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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 1999)
— p Teens get girl, 15, drunk Lincoln Police cited two teen agers for contributing to the delin quency of a minor when a 15-year old girl passed out drunk after a party at their apartment. Around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, police officers and paramedics went to the apartment on the 6100 block of N.W. Second Street Circle after the girl passed out and became unre sponsive, Police Chief Tom Casady said. The girl was taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital where her blood-alcohol content registered at .28. The two teen-agers who live in the apartment, aged 18 and 19, were cited for contributing to the delin quency of a minor, which is a class one misdemeanor. Two men caught with drugs An anonymous tip led police to two men with small amounts of cocaine and marijuana and $749 cash. Officers from the narcotics vmit contacted the two young men from Omaha at an apartment on the 1600 block of E Street on Sunday evening, Lincoln Police Sgt. Todd Beam said. After introducing themselves, the police found that one of the men had an outstanding warrant for dri ving with a suspended license. They arrested the 21-year-old and found seven grams of base cocaine in the couch where he was sitting, and the $749 cash in his pocket. When police searched the other man, 20, they found 3.6 grams of marijuana in his pocket. The first man was arrested for his warrant and charged with pos session of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, and the second man was cited for posses sion of marijuana. Compiled by senior staff writer Josh Funk Board votes against clemency for Reeves BOARD from page 1 Secretary of State Scott Moore, who supports the death penalty, said Reeves deserved a hearing. “I myself want to hear from the per son himself before I cast a vote,” he said. “I think this board has set a wrong precedent with this case.” Prior to the Harold Lamont Otey execution in 1994, Moore said the Pardons Board had only denied a hear ing to one murderer. Audrey Lamm broke down and started weeping and shuddering uncon trollably, but quietly, in her seat. Hutchinson came to her side with a comforting embrace. Thrusting into the air a poster-sized picture of Vicki Lamm and her two sis ters, Hutchinson attempted to empha size the human side of the death penalty, giving the board faces with the names before them. The Board then voted 2-1, with Moore dissenting, to deny Reeves a hearing and began discussing rejecting his application for clemency entirely. Moore, who wanted to wait until the Board’s Wednesday meeting to vote on possible clemency, convinced the other Pardons Board members to grant him a 15-minute recess and left the room. Then the families started to plead with the Board. Audrey Lamm was the first. “Please don’t do this to my mother,” she asked Stenberg and Johanns. Some people in the crowd wore anti-death penalty T-shirts, or corsages of three small pink roses signifying the three lives lost: Lamm, Mesner and Reeves. occasionally vuiocs uum uic uiuwu offered comment: “Even Jesus would give a hearing.” “At least grant him a hearing.” “I hope you sleep at night, Governor.” During the pleas, Johanns sat somberly tapping two fingers against his lips, avoiding eye contact. Stenberg listened, blank-faced, to the pleas. Vicki Lamm’s brother, Greg Zessin, who supports the death penalty, became irritated with the display: “This is a recess, not a time to address (the Board).” But the pleas continued until Moore returned and the hearing reconvened. Back in discussion, Stenberg read a letter written to the Lincoln Journal Star by one of Vicki’s Lamm’s sisters in support of the death penalty. Then the Board voted 3-0 to deny clemency and proceed with the sched uled execution. Moore, who had lobbied for a hear ing, went along with the decision not to grant clemency, after trying many tac tics. “It’s hard to imagine a case being granted more due process than this,” Johanns said. Afterward, Reeves’ supporters con soled each other in the Governor’s Hearing Room, recognizing that the end was near. In the hallway, Audrey Lamm sat crumpled on the floor, crying. Zessin, her uncle, said he was satis fied with the outcome of the 18-year ordeal as he left the Capitol with his family. “It reaffirms my belief in the justice system.” Chambers introduces 28th anti-death penalty bill DEATH from page 1 “If there’s one issue in my district that has overwhelming support, (keeping the death penalty) is it,” Bohlke said. The reasoning is pretty simple, senators said - most Nebraskans don’t have faith that people sentenced to life in prison without parole will stay in prison. “The reason I think people don’t trust life without parole is because when people are given life they don’t stay ih for life,” said Omaha Sen. Deb Suttle. “They don’t trust the whole thing.” Other senators said that some con stituents believe death is an appropri ate punishment for someone who has committed the act of murder. That’s why many senators said the coincidence of Reeves’ execution and the opening session will have little effect on the way lawmakers vote. But Omaha Sen. John Hilgert said the coinciding schedules of the ses sion and the execution do not mean senators hearts have turned cold to at least listening to arguments in favor of ending the practice of electrocuting people convicted of the most heinous crimes. “It certainly makes every senator re-examine their opinions on capital punishment.” Holiday raises concerns NU officials hope for high attejidance at King events ByIevaAugstums Senior staff writer Controversy over a decision made last year to honor world-renowned civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a university holiday is once again concerning some university officials. With Monday’s King holiday, con flict is arising over whether University of Nebraska-Lincoln students, faculty members and staff will actually use the day for the purpose it has been intended for: “More Than Just A Day: Remembering, Reflecting and Renewing,” a series of lectures and events. “Some people will attend, others won’t,” said Chancellor James Moeser. “Human nature will direct some stu dents to the events and some home for the weekend.” Minority Assistance Program Director Chuck van Rossum said the university is making every effort to encourage participation in the events. “We are hoping through personal interaction, publicity as well as outreach through student groups and ASUN we will be able to reach as many people as possible,” van Rossum said. “We can only hope everyone will attend the events,” he said. Last April, the Academic Senate Calendar Committee recommended the creation of the King holiday to Moeser and his cabinet. However, the senate’s decision came after a controversial debate one week earlier which ended in a vote denying the holiday. Academic Senate President Patricia Kennedy said the primary focus of the senate’s debate revolved around lab courses that are regularly scheduled for Mondays. “Professors said students would be missing very pertinent information for their course of study,” Kennedy said. “The senate was practically divided on their decision.” Kennedy said the holiday is needed for its significance, but she said she wonders who will be attending the events planned throughout die day. Chemistry Department Chairman Lawrence Parkhurst said making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a university wide holiday did cause some professors to reschedule their Monday labs. “We are mainly talking about fresh man labs and organic chemistry labs,” Parkhurst said. “But the importance of the day is great, and labs can be resched uled.” Leo Sartori, a physics and astrono my professor and Academic Senate member, said legitimate arguments regarding the calendar were made by both sides. “The importance on recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. and the symbol ism overweighed the small inconve niences,” Sartori said. But chemistry professor Gerard Harbison objects to die holiday. In an e-mail interview with the Daily Nebraskan, Harbison wrote, “UNL has become obsessed with the symbolism behind the day, and should concentrate on its substance.” Harbison is planning to ignore the holiday and focus on his work. “We’re no longer interested in objective analysis or historical truth; we worship ‘diversity’ as a nebulous sort of fetish,” Harbison said. “MLK day is the high holiday of diversity.” Moeser said he is convinced the cal endar change will be a beneficial holi day for the university. “It will give students and faculty an opportunity to learn about King and his affects on Society,” Moeser said. The holiday is permanent and will remain on the calendar, even if partici pation is low, he said. Sartori said he is planning to attend events throughout the day, and he hopes others will too. “Obviously you cannot enforce attendance throughout the day,” Satori said. “But since it is a holiday, people can take the time and remember die sig nificance of the day.” •: --1 * ■ |VW^V Wfjdi 1300 Q Street • Lincoln, NE 68508 Store Hours: Monday - Thursday: 8 am to 8 pm t Friday: 8 am to 6pm, Saturday: 9 am to 6 pm Sunday: noon to 5 pm ' ii ■ .. 'm .1 i i Now, during our Back To School Textbook Sale, every textbook is on sale for UNL students. Save 5% on every new and used textbook in stock. We’ve checked the competition, and we know our prices on textbooks are the lowest in town. Come see for yourself. Start the semester off right. Put some money in your pocket, and a smile on your face. Sale runs now through January 24,1999.