Can you smell it??? The distinct aromas of harvest season, scuffed pigskin, sweat, freshly mowed grass (well...make that artificial turf) and tailgate BBQs means that Football Season is just around the corner. The Pros are already playing pre-season games this weekend and the Huskers meet their first opponent in only 3 weeks. The first three games against Nevada (ABC), Wake Forest (ESPN) and USC (ABC) are all nationally televised, so we will get off to a great start with our Bay Area watch parties. For schedules, watch site locations and directions, and the latest Bay Area Husker info check out our website at http://www.bayareahuskers.org/ (sorry that I used .com in a previous email).
If you don't find time to read anything else in this email, you should read the L.A. Times sports article below...it will probably make your 'Husker Red' blood boil a little. Maybe it will be posted in the locker room before the game for a little added incentive.
As an added service, I've included a TICKET EXCHANGE section for those wanting to sell and buy tickets this fall. Enjoy the rest of the reading, and enjoy a little Husker Humor at the end.
Go Big Red (White and Blue),
Carl
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PAVAN NAMED ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN OF THE YEAR...
Lincoln – Volleyball All-American Sarah Pavan of the University of Nebraska and diving national champion Jamie Wolf of Clarion (Pa.) University have been selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) as the 2006-07 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americas of the Year.
CoSIDA and ESPN The Magazine combine to sponsor 24 Academic All-America programs on the University (NCAA Div. I) and College (NCAA Div. II, III and NAIA) levels. For each program, an Academic All-America of the Year is selected. Pavan and Wolf were selected from a ballot that included each programs Academic All-America of the Year.
Pavan ran away with the University Division award, compiling 172 points in the voting system. A total of 48 of the 62 voters ranked her among their top three selections, including 21 first-place votes. Wisconsin-Madison ice hockey standout Sara Bauer finished second in the University Division balloting with 117 points (15 first-place), while North Carolina soccer All-American Heather O'Reilly, Tenessee women's basketball star Lindsay Schutzler (41) and Oklahoma baseball all-star Aaron Ivey (40) rounded out the top five.
Pavan, a junior biochemistry major with a 4.00 cumulative grade point average, was selected from among 12 finalists as the 2006-07 University Division ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americas of the Year. Pavan, the 2006 AVCA Division I Player of the Year and 2006-07 Honda-Broderick Cup winner, has led her team to three-straight Big 12 titles and appearances in back-to-back NCAA Championship matches. Last season, the Huskers went 33-1 en route to a national title, becoming only the third team in NCAA volleyball history to be ranked No. 1 an entire season."It is tremendous honor to be selected for this award, as it recognizes both academic and athletic achievement," said Pavan. "This award reflects the standard of excellence that the University of Nebraska expects of its student-athletes. My professors and coaches understand the demands of my major and the challenges of balancing both academics and athletics at such a high level. As much as it is an individual honor, it also celebrates the relationship between my coaches, academic support staff and the professors at Nebraska who work together to allow every student-athlete the opportunity to become the most well-rounded person they can be."
Monday's honor wraps up an amazing collection of awards for Pavan, who joins Rob Zatechka (1994-95) as the only University of Nebraska student-athlete to ever be chosen as the University Division Academic All-America of the year. Over the past month, she has been selected as the Honda-Broderick Cup winner 'recognizing the top female student-athlete at the Division I level ' and was chosen as the Big 12's Female Athlete of the Year. She is the first Division I volleyball player to be named Academic All-America of the Year.
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HUSKERS EARN NO. 19 RANKING FROM COACHES...
The Nebraska football team claimed a No. 19 ranking in the 2007 USA Today Preseason Top 25 Coaches poll that was released on Friday. USC, the Huskers' Sept. 15 opponent at Memorial Stadium, earned the No. 1 ranking, receiving 45 of a possible 60 first-place votes.
Other Big 12 teams appearing in the poll were Texas (No. 4), Oklahoma (No. 8) and Texas A&M (No. 25), while Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Kansas State were among the schools receiving votes.
Nebraska is scheduled to face three teams ranked in the preseason poll, highlighted by home games with top-ranked USC and 25th-ranked Texas A&M and a trip to No. 4 Texas.
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HUSKERS PRACTICE INSIDE MEMORIAL STADIUM...
Will Henry and the Huskers practiced in Memorial Stadium on Thursday.
Lincoln – For the first time this fall the Nebraska football team practiced inside Memorial Stadium on Tom Osborne Field for a 2 1/2 hour workout in helmets and shoulder pads Thursday afternoon. The practice was the fourth of fall camp as the Huskers prepare to don full pads for Friday's 3 p.m. workout.
It was great weather today, Head Coach Bill Callahan said. It was absolutely great. It was good to get out in the heat and work a little bit. Our kids are acclimating to this type of weather and I think it's good. We've been inside for the last two days so it was great to finally get outside.
For the complete practice report, including audio interviews with Coach Callahan and freshman Niles Paul and an exclusive photo gallery, visit the Fall Camp Central page, which will be updated and archived throughout camp leading up to NU's season opener with Nevada.
HUSKERS FOCUS ON MENTAL PREPARATION ON DAY TWO...
Lincoln – With threats of possible showers Tuesday afternoon in Lincoln, the Nebraska football team stayed inside the Hawks Championship Center for its second day of fall camp with a 2 1/2 hour workout.
We were working at it pretty good today, Head Coach Bill Callahan said. I'm really pleased with the tempo and the way our guys worked. We have a long ways to go but it was an excellent practice for day two.
The Huskers practiced in helmets and shorts, but will put on the shoulder pads for Wednesday and Thursday's workouts before putting on full pads on Friday afternoon.
With limited contact in the first week of fall camp, Callahan addressed the importance of mental preparation as the team gets ready for the Sept. 1 season opener against Nevada, 25 days away.
We've got a lot of plays in, Callahan said. During this time when you have just shorts in practice, we try to overload them with the mental side of football because there's not much contact. What we've done is elected to put in more of our system and teach them more about what we're trying to get accomplished.
Nebraska's offensive line position looks to be one of the most talented spots for the Huskers, as it includes eight juniors and seniors, providing an extensive amount of game knowledge and talent for the Big Red.
They're an experienced group, Callahan said. It's interesting because all of these guys have been around each other now for three or four years, so the communication is much better. You expect that when guys have a lot of experience and games under their belt. You can't have enough communication.
HUSKERS OPEN 2007 FALL CAMP...
Lincoln – Practicing in helmets, shorts and temperatures that reached the mid-90s, the Husker football team opened fall camp Monday afternoon on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields, the first step toward preparing for the 2007 season.
It was great, defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said of the 2 1/2 hour workout. It's good to be back on the field and there was a lot of energy. It was hot out here and the kids had to fight through it.
The 2007 Huskers welcome a talented group of freshman to this year's team, all of whom got their first taste of football at the collegiate level Monday afternoon. Cosgrove's defense also welcomes back a strong corps of linebackers that includes four seniors in Lance Brandenburgh, Corey McKeon, Bo Ruud and Steve Octavien.
We're trying to take the next step, Cosgrove added. Our installation will be very heavy. Everything we did in the spring, we will probably get all that into about three or four days. We're trying to accelerate the learning curve on these kids and try to pick up right where we left off. We had a lot of young guys out here (today) that got a lot of repetitions. We have some good, young talent.
On the offensive side of the ball, junior running backs Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn look to replace Brandon Jackson as leaders in the Husker backfield. The duo combined for 14 touchdowns in 2006 and will be key parts for the 2007 Husker offense.
This season's not just important for me, it's important for the whole team, Lucky said. We have so much talent and depth everywhere that we have to take it to the top. And that's what we're working on.
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KELLER NAMED TO MANNING AWARD WATCH LIST...
Senior Sam Keller was named to the Manning Award Watch List on Wednesday.
Nebraska senior quarterback Sam Keller continued earning preseason recognition Wednesday when the Allstate Sugar Bowl named him one of 35 finalists for the Manning Award, which is annually presented to college football's top quarterback.
Named in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning, the Manning Award is the only quarterback award that takes bowl game performances into consideration. The three Manning's will help determine the winner, in addition to a panel of national media covering college football.
Joining Keller on the list are four other Big 12 quarterbacks, including Chase Daniel (Missouri), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech), Colt McCoy (Texas) and Bobby Reid (Oklahoma State). Previous winners of the award include USC’s Matt Leinart (2005), Texas’ Vince Young (2006) and LSU's JaMarcus Russell (2007).
We are excited about this year's Manning Award Watch List class, said Raymond Jeandron Jr., President of the Allstate Sugar Bowl. In our season of crowning college football's best team, it will be another honor to announce college football's best quarterback in our home city following the Allstate BCS National Championship Game.
Finalists for the Manning Award will be announced prior to the bowl season.
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Journal Star Story: (fm Mac n Donna)
Purify ready to get back in shape
Nebraska wide receiver Maurice Purify is ready to put his past problems behind him and focus on conditioning.
Nebraska senior wide receiver Maurice Purify said he was prepared for a harsher punishment than the one-game suspension he received from head coach Bill Callahan.
I thought it was going to be way worse, said Purify, who will miss Nebraska's Sept. 1 season opener against Nevada. I thought it would be at least two or three. I'm glad the decision he made was one game, because I wanted to play the USC game.
For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/08/07/huskerextra/football/doc46b7f1bd67210307397763.txt
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L.A. TIMES ARTICLE ABOUT NEBRASKA...
Thought you would all like to read this to get an idea about the lack of "class" representing the USC Trojans. If the smog and traffic weren't enough, here's another reason to stay out of L.A. Lets hope no self respecting Husker fan gives this jerk the time of day or invites him to any Husker hospitality...he'd probably just spit on them anyway...
T.J. Simers: (LA Times hack)
Nebraska fans, lend him your ears -- and more
Simers wants to experience the run-up to the USC game with Cornhuskers fans, if any are willing to show him what their lives are like.
July 31, 2007
I am writing this now to give the overland stage time to get it there.
USC will be playing in Nebraska on Sept. 15, and I will be joining the greatest football team ever assembled as they strike out into the wilderness.
If possible, I'd like to spend time boarding with some corn cobs, maybe getting a smell of what it's like to be around livestock , then leaving Lincoln to move around the state and spend a few days here and there.
A stop in Wahoo at the Wigwam Café is probably a good start, but I was thinking it'd be interesting to stay with a real-live-boring Cornhuskers family somewhere out on the prairie so I can feel what it's like to have nothing to look forward to in my life other than a Saturday afternoon football game.
I'll be going to Nebraska early in the football week, and while I'm not sure what corn cob hospitality is like, I'd like to remind folks that when they came to L.A., I tried to help.
Remember when the Cornhuskers came to the big city to lose in the Rose Bowl? Everyone here knows there are no individual seats , just long benches for the skinny people who live here.
I was looking out for the corn-fed porkers, of course, including all their big-butted women, when I told them that if everyone sat down after the anthem, there were going to be people falling atop each other at the end of each row.
A number of corn cobs e-mailed to say they were unhappy with Page 2 but thrilled now to have their very own Internet machines.
They also wanted to tell me about their wonderful lives, kids and the modern facilities being built right down there by the creek. Well, there's nothing like a Wal-Mart coming to town to excite the locals, so I was thrilled for them. But for some reason that didn't come across in our correspondence, and there might still be some hard feelings.
I got to thinking last summer, though, as I drove the family-that-I-used-to-love across Nebraska in a RV what it must be like to actually live there most every day of your life. I can't remember for sure if it was Nebraska or Kansas where I saw a tree, but it just seemed as if there wasn't much there.
That's why the corn cobs love their football. It's all they have, everyone wearing red, and sitting there like plump, ripe tomatoes with corncobs stuck to their heads, singing, "There is no place like Nebraska.
"Hard to argue. There's not a 7-Eleven in the entire state, thousands of people never once tasting a Slurpee, which got me wondering whether I could live that way for a whole week.
I know there aren't a whole lot of cities in Nebraska, but I'm willing to spend a few days out yonder with a family if someone would like to show me what it's like to live without DirecTV and not ask me to kill a chicken for dinner.
I can play checkers if forced, though, or make a run to the Feed Store. Right now I'm willing to go wherever the corn cobs tell me to go, and while several have already done that, I'd like to see for myself they're not talking about some place in Nebraska.
Link to the article: http://www.latimes.com/sports/
la-sp-simers31jul31,1,1707397.column?coll=la-headlines-sports&ctrack=1&cset=true
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FROM NEBRASKA TO THE NFL: KYLE LARSON...
By Jeff GrieschHuskers.com
All this summer on Huskers.com, we are featuring football players who have enjoyed outstanding professional careers by making the transition from Nebraska to the NFL. Kyle Larson was an All-America punter for the Huskers who closed his NU career in 2003. He has developed into one of the NFL's best punters heading into his fourth season with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Funk, Neb., native signed with the Bengals as a free agent following the 2004 NFL Draft and wasted little time making an impact for Cincinnati. He averaged 42.2 yards per punt in his first professional season and was named to Pro Football Weekly's All-Rookie Team.
Larson was even better in 2005, averaging 43.2 yards per punt, including a Bengal-record 75-yard bomb in the second quarter against Jacksonville on Oct. 9.
Last season, Larson continued to climb the ladder among the NFL's best punters, averaging 44.5 yards per punt to rank eighth in the league. He was even better in net punting, averaging 38.6 yards per boot for the best mark by a Bengal punter in a decade.
Along with his outstanding punting abilities, Larson has been an asset to the Bengals as a holder for place-kicker Shayne Graham on both PATs and field goals. In fact, Larson was the holder for all of Graham's club-record 158 consecutive PATs and 17 straight field goals.
During his stellar career at Nebraska, Larson earned All-America and All-Big 12 honors as a finalist for the 2003 Ray Guy Award. He also set the NU record with his 45.1-yard-per-punt average on 66 punts as a senior and finished his career with a 43.7-yard average on 195 punts.
Larson earned his bachelor's degree from Nebraska in business administration and was a three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.
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FROM NEBRASKA TO THE NFL: CARLOS POLK...
By Jeff GrieschHuskers.com
All this summer on Huskers.com, we are featuring football players who have enjoyed outstanding professional careers by making the transition from Nebraska to the NFL. Carlos Polk was an All-America linebacker for the Huskers who closed his NU career in 2000. He is in the middle of a solid pro career with the San Diego Chargers.
A fourth-round selection by the Chargers in the 2001 NFL Draft, Polk was a contributor for San Diego in 2001, 2002 and 2003 before being sidelined by injuries for much of the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Last season, Polk returned to enjoy the best season of his career with 32 tackles and two sacks on defense to go along with 19 special teams tackles. He was also chosen as the recipient of San Diego's Ed Block Courage Award.
Polk was also rewarded for his stellar play with a two-year contract that will keep him in a San Diego uniform through the 2008 season. Polk owns 44 total tackles in his career on defense, including 36 solos. He has also registered three sacks. He has added 45 tackles in his career on special teams.
The 6-2, 260-pounder from Rockford, Ill., has played in 54 career games for the Chargers in his six NFL seasons.
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CHAMBERLAIN CALLED UP TO MAJORS...
Joba Chamberlain was called up late Tuesday afternoon and will be in the Yankees dugout tonight.
Lincoln : Former Husker All-American Joba Chamberlain continued his rapid ascent in professional baseball on Tuesday, as he was called up by the New York Yankees.
Chamberlain, a supplemental first-round pick in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, spent less than one season in the minor leagues before getting the call to the Majors following his Nebraska career. He learned the news on Monday afternoon and reported to Toronto, where the Yankees are squaring off with the Blue Jays in a four-game series. He was officially activated and added to the Yankees 40-man roster prior to Tuesday's game.
Chamberlain, who was Nebraska's No. 1 starter in both 2005 and 2006, is the 26th former Husker to reach the Majors and the second to make his debut this season. He joins Alex Gordon, who made his MLB debut with Kansas City on Opening Day. Gordon and Chamberlain were teammates on the Huskers, 2005 College World Series team, leading the Huskers to a school-record 57 wins and the program's first CWS win.
Chamberlain also becomes the fifth former Husker to reach the Majors this season, joining Gordon, Darin Erstad (Chicago White Sox), Shane Komine (Oakland Athletics) and Dan Johnson (Oakland Athletics).
This season, Chamberlain is a combined 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 18 appearances covering three levels in New York's farm system. He has 135 strikeouts over 88.1 innings, as he is holding foes to a .179 average. Chamberlain dominated at the Triple A level, going 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three appearances, striking out 18 and walking one over eight innings. Chamberlain, who was used exclusively as a starter until last week, did not allow a run in his three relief outings, striking out 10 over four innings of work at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.
In his two-year career at Nebraska, he compiled a 16-7 record with a 3.29 ERA in 32 starts, as he ranks fourth with 232 strikeouts in 208.0 career innings. He fanned 10 or more hitters eight times in his career, including four outings during the 2006 campaign.
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HUSKERS PICKED FIRST IN BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL...
Jordan Larson and the Husker volleyball team was picked first in the Big 12 Preseason poll released Tuesday.
IRVING, Texas — Defending national champion Nebraska has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 volleyball title for the 11th consecutive season in a vote of the league's head coaches, the conference office announced Tuesday afternoon.
The Huskers received 10 of the possible 11 first-place votes while tallying 100 points overall. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Last season, NU earned its third NCAA title after going 33-1 overall and 19-1 against the league for its third straight Big 12 crown and ninth title in 11 years of Big 12 action.
Nebraska begins two-a-day practices Wednesday morning while the team's media day is set for Friday, Aug. 10, at 1:30 p.m. at the NU Coliseum.
Right-side hitter Sarah Pavan, the 2006 AVCA Player of the Year, headlines a deep and talented Husker roster. Four additional All-Americans will also be featured among the returning starters -- setter Rachel Holloway, outside hitters Christina Houghtelling and Jordan Larson and middle blocker Tracy Stalls. In addition to those five All-Americans, the Huskers also feature three other players with starting experience from a year ago, including middle blockers Kori Cooper and Amanda Gates and defensive specialist Rachel Schwartz, who will move to libero this fall.
Texas was second behind NU with 91 points, including one first-place vote. The Longhorns were followed by Missouri, Texas A&M and Colorado filling the top five spots. Iowa State was sixth with Kansas State, Baylor, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Tech rounding out the poll.
Nebraska also paced the conference with a Big 12 record five preseason All-Big 12 selections, including Holloway, Houghtelling, Larson, Pavan and Stalls.
Pavan was named Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year for the third consecutive season. In 2006, the two-time Big 12 Player of the Year led the conference in kills (5.10 - school record) and points (5.99) per game while hitting .313 on the season. Pavan ranked 10th nationally in kills per game and reached double figures in kills in 33 of 34 matches, including 10 with at least 20 kills. She was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship after posting 5.50 kills and 2.88 digs per game in victories over No. 4 UCLA and No. 2 Stanford. Pavan was awarded numerous awards for her performance in 2006, including the Honda-Broderick Cup, Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year and ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American of the Year.
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TICKET EXCHANGE:
This section provides a place for Bay Area Huskers to offer/request tickets to Husker athletic games. Just send me an email letting me know what kind, how many and how much with contact info and I'll share with the rest of those on our email list.
OFFERS:
REQUESTS:
(This request is from the parents of a new UNL student from the Bay Area) - Allyson is very excited to go to Nebraska. We ARE looking for 2 tickets to the Nebraska - Texas A&M game so if you know anyone, please let us know!
Thanks, Sue Ramans taximomslr@aol.com
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NEWS FROM THE HOMELAND...
* Pederson Makes Changes In Athletic Department Personnel Assignments
Just days after his contract was extended for five years, NU Athletic Director Steve Pederson announced several personnel changes. http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/08/02/46b230d4ad19f
* Coaches Pick Nebraska (who else?) To Win Big 12 Volleyball Title
For the eleventh straight season the Big 12 volleyball coaches have named Nebraska the preseason favorite to win the conference title. http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/08/09/46bb5324382f4
* NU Volleyball Great Pavan Claims Another Major Honor
All-America volleyball player Sarah Pavan of Nebraska has received more well-deserved recognition.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/08/01/46b0c97c6b1bc
* After the Hottest Summer A Promising But Uncertain Husker Season
Sam McKewon's first-of-the-season column on NU's '07 season. http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/08/08/46b9f50192ef6
* Nevada Coach Says His Team Looks Strong
Coach Chris Ault says his Wolf Pack squad is "a very strong football team and we have a very strong incoming class so..." So, we'll see when Nevada opens the season against NU in Lincoln. http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/08/08/46b9ec9d87896
* Callahan Could Be Award Winner
It is time for college football to establish two pre-season awards to recognize coaches who come closest to perfection during news conferences that precede the first day of Fall practice. http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/08/07/46b8b1cf410f3
* Nebraska Gridiron Recruiting Scores High
While the Nebraska football team is looking to return to national prominence this season, it's already receiving rave reviews on the recruiting trail. http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/08/06/46b7586609987
* Top High School Running Back From Michigan Chooses Cornhuskers
A top high school running back from Detroit announced Friday he will be a Cornhusker in the 2008 recruiting class. http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/08/03/46b3582d00428
* Officials Say Nebraska Bridges Aren't In Bad Shape - Mostly
There is no need for twisted knickers about the bridges of Nebraska, although a bunch of them in four rural counties fall under the feds structurally deficient" category. http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/08/03/46b35c24f15db
* Some Niobrara Irrigators Lose Water Rights - Appeal To Follow
Ignorance of the law is not an excuse when you screw up, whether it is a civil or criminal case.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/
2007/08/02/46b2203f7d3a8
* Kerrey Marries Comedian And His Girlfriend - So To Speak
Comedian Steve Martin got married in Los Angeles the other day and now the Internet is awash in a story that says Former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey, a friend of Martin's, presided over the ceremony. http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/
2007/07/30/46ae0d3c2c222
* Football Season Projections Counter Predicted Missouri Victory
For the first time in my four fall semesters as a college student, the opening week of classes, beginning August 27, will lead directly into a Nebraska football weekend. And what a beautiful time it will be. From Evan Bland at the Daily Nebraskan. http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/07/30/46ae1009bdd3b
* UNL Prof Says Lawmakers Should Dump Existing State Aid To Schools And Just Start Over
This piece continues to draw interesting comment. Read and contribute, please. http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/
ART/2007/07/27/46aa24cb4dfca
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HUSKER HUMOR CORNER...
From various anonymous sources!
-739745.bmp)
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