Nebraska state and local officials are hosting a public forum to discuss the availability of storm shelters for mobile home park residents.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at West Lincoln Elementary School in Lincoln. The meeting will include state Sen. Ken Haar of Malcolm, Lincoln City Councilman Carl Eskridge and Lincoln Emergency Management Director Doug Ahlberg.

Haar says the meeting was called after residents in his district raised concerns about where they could go during severe weather. Residents had previously been allowed to take shelter at a local Pfizer plant, but they can no longer do so because of liability concerns.

Haar introduced a bill this year to address the liability concerns, but his proposal stalled in committee.

The founding director of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum has announced that she will return to a full-time faculty position at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Patricia Cox Crews says she’s “always loved teaching and research and look forward to remaining a part of that.”

She joined UNL as an assistant professor in August 1984. From 1995 to 1997, she led the UNL Museum Studies Program.

The museum opened in March 2008.

Crews intends to take a sabbatical during fall semester 2013 and return to full-time teaching and research in the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design for the spring semester 2014.

The Nebraska Public Power District plans to issue $250 million in bonds this month to pay for transmission lines and power generation projects.

Some of the proceeds from the bonds will also be used repay part of the utility’s general revenue bonds. The fixed-rate, tax-exempt bonds will be issued on Oct. 15.

The bonds will be repaid over a 30-year period. Individuals interested in purchasing bonds should contact their broker.

The Beatrice school board has hired a former superintendent of Norris Public Schools to serve as interim Beatrice superintendent for the rest of the school year.

The board hired Dr. Roy Baker at its meeting on Monday evening.

Baker replaces Superintendent Jon “Tommy” Lopez, who died Sept. 28 of pancreatic cancer.

Baker led Norris Public Schools for 13 years until his retirement in 2010.

Baker will receive the remainder of Lopez’s salary, a total of nearly $116,000 for the contract running through June 30, 2013. Baker won’t receive insurance benefits or cash in lieu of the benefits.

A former worker has been accused of stealing nearly $6,500 from a Best Buy store in Lincoln.

The 27-year-old Pamela Weaver, of Lincoln, has been charged with felony theft. Weaver’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 22.

Police say that while working at the store, Weaver looked up transactions in which customers paid cash. Police say she then would submit fraudulent returns and keep the money.

Weaver remains free on bond. A public phone listing for her can’t be found. Online court records don’t list the name of her attorney.

Authorities say a 19-year-old York woman died after her car rammed into a utility pole.

The York County Sheriff’s Department says Natasha Carranza was driving south on U.S. Highway 81 when the accident occurred about 8:25 p.m. Saturday. The department says Carranza’s car was about three miles north of the county line when it crossed over the highway median and struck the pole. Carranza was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

A fire has blackened cornfields northeast of Lincoln.

Authorities say no structures were damaged and no injuries have been reported from the fire, which began Sunday afternoon and took about two hours to contain.

About 40 firefighters and several firetrucks were dispatched to help put down the flames.

The fire charred an estimated 180 acres. The fire cause is being investigated.

Planting any crop is an informed leap of faith for farmers, but Nebraska wheat farmers are having that faith tested by drought.

Farmers who plant now may not have enough field moisture for wheat to sprout. Those who wait for rain risk a killing frost before wheat roots can withstand the cold.

Because of soil types and other factors, most farmers in the state’s prime wheat-growing areas in south-central and southwestern Nebraska can’t wait for spring rains to opt for crops of corn or soybeans. In alternate years, many farmers plant winter wheat in fields left fallow to boost moisture reserves.

Royce Schaneman, of the Nebraska Wheat Board, says waiting for rain can put a farmer further behind.

Most of Nebraska’s state and federal judges earned positive reviews from the lawyers who appear before them.

The Nebraska State Bar Association says its poll of lawyers recommended that 141 of the 143 judges evaluated be retained on the bench.

The anonymous evaluations that are detailed online at www.nebar.com are designed to help voters decide which judges to support.

About 27 percent of the eligible State Bar Association members participated in the evaluations.

Experts on human slavery will gather in Lincoln later this month to talk about ways to end the practice.

The fourth annual conference on human trafficking will be held Oct. 11-13.

One of the featured speakers at the event will be James Kofi Annan. He was sold into slavery at age 6 and forced to work in Ghana’s fishing industry until he escaped after seven years.

Annan will speak Oct. 11 about the work he has done to end modern slavery.

The goal of the conference is to increase public awareness of slavery and provide a forum to discuss research and efforts to end the practice.

The conference is on Facebook.