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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 2, 1998)
'K,/ 1 .• • Police officers aim to keep illegal fireworks out of state By Tom Foster Staff Reporter A sign near one of the Watson, Mo., fireworks stores reminds visitors to “Celebrate America.” Inside, customers in patriotic clothes, many of them from southeast Nebraska, prepare to do just that. But as Independence Day approaches and festivities take shape, some Nebraska law enforcement officials are crack ing down, trying to curb the flow if illegal fireworks into the state. Nebraska law prohibits any fireworks that shoot into the air and may still be hot upon landing. That means no bottle rockets and no roman candles, two of the xuwoi pu^uiai ijrpgs. opaiKiciS, smoke bombs and different vari eties of spinning, screaming ground displays are legal in the state. Nebraska law also prohibits anyone from bringing fireworks - even legal fireworks - over the state line without a $500 permit. Judging from the majority of i Nebraska license plates in j Watson, that law could be a prob lem. To enforce those laws, the ? State Fire Marshal’s .Office has I embarked on a campaign of road * blocks at various entry points to > the state. The officers search 100s of cars and hand out fines to * violators — $50 for each law bro ken. On Saturday, when the stores along Interstate 29 were doing their peak business, the officers set up a road block in Nebraska i City, the most convenient entry * point for southeast Nebraskans. For several hours, 12 officers stopped up to 50 cars at a time. i “I had to borrow some offi cers,” said Chief Investigator tt-— I feel like we're getting bashed in Nebraska. People don't realize this is a way of life for us." Jill Watson Pierce Fireworks employee Jack Malicky. “I only have eight.” Malicky said this year’s road •blocks had oply yielded 10 cita tions since they were started on June 25. “In a normal year, we’d do that in a day,” he said. Malicky said the difference this year is in the amount of media coverage. Several newspa pers and television stations have focused on the issue. “I’ve been here since 1981,” he said, “and we've done this every year.” Jill Davis, an employee at Pierce Fireworks in Watson, said business hadn’t suffered from the increased attention to Nebraska laws. Around her, people take their time choosing from giant bins with names like Old Glory, Sky Blaster and Bullet Bomb. They come to the star-spangled check out counter with armloads of fireworks. “I feel like we’re getting bashed in Nebraska,” Davis said. “People don't realize this is a way of life for us.” Much the same, many Nebraskans who celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks will continue to risk search and seizure to preserve their way of life. Nebraskan StAJMJMAT EditiOHy httpyyWww.unl.edu/DaHyNeb/Fax Number 472-1761 Editors Jennifer Walter_ Darren Ivy, 472-1766 Art Director Matthew 6. Haney Photo Director Mike Warren Web Page Edtor Great Steams General Manager Dan Shattil Advertising Manager NickPartsch Aset Advertising Manager Andrea OeBen Pubicatlon Board CltMr Jessica Haftnam, 466-8404 Professional Advisor Don Walton, 473-7301 The Daly Nebraskan (USPS 14+080) is putfehedty the UNLpubfication Board, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St, Lincoln, NE 685884)448, Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly during summer soosiono. Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daly Nebraskan by phoning 472*2588 between 9 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday. Thepublc also has access to the Pubfcaiion Board. For information, Contact Travis Brandt 472-2588. Subscription price is $55 for one year. Postmaster Send address Changes to the Daly Nebraskan, P.O. Box 880448, Lincoln, Nt 68888-0448. Period* postage paid at Lincoln, NE f ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1996 DAILY NEBRASKAN _PagE-2_JL DahyI^EBBASKAN Summer Edition. ■ Thursday, July 2,1998 6 spa*? ■ viomqg gaangwmiaAgaaK^gAU ■ 8&i ts urn Officials warn celebrants of Independence Day dangers By Jessica Flanagain Staff Reporter The time for family picnics, watermelon and young sters racing about with explosives is fast approaching. The 4th of July is just around the comer. This day marks not only the anniversary of our independence, but a busy day for emergency room staff as well. According to reports sent from young children, are Sparklers, which bum at a tempera ture hot enough to melt some metals. James Devine, president of the Nebraska Optometric Association, expressed his concern from a medical standpoint “Fireworks are such a concern for us due to the amount and severity of injuries this time of year,” Devine said. “One of the most common injuries we see are Sparklers cinders getting embedded into the eye — often causing retinal detachment and sometimes blind UV»|#tMU0 OMHVniUVj 0MU0I1V0 il Ulli die office of the State Fire Marshall showed that last year, Nebraska’s reported fireworks injuries increased nearly 15 parent, and the number of injuries resulting from illegal fireworks doubled. Statistics from the American Academy of Ophthalmology show that children and young adults are the age group most likely to be injured, account ing for 75 percent of the total injinies. State Fire Marshall Mike Durst said youngsters were often at risk because parents left diem unattend ed. “Supervision is the biggest prob lem we face on the Fourth,” Durst u This is the only time of the year when parents allow their children to play with matches, and they need to exercise more caution ” Mike Durst State Fire Marshall uvuo av ytv ivoujr vuwiuagv pw" pie to be cautious and at least wear glasses this year.” Roughly one third of fireworks related injuries are eye injuries, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Of these, one third result in permanent damage to the eye; one fourth result in perma nent vision impairment or blindness and approximately one in 20 victims requires removal of the eye or loss of all useful sight To make this year’s July Fourth festivities safer and more enjoyable for all, the Nebraska Academy of Ophthalmology Association, the Nebraska Optometry Association and the Nebraska State Fire a f«« i* aaiu. ocuci juuginem cans iiecu 10 be made when children are handling explosives. This is the only time of the year when par ents allow their children to play with matches, and they need to exercise more caution.” The State Fire Marshall’s office deemed bottle-rock ets — now illegal in.Nebraska — to be the most dan gerous fireworks because they fly erratically and often injure bystanders. Also dangerous, yet often given to lviaisuau encourage lammes 10 attend public fireworks displays. In addition, Barb Elstirn, fire prevention coordinator for Nebraska, said taking precautions such as following label instructions, having an adult supervisor at all times, avoiding homes, trees and dry grass, lighting only one firework at a time and wearing eye protection, may reduce the risk of injury for families this Independence Day. Local communities plan variety of festivities By Tom Foster Staff Reporter Cautious Lincoln residents, wary of creating their own fire works displays, will have many alternatives this Fourth of July. Most notably, the Lincoln Jaycees will keep the party going all day at the annual Fourth of July Celebration at Holmes Park. The event starts early with a fun run at 7 a.m. The run will be fol lowed by a jet ski competition at 8 a.m., and a youth baseball compe tition and coed sand volleyball tournament at 9 a.m. At 9:30 a.m., there will be a classic car show, and at 10 a.m., a kite demonstration. Beginning at 11 a.m., chil dren’s games and activities will begin, and* a “Dunk-A-Cop” booth will provide hours of enter tainment. At 11:30 a.m,, the live music will begin, with six bands playing into the night. Scheduled to per form are Aspen at 11:30 a.m.; Bossphilly at 1 p.m.; The Victims at 2:30 p.m.; The Distractions at 4 p.m.; Radio King at 5:30 p.m. and Rascal Basket at 7 p.m. A fireworks display over Holmes Lake will follow at about 10 p.m. ' Several surrounding commu nities will also host Fourth of July events. All weekend, the city of Waverly will celebrate WaverlyFest, a festival sponsored by the Waverly Jaycees. The party begins Friday night with a street dance, beer gardens and live music. Saturday morning, the Kiwanis Pancake Feed will be fol lowed by a children's parade and later an adult parade. The day continues with children’s games and a three-on-three basketball tournament. Finally, a picnic and fireworks in Wayne Park con clude the celebration. The town of Hickman will also sponsor fireworks on July 4, as will the nearby towns of Auburn, Seward, Humboldt and Murray, among others. arWiiiwlM*. • »1 <«.. >•■■— *>*" --- ---
