(Continued from page 26)

• WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a juror's comments during trial deliberations can be used to show dishonesty during the jury selection process.
• The justices said Monday they will hear an appeal from a South Dakota man seriously injured in a motorcycle accident with a truck. He sued for negligence, but a jury returned a verdict for the truck owner.
• A juror later revealed that another juror commented during deliberations that her daughter had been at fault in a similar case and a lawsuit against her daughter would have "ruined her life."
• The motorcyclist sought a new trial, saying the juror was dishonest during the jury selection process when she claimed she could be impartial.
• The district court denied the new trial motion and an appeals court agreed.
•

• OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- A monthly economic survey index dropped slightly last month but still suggests growth over the next three to six months for nine Midwestern and Plains states, according to a survey report released Monday.
• The overall Mid-America Business Conditions Index fell to 57.4 in February from 57.7 in January.
• The business confidence portion of the overall index also dropped last month. It hit a still strong 59.7 from January's 62.2.
• "As in previous months, modest improvements in regional employment, moderate inflation and less D.C. political turmoil supported supply managers' business outlook for the month," said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey.
• The survey results from supply managers are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth, while a score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
• The supply managers were asked how the February weather affected their company's business.
• "Almost one-third, or 32.4 percent, indicated that recent extreme weather had a negative impact on company sales," Goss said. Only 5.4 percent reported positive effects, with the remaining 62.2 percent indicating little or no impact.

(Continued on page 28)