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Broncos Harris Passes Physical, Will Return to Practice

DenverBroncosENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The last of the Denver Broncos’ defensive starters who missed the Super Bowl has been cleared to return to practice.

Cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who tore his left ACL in the playoffs and underwent surgery after the season, passed his physical and was taken off the PUP list Tuesday.

Second-year pro Kayvon Webster has been getting the bulk of the first-team snaps during the absence of Harris, who will ease back into the mix, doing individual and 7-on-7 drills at first.

Harris’ ligament wasn’t completely torn when he got hurt against San Diego and the Broncos are optimistic he’ll be able to return to the starting lineup by the season opener Sept. 7 against Indianapolis and resume his role as a leader on Denver’s defense.

TD Ameritrade Building Earns Efficiency Award

td-ameritradeOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — TD Ameritrade’s new headquarters tower in Omaha has been recognized for its efficient design that includes numerous features to conserve energy.

The $250 million, 12-story tower opened last year in west Omaha. TD Ameritrade said Tuesday the U.S. Green Building Council gave the building its highest platinum rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

The building includes sensors to turn off LED lighting when workers aren’t at their desk or if sunlight is available, and rainwater is captured and reused in toilets.

There are also solar panels on the tower’s roof, a rooftop garden on another part of the building and four wind turbines.

TD Ameritrade officials say the environmental features cost more up front, but they will pay off over time because the building uses significantly less energy.

Dallas-Bound Jet Returns to Omaha as Precaution

American AirlinesOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Mechanics have been checking an American Airlines jet that made a precautionary landing in Omaha after crew members reported what smelled like an electrical fire in the cockpit.

The Dallas-bound jet took off from Omaha just before 6:30 p.m. Monday but soon turned around and landed back at Eppley Airfield.

American spokesman Matt Miller told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Flight 2323 carried 62 passengers and five crew members. Miller says a replacement for the MD-80 aircraft took off about 9:30 p.m. and made it to Dallas without incident.

Miller says he had no word yet on what, if anything, was wrong with the flight’s original plane.

Omaha Killer to Be Sent to Psychiatric Hospital

Nikko Jenkins
Nikko Jenkins

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has ordered a man convicted of killing four Omaha people last summer to a state psychiatric hospital for treatment in an effort to restore his mental competency to undergo sentencing.

The decision came Tuesday in a brief hearing before Douglas County District Judge Peter Bataillon held after the judge found earlier this month that Nikko Jenkins was not mentally fit enough for a sentencing hearing.

Jenkins pleaded guilty and was convicted in April of four counts of first-degree murder for the August 2013 shotgun deaths of Curtis Bradford, Jorge (HOR-hay) Cajiga-Ruiz (cah-HE-gah ROO-ez), Juan (WAN) Uribe-Pena (oo-REE-bay PE-nyah) and Andrea Kruger in separate attacks.

Public defender Tom Riley and Douglas County prosecutor Don Kleine both agreed that Jenkins should be sent to the Lincoln Regional Center.

Lawyers Give 2 Nebraska Judges Failing Grades

judgeshipLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An evaluation survey conducted by the Nebraska State Bar Association has given passing grades to all but two of Nebraska’s 137 judges.

19 percent of active bar association members who live in Nebraska, Council Bluffs and Sioux City, Iowa, and Yankton, South Dakota, completed the electronic survey.

Association President G. Michael Fenner says the 2014 Judicial Performance Evaluation isn’t an absolute measure but says it lets attorneys evaluate judges on a variety of criteria.

This year the lawyers gave passing grades to 94 percent of the state’s judges. The only two with retention ratings below 50 percent were Douglas County Judge Darryl Lowe and Douglas County Juvenile Judge Elizabeth Crnkovich (SUR’-koh-vihtch). They didn’t immediately return messages left by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

3 Arrested in Western Nebraska After Shooting

Jail-Bars-and-Cuffs_mediumMINATARE, Neb. (AP) — Three men have been arrested in western Nebraska after gunshots were reported at a home.

Minatare police say the men were arrested Monday night on suspicion of disturbing the peace. At least two men were injured.

The shooting stemmed from a dispute between two groups. Police Chief Robert Regester says more arrests were likely as the investigation continues.

The injured men were taken to a hospital and later released.

$1,000 Pill Now Hepatitis C Treatment of Choice

pain-pillsWASHINGTON (AP) — A $1,000-per-pill drug that insurers are reluctant to pay for has quickly become the treatment of choice for a liver-wasting viral disease that affects more than 3 million Americans.

According to new research, prescriptions for Sovaldi have eclipsed all other hepatitis C pills combined in less than six months.

The promise of a real cure, with fewer nasty side effects, is enticing thousands of patients to get treated.

It’s by far the strongest launch of any similar drug.

But Sovaldi’s clinical and commercial successes have triggered scrutiny for manufacturer Gilead Sciences Inc., based in California.

Two senior U.S. senators are raising questions about documents suggesting that drug developers initially considered a much lower price.

Gilead recently reported its profits more than quadrupled in the second three months of this year.

Lawsuit Targets Nebraska Horse Racing Measure

lawsuit-settlementLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska anti-gambling group has filed a lawsuit to keep off the November ballot a measure that would allow betting on previously recorded horse races shown on machines that resemble casino slots.

Gambling with the Good Life said Tuesday that it filed the lawsuit on Monday. Executive director Pat Loontjer (LOONT’-jur) says the measure violates the Nebraska Constitution’s provision against asking voters to answer two questions in just one vote.

The group’s attorney, Steve Grasz (grawz), says the filing asked the Nebraska Supreme Court to bar the secretary of state from putting what would be Amendment 1 on the statewide ballot.

If approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would clear the way for the video terminals at licensed tracks in Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings, Grand Island and Columbus.

Nebraska, Pennsylvania Police Seek Fake Doctor

police-lights-redLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities in Nebraska and Pennsylvania have been seeking a man suspected of posing as a doctor and bilking hotels.

Nebraska court records say 40-year-old Jeffrey Cochran is charged in an arrest warrant with theft. Pennsylvania court records show two felony theft charges. Neither record lists an attorney for Cochran.

A court affidavit says Cochran, of Scottville, Michigan, checked into a Lincoln hotel in December, saying he was a doctor on business at a local hospital and that the hospital would be paying for his lodging. Police say he checked out 47 days later, leaving a bill of nearly $3,200.

Pennsylvania records say he ran up a bill of more than $16,000 while staying for a couple of weeks at a hotel in Farmington.

Union Pacific Train Catches Fire Near Grand Island

U.P. train in WyomingGRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska fire crews have extinguished a Union Pacific train that caught fire and temporarily closed a highway.

The eastbound train ignited on Monday evening northeast of Grand Island.

The city’s fire chief says a cooling fan in the engine is what caught fire. It’s unclear why.

The chief says firefighters had to use dry chemical extinguishers to put out the fire. No injuries were reported.

U.S. Highway 30 was closed for about 20 minutes so the fire crews could stabilize the train.

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