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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 1999)
Water rights brief filed by Nebraska ■ The state’s groundwater use does not conflict with compact, brief says. By Josh Knaub Staff writer In a brief submitted to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Nebraska extend ed its argument that groundwater is not part of the Republican River Compact. The brief, obtained by the Daily Nebraskan on Wednesday afternoon, is the latest legal maneuver in the Kansas vs. Nebraska water rights case. The case, filed by Kansas on Jan. 19, concerns water use in the Republican River basin. The basin cov ers parts of northeastern Colorado, southwestern Nebraska and northwest ern Kansas. Kansas alleges that Nebraska vio lates the 1943 Republican River Compact by taking too much water from irrigation wells. Kansas contends that the water taken from the wells unfairly depletes river flow. Nebraska maintains that ground water was not part of the original agree ment. Neither the Kansas nor Nebraska attorney generals’ offices were avail able for comment Wednesday. Wednesday’s filing, a response brief, is the final part of the motion by Nebraska to have the case dismissed. On Aug. 2, Nebraska submitted an argument that the case should be dis missed because groundwater was not part of the Republican River Compact. Kansas, Colorado and the United States filed briefs in response. In Nebraska’s brief, the state argues that the reason Kansas wants to restrict groundwater is to prevent Nebraska from using water in the Ogallala aquifer, an expansive underground water source that is mainly in Nebraska. “Kansas has greatly depleted its reserves of the Ogallala aquifer and now hopes to increase the amount of water available ... by preventing Nebraska’s use of the aquifer,” the brief states. Nebraska also aigues that ground water was not an issue when the com pact was drafted. “It is illogical to conclude that the compact states intended to restrict groundwater use in 1942 because none of the compact states had statutes that restricted groundwater at the time,” the brief states. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Nebraska, the case will be dis missed. If the court rules in favor of Kansas, future legal arguments in the case will concern the extent of Nebraska’s viola tion of the compact. The court is expected to rule some time this year. Johanns, council commit to affordable child care By Josh Knaub Staff writer Gov. Mike Johanns introduced two child care experts Wednesday who will look at ways state businesses can pro vide affordable child care. As a group of preschool children played on the indoor jungle gym behind him, Johanns announced that Doug Price arid Kathy Bogle-Shields would be advising his Business Council on Child Care Financing. Price, a Colorado child care advo cate, said he would share his vision of a child care and education system to enhance early childhood development in Lincoln. Bogle-Shields, a New Hampshire child care advocate, said she would adapt what has worked in New Hampshire to Nebraska. “I will not pretend that everything we are doing in New Hampshire will work for Nebraska,” she said. “But I will share the practical side of our work.” Johanns said he was committed to affordable child care for Nebraska. “The health, safety and security of children is a priority in my administra tion,” Johanns said. He said 70 percent of Nebraska mothers of children under 6 are employed, one of the highest rates in the nation. - Johanns said The Ivy League, at 5525 S. 16th St., opened two years ago and was an example of what businesses could do to provide child care to the community. John Tatum, executive vice-presi dent of Farm Bureau, said the child care facility was run as a not-for-profit busi ness. “We try to make $ 1 total profit,” Tatum said. “The rest we put back into the center.” Chris Hudson, director of The Ivy League, said the nonprofit strategy enabled the day care to pay higher-than average wages to staff and develop a first-class facility Hudson said that The Ivy League’s rates for child care, starting at $ 129 per week for infants, were near the average cost for Lincoln. Staff wages, though, are among the best in Lincoln, Hudson said. The day care is open to the public, but Hudson said there is a waiting list for parents who want their children to attend. Farm Bureau employees with chil dren receive a weekly child care stipend equal to 20 percent of their bill at The Ivy League and are placed first on the waiting list. Johanns said The Ivy League was proof that private businesses could assist the government in finding afford able child care solutions. “We’ve all got to do our share in this,” he said. I - -- Project mixes business, learning By Eric Rineer Staff writer A new system created by a University of Nebraska-Lincoln fac ulty member and a UNL alumnus allows construction managers and construction management students a chance to do business online. Mostafa Khattab, associate pro fessor of construction management, and Nathan Wilhelmi, one of Khattab’s former students, have been working on the Web-based pro gram for the past two years. Now complete, Project Management Solutions provides a less time-consuming way for project managers and business executives to view documents or videos of a con struction site, Khattab said. Students in Khattab’s Internet Communication class use the pro gram in their work with businesses in Lincoln, Omaha and Valentine. Class members are split into groups, and the groups act as con sulting firms. Each group meets with a business to find out what the business is looking for. The group then comes back and does a brainstorming session on how it can serve the company’s needs better than another group. “The whole idea is to simulate real-life situations,” Khattab said. u This is a real thing. We are really producing a professional work for these companies MostafaKhattab associate professor of construction management In the process, students learn how to share information on the Web and how to participate in the video conferences - all through the system Khattab and Wilhelmi developed. At the end of the semester, the groups present proposals to their respective companies. “This is a real thing,” Khattab said. “We are really producing a pro fessional work for these compa nies.” Because Khattab is teaching the class, students will become even more familiar with the program. “The class is not only about edu cating students, but it’s also chang ing the culture of the construction industry,” Khattab said. Khattab and the students in his class also plan on helping nonprofit groups develop interactive Web sites such as the one created for construc tion projects. Wilhelmi said the construction program benefits contractors by allowing them to upload schedules or architectural drawings instanta neously. “Personally, I think it’s extraor dinarily helpful,” he said. Khattab said a search engine on the Web site was its most valuable asset. The search engine allows busi nessmen to track documents much easier when traveling out of state, he said. “This really allows better com munication between the parties involved in the project,” he said. The Web-based project was something new to the construction industry, Khattab said. “The exciting thing about it, if you look around, this software we developed is only one out of three developed for a consulting firm,” he said. “That makes us unique if you compare us to other education insti tutions.” ^reer 3en/ice5 6nfrj)$fart ...see what’s developing next week in Career Services Learn how to find an internship that’s right for YOU! Let SEIC show you the way at ■WHELP SESSIONS 6:00 pm Tuesdays 3:30 pm Thursdays in SEIC, UNL's Students Employment and Internship Center —345 NE Union UNL Career Services — 230 NE Union — 316 East Campus Union Choose a career as an Edward Jones Investment Representative. 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