VOL. 99 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 6
SMUTS
Gourmet Cook
New Associate Head Coach John Cook brings a
new enthusiasm to the Comhusker volleyball
team this fall. PAGE 11
Do LeDoux
Chris LeDoux, country musician and former
rodeo champ, headlines the Nebraska State Fan
concert series Saturday. PAGE 13
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By Jake Bleed
Senior staff writer
The mayor’s office released crime
statistics for die first half of 1999 at a
news conference Thursday, revealing a
decrease in overall crime in the city and
an increase in felony arrests.
The decrease in crime rates contin
ues an eight-year downward trend for
the city.
“It’s good news once again,” Mayor
Don Wesely said “I think it’s a real trib
ute to Chief Casady and all the men and
women who serve the city.”
Police Chief Tom Casady credited
the support of local community organi
zations and the increased quality of
community policing for the improved
crime statistics.
ThiS year’s FBI Part One Crime
totals ale down 7.4 percent against the
first half of 1998. Part One Crime sta
tistics measure the total number of
murders, rapes, robberies, felony
assaults, burglaries, larcenies and auto
thefts reported in an area.
Incidents of robbery declined the
greatest margin, dropping 17.5 percent
from 1998’s numbers, from 103 to 85.
Incidents of rape fell 16 percent, from
50 to 42* and murders fell from eight to
five.
Lincoln’s murder rate is low
enotigM# ignore percentage changes,
Casady said.
Reports of larceny also were down
8.3 percent. With 4,499 reported so far
this year, reports of larceny represent
the majority of Lincoln’s Part One
crime totals.
Casady said reported larcenies
from automobiles were down 6.7 per
cent, a rare drop in one of Lincoln’s
most popular crimes.
“I don’t recall seeing larcenies
from auto do anything but go up,”
Casady said.
> „ Felony arrests increased 5.1 per
cent against last year’s numbers, rising
from 1,032 in the first half of 1998 to
1,085. Casady credited this rise to the
increased number of officers in
Lincoln.
Please see CRIME on 8
City Crime Dip
Jan.-June Jan.-June
Statistics for the first half of the
year show a decrease in crime,
continuing an eight-year
downward trend for the city.
Robberies declined the most,
dropping 17.5 percent from the
same period in 1998.
Source: Lincoln Police Department
Matt Haney/DN
i
ByDaneStickney
Staff writer
Those wishing to catch a birds
eye view of Lincoln from the State
Capitol will have to wait at least
three years.
The Capital's 14th floor observa
tion deck has been prematurely
closed to protect construction work
ers from falling objects.
The observatory had been sched
uled to close in a few weeks, but pro
ject manager Mike Rindone said it
was closed early because visitors
were throwing various objects off its
deck.
“Recently, somebody tossed a
half-can of pop, which narrowly
missed a worker 100 feet below,”
Rindone said. “Because of that inci
dent, we decided to close die obser
vatory a week or two before we
wanted to.”
The observatory had been sched
uled to close in a few weeks because
die 14th floor has to be used as a base
for further construction scaffolding,
Rindone said. Because of ongoing
construction, the observatory won’t
be reopened for nearly four years.
“Our main objective for closing
the observatory was to facilitate
installation of scaffolding,” he said.
“However, the safety concern served
as a wake-up call that showed us it
had to be closed.”
The complexity of the scaffold
ing contributed to putting the Capitol
renovation project a few months
behind schedule.
“The scaffold is one of a kind.
There is no other place in die world
that they are using a structure like
this,” he said. “Consequently, the
designing process took longer than
we expected, but a few months isn’t
bad.”
Rindone said unfavorable weath
er conditions also made summer
construction difficult
Please see CAPITOL on 8
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Read the Daily Nebraskan on the World Wide Web at dailynei
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Regents to resolve
trademark question ,
By Kimberly Sweet V
Senior staff writer r
University trademarks, University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s strategic
plan and a discussion of academic priorities are some of the topics die
NU Board of Regents will address during their two-day meeting in
Lincoln this weekend.
Today the regents will vote whether to adopt trademarks, trade
names aid copyrighted designs affiliated with UNL.
The decision to vote on adopting the trademarks came after a court
case involving die use of the name “Huskers Authentic”
After the judge made a decision that denied the plaintiff the right
to use the name, the judge pointed out to the regents that the name had
not been formally adopted.
The vote to adopt die trademarks is a result of the judge bringing it
to the regents’ attention, said Data Troutman, NU director of commu
nications and vice president for external affairs.
UNL Chancellor James Moeser will give an update of UNL’s
strategic plan during die planning committee meeting today at 9 a.m.
at Varner Hall, 3835 Holdrege St. '
All four NU campuses must give such a presentation. Moeser will
talk about UNL’s goads and how they relate to the campus master plan,'
said Herb Howe, associate to the chancellor.
On Saturday, Robert C. Dickeson, president emeritus of the
University of Northern Colorado-Greeley, will talk about his book,
tided “Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services: Reallocating
Resources to Achieve Strategic Balance.”
Dickeson’s comments will serve as a discussion starter for the
regents, who will engage in a panel discussion and give their reactions
after the author’s speech. Faculty senate presidents and deans also will
Troutman said Dickeson was brought to the meeting to talk about
his experiences on a subject NU will be discussing often in the future
- academic priorities and how to do more with less.
“It’s fair to characterize this as opening discussion on academic
priorities,” Troutman said.
The regents also will:
■ Consider the hiring of Alley Poyner Architects for the renova
tion of the Security Mutual Insurance Building, which will be the
future home of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
■ Name the newly renovated media level in UNL’s Memorial
Stadium the “Don Bryant Media Facility,” and name the Athletic
Medicine Center in the South Stadium Office Building the “George
Sullivan Athletic Medicine Center.”
The meetings take place today at 1:30 p.m. and Saturday at 8:30
a.m. Both will take place at Varner Hall and are open to the public.
uxwn .