LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ordered Nebraska authorities to return $48,100 cash they seized from a man driving across the state in 2009.
The U.S. Court of Appeals decision on Friday overturned an earlier lower court’s ruling.
Nebraska authorities agree that John Nelson obtained the money legally, but they said he planned to use the cash to buy drugs.
The appeals court says authorities didn’t have evidence that showed Nelson planned to use the money for drugs.
Testimony showed that Nelson disliked banks and wanted to keep his money in cash instead of deposit it. He was driving from Denver to his parents’ home near Milwaukee when he was stopped.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Internet service at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will soon become faster and more reliable.
The university is preparing for the largest upgrade of the campus’ computer network in a decade.
The university is working to double Internet connectivity and reliability for all computer users on its network. The fastest speeds will be available for researchers, who require enormous amounts of bandwidth.
UNL network manager Jim Hlava says a $1.5 million upgrade will provide internet speeds twice as fast as currently available. It also will reduce the chances of an Internet outage.
In addition, UNL has received a nearly $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to expand its bandwidth to match top research universities across the country.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Albert Pujols and David Freese combined to drive in five runs as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Saturday for their seventh victory in eight games.
There were two rain delays with the second after the fourth inning lasting 3:58. The game didn’t end until nearly 7 hours after it started.
Pujols, who has 14 RBIs in his past 13 games, singled home runs in the third and sixth innings. Freese, who had three hits, drove in three runs, two in the four-run sixth and the other in fourth. He has six RBIs in his past seven games, after driving in only three in his previous 26 games.
Rookie right-hander Mike Morin (2-1), who went to high school at a Kansas City suburb, allowed two runs on two hits over two innings to pick up the victory.
Royals rookie Yordano Ventura (5-7) took the loss.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Carlos Gomez launched a three-run homer and Matt Garza battled into the seventh inning for his first win in four starts to help the Milwaukee Brewers continue their season mastery of the Colorado Rockies with a 7-4 victory Saturday.
Garza (5-5) pitched five scoreless innings before allowing two runs each in the sixth and seventh. His first win since June 7 improved the Brewers to 6-0 this season against Colorado. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a perfect ninth inning for his majors-best 27th save.
Gomez staked the Brewers to a 3-0 lead in the first, hitting his 13th home run on a 3-2 pitch from Jhoulys Chacin (1-7).
Braun’s two-run triple keyed a three-run sixth that upped the Brewers’ lead to 6-0.
Gomez was removed in the seventh inning after colliding with Braun in the outfield. He is day to day with a neck strain.
PHILADELPHIA – The Tri-City Storm had a total of three players with ties to the organization selected on the second day of the 2014 NHL DraftSaturday.
The selections included forwards Austin Poganski and Sam Lafferty, as well as goaltender Alec Dillon.
Poganski was the first Storm player chosen, going to the St. Louis Blues in the 4th round, 110th overall.
The St. Cloud, Minn. native played 55 games for Tri-City during the 2013-14 season, scoring 19 goals and 12 assists.
“I think when you watch today’s NHL, it’s the big power forwards that help you win games, especially at your depth positions,” said Storm Head Coach Jim Hulton. “When I look at St. Louis and the current head coach Ken Hitchcock, he believes in big bodies and playing down low. That fits right in to the bill of what Austin is right now and he’s only going to continue to develop into that type of a player.”
15 of Poganski’s points came on the power play last season, including 11 goals, which was fourth-best in the league. The forward’s three short-handed goals were also tied for fourth in the USHL. Before he makes the jump to professional hockey, Poganski is committed to play at the University of North Dakota.
The Blues are the only NHL team with a Storm alum currently on their roster, in 2010 first round pick Jaden Schwartz.
Just three picks later, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected forward Sam Lafferty, of Hollidaysburg, Penn., 113th overall. Lafferty was an undrafted main camp invite who is expected to play in Kearney for Tri-City during the 2014-15 season.
“Some of our scouts stepped up and had a lot of positive things to say about him,” Hulton said. “We were really impressed with his play and his poise. The one thing that stuck out for me was that I thought he was the smartest player on the ice at our camp last week with his patience and positioning, and obviously Pittsburgh saw that as well.”
Last season the forward played at Deerfield Academy Prep School in Massachusetts. He is also committed to play collegiately at Brown University.
Dillon, who the Storm drafted in the second round of last month’s USHL Phase II Draft, was selected by the Los Angeles Kings with the final pick of the 5th round, 150th overall.
Dillon spent the 2013-14 season with his hometown team, the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). He is committed to play college hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
“We knew that Dillon was going to go at some point in the draft and being a goaltender, you never know when the run’s going to start,” Hulton said. “We knew prior to the draft that Los Angeles had some interest and privately we were hoping they would take him.”
The Storm plan on announcing their 30-man roster to begin the 2014-15 season at the beginning of July.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals signed first-round draft pick Brandon Finnegan, a left-handed pitcher who helped lead TCU to the College World Series, on Saturday.
Finnegan signed for $2,200,600, the slotted money for the 17th overall pick. With Finnegan agreeing to terms, the Royals have signed all 12 of their picks in the first 10 rounds.
Finnegan, who went 9-3 with a 2.04 ERA while striking out 134 in 105 2-3 innings as a junior, will report Monday to the Royals’ High-A Wilmington (Del.) affiliate.
He pitched for Team USA last summer and beat Cuba 1-0, allowing three hits, striking out seven and walking one in seven innings.
Finnegan was a 2011 45th round pick of the Texas Rangers out of Fort Worth Southwest High, but did not sign, opting to go to TCU.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man accused of causing a fatal crash while driving the wrong way on Interstate 480 has pleaded not guilty to felony charges.
Victor Perez is charged with motor vehicle homicide while drunk and leaving the scene of an accident. A judge on Friday set his bail at $250,000.
Police say the 24-year-old Perez was driving the SUV that struck Mickey Riesberg, who was riding a motorcycle. Riesberg was pronounced dead at Nebraska Medical Center.
Perez was arrested shortly after the crash after he pulled into the Ameristar Casino grounds in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Prosecutors say his blood alcohol level was 0.191 at the time of his arrest, more than twice the legal limit to drive.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Architectural work has begun on the new Central Nebraska Veterans Home in Kearney, and state officials say they expect the project to qualify for federal funding.
John Hilgert, the state veterans’ homes director in the Department of Health and Human Services, says it’s prudent to move ahead with the design work as part of the federal grant process. Hilgert says starting the work will demonstrate the project’s readiness to federal officials.
State officials announced in January that they had chosen Wilkins Hinrichs Stober Architects of Kearney to be the lead architect for the new home. The new facility will replace the aging Grand Island Veterans Home.
The Kearney firm is to head up a team of nine specialized consultants that will provide all of the services required for the project.
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — A North Platte physical education teacher who dragged an 8-year-old student by his ankles can keep his job.
The North Platte Public Schools Board decided late Friday not to terminate the contract of Mark Woodhead, a longtime teacher and coach at Jefferson Elementary. The 4-2 vote came at the end of 15 hours of public testimony and deliberation, and was cheered by a large crowd. Board members Jack Price and Julie Nielsen voted to fire Woodhead.
Witnesses say the third-grader was misbehaving in Woodhead’s physical education class. The student left the class and went to an office. Woodhead followed the boy and dragged him back to a timeout room, a distance of about 90 feet. The child’s guardian testified that the boy suffered rug burns on his back.
Woodhead says he used bad judgment, and never intended to harm the child.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ordered Nebraska authorities to return $48,100 cash they seized from a man driving across the state in 2009.
