NTK (Need to Know)

Good morning. Today is Friday, March 12.

Yes, that is snow blanketing yards early this morning. The good news is that it is melting fast, with temperatures just above freezing for the morning commute.

Unfortunately, we're stuck with the wintery mix of snow and rain for most of the morning. After the lunch hour, snow will drop off, leaving the metro with just rain in the forecast. The high should be in the upper 30s.

Overnight, the chance of snow and rain returns, with lows again staying just above freezing.

News of note:

• A divided federal appeals court has reversed itself on one of its most controversial rulings. The 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals ruled Thursday that the Pledge of Allegiance doesn't violate the constitutional prohibition against state-mandated religious exercise. Court rules in favor of Pledge

• Last stop. On April 24, MAT drivers will drive Route 17 for the final time, ending public bus service between Metro Community College in south Omaha and the Southroads Mall in Bellevue. It will be the first time in roughly 35 years that Bellevue riders won't have fixed service across county lines. It also is just one of several bus routes changes announced by MAT. MAT route trims Bellevue service

• Sports columnist Tom Shatel says its too early to give up on men's basketball coach Doc Sadler. Every rebuilder needs at least five years. But, he says, Doc's fourth year with the Husker's has been a real eye-opener. And now, Shatel says, Doc is on the clock. Shatel: ‘E' for effort no longer a passing grade for Doc, Huskers

• Spencer's for Steaks and Chops still serves up ginormous steak and you can still spend a pretty penny for it. But these days there's a wider array of dishes, portion sizes and price points on the menu — and one of the city's best rising chefs in the kitchen. Food writer Nichole Aksamit says her recent visits reminded her of chef Clayton Chapman's "quiet perfection" of flavors. Review: Spencer's for Steaks and Chops

• The flick “She's Out of My League” starts out as a broad, nerd-meets-babe romantic comedy that feels completely artificial and formulaic, writes World-Herald movie reviewer Bob Fischbach. The movie then heads south into gross-out comedy territory. But somewhere along the way, the characters grow on your, Fischbach says. He gives it three stars. Nerd-babe flick has romance and raunch

• First came news this week that Kansas City is shuttering schools. Now Detroit, the very symbol of American Industrial might for most of the 20th Century, plans to demolish homes in some of its most desolate sections. The city hopes to return roughly a quarter of its 139 square miles to a semi-rural state, complete with fruit trees and vegetable farms. Downsizing Detroit to save it

Some of the day's happenings:

• Omaha firefighters and representatives of the Muscular Dystrophy Association will try to dissuade a state accountability board from adopting a legal opinion that says it is a misuse of taxpayer resources for the firefighters to conduct its annual "Fill the Boot" fundraise for MDA on city time.

State lawmakers may debate a controversial measure on allowing in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants who graduate from Nebraska high schools. Immigrant tuition bill stuck

• Music samplings, from Indie to symphonic: Landing on the Moon, 9 p.m., Slowdown. Tickets: $7 at etix.com or Slowdown's box office. Digital Leather, 9:30 p.m., O'Leaver's Pub. Cover: $5. Perry H. Matthews, 7 p.m., the Hole. Cover: $6. Cherish the Ladies, traditional Irish music, 8 p.m., Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Tickets: $15 to $80 at 345-0606.

• Openings: "Get Back", 8 p.m., Bellevue Little Theater, 203 W. Mission Ave. Tickets: $15, adults; $13 senior citizens; $7.50, students. "Jesus Christ Superstar", 7:30 p.m., Chanticleer Theater, 830 Franklin Ave., Council Bluffs. Tickets: $17, adults; $14, senior citizens; $9, students.

• The women Husker's tip off at 11 a.m. against Kansas State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament. The game is at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

• Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin hosts an education roundtable at 2:30 p.m. at the Bluff's Thomas Jefferson High School, 2501 West Broadway.

• Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman will survey several areas in northeast Nebraska this morning to evaluate flood risk on area rivers.

- Compiled by Judith Nygren

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