Over the past several weeks, the state has played musical chairs to make room for people waiting in jails for beds at the Lincoln Regional Center.

It moved eight people from the Lincoln Regional Center general population to the Norfolk Regional Center. They all were originally from the Norfolk area and were nearing the end of their treatment, said Scot Adams, director of the Behavioral Health Division with the Department of Health and Human Services.

The state then moved seven people from the Security Building - home to the most dangerous people - to the general population.

That freed up space in the Security Building for nine people held in jails, Adams said in a telephone interview Thursday.

“That got the list (of people waiting in jail for treatment at LRC) back into what we considered to be normal range,” Adams said.

People go to the regional center from jail for two reasons: Either they were found not responsible by reason of insanity; or the court determined they were not able to participate in their defense and were “ordered to treatment so they can be be restored to sanity,” Adams said.

Often, they’ve been in jail six to eight months before they are ordered to the regional center.

And it normally takes another four to six weeks for a center spot to open, he said.

But that had stretched to a nine- to 10-week period before the state “took the unusual step of moving people to Norfolk,” he said.

Using the Norfolk Regional Center was a one-time occurrence, Adams said.

The backlog began in January, when the Security Building stopped taking new people for about three weeks while employees made security improvements suggested by national accreditation inspectors, he said.

The backlog became public in April after a York County inmate had waited more than two months for a bed at the Lincoln Regional Center. A district court judge said he might order top state officials into court for an explanation.

The man was moved to Lincoln in late April.

What should the state do to improve services for the mentally ill?

Mayor Chris Beutler said Thursday that changes are on the way for the city’s transit system, starting with route and schedule changes next month.

He said the new schedules and routes, which go into effect June 5, result from a study and were developed with StarTran bus riders’ input.

There will be more frequent service on key routes, new schedules, service to locations near Nebraska 2 on Lincoln’s east side, new downtown routing, new neighborhood routes and a free downtown shuttle.

StarTran also will add two main downtown route transfer stations, Transit Manager Larry Worth said.

While the new system should provide better connections, reduce transfers and improve overall service, Beutler said still more ideas and improvements are needed.

“I intend to explore the cost-effectiveness of smaller buses,” he said at a news conference. “I will seriously examine the impact of fairly dramatic changes in the fare schedules to encourage greater ridership.”

How should Lincoln change its bus system?

Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., says blaming ethanol for high food prices isn’t fair.

The Nebraska Democrat said during a news conference call Wednesday that he’s signed a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency to block cuts to requirements for corn ethanol.

Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota is gathering the signatures in response to a letter from the governor of Texas and 26 senators to the EPA.

That letter asks the EPA to cut in half this year’s production requirement for 9 billion gallons of corn ethanol.

Nelson says he suspects the high cost of oil for transportation bears more blame for the high price of food.

The Democrat says opponents simply want to blame the closest thing they can, and ethanol is it.

Do you support requirements to increase corn ethanol production?

It cost the city about $20,000 to stripe the lanes and put up the bike lane signs on 11th Street south from Q to K and 14th Street north from L to R.

Officials say it was worth the cost.

User counts conducted twice in 2007 and once so far this year have shown a “significant” increase in bicycle traffic along those streets from before those lanes were installed, said Dave Cary, transportation planner for the city.

And though more bicyclists are taking to those streets, the number of bicycle-related crashes on those streets has not increased, Cary said.

Lincoln is moving in the right direction as far as becoming more bicycle-friendly, Cary said.

While there are no immediate plans to put in more bicycle lanes, the Downtown Master Plan does suggest adding bicycle lanes on M and N streets from east to west to coincide with the existing north/south lanes downtown, Cary said.

Bicycle lanes and trails likely will be incorporated into future development downtown, including the Antelope Valley Project, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln research facility and the Haymarket renovations, Cary said.

Is Lincoln bicycle-friendly enough?

In the prim 1950s, college dorms were off-limits to members of the opposite sex. Then came the 1970s, when male and female students started crossing paths in coed dormitories. Now, to the astonishment of some baby boomer parents, a growing number of colleges are going even further: coed rooms.

At least two dozen schools, including Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Oberlin College, Clark University and the California Institute of Technology, allow some or all students to share a room with anyone they choose — including someone of the opposite sex. This spring, as students sign up for next year’s room, more schools are following suit, including Stanford University.

As shocking as it sounds to some parents, some students and schools say it’s not about sex.

Instead, they say the demand is mostly from heterosexual students who want to live with close friends of the opposite sex. Some gay students who feel more comfortable rooming with someone of the opposite sex are also taking advantage of the option.

At UNL

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln does not allow students living on campus to room with members of the opposite sex, in either traditional or apartment-style residence halls. Some residence halls have coed floors, with men and women living on the same floor, but not in the same room.

The university does provide family-housing options for married students and students with children.

Should Nebraska colleges allow coed dorm rooms?