The Danish Sisterhood, Lodge No. 113 February meeting will be at noon on Saturday at the Golden Towers Community Room. For more information, call 583-2666.

Middle School choral clinic scheduled at Senior High

The annual Grand Island Public Schools Middle School Choral Clinic will be Monday at Grand Island Senior High School.

Seventh and eighth graders from Barr, Walnut, and Westridge Middle Schools will attend the all day clinic. Jesse LaBrie and Eric Shepard, choral directors at Grand Island Senior High School, will be the clinicians for the day's events.

The students will then present a concert at 7 p.m. in Grand Island Senior High School's Auditorium. There is no admission charge and the public is invited to attend the concert.

Cheryl Twiestmeyer, accompanist at Walnut, will be the accompanist for the day and evening concert. Vocal music directors at the middle schools are: Kim Epperson, Barr; Kay Lyons, Walnut; and Julie Sackschewsky, Westridge.

Son of Von Maur shooting victim to speak at Barr

The son of one of the victims of the Von Maur Department Store shooting in Omaha will be the featured speaker at the Purple Hands Assembly at Barr Middle School at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Steve Scharf is the son of Gary Scharf, 48, of Lincoln, who was killed in the Dec. 5, 2007, shooting at Von Maur, Barr counselor Kirk Ramsey said.

Gary Scharf was a customer at the store and was one of eight people killed by a 19-year-old man. Steve Scharf is a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Gary Scharf was an advocate for the TeamMates Mentoring Program and helped with an anti-bullying campaign when Steve Scharf was in middle school.

The assembly is open to the public, Ramsey said.

During the rally, Barr students take the Purple Hands pledge that says, "I will not use my hands or my words for hurting myself or others." The Purple Hands Program has been integrated into all three Grand Island Public Schools middle schools.

Boy Scout Troop 114 pancake feed scheduled

Boy Scout Troop 114 has scheduled its pancake feed from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Faith United Methodist Church, 12th and Eddy streets, in Grand Island. Family tickets cost $12, adult $4 and for children ages 6 to 12, the cost is $3. Tickets can be obtained from scout members prior to the event or at the door on the day of the feed.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters seeking donations for Glamorous Generosity event

Creating dreams from closet clutter that is what Big Brothers/ Big Sisters is asking anyone with gently used prom, bridesmaid, or formal dresses, jewelry and shoes to do by donating such items towards the first ever Glamorous Generosity event.

The program will help provide proper prom attire for girls who are unable to afford the apparel.

Collection sites accepting donations include:Bridal Collection, Conestoga Mall Customer Service, YWCA, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. These sites will accept donations through March 6.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters will have a boutique in the mall for anyone in need of inexpensive prom attire from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 8; from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 9; from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 15; and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 16.

To kick off the event, a fashion show will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at the the Conestoga Mall. People should watch for additional flyers for more information on the fashion show.

* central city

Nebraska Christian Schools' Campus preview

Nebraska Christian Schools is hosting a Campus Preview Day at 8:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Wednesday.

All interested parents and students entering grades First through 12 are invited to attend this day. A complimentary noon meal will also be served. Guests will be able to visit classes and chapel time, meet students and teachers, and tour the campus. No reservations are necessary.

Nebraska Christian School is located at 1827 Inskip Ave., Central City. For more information, call the office at (308) 946-3836.

* kearney

Half a million in cocaine seized on I-80

A Nebraska State Patrol trooper netted nearly 50 pounds of cocaine worth $500,000 during a traffic stop near Kearney Thursday.

The trooper stopped a silver 2008 Chevrolet Impala for speeding on Interstate 80 near the Kearney interchange shortly after 7:30 p.m. Thursday, according to a press release from the patrol.

The release also gave the following information:

After getting consent to search the car, the trooper found 47.5 pounds of cocaine in luggage in the truck of the car.

The eastbound vehicle was driven by Dominick Digiorgio, 38. He and a passenger 35-year-old C.G. Digiorgio, both of Long Beach, N.Y., were lodged in the Buffalo County Jail.

* lincoln

Blue Valley Community Action awarded $30,000

The Nebraska Department of Economic Development has awarded a total of $30,000 in Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Funds (NAHTF) through its 2008 Nebraska Affordable Housing Program.

Of that amount, $18,000 will be placed in reserve for Osceola. Blue Valley Community Action originally borrowed $234,114 from the USDA RD to buy an eight-unit apartment complex in a single-family residential neighborhood. The organizations goal was to ensure that the property remained affordable for individuals and families earning at or below 60 percent of the median income.

The USDA RD granted the project $25,000 to accommodate immediate needs, and deferred payment of $62,981 of the original amount, placing it in reserve (along with the $18,000 NAHTF) to meet future capital needs. Blue Valley Community Action is contributing $5,000 to cover soft costs, such as grant administration, licensing and fees.

* omaha

Prosecutors won't seek death penalty for convicted murderer

(AP) Prosecutors have decided not to seek the death penalty for the Omaha man convicted last month of murdering two men.

The Douglas County Attorney's Office said it has withdrawn its request for a hearing on a possible death sentence for 25-year-old Terry J. Sellers. The victims' families did not want death for Sellers, which was one of the reasons for the withdrawal.

As a result, he will likely be sentenced to life in prison during sentencing in March.

Sellers was convicted after a three-week trial in December of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and three weapons violations in a four-day crime spree in February 2005.

Authorities have said Sellers, along with Taiana Matheny of Tucson, Ariz., killed Kevin Pierce and Victor Ford in Omaha. Pierce's body was found on Feb. 24 and a day later Ford's body was found just blocks away.

Sellers also faces charges in the November 2003 death of 24-year-old Vincent Vaughn.