s three other Subways at
48th and Highway 2,48th and Van
Dom streets, and in East Park Plaza
at 66th and O streets. Safris said
he also would operate the Nebraska
Union location at least until its
lease runs out in July.
This was good news for Amy
Deubelbeiss, manager of the Union
shop, who did not look forward to
telling her dozen sandwich artists
—many of whom went home over
break—that they would be unem
ployed for the new year.
Neither Moe contacted
Deubelbeiss, who managed the uni
versity Subway for two years, be
fore the stores closed. All phone
numbers she had for Greg or Jeff
Moe are out of service.
“I feel real taken advantage of,”
she said. “I’m very upset that they
can just play with our lives and go
about their daily lives and don’t
wnrrv ahnnt it
“They could have at least let us
know it was this bad.”
Even the stores’ director of op
erations had to rely on a third-hand
source to find out only 10 minutes
before the locks were changed that
the stores were being closed.
George Gregg, who quit two
days before the closings, managed
to notify most of the managers and
later secured paychecks for all em
. ployees.
Gregg tried to explain the
Moes’ climbing debt.
“Basically, they got their backs
against a wall, and there was noth
ing they could do,” he said.
“There’s nothing they are going to
do. They are going to let them go.”
Gregg said he had not heard
from Greg Moe in a week and did
not know where, he was, but was
assured; that Moe will pay off,his
debt eventually. ~J "~
“What he did was a mistake.
Everybody makes them, only his
was on a larger scale than most,”
Gregg said. “I will not defend him
nor will I crucify him.”
\
u
Basically, they got
their backs
against a wall,
and there was
nothing they could
do.”
George Gregg
former Subway administrator
Safris, who will now be respon
sible for six stores formerly owned
by the Moes, said he had no sym
pathy for Greg Moe, who actually
owned Safris’ three other stores
until Moe was unable to make pay
ment and Safris repossessed them
in August.
He said the Moes’ mistakes
could cost Subway some dough in
the Lincoln market — especially
with competing sandwich chain
Rlimnifi Ruhc arwl SnlaHc
“If a dollar is a vote, nobody’s
been voting for Subway,” Safris
said.
“I think he over-expanded the
market too quickly,” he said. “I
don’t think Lincoln needs 10 Sub
way shops.”
Gregg agreed, and said that
even with efforts to find new man
agement, he doubted the Subways
on 17th and South streets and on
12th and Q streets in the Gunny’s
building will reopen.
Officials at Subway’s headquar
ters in Milford, Conn., said they
will examine each Lincoln store.
Subway spokesman Jared Nixon
said, “We definitely plan to main
tain our presence in the Lincoln
area.”
Nixon said no one would be
shortchanged, including the Uni
versity of Nebraska-Lincoln, to
which the Moes owe $2,000 for
December’s rent. The rent and any
other debt will be paid by the cor
poration, said Daryl Swanson, Ne
braska Union manager.
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