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Man accused of cattle rustling gets 3 years of probation

RED CLOUD, Neb. (AP) — A south-central Nebraska man accused of cattle rustling has been given three years of probation.Court records say 28-year-old Austin Petr, of rural Blue Hill, had pleaded no contest to misdemeanor theft in Clay County and to felony attempted theft in Webster County.

Authorities say Petr sold calves Jan. 13, 2017, at a Clay County sale barn that had been stolen earlier that day from a property in Webster County.

Wet weather keeps Nebraska farmers from planting crops

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Wet weather is continuing to slow planting of crops in Nebraska.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Monday that in the previous week, rainy weather made only 2.6 days suitable for fieldwork across the state.

The USDA says 88% of the expected corn crop had been planted, behind the 98% five-year average. About 64% of soybeans had been planted, behind the 87% five-year average.

Sorghum plantings also were far behind, with 36% this spring rather than the 70% average.

Recent high school grad dies after collision in Sarpy County

GRETNA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an 18-year-old who recently graduated from high school died after a collision in eastern Nebraska’s Sarpy County.

The accident occurred around 10 p.m. Friday on U.S. Highway 6 southwest of Gretna. The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office says Claire Kresak was trying to pass another westbound vehicle when her car collided with an eastbound minivan driven by 44-year-old Jeffrey Johnson.

The sheriff’s office says Kresak was flown to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where she died Saturday evening. Johnson is expected to survive his injuries.

The Ashland-Greenwood Public School District says Kresak graduated Ashland-Greenwood High School last month.

Nebraska, Iowa medical schools increase humanities courses

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Universities in Nebraska and Iowa are seeing an uptick in humanities courses in some medical schools.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that the University of Nebraska at Omaha got the green light last month to offer a major in medical humanities. The subject areas include art, philosophy, ethics, religious studies, and the history of medicine among others.

Faculty members at Creighton School of Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center say studying humanities can promote empathy and help students learn to listen.

Creighton has just created a department of medical humanities in its medicine school. The University of Iowa College of Medicine’s bioethics and humanities program also offers med students elective courses in creative writing

Eagle Communications honored for Excellence in Employee Ownership

WASHINGTON — Eagle Communications Inc. has been selected by the National ESOP Association as the winner of the 2019 Total Communications, More Than 250 Employees, Annual Award for Communications Excellence. The Total Communications award recognizes overall excellence in efforts to educate the public and employee owners about a company’s ESOP and ownership culture.

Eagle was also selected as the runner-up winner for two other awards: Videos and the Employee Ownership Marketing category.

The Videos award distinguishes excellence in the use of original, printed materials to explain or promote the company’s ESOP to employee owners, customers, or the community. Eagle’s final nomination, in Employee Ownership Marketing, recognizes excellence in advertising and marketing the benefits of employee ownership to customers, the community, and the public.

Andrea Clinkscales

Individually, Andrea Clinkscales was recognized as a finalist for National “Employee Owner of the Year.” She was recipient of the Heart of America “Employee Owner of the Year” Award in 2018.

“The great educational curriculum for employee owners includes ESOP 101 content, information discussed on weekly bulletin videos, a weekly revenue call, an ESOP Facebook group, eight educational videos, and a pre-retirement seminar. A leadership program is a great development opportunity for employee owners looking to take a greater role. The company also engages in local Chamber of Commerce events to share about the company and employee ownership,” commented the AACE judges.

The AACE awards are sponsored each year by the Association to recognize the outstanding communications and educational programs of its members. The awards are presented each May at the Association’s National Conference in Washington, DC to companies who have excelled in communicating the ESOP and its meaning to the company’s employees.

 

Gary Shorman

AACE Award winners are chosen by a panel of five judges made up of both management and non-management employee owners, each of whom has demonstrated active experience and interest in the field of ESOP’s and employee ownership communications.

Gary Shorman, CEO of Eagle Communications, is Chairman of the National ESOP Association.

“The National Conference brings together some of the best employee owned companies in the country,” he said. “For us to be represented as award winners shows the passion of our Eagle team for providing great customer service and “no excuses” employee ownership in the communities we serve”

*Eagle Communications is the parent company of North Platte Post

 

Authorities say Chase County man pinned by tractor died at scene

IMPERIAL, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say a man died after becoming pinned under a tractor in southwest Nebraska.

The Chase County Sheriff’s Office says first responders from Imperial were dispatched around 10:30 a.m. Saturday. They found the man had already died.

His name and details about how the accident occurred haven’t been released.

Survey suggests Midwest slowdown of economic growth 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A new report says a May survey of business supply managers suggests economic growth will slow over the next three to six months in nine Midwest and Plains states.

The report issued Monday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index dropped to 54.3 last month from 55.9 in April. The figure was 58.2 in March.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says tariffs and flooding have harmed several states.

The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Ricketts ready to try again to cut Nebraska property taxes

With the 2019 session now over, the Republican governor said he plans to meet with key lawmakers this summer in search of a new property tax compromise before the Legislature reconvenes in January.

But Ricketts — who repeatedly criticized the plan developed by the tax-focused Revenue Committee — stood firm Friday in his opposition to any proposal that lowers one tax by raising another.

“It’s my goal to be able to sit down with them over the course of the summer and find out where we can find common ground and work on things that don’t raise people’s taxes,” Ricketts said in an Associated Press interview a few hours before lawmakers adjourned for the year.

Ricketts was at odds with the committee over property taxes for much of the session. He said he wasn’t able to work with the committee chair beforehand because it wasn’t clear at the time which lawmaker was going to hold that position. The committee saw a major shake-up in January when five of its eight members, including the old chairman, left office due to term limits. The current chairwoman, Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, will remain in her post next year.

The Revenue Committee’s plan sought to lower property taxes by raising the state’s sales tax and eliminating dozens of sales tax exemptions on a variety of goods and services, including pop, candy, bottled water, haircuts and car repairs.

Supporters of the plan portrayed it as the fairest way to spread a tax burden that has increasingly shifted onto farmers, ranchers and homeowners while ensuring that Nebraska’s K-12 public schools are adequately funded. Ricketts rejected those arguments and went on a public relations blitz in grocery stores, mechanics shops and other venues to turn public opinion against it.

Ricketts praised lawmakers for adopting his budget recommendation to boost the state’s property tax credit fund by 23%, for a total of $275 million that will be used to lower property taxes.

“The only way you can have sustainable tax relief is by controlling spending, and that’s what happened in this budget,” he said.

Some rural senators argue that isn’t enough, but Ricketts said it will provide meaningful relief that he hopes to expand next year. Under the new state budget, owners of a $150,000 home will get a $106 discount on their property tax bill — about $29 more than what they currently receive.

“We’re going to continue to provide more property tax relief,” Ricketts said.

Ricketts also proposed a measure that would have guaranteed at least $275 million annually in future years for the property tax credit fund and a proposal to restrict local government property tax collections, but those proposals stalled with a lack of support.

Reflecting on this year’s 84-day session, Ricketts said lawmakers made good progress on a variety of issues. He pointed to the merger of several state agencies to improve their efficiency, new laws to help veterans find jobs, and new notification requirements for women to possibly stop an abortion after they’ve taken the first of two abortion drugs.

Speaker of the Legislature Jim Scheer said lawmakers should have worked harder to find agreement on the numerous “well-crafted property tax relief proposals” this year. He said he’s hopeful the Legislature does more in the 2020 session.

“For years, agricultural interests have been pushing us for property tax relief, and we have not been able to deliver in a substantial victory,” he said.

Linehan, the Revenue Committee chairwoman, said she planned to meet with Ricketts over the summer and convene members of the committee in late June or early July.

“I think most of what the Revenue Committee put together is a very workable plan,” she said. “I think it makes sense. We need to work with the governor to find a different way to pay for it.”

Former State Sen. Don Pederson died Sunday

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – The family of former state Sen. Don Pederson says he died Sunday at his home in Lincoln. He was 90.

His wife, June Pederson, said Pederson died of pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed May 14.

Pederson served in the Nebraska Legislature from 1996 to 2007. He was appointed in September 1996 to replace David Bernard-Stevens, who had resigned. He was elected later in 1996 and won re-election in 1998 and 2002. He was barred from running again because of a state law limiting state senators to two terms.

Pederson was a longtime resident of North Platte. He is the father of former Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic director Steve Pederson.

He is survived by his wife June, of Lincoln; four sons, 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Services are pending.

Public urged to leave wildlife babies alone

LINCOLN, Neb. – It is natural for some people who see a young wild animal apparently abandoned by its mother to want to rescue it. The correct course of action is to leave it alone.

Here are some rules of thumb from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission regarding wildlife babies:

— A lone fawn, or other young bird or mammal, may appear to be abandoned or injured, but the mother frequently is off feeding or drinking. Do not move it. The longer the fawn is separated from its mother, the slimmer the chance that it will be reunited with her. In some cases, other deer will adopt an orphaned fawn.

— It is normal for a doe to leave its fawn to keep it from being detected by predators. Predators can see the doe as it feeds, so she leaves the fawn hidden and leaves the area to draw attention away from the fawn’s location.

— Do not try to raise wildlife babies as pets. As animals mature, they become more independent and follow natural instincts to leave and establish their own territories. Rescued animals are poorly prepared for life in the wild.

— Most wildlife babies are protected by state or federal law and it is illegal to possess them.

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