March 2015 – Page 79 – North Platte Post Archive

Disaster Policy to Give Nebraska Cities Faster Payments

Posted on March 2, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Emergency Agency will be changing its policy so that communities that are rebuilding after a disaster can get reimbursed faster.

The new procedure will reimburse communities after each individual project has been completed, rather than waiting until all of a community’s rebuilding projects were finished. The requirement to finish all projects placed a burden on smaller communities that had to take out loans and pay interest for projects while waiting for reimbursement.

Communities have been waiting for more than three years for repayment after floods in 2011. Until a couple of months ago, the state agency and FEMA still owed a total of $7.2 million.

FEMA pays 75 percent of project costs and the state pays 12.5 percent. Local communities must cover the rest.

The agency’s new policy will be similar to that of Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management.

North Dakota Woman Accused of Locking Children in Kennel

Posted on March 2, 2015

GRAFTON, N.D. (AP) — A woman is accused of locking four young children in a dog cage in a North Dakota basement and turning out the lights as punishment.

23-year-old Jordan McKay Nelson is charged with four counts of abuse and neglect of a child, and felonious restraint.

Court documents say the children, aged from 5 to 9 years, were held under “terrorizing conditions” and that at least one of them was forced to eat dog food.

During a police interview, a boy drew a picture of himself in the kennel with the words “help me.”

A police affidavit says Nelson is in a relationship with the children’s biological mother. Her lawyer did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

A preliminary hearing is set for April 13.

Nebraska Corrections Official to Retire Amid Criticism

Posted on March 2, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska corrections official who was criticized by lawmakers in a state prisons investigation is set to retire.

Larry Wayne, the deputy director of Nebraska’s Department of Correctional Services, will step down effective April 3. The department’s new director, Scott Frakes, announced the retirement on Monday.

Some lawmakers blamed Wayne for the state’s handling of Nikko Jenkins, an inmate who was released despite claims of mental illness and who went on to kill four people in Omaha. A state ombudsman told lawmakers that Wayne had promised to “bury” Jenkins in segregation, which Wayne denies.

Wayne has served in the role since April 2003, and his career in the department stretches back to August 1975. He served in roles including warden, administrator, investigator, unit manager, senior case manager and classification counselor.

Some Nebraskans at Risk from Security Data Breach

Posted on March 2, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska attorney general’s office says nearly 105,000 Nebraskans could have had their personal information exposed as part of a huge data security breach.

Attorney General Doug Peterson announced Monday that the breach of health insurer Anthem could lead to the exposure of names, addresses and Social Security numbers for 104,795 Nebraska residents. The insurer is mailing notices to those people and offering to pay for two years of credit monitoring.

Anthem doesn’t sell policies or process claims in Nebraska, but residents still could be at risk if their employer is based in one of the 14 states where the company operates.

Nebraskans also could be affected if they have coverage through a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan and received care in a state where Anthem processes health claims.

Obama: ‘Now is the Moment’ for Police to Change

Posted on March 2, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says now is the moment for police to make changes that build trust in minority communities.

The president on Monday announced findings of a policing task force he appointed in response to the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

Obama says the shooting in Ferguson and another in New York City exposed “deep rooted frustration” in communities of color. Obama says the task force found that police must improve trust with their communities.

He says the report recommends more police training to reduce possibilities for bias. And he says it suggests more data collection on the frequency of police interactions.

Obama spoke from the White House during a meeting with members of the task force.

1 Killed, 2 Others Hurt in Nebraska Panhandle Crash

Posted on March 2, 2015

MELBETA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 72-year-old woman has been killed in a car collision with a semitrailer in the Nebraska Panhandle.

The accident occurred about 8:45 a.m. Sunday. The Nebraska State Patrol says Ladena Hill, of Melbeta, was a passenger in a car driven by 36-year-old Brandee Hill, of Gering. The patrol says Hill was driving north on a county road when she pulled onto Nebraska Highway 92 and was struck by the westbound big rig.

Brandee Hill and another passenger in the car were taken to Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff. On Monday hospital nursing supervisor Evelyn Bentley said Brandee Hill’s condition had been upgraded to serious. The hospital couldn’t provide information on the other passenger.

The patrol says the truck driver wasn’t injured.

Police: Iowan Faked Pregnancy for Money in Adoption Scam

Posted on March 2, 2015

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have arrested an Ankeny woman accused of faking pregnancy to trick an Iowa couple into giving her money.

The Ankeny Police Department says 29-year-old Tracy Leann Bess-Thacker was charged Friday with fourth-degree theft after prospective adoptive parents from Dewitt, Iowa, claim she accepted $200 from them when she wasn’t pregnant.

According to a news release, Bess had signed onto Life Long Adoptions, an agency that connects birth mothers with potential parents. Detectives say Bess wasn’t pregnant during this scam, but that she used information from a prior pregnancy to con people into offering her financial support.

Police say Bess previously used a similar scam in multiple states, including Nebraska.

Bess could not be reached to comment on the charge, and online court records do not yet list an attorney.

Gov. Ricketts Denounces Nebraska Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

Posted on March 2, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts is denouncing a federal judge’s decision to strike down Nebraska’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

The Republican governor said Monday that the issue should be left to Nebraskans, and not an “activist judge” subverting their will.

Ricketts say he will work with Attorney General Doug Peterson, a fellow Republican, to uphold the current constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2000.

The ACLU of Nebraska hailed the decision as a victory for equal rights.

The ruling on Monday was immediately appealed to the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition to prohibiting gay marriage, Nebraska also forbids civil unions and legalized domestic partnerships.

This Week in Nebraska Athletics

Posted on March 2, 2015

Wednesday, March 4 Men’s Basketball at Illinois (BTN) Champaign, Ill. 9 p.m.

Thursday, March 5 Women’s Basketball vs. Illinois (BTN) (Big Ten Tournament) Hoffman Estates, Ill. 6 p.m.

Friday, March 6 Men’s Golf at Desert Mountain Intercollegiate Scottsdale, Ariz. 9 a.m.

Friday, March 6 Bowling at Music City Classic (Bowl.com) Nashville, Tenn. 8:45 a.m.

Friday, March 6 Baseball vs. Texas A&M (Houston College Classic) Houston, Texas 3:35 p.m.

Friday, March 6 Women’s Tennis Georgia State Lincoln Racquet Club 4 p.m.

Friday, March 6 Women’s Basketball vs. Iowa (BTN) (Big Ten Tournament) Hoffman Estates, Ill. 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 7 Wrestling at Big Ten Championships (BTN Plus) Columbus, Ohio 9 a.m.

Saturday, March 7 Men’s Golf at Desert Mountain Intercollegiate Scottsdale, Ariz. 9 a.m.

Saturday, March 7 Women’s Tennis Purdue vs. Georgia State Lincoln Racquet Club 11 a.m.

Saturday, March 7 Softball vs. South Dakota (Shocker Invitational) Wichita, Kan. Noon

Saturday, March 7 Baseball vs. Hawaii (Houston College Classic) Houston, Texas 12:05 p.m.

Saturday, March 7 Bowling at Music City Classic (Bowl.com) Nashville, Tenn. 8:30 a.m.

Saturday, March 7 Softball at Wichita State (Shocker Invitational) Wichita, Kan. 5 p.m.

Saturday, March 7 Women’s Gymnastics Oregon State (Pepsi Pack the House) Devaney Center 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 7 Women’s Basketball at Big Ten Tournament Semifinals (BTN) Hoffman Estates, Ill. 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 8 Wrestling at Big Ten Championships (BTN) Columbus, Ohio 9 a.m.

Sunday, March 8 Bowling at Music City Classic (Bowl.com) Nashville, Tenn. 8:30 a.m.

Sunday, March 8 Women’s Tennis Purdue Nebraska Tennis Center 10 a.m.

Sunday, March 8 Baseball vs. LSU (Houston College Classic) Houston, Texas 11:05 a.m.

Sunday, March 8 Softball vs. South Dakota (Shocker Invitational) Wichita, Kan. Noon

Sunday, March 8 Men’s Tennis at Wichita State Wichita, Kan. Noon

Sunday, March 8 Soccer Iowa State Hawks Championship Center 1 p.m.

Sunday, March 8 Men’s Gymnastics at Illinois Champaign, Ill. 2 p.m.

Sunday, March 8 Softball at Wichita State (Shocker Invitational) Wichita, Kan. 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 8 Women’s Basketball at Big Ten Championship Game (ESPN) Hoffman Estates, Ill. 6 p.m.

Sunday, March 8 Men’s Basketball Maryland (BTN) Pinnacle Bank Arena 6:30 p.m.

Monday, March 9 Swimming & Diving at NCAA Zone Diving Meet Iowa City, Iowa TBA

Lions’ Website Reports Team Won’t Franchise Suh

Posted on March 2, 2015

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions’ website is reporting that the team will not use the franchise tag on star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Monday is the deadline for teams to designate franchise or transition players. Suh can test the open market when free agency begins March 10.

The Lions did not officially confirm the decision to let the deadline pass without franchising their 28-year-old All-Pro, but the report on the team’s website said Detroit concluded that the franchise tag’s price of around $27 million for Suh proved too daunting. Last month, general manager Martin Mayhew said he was “very optimistic” about getting a deal done with Suh, but the franchise tag was probably the team’s best source of leverage, and even that would have come at a prohibitive cost.