LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A program offered in the Nebraska prison system offers a select number of inmates training for entry-level work in the construction business.
The program is run by Prairie Gold Homes Inc., a nonprofit that not only teaches inmates to build houses, but provides energy-efficient residences to buyers.
The course provides inmates who graduate a pre-apprenticeship certificate through the Home Builders Institute.
Prairie Gold offers four courses per year and trains six to 12 inmates per course. Between 150 and 175 inmates apply to participate each year.
Inmates must have a record of good behavior and be near the end of their sentences. They also must have either a GED or high school diploma.
Midway through the first College Football Playoff, one thing really stands out.
Why did it take so long for this to happen?
The two semifinal games produced record TV ratings, packed stadiums, plenty of social media chatter and a bit of controversy. There’s no reason to think Oregon and Ohio State won’t give us another thrilling contest to finish off a memorable season when the national championship is decided Jan. 12 at Arlington, Texas.
So, in a sport that moves at a glacial pace, let’s go ahead and start talking about how to expand this thing. Eight teams is a must. Sixteen would be even better, though that would probably require more radical changes than anyone is willing to accept at the moment.
Until then, the four-team system isn’t too shabby.
Oregon wiped out defending national champion Florida State 59-20 in the Rose Bowl, snapping the Seminoles’ 29-game winning streak. Ohio State upset top-seeded Alabama 42-35 in a thrilling Sugar Bowl, heading to the title game behind a quarterback (Cardale Jones) who was a third-stringer back in August.
“You get to see the two best teams playing for it all,” Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee said. “I’m glad the playoff system is intact now.”
So are we.
With apologies to Big 12 co-champions TCU and Baylor, both of which could certainly make a case for being part of the playoff, there’s little doubt the new system has worked better than even its biggest supporters could’ve predicted.
— The television ratings were off the charts, with ESPN reporting the two-largest audiences in cable television history for the semifinals. The Sugar Bowl averaged 28.271 million viewers, while the less-competitive Rose Bowl wasn’t far behind with 28.164 million. Look for even bigger numbers from the title game.
— The Rose Bowl drew a crowd of more than 91,000, though Florida State had trouble selling its allotment of tickets because it had also played in Pasadena the year before; many Seminoles fans were saving their money for a title game that never materialized. The Sugar Bowl had its largest turnout in eight years (74,682) and an electric atmosphere, with what appeared to be a near-even split between Ohio State and Alabama fans.
— The banana-peel fumble by Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was a huge hit on social media, giving his many detractors a chance to poke fun at the quarterback who kept getting in and out of trouble during his time in Tallahassee. Our favorite: the Vine in which Lance Stephenson’s exhale into LeBron James’ ear was edited to make it look as though he was blowing over Winston, whose comical play resulted in an Oregon touchdown.
— The Sugar Bowl was the better game, but the Rose Bowl produced more water cooler topics. Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher was caught on the sideline threatening to bench Winston if he didn’t calm down. Several Oregon players did a tacky rendition of Florida State’s tomahawk chant, substituting the words “no means no” in reference to sexual assault allegations against Winston and leading to a hasty apology.
Some coaches expressed worries about the wear-and-tear on their players, especially for the two teams that will wind up playing 15 games — nearly the length of an NFL season. But there was ample time for rest leading up to both the semifinals and final, and having an extra round before the championship figures to improve the quality of play in the biggest game of all.
Under the old BCS system, you might remember, there was a huge gap between the end of the regular season and the championship game. That led to forgettable contests such as Auburn’s 22-19 victory over Oregon in 2011, the second-lowest scoring game of the season for both teams instead of the expected shootout, two of the nation’s most dynamic offenses clearly thrown off by a 37-day layoff.
That shouldn’t be a factor in Arlington, featuring two teams that just combined for 101 points on New Year’s Day.
There are certainly issues with this new system, in which six major bowls rotate the semifinals on an every-three-years basis. The other four bowls are guaranteed an attractive game, but being an also-ran resulted in an awful turnout for Georgia Tech’s victory over Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl, while the Peach Bowl’s 17-year sellout streak ended with TCU’s thumping of Ole Miss.
The other four bowls would surely be better off with a quarterfinal round in their non-semifinal seasons — played around Christmas Day — than they are with games that have no impact on the national championship. But adding another layer to the playoffs would make it even more expensive for a team’s fans to travel to all the games, so it might be better to play the opening round at the campuses of the four highest-seeded teams.
Those are issues we need to start discussing.
But at least we have a playoff. Two teams played their way into the title game, instead of relying on some convoluted ranking system.
Under the BCS, Ohio State’s season would have been over. Instead, the Buckeyes get a shot at a title.
“It’s good for college football,” coach Urban Meyer said. “We’re part of history.”
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders interviewed Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio for their head coaching vacancy on Saturday.
A person with knowledge of the interview said the Raiders met with Del Rio as they seek a full-time coach. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not releasing details on interviews. The interview was first reported by the Denver Post.
Del Rio, who grew up in the Bay Area, has been defensive coordinator in Denver for the past three seasons, helping the Broncos win three straight AFC West titles.
Del Rio previously was head coach in Jacksonville for nine seasons. He had a 68-71 regular-season record and made the playoffs in 2005 and 2007, winning one playoff game in his second postseason trip. Del Rio was fired with five games remaining in the 2011 season.
He has extensive NFL experience, having played 12 seasons as a linebacker and coaching with New Orleans, Baltimore and Carolina before getting the head coaching job with the Jaguars.
The Raiders are seeking a full-time coach after firing Dennis Allen four games into last season. Interim coach Tony Sparano is also a candidate. Like Del Rio, Allen was hired in Oakland in 2012 after a stint as defensive coordinator in Denver.
Oakland has had eight coaches since the start of the 2003 season. The Raiders have not had a winning record or playoff berth in that span as the constant turnover has contributed to the struggles on the field.
The Raiders have also interviewed Philadelphia offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Seattle coach Pete Carroll told SiriusXM NFL Radio earlier this week that Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell also interviewed for the job.
Oakland is also reportedly interested in interviewing San Francisco assistant Eric Mangini, who has head coaching experience with Cleveland and the New York Jets, and Indianapolis offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.
Nebraska and Iowa are among those states preparing for another blast of wintry weather this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for much of eastern Nebraska and most of Iowa beginning Saturday evening through Sunday morning. The weather service says the region could see light snow accumulations of 1 to 2 inches in northern areas and up to 4 inches further south.
But the weather service says high winds and plummeting temperatures will make for dangerous conditions for travelers and anyone venturing outdoors.
Temperatures are expected to drop to near zero by midnight and into Sunday morning, and wind chills could fall to 20-below zero.
DENVER (AP) — Alex Tanguay and Matt Duchene scored shootout goals, Semyon Varlamov stopped both of Edmonton’s shooters and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Oilers 2-1 on Friday night.
Varlamov had 27 saves in regulation and overtime, and Daniel Briere scored in regulation for Colorado.
It was the fifth straight shootout win for the Avalanche, who are 6-2-2 in their last 10.
After both teams failed to convert on their first shootout opportunities, Duchene got one past Ben Scrivens. Varlamov made a save on Jordan Eberle, and Tanguay finished it with a roof shot over a sprawled Scrivens.
Ben Pouliot scored for Edmonton, and Scrivens finished with 27 saves.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Tri-City Storm (14-9-5) worked their way back from a big deficit but couldn’t finish the comeback and fell to the Sioux Falls Stampede (15-12-2) by a score of 6-4 on Friday night at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
Chris Wilkie had two power play goals for the Storm in the loss, while Bobby Nardella had a goal and an assist and Mattias Goransson had three assists of his own.
Sioux Falls took control of the game right from the start with five goals in the opening period, including three by Cooper Marody.
Kieffer Bellows bookended the scoring, finding the net just 41 seconds into the contest before sealing a Stampede victory with an empty net goal.
Sioux Falls forward Logan O’Connor also had a goal in the opening frame, in which the Stampede scored all five tallies during the first 12 minutes of play.
But Tri-City didn’t go away quietly, scoring four straight goals of their own to slowly work their way back into the game.
Wilkie got the Storm on the board with a power play strike at 16:11 of the first, assisted by Nardella and Goransson.
The Omaha native struck again with the only goal of the second period in the final minute of the frame. Also a power play goal, Wilkie got his 17th of the season from Goransson and Joel Herbert.
In the third, Cody Milan made the game 5-3 with his seventh goal of the year at 12:45. Goransson led the White Lake, Mich. native with a perfect pass into the zone and the goal breathed life into Tri-City in the final minutes.
The Storm then made it 5-4 less than two minutes later on Nardella’s fifth goal of the season. Assists were credited to both Wilkie and Chase Berger.
But the one-goal deficit was as close as the Storm could get before Bellows put the game out of reach with the empty net goal.
Stefanos Lekkas picked up the win for the Stampede in net, making 30 saves. Alec Dillon started the game for Tri-City, but was pulled in favor of Jared Rutledge after allowing two goals in the first. Rutledge finished with 19 stops.
Tri-City returns home to face Omaha in Kearney at the Viaero Event Center on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Garrett Gamez and Kyle Eastman along with defenseman Tory Dello…
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Period
Sioux Falls – Kieffer Bellows (Alec Marsh, Cooper Marody) 0:41
Sioux Falls – Cooper Marody (Alec Marsh, Chris Pohlkamp) 3:26
Sioux Falls – Cooper Marody (Alec Marsh) 7:15
Sioux Falls – Logan O’Connor (Troy Loggins, Dakota Joshua) 8:51
Sioux Falls – Cooper Marody (Logan O’Connor, Dillon Eichstadt) 11:29
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (power play) (Bobby Nardella, Mattias Goransson) 16:11
2nd Period
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (power play) (Mattias Goransson, Joel Herbert) 19:23
3rd Period Tri-City – Cody Milan (Mattias Goransson) 12:45
Tri-City – Bobby Nardella (Chris Wilkie, Chase Berger) 14:21
Sioux Falls – Kieffer Bellows (empty net) (unassisted) 18:36
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Authorities say a father and son’s multistate crime spree left a North Carolina couple dead and their home torched before the suspects were caught after a New Year’s Day shootout that wounded two police officers in West Virginia.
West Virginia State Police spokesman Lt. Michael Baylous said Friday that the suspects are 21-year-old Eric Campbell and 54-year-old Edward Campbell from Texas.
Police say officers pulled over a truck and an SUV around 4 p.m. Thursday on a highway outside Lewisburg.
Police say the truck’s driver opened fire, wounding both officers. Police say suspect Edward Campbell was the shooter and also was injured.
Authorities took both men into custody and say two recently deceased bodies were inside the truck.
The officers and suspect were hospitalized with injuries that weren’t life-threatening.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s college savings plan is exchanging Pimco’s Total Return Fund in favor of another bond fund.
Nebraska’s Investment Council decided this fall that the MetWest Total Return Bond Plan Fund would be a better option for investors saving for college.
Pimco went through a change of leadership this fall when Bill Gross surprised many by resigning from the firm.
Deborah Goodkin, who manages Nebraska’s 529 college savings plans for First National Bank of Omaha, says the state investment council looked at Pimco’s organization and competing options with similar costs before making the change.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A large sinkhole opened up on a street near downtown Omaha this week, but no injuries or property damage was reported.
The sinkhole, which consumed the width of the street, was reported Thursday afternoon near 20th and Pierce streets.
Lesley Mosley, a resident in the area, says she heard a loud noise and thought it was a car accident.
No injuries or property damage were reported.
It’s at least the third large sinkhole in the area since mid-June. On June 22, one at 22nd Street and Saint Mary’s Avenue swallowed a woman’s car, who suffered minor injuries. In September, another sinkhole opened up nearby at 20th and Farnam streets because of a water main break. No injuries were reported from that incident.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale has recognized the work of 95 poll workers who have 20 years or more of service working elections.
Gale serves as the state’s chief elections officer. Gale said in a statement Friday that the voluntary civic service provided by poll workers is invaluable and that Election Day “could not happen without them.”
Inductees into the Nebraska Poll Worker Hall of Fame represent the following counties: Buffalo, Cass, Cuming, Dodge, Douglas, and Hall, as well as Keith, Madison, Richardson, Sarpy, Scotts Bluff and Wayne.
The Poll Worker Hall of Fame was begun in 2006. Since then, more than 1,400 workers have been honored from across the state.
Only those with a minimum 20 years of consecutive service can be nominated.
2014 Poll Worker Hall of Fame inductees:
Buffalo: Jeanne Ackerman, Kearney.
Cass: Laura Weatherby, Murray; Diane Lynn Baxter, Murray; Shirley Thompson,
Plattsmouth; Shirley Stipe, Plattsmouth; Barbara Meisinger, Plattsmouth; Janet
Meisinger, Plattsmouth; Karyl Terryberry, Murray; Barbara Jameson, Nehawka;
Helen Mather, Weeping Water; Hallie Mills, Murdock; Lauraine Harris, Louisville;
Ruth Ann Hlavac, Louisville; Linda Flynn, Louisville; Norma Jean Reinke, Ashland;
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A program offered in the Nebraska prison system offers a select number of inmates training for entry-level work in the construction business.
