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NEWS ABOUT: Omaha

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Warren Buffett Buys Hometown Newspaper

At $200M, purchase not about investing

(Newser) - Warren Buffett makes news for his multi-billion-dollar investments, not a piddly $200 million—but Buffett surprised many people when he announced yesterday he was spending that to buy his hometown newspaper, the Omaha World-Herald, reports Bloomberg . The billionaire slammed the newspaper industry two years ago, saying it had the "... More »

Student Gunman Kills Vice Principal

Teen gunman Robert Bulter kills self after opening fire on high school offices

(Newser) - The 17-year-old son of an Omaha police detective opened fire at his high school yesterday, shooting the principal and assistant principal, who later died of her injuries. The principal is in serious but stable condition, AP reports. The student, identified as Robert Butler Jr., fled the school and fatally shot... More »

Guy Pepper-Sprays Westboro Group at Funeral

Target was extremist demonstrators: cops

(Newser) - Those appalled by the tactics of the Westboro Baptist Church have a new folk hero: An Omaha man yesterday drove by as the group protested the funeral of a Marine killed in Afghanistan, reached out his window and pepper-sprayed them. George Vogel, 62, faces 16 charges of misdemeanor assault, one... More »

Pet Boa Constrictor Kills Owner

Cops pry animal from owner's neck

(Newser) - A suburban Omaha man was strangled by his pet boa constrictor in his home as he was showing off the snake to a friend. Cory Byrne, 34, died in a local hospital just hours after cops and paramedics pried the 9-foot snake from his neck. The snake is being held... More »

Successor Continues Tiller's Battle

Provider of late-term abortions plies dangerous trade

(Newser) - It's not easy being the leading provider of late-term abortions. Since Leroy Carhart decided to take up the work of slain colleague and friend George Tiller, he's become the target of intense opposition from anti-abortion groups. Carhart has adapted his Omaha-area clinic to his dangerous new line of work, adding... More »

Omaha Man Swipes Virgin Mary Painting for Abortion

Rapist sells $100K artwork in Mexico

(Newser) - An Omaha man stole a painting of the Virgin Mary to pay for the abortion of his teenage rape victim, the Omaha World-Herald reports. Aurelio Vallecillo-Sanchez, 39, described by his attorney as "remorseful and ashamed," pleaded no contest yesterday to charges of theft and sexual assault and faces... More »

Buffett Has Worst Year Ever

(Newser) - Not even legendary investors can escape this mess. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway posted its worst year ever in 2008, the Wall Street Journal reports. A key indicator, book value per share, fell 9.6%, only the second loss since Buffett took control of the company in 1965. Berkshire reported... More »

Electoral College Needs Rehab

State-level apportioning is the only viable way towards electing the president by popular vote

(Newser) - The 538 electors chosen to represent the will of the people cast their ballots for president today, officially ending the contest between Barack Obama and John McCain, writes Randall Lane for the New York Times. The otherwise-predictable ritual included a twist: a Nebraska elector voting for the candidate who won... More »

Obama Eyes Omaha to Split Neb. Votes

Campaign wants to pick up just one of Nebraska's electoral votes

(Newser) - Forty-eight of 50 states award electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis, but Nebraska, divvies up electoral votes by congressional district—and the Obama campaign sees an opening, reports the Washington Post. By concentrating just on the Omaha area, the Democrats are trying to pick up a single electoral vote in... More »

Storms, Floods in Midwest and East Coast Kill 8

Hundreds evacuated as water rises

(Newser) - Storms across the Midwest and East Coast this weekend forced hundreds to evacuate, destroyed homes, and killed 8 people, the AP reports. More than 10 inches of rain in much of Indiana caused flooding; more floods in Iowa were some of the worst in years. Falling trees, high winds, and... More »

America's Top 10 Cities

Combination of good jobs, good housing, and good times has Houston atop list

(Newser) - The best cities are those where you can not only find work and affordable housing, but are also infused with culture and creativity, Kiplinger's Personal Finance writes. Its (somewhat surprising) top 10:
  1. Houston: Flush with museums, nightlife, and a teeming job market.
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Thousands Line Up for Buffett's So-So News

Don't expect big Berkshire gains like before, he says

(Newser) - Thousands of stockholders descended on Omaha for today's annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting, but what they heard didn't send Blackberries abuzz, the Wall Street Journal reports. Warren Buffett said his iconic company won’t be pulling in double-digit returns anymore. “Anyone that expects us to come close to replicating the... More »

Berkshire Hathaway's Q4 Income Off 18%

Insurance-industry woes mean 'that party is over,' Buffett says

(Newser) - Citing a decline in gains from insurance underwriting and sluggish investment returns, holding company Berkshire Hathaway said today that fourth-quarter income was off 18%—to $2.95 billion, from $3.58 billion—from a year earlier, the Wall Street Journal reports. Billionaire chairman Warren Buffett snuck in digs at Wall... More »

Top 10 US Cities for Jobs

Salt Lake City's still tops, but Texas boasts work aplenty, Forbes reports

(Newser) - Where to get that new job this year? The Lone Star State is boasting work aplenty, but Salt Lake City—still high on tech jobs—takes the top spot. Forbes lists its top10 job-growth towns:
  1. Salt Lake City, Utah
  2. Wichita, Kan.
  3. Austin, Texas
  4. Atlanta, Ga.
  5. Fort Worth, Texas
More »

Omaha Mall Reopens Under Heavy Security

Van Maur store, where the shooter opened fire, remains closed

(Newser) - The Omaha mall where 19-year-old Robert Hawkins unleashed his killing spree re-opened for business today under tighter security, the AP reports. “I came in here and I was wondering how I would feel about it,” the mayor said, “but I feel fine.” The Von Maur store... More »

'I've Just Snapped,' Writes Mall Shooter

He apologizes to family in suicide note

(Newser) - The Omaha mall gunman apologized to family and friends in a suicide note released today and says he "just snapped" before killing eight people and himself in a shopping mall, the AP reports. "I know everyone will remember me as some sort of monster but please understand that... More »

Omaha Shooter Cased Store, Smuggled Gun

Police say he hid an AK-47 inside balled-up sweatshirt

(Newser) - 19-year-old Robert Hawkins briefly looked around the Von Maur department store yesterday before leaving, only to return six minutes later and open fire with a stolen AK-47 in the Omaha rampage that left nine dead. Upon reentry, Hawkins was "concealing something balled up in a hooded sweatshirt," police... More »

Mall Shooter Was Depressed, Seemed 'Gentle'

Teenage gunman had prior arrests, but was thought harmless

(Newser) - Robert Hawkins—who killed 8 people and himself at an Omaha mall yesterday—had been treated for depression, and had prior arrests for drug possession and disorderly conduct. But the woman who took him in, after he had a falling out with his family, thought he was getting better, and... More »

Gunman at Omaha Mall Upset Over Being Fired

Teen who killed 9 just lost fast-food job

(Newser) - The 19-year-old gunman who killed eight people and himself in a busy Omaha shopping mall today had been fired from his job at McDonald's hours earlier after being accused of stealing $17, the Omaha World-Herald reports. Robert A. Hawkins, who opened fire on afternoon shoppers with a rifle, left a... More »

'Thou Shalt Not Sue Me!'

'God' responds to lawsuit, claims immunity

(Newser) - "God" has apparently responded to a lawsuit accusing Him of making terroristic threats against mankind. If that sounds like the premise for a Jim Carrey movie, well, one day it might be. Agnostic Nebraska legislator Ernie Chambers sued God in a county court for all the disasters He brings... More »

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