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Cost of Fourth of July Celebrations on the Rise

picnic(AP) — Packing a picnic for the Fourth of July has a new price tag: less than $6 per person.

The American Farm Bureau Federation this year launched an informal price survey to tally the cost of hot dogs, burgers and other Independence Day fare.

The group says the average cost of a summertime picnic including hot dogs, cheeseburgers, pork spare ribs, potato salad and lemonade comes to $57.20 for 10 people, or $5.72 per person.

The American Farm Bureau Federation’s picnic menu also includes baked beans, watermelon, corn chips, chocolate milk, ketchup and mustard.

The trade group produces an annual informal price survey for Thanksgiving fare. Last year, the group said a turkey dinner with all the trimmings would cost about $49.48 for 10, or slightly less than $5 per person.

With Gibbs’ Return, Creighton Star Likely Walk-On

Creighton-Jays-BasketballOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The NCAA has awarded Creighton’s Grant Gibbs a sixth season of eligibility — a decision that could end up costing coach Greg McDermott thousands of dollars.

That’s because McDermott’s son — two-time first-team All-American Doug McDermott — probably will have to play his final season as a walk-on to free up a scholarship for Gibbs.

Greg McDermott said Tuesday he didn’t have Gibbs penciled in on his 2013-14 roster because he doubted the NCAA would buy Creighton’s argument that Gibbs should get an extra year because of injuries that limited him when he was at Gonzaga.

Greg McDermott said Doug becomes a walk-on if all 13 scholarship players show up in the fall. Greg gets no tuition discount for Doug because he hasn’t been a university employee for five years.

Appeals Court Rejects Appeal of Omaha Wire Fraud Conviction

federal-court-of-appeals(AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of appeal by an Omaha man convicted of wire fraud.

David Musk was sentenced last year to four years for a scheme to collect money for background checks. Prosecutors say Musk charged customers $600 to do what he called “Interpol” and “FBI” background checks.

Musk testified at his trial that he using public search engines for the background. When pressed during cross-examination on other matters, Musk tried to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, but the judge determined he waived that right by testifying.

On Tuesday, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the lower court that Musk had no right to invoke his Fifth Amendment right once he took the stand.

Animal Health Company Expanding in Lincoln

zoetis(AP) — Animal health company Zoetis is planning to expand its Lincoln plant, so it can take over production of a drug currently made by another company.

The expansion should add up to 30 jobs in Lincoln once the 19,000-square-foot addition is done in 2014.

Zoetis was spun off from Pfizer Inc. earlier this year. The company already employs more than 500 at its Lincoln plant.

Zoetis spokesman Bill Price says this project will allow the Lincoln plant to take over production of Synovex. That product is a growth hormone for beef cattle.

The Madison, N.J., based Zoetis is the world’s biggest maker of medicines for pets and farm animals.

Two Vehicle Crash Near Omaha Kills 17-Year-Old

fatal-accident(AP) — Authorities are investigating a two-vehicle crash just northwest of Omaha that killed a 17-year-old girl.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s office says the girl from Bennington was died in the Tuesday evening crash.

A 2006 Ford F-350 pickup truck struck the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse the girl was driving. Officials say the girl failed to stop completely at a stop sign.

The girl’s name was not immediately released because her family was still being notified.

The truck’s driver was not hurt.

Owens Hired as Administrative Coordinator

Teddy-Owens-Nebraska-HuskersLincoln – University of Nebraska Head Coach Tim Miles announced Tuesday the hiring of Teddy Owens as administrative coordinator for the Husker basketball program. In his role, he will assist in daily operations, on-campus recruiting and other assigned duties, including student-athlete outreach on campus.

For Miles, Owens’ combination of experience and basketball acumen made him an ideal fit for the Husker staff.

“Teddy has a great basketball background with his family and has been involved in the game throughout his life. He was a successful high school coach so he knows how to make decisions, and he spent the last two years working for Lon Kruger, a coach I admire and have a lot of respect for, at Oklahoma. As I got to know Teddy, I thought he was a strong fit for our program and is what we need to make our program better every day.”

Owens comes to Nebraska after spending the last two seasons working as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma under Lon Kruger. While at Oklahoma, he was in charge of on-campus recruiting tours for recruits and family members, created recruiting pieces, assisted in individual workouts and practices and helped coordinate Oklahoma’s summer basketball camps. The Sooners went 20-12 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2012-13.

In addition to his work at Oklahoma, Owens spent three seasons as the basketball coach at Lincoln Christian in Tulsa, Okla., compiling a 48-27 record leading the school to a pair of Class 2A state tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010. He also was an assistant coach at Holland Hall Preparatory and Tulsa Edison High Schools. He served as a student manager at Oklahoma State during the 2003-04 season, when the Cowboys went 31-4, won the Big 12 title and reached the Final Four.

Owens received his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Oklahoma State and his master’s degree in human relations from Oklahoma in May of 2013.

He is the son of former Kansas basketball coach Ted Owens, who went 348-182 in 19 seasons at Kansas from 1965 to 1983. The elder Owens won six Big Eight titles and reached the Final Four with the Jayhawks in 1971 and 1974.

Celebs born on July 3

Actor Tim O’Connor is 86
Jazz musician Pete Fountain is 83
Playwright Tom Stoppard is 76
Writer-producer Jay Tarses is 74
Singer Judith Durham of The Seekers is 70
Actor Kurtwood Smith (“That 70s Show”) is 70
Actor Michael Cole (“The Mod Squad”) is 68
Country singer Johnny Lee is 67
Writer Dave Barry is 66
Actress Betty Buckley is 66
Guitarist-singer Paul Barrere (bah-RAYR’) of Little Feat is 65
Actress Jan Smithers (“WKRP In Cincinnati”) is 64
Talk show host Montel Williams is 57
Country singer Aaron Tippin is 55
Synthesizer player Vince Clarke of Erasure is 53
Actor Tom Cruise is 51
Actor Thomas Gibson (“Dharma and Greg”) is 51
Actress Hunter Tylo is 51
Actress Connie Nielsen (“Gladiator”) is 49
Actress Yeardley Smith (“The Simpsons”) is 49
Keyboardist-guitarist Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies is 44
Actress Shawnee Smith (“Saw,” ”Becker”) is 44
Singer Tonia Tash of Divine is 34
Actor Grant Rosenmeyer (“Oliver Beene”) is 22
Country singer-songwriter Sarah Buxton is 33
Actress Shoshannah Stern is 33
Actor Grant Rosenmeyer is 22.
Actress Kelsey Batelaan is 18.

July 3 in Entertainment

On July third, 1969, former Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones was found dead in his swimming pool at home in England. The coroner’s report cited death by misadventure.

Also in 1969, John Wayne won his first Oscar after 200 films for playing Rooster Cogburn in “True Grit.”

Also in 1969, for the first time, the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island featured rock artists. Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin and Ten Years After were among the acts who performed.

In 1971, Doors singer Jim Morrison died of heart failure in Paris. He was found in his bathtub. News of Morrison’s death was not made public until days after his burial in a Paris cemetery, leading many fans to believe he was still alive.

In 1973, David Bowie retired for the first time in London.

In 1986, singer Rudy Vallee died at age 84.

Also in 1986, singer Teddy Pendergrass was critically injured when the specially equipped van he was driving hit a utility pole in Philadelphia. Pendergrass was paralyzed in a 1982 auto crash.

In 1989, actor Jim Backus died. He’s best known for playing Thurston Howell on “Gilligan’s Island” and for providing the voice for Mr. Magoo.

In 1995, members of TLC filed for bankruptcy. Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (LOH’-pez) faced a $1.3 million dollar payment for burning down the mansion of her boyfriend, Andre Rison.

Also in 1995, Scott Weiland (WY’-land) of Stone Temple Pilots pleaded innocent to drug charges.

In 1999, singer Mark Sandman of Morphine collapsed on stage during a show in Rome and died of a heart attack. He was 46.

Also in 1999, “Posh Spice” Victoria Adams of the Spice Girls married soccer star David Beckham at an estate outside Dublin, Ireland.

TD Ameritrade Park Wins Nebraska Court Appeal

TD-Ameritrade-Park-OmahaLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The manager of TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha has won a court appeal that could help it attract a new professional baseball team.

The Nebraska Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority did not violate a contract with a company that was working to bring a team to the park. The relationship with Fast Ball Sports LLC fell apart, and the company filed a lawsuit against the ballpark managers.

The decision upheld a Douglas County judge’s ruling, but it can still be appealed to the Nebraska Supreme Court. The decision lifts one obstacle in the park manager’s effort to bring a different professional team to the park.

NP Weather July 3

forecast-july-3

  • Today: Sunny, with a high near 85. Light south southeast wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the morning.
  • Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 55. South southeast wind 8 to 10 mph.
  • Independence Day: Sunny, with a high near 88. South wind 8 to 13 mph.
  • Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. South southeast wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
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