SPORTS
Voss’s tosses
With a win tonight, Nebraska pitcher Jenny Voss
could tie the program’s single season win record
of 24. Voss set the record last season. PAGE 6
A & E
Down and dirty
It’s lonely nights and whiskey bottles. It’s southern
gentlemen and Chicago ladies. It’s the blues, and
it’s actually available in Lincoln. BACK PAGE
April 7, 1998
Lightning Crashes
Possible thunderstorms, high 60. Rain tonight, low 47.
VOL. 97 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 134
Daniel Luedert/DN
TRYING TO REMEMBER the words to the “Star-Spangled Banner,” Chelsey Boles, 7, of Fredstrom School, sings dur
ing the opening of the “School is Cool” Jam at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Monday. She was from one of 262
schools that participated in the seventh annual event, which aimed at getting children excited about education.
Respect reigns at jam
By Adam Kunker
Staff Reporter
Imagine Gov. Ben Nelson and ex
Husker fullback Cory Schlesinger
doing the chicken dance with NU
mascot Lil' Red.
Imagine high-flying trampoline
acrobatics and artful slam dunking.
Picture 14,000 students led by
former Husker Football Coach Tom
Osborne and other famous figures
shouting their love for school.
Put it all together, and it's the sev
enth annual Best of America “School
is Cool” Jam.
The program, which is the state's
largest of its kind, was held at the Bob
Devaney Sports Center Monday
morning.
“We're the premier one,” said
George Sturgeon. University of
Nebraska-Lincoln chemistry profes
sor and adviser for UNUs Golden Key
Honor Society, one of the student
organizations that sponsors the Jam.
Similar programs are put on at
Oklahoma State University in
Stillwater, Okla.; Iowa State
University in Ames, Iowa; and
Pennsylvania State University in
University Park, Pa.
“It’s looked highly upon by other
(Golden Key) chapters,” said Jeremy
Wortman, the Best of America chair
man for the Nebraska chapter. “We
love it. The kids are great"
Wortman, along with Golden Key
President Chris Linder, delivered a
message stressing courtesy, honesty
and listening skills as a way of
respecting people.
Other speakers included Husker
volleyball player Fiona Nepo, Nelson,
Osborne and freshman football player
Bobby Newcombe. Osborne also was
recognized for his participation in the
"School is Cool” Jam with a tribute
from some of his former players.
All of the speakers touched on the
issue of respect, the theme for this
years jam.
Please see JAM on 4
Death penalty
bill advances
■ The legislation would
prohibit the execution of
people who exhibit signs of
mental retardation.
By Brian Carlson
Senior Reporter
Senators advanced a bill Monday
that would exempt mentally retarded
people from bemg sentenced to death.
LB 1266, sponsored by Sens. Don
Wesely of Lincoln and John Hilgert of
Omaha, advanced 31 -0 from general
file to select file.
If the Legislature passes the bill,
Nebraska would join 11 other states
puoovu w&umuv/u puinunmfc
the execution of mentally retarded peo
ple.
“The fact of the matter is, this does
happen in the U.S.,” Hilgert said. “Let’s
make sure it doesn't happen here.”
The bill prohibits the death penalty
for people exhibiting mental retarda
tion or those with “significantly sub
average general intellectual function
ing existing concurrently with deficits
in adaptive behavior.”
Under the bill, persons are pre
sumed to be mentally retarded if their
IQ is 70 or lower, although this stan
dard would be considered along with
behavior.
LB 1266 also outlines a procedure
for considering mental retardation in
sentencing.
If the defense wishes to argue the
defendant should not be executed
because of mental retardation, it must
file a motion containing evidence of
the condition. A hearing would be held
before sentencing in which the defense
would have to demonstrate the evi
dence pointed to mental retardation.
Anyone already sentenced to death
who wished to get off death row by
claiming mental retardation would
have 120 days from the bill’s enact
ment to file an appeal.
Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, a
bill proponent, said he was aware of
one death row inmate, Clarence Victor,
who may be able to claim mental retar
dation.
“The possibility that someone
could receive the death penalty who is
mentally retarded is repugnant to those
of us who understand it,” Wesely said.
Sens. Curt Bromm of Wahoo and
Kate Witek of Omaha questioned the
bill’s clarity m defining mental retarda
tion and establishing a procedure for
considering it in sentencing.
tsromm saia ne womea ine aenni
tion of mental retardation wasn’t clear
cut and didn't account for potential dif
ferences in degrees of retardation.
Witek said she wondered why the
70 IQ criterion was included if it was
n't binding. She also expressed con
cern the bill would add to already long
delays in carrying out death sentences.
Chambers said the pre-sentencing
hearing would allow both the defense
and the prosecution to debate such
concerns. The hearing would be suffi
cient for determining whether there
was a preponderance of evidence for
mental retardation, he said.
Sen. Jim Cudaback of Riverdale
said his colleagues knew in their hearts
it would be wrong to execute a mental
ly retarded person and should vote
accordingly.
“There comes a time to do the right
thing.”
Candidates for RHA
prepare for elections
ByIevaAugstums
Assignment Reporter
Candidates in the Residence Hall
Association elections for the 1998-99
academic year reiterated their campaign
points this week in preparation for
Wednesday’s election.
Students living in the residence
halls can vote at polls located in all food
service buildings from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Students must vote at the hall where
they live.
Two parties - ACTION and
ENHANCE - have met eligibility
requirements for RHA executive board
positions.
ACTION’S ticket includes Ben
Wallace for president, Shane Perkins for
vice president, Jill Beran for secretary
and treasurer write-in candidate Brian
Oppliger.
Wallace, current RHA president
and a junior French major living in
Harper Residence Hall, has been
involved in RHA for three years.
“RHA is about voicing issues that
students want,” Wallace said. “It is also
about making things happen.”
Wallace said he wants to improve
communication between RHA and the
University of Nebraska-Lmcoln greek
system regardless if he is elected presi
Please see RHA on 4
Police: 2 robberies related
By Josh Funk
Senior Reporter
Two weekend robberies at differ
ent convenience stores left one clerk
in the hospital and another rattled by
gunfire.
Police believe the two robberies,
which happened Sunday night and
early Monday morning, could be
connected.
Monday morning, a clerk was
shot twice amid the confusion of a
robbery gone bad.
Just before 12:30 a.m. two men
armed with handguns entered the
Gas ‘N Shop at 5560 S. 48th St. and
demanded cash, said Lincoln Police
Sgt. Ann Heermann.
Two witnesses in the store told
police that there was confusion at the
counter before one of the men shot
the 22-year-old female clerk twice.
One shot entered the clerk's
mouth and exited through her cheek,
and the other shot lodged in her hip.
She was taken to Lincoln General
Hospital where she was listed in seri
ous condition Monday.
The two men left southbound on
48th Street in a white, full-size 1980s
car, Heermann said.
The robbers are described as
black men wearing black stocking
caps and black clothing.
One was about 5 feet 10 inches
tall and 175 pounds with several
days’ growth of facial hair, police
said. The other was 5 feet 7 inches
tall and 150 pounds.
Police believe there was a possi
ble connection between this incident
and the robbery of a Kwik Shop, 33rd
and Holdredge streets, which
occurred 40 minutes earlier.
At 11:50 p.m. Sunday two men
entered the store, pointed handguns
and told the 68-year-old male clerk to
empty the register, Heermann said.
One of the men fired into the
ceiling several times as the clerk
emptied the register.
The thieves caused $185 damage
to the store and fled eastbound in the
alley behind the store. They left with
an undisclosed amount of cash.
They are both described as black
men, 6 feet tall with average builds.
They were wearing black T-shirts,
black sweatpants and black stocking
caps, police said. One of the men had
a goatee.
The two robberies were the 57th
and 58th this year. Last year, Lincoln
had 44 robberies by this time.
Crimestoppers is offering a
$1,000 reward for any information
leading to an arrest in either robbery.
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