MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes became the first repeat winner of the All-Star home run derby in 15 years, powering his way past Cincinnati’s Todd Frazier by a whopping 9-1 in the final round Monday night.
Ken Griffey Jr. took the title in 1998 and 1999.
With a serious, determined look on his face the whole time, Cespedes finished with 28 homers. That was four fewer than last year, when he beat Washington’s Bryce Harper 9-8 in the final round.
Cespedes saved his best for last, a 452-foot blast to the third deck above left field that officially measured as the longest of the night.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — NCAA President Mark Emmert received $1.707 million in compensation in 2012-13, a year in which the governing body turned a $32 million profit.
The figures come from the NCAA’s latest tax returns, which were released Monday.
Jim Isch, the NCAA’s chief operating officer, and top legal counsel Donald Remy also topped the $500,000 mark. Isch received $1.013 million in total compensation. Remy, who is listed as an executive vice president, was third at $619,663.
During that fiscal year, the NCAA generated $874 million in revenue — a 4 percentage-point increase over 2011-12 — and had $842 million in expenses, a 6.4 percentage-point increase over the previous fiscal year.
The tax documents also show a record $546 million was distributed to member schools in 2012-13.
Three transients are being charged after they were busted with a stolen vehicle at a Maxwell Lake.
At around 9:50 p.m., on July 12, deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance at the Ranchland Convenience Store at the Maxwell Interstate 80 interchange.
Upon arrival, deputies made contact with 58-year-old Melinda Feiler.
Feiler advised that she and her boyfriend, 54-year-old Jimmy Little, were drinking and got into an argument.
She said Little left her at the Maxwell Interstate Lake and left in the car they were riding in with 19-year-old Nathaniel Hart Abernathy-Blackwell.
Meanwhile, another deputy located the vehicle parked back at the lake. As he approached, Abernathy-Blackwell took off running into high weeds and trees.
Deputies contacted Little, who was reportedly extremely intoxicated and uncooperative.
The vehicle, a maroon 2002 Mercury four-door, was registered out of Blackwell, Oklahoma and was reported stolen.
As a result, Little and Feiler were both placed under arrest and charged with possession of stolen property. They were transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.
Deputies, with the assistance of the Nebraska State Patrol and a LCSO K-9, launched an extensive search for Abernathy-Blackwell, to no avail.
The following morning, a citizen reported that a white 2011 Chevrolet pickup was stolen from the area. Deputies believe Abernathy-Blackwell is responsible, and issued a warrant for his arrest.
The investigation is ongoing and Abernathy-Blackwell remains at large.
Two North Platte brothers are facing multiple charges after they allegedly attacked a man in his home.
At around 2:00 a.m., on July 14, North Platte Police responded to the report of a physical disturbance in the 900 block of North Hayes Avenue.
Upon arrival, officers found 45-year-old Jerry Houchin and his brother, 35-year-old Jeff Houchin, yelling at two females on the deck of the residence.
A 29-year-old male resident told officers that the Houchin brothers showed up at his house and began demanding that he come outside and fight.
When the he refused, the Houchins allegedly tried to force their way into the residence.
Officer Rodney Brown said Jeff’s girlfriend attempted to intervene and stop them from entering, but was unsuccessful.
Brown said the victim claimed the brothers then attacked him by choking him and punching him in the face. Jeff’s girlfriend was also injured in the melee.
Following further investigation, officers determined that there was probable cause to arrest both men and charge them with felony strangulation, 2nd degree criminal trespassing, 3rd degree assault and disturbing the peace.
Jeff was also charged with 3rd degree domestic assault. The charge was enhanced to a felony due to prior domestic assault convictions.
Both were jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man has been accused of intentionally crashing his pickup truck into a utility pole in a collision that killed his girlfriend.
26-year-old Nicholas Marescalco appeared Monday in court bruised and in a wheelchair. He faces a manslaughter charge. Court records do not list an attorney.
Prosecutors say Marescalco was driving and arguing with his girlfriend, 25-year-old Sharlee Arnett, when he intentionally crashed the vehicle on July 6. Neither he nor Arnett were wearing seat belts.
Police have found no signs that Marescalco used the brakes on his car before the crash.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man who’s already serving a life sentence for shooting his ex-wife to death has pleaded no contest to killing the attorney who represented him in his divorce.
Hall County officials say 58-year-old Michael Petersen of rural Glenvil pleaded no contest to first-degree murder on Monday as part of a deal with prosecutors.
In return for Petersen’s plea in the Nov. 13 shooting death of 52-year-old attorney Todd Elsbernd, prosecutors dropped a weapons charge and agreed not to seek the death penalty.
Petersen was sentenced in May for killing 58-year-old Nancy Petersen outside her home in rural Buffalo County.
Defense attorney Jeff Pickens has said Petersen was bitter about the financial terms of his 2005 divorce, and he had lost much of his remaining savings to two scams.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska veterans now have the option to display their status on driver’s licenses and state identification cards.
The state began allowing the veteran designation on July 1.
The new cards could make it easier for veterans to show that they qualify for special offers and discounts at Nebraska businesses. It also could help law enforcement identify those who may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Veterans who want the designation must register with the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and request the designation when renewing or applying for a duplicate identification card at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Department of Veterans Affairs director John Hilgert says the state registry has about 4,000 names so far, and officials are adding 90 to 100 per day.
CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — A Texas man has won the men’s championship at the annual World Championship Buffalo Chip Toss at the Fur Trade Days event in Chadron.
The Panhandle Post website for Chadron radio station KQSK says 41-year-old Derek Noe, of Harlingen, Texas, threw a piece of dried bison dung 125 feet, 1 inch on Saturday to win the male 18-and-older competition.
His throw was well short of the Fur Trade Days’ individual competition record of nearly 187 feet set in 2000.
The women’s crown for those 18 and older was claimed by 23-year old Ashley Riesen, of Chadron, who tossed a chip 88 feet, 9 inches.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The American Bar Association is helping Nebraska steer law students to rural communities.
The national group has awarded the Nebraska State Bar Association a $15,000 grant to pay some of the costs of placing 10 law students as law clerks in rural towns for five weeks in 2015.
The state bar association hopes a summer clerkship will encourage law students to live and work in small towns, researching cases and preparing documents for law firms. The state bar association started the clerkship program in 2013 as part of its Rural Practice Initiative to help increase the number of small-town lawyers. Iowa has a similar program.
Of Nebraska’s 93 counties, 22 have three or fewer lawyers. Twelve have none.
GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) — A body found earlier this month in the Missouri River in southwest Iowa has been identified as that of a Council Bluffs man.
Authorities identified him as 49-year-old Robert Jensen. His body was found around 4:45 p.m. on July 1 in the river at Lincoln’s Landing campground, near the U.S. Highway 34 bridge that connects Mills County to Plattsmouth, Nebraska.
Relatives of Jensen contacted law enforcement after reading some reports about tattoos on the body.
