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Tennessee Judge Changes Baby’s Name from ‘Messiah’ to Martin

gavel(AP) — A judge in eastern Tennessee has changed a 7-month-old boy’s first name to Martin from “Messiah.”

Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew ordered the name change last week, saying Messiah is a title that has been earned by one person “and that one person is Jesus Christ.”

The parents were in court because they could not agree on the child’s last name. When the judge heard his first name, she ordered it changed, so the baby was “Martin DeShawn McCullough.”

That name includes both parents’ last name.

The boy’s mother, Jaleesa Martin, says she will appeal. She says Messiah is unique.

Messiah was No. 4 among the fastest-rising baby names in 2012, according to the Social Security Administration’s annual list of popular baby names.

Air Force Academy Gets First Female Superintendent

air-force(AP) — The Air Force Academy has its first female superintendent.

Maj. Gen. Michelle Johnson formally took over the academy’s top job Monday with pomp and circumstance but little fuss about the milestone. She’s the first woman to be superintendent at any of the three best-known academies, Army, Navy and Air Force.

Much of the ceremony was focused on the man Johnson is replacing, retiring Lt. Gen. Michael Gould.

Johnson says her appointment is an example of the nation’s willingness to give everyone a chance, but she said she’s not going to dwell on its significance.

She’s a 1981 graduate of the academy, where she was the first female cadet wing commander and first female Rhodes scholar.

Convicted Omaha Sex Offender Assaults Young Girl

sex-offenders(AP) — A convicted sex offender has been arrested in Omaha, accused of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl.

Douglas County Jail records say 41-year-old Charles Hardymartin was arrested Saturday night and remained in custody Monday. He faces sex assault and other charges, including one alleging a sex registry violation. Online court records don’t list the name of his attorney.

Nebraska Sex Offender Registry records say Hardymartin had been sentenced in June 2009 to four to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a child. He was released from prison on Jan. 7, 2011.

Clown Who Mocked Obama Booed at Missouri State Fair

obama(AP) — The Missouri State Fair has permanently banned a rodeo clown whose imitation of President Barack Obama has been widely criticized as disrespectful.

Fair officials said Monday that the rodeo clown has been barred from ever performing at the fair again. They are also reviewing whether to take any actions against the contractor responsible for Saturday’s rodeo.

During the event, a clown wore a mask of Obama and asked the spectators if they wanted to see “Obama run down by a bull.” Many in the audience responded enthusiastically.

But the act was criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike after video and photos of the event were posted online.

Some Democratic Missouri lawmakers are suggesting that the state should reconsider its annual funding for the fair in Sedalia.

Heineman Has Appointed 60 of Nebraska’s 145 Judges

Governor Dave Heineman
Governor Dave Heineman

(AP) — Gov. Dave Heineman’s judicial legacy includes the appointment of 60 judges out of the state’s 145 total, and all but four were Republicans.

The Republican Heineman and one of his Democratic predecessors, Ben Nelson, both contend political affiliation didn’t figure into their judicial selections.

Heineman says he doesn’t ask a candidate’s party affiliation but is interested in his or her philosophy, hoping to find what he calls common-sense Nebraska conservatives. Nelson told the newspaper that he was concerned far more about avoiding a judicial activist than he was about rewarding a fellow Democrat.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln law professor John Lenich says Nebraska’s governors seem to give weigh heavily the nominees’ credentials and recommendations by the state’s judicial nominating commissions.

Salad Mix Production Halted After Stomach Bug Outbreak

bagged-salad(AP) — A California company has voluntarily suspended production of salad mix at a Mexico processing facility that has been linked to an outbreak of stomach illnesses in Iowa and Nebraska.

Salinas, Calif.-based Taylor Farms announced Monday that Taylor Farms de Mexico has stopped production of salad mix and leafy greens at its facility. Production has been shifted to crops and processing facilities in the United States.

Company officials say the move allows the Mexican branch to assist federal authorities in their investigation into the cyclosporiasis outbreak.

The Food and Drug Administration says cases of the illness in Nebraska and Iowa have been linked to local Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants that are supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico. The company says it continues to be confident in its Mexico operation.

Enrollment on the Rise at Scottsbluff Public Schools

scottsbluff-public-schools(AP) — A Scottsbluff schools official says enrollment is continuing to increase and most of the jump is in elementary grades.

Superintendent Rick Myles noted there had been an increase of 150 students in the last three year. That will bring total enrollment in Scottsbluff this fall to an estimated 3,050 students.

Myles says the biggest increase is in elementary grades. He says the district’s pre-school program also is growing, with a doubling of its enrollment to 90 students this year.

The district will see 30 new teachers starting this year.

Grand Island Woman Killed in Crash

fatal-accident(AP) — Authorities say a 33-year-old woman died after a car she was in rammed a tree in western Grand Island.

The Grand Island Independent says (https://bit.ly/17IMVff) the accident occurred a little before 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

Grand Island Police Sgt. Todd Dvorak (deh-VOR’-ak) says the car was headed east on West Old Highway 30 when it left the roadway, went into a ditch and struck the tree.

The woman, who was a passenger in the car, was identified as Jamie Sandante, of Grand Island. She was declared dead at the scene.

The driver was identified as 29-year-old Johnny Alvarez.

He was flown to a Lincoln hospital and was in serious condition Monday.

Little League to Introduce Drug Education Program

Little League Baseball LogoSOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Little League Baseball plans to introduce an educational program for coaches and volunteers intended to raise awareness about the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs.

Working with the Taylor Hooton Foundation, Little League hopes to have an online program ready for next season. Little League had been speaking with the foundation for more than a year about a program, well before Major League Baseball’s recent suspensions of more than a dozen players.

The suspensions Aug. 5 came less than two weeks before the start of the Little League World Series on Thursday.

The Hooton Foundation is named after a high school pitcher who committed suicide in 2003. Doctors attributed Taylor Hooton’s behavior to depression caused after he stopped using PEDs.

Argument During Hall County Hog Slaughter Leads to Gunfire

crime-scene-police-shoot(AP) — Police say an argument that broke out while a group of men were slaughtering hogs ended with a Grand Island man being shot in the leg.

Police were called to a disturbance Saturday evening and found 43-year-old Michel Garcia-Rivera with what appeared to be a cut to his leg.

The Grand Island man was taken to a hospital and the wound was found to have been caused by a gunshot.

Police charged 35-year-old Louis Motola Palaco with second-degree assault and using a weapon to commit a felony. He was held in the Hall County Jail.

Capt. Dean Elliot says the shooting occurred when an argument broke out while a group of men were slaughtering hogs, but he didn’t offer further details.

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