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Federal Grant Worth $1.8M Goes to 3 Nebraska Water Projects

waterOGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — Three Nebraska projects will share $1.8 million in federal grants to help strengthen the Ogallala aquifer.

The Nebraska grants are part of a national program of $6.5 million of grants in the eight states above the Ogallala aquifer.

The Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District plans to use its grant to promote conservation of irrigation water.

The Little Blue Natural Resources District hopes to conserve 18,000 acre-inches of water per year with better conservation practices.

The Central Platte Natural Resources District wants to reduce water consumption by reducing irrigation in the area.

Farmers in those parts of the state who are interested in participating in the programs should contact their natural resources district to apply for conservation money.

Death Penalty Foes See Nebraska Vote as Momentum-Builder

lethal-injectionLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — With Nebraska on the brink of outlawing the death penalty, opponents of capital punishment hope this week’s veto-override vote in the Legislature will build momentum for their cause in other Republican states.

Whether that happens is uncertain, but Nebraska isn’t the first right-leaning state to consider banning capital punishment this year.

A bill to abolish the death penalty in Montana came within one vote of passing in February in the Republican-led state House. In Kansas, a GOP state representative took the lead in introducing a repeal bill this year.

Nebraska lawmakers voted 32-15 last week to abolish the death penalty. Gov. Pete Ricketts says he’ll veto the bill and is urging residents to contact their senators and voice support for capital punishment.

2 Lincoln Museums to Offer Free Admission to Service Members

UNL-State-MuseumLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska State Museum-Morrill Hall and the International Quilt Study Center and Museum are two of more than 2,000 museums across the nation that will offer free admission to military personnel and their families this summer.

The free admittance for the military will run from Memorial Day through Labor Day as part of the Blue Star Museum program. The complete list of participating museums is available at https://1.usa.gov/1gPy0eb .

Some special or limited-time museum exhibits may not be included in the program.

Cattle Escape After Crash on I-80 in Western Iowa

neola-iowaNEOLA, Iowa (AP) — The crash of a cattle truck a western Iowa interstate sent the driver to a hospital and several cattle onto the roadway.

The crash happened Friday afternoon when 45-year-old Trevor Lierman, of Stanton, Nebraska, overturned at he exited Interstate 80 onto I-680 near Neola.

Lierman was trapped in the cab for about 30 minutes before rescue workers freed him. He was then flown to an Omaha, Nebraska hospital, where he was treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

Several cattle escaped from the overturned trailer, and area farmers and ranchers were called to the scene to help corral them. Several animals died in the crash, and seven had to be euthanized because of the injuries they suffered.

23 Union Pacific Cars Derail in Eastern Iowa

Union-PacificBELLE PLAINE, Iowa (AP) — Officials say no one was injured when 23 cars of a Union Pacific train traveling through the eastern Iowa town of Belle Plaine derailed.

The derailment happened around 11:20 p.m. Friday.

A Union Pacific spokesman said the cars were part of a 125-car train being pulled by three locomotives traveling from Nebraska to Illinois.

The spokesman says eight of the derailed car were loaded with soda ash, used in household cleaners, windshields and cellphones

Three cars were filled with lumber, another three contained animal feed and four contained flour, diced tomatoes, frozen fish and sodium bicarbonate. The five remaining derailed cars were empty.

Crews planned clean up and replace damaged track on Saturday. The cause of the derailment is being investigated.

American Airlines Picked for Grand Island Flights to Dallas

central-ne-regional-airportGRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Transportation has again selected American Airlines to provide 13 weekly nonstop, round-trip flights from the Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

The recent decision was part of a bid to provide air service to Grand Island under the federal Essential Air Service program.

American Airlines, doing business in Grand Island as American Eagle, has been serving the Grand Island airport since 2011. The Department of Transportation’s decision extends the flight contract two years. The new contract will run from July 1 through June 30, 2017.

Lincoln Bicyclist Dies 10 Days After Being Hit by Car

lincoln-policeLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 53-year-old Lincoln bicyclist has died, 10 days after he was hit by a car as he tried to cross a city street.

Larry Lienemann died Thursday at a Lincoln hospital. He had been hit while riding his bike on May 11.

Police say Lienemann was riding south on the 84th Street sidewalk when he tried to cross the street at the intersection of Pinedale Avenue.

Police say a 26-year-old woman, who was driving north on 84th Street, tried to avoid hitting Lienemann, but thought she would collide with oncoming traffic. She turned back into her original lane, hitting Lienemann.

Officer Katie Flood said no citations have been issued, but the accident is still under investigation.

 

3rd Case of Avian Flu Confirmed in Northeast Nebraska

chickenPONCA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has announced a third case of avian flu in northeast Nebraska’s Dixon County.

The department said in a news release Friday that testing by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the presence of the highly contagious bird flu on a farm with 500,000 young hens.

The state department says the farm is less than a mile away from one where the state’s first case of bird flu was discovered and is owned by the same company.

The department says the flock will be destroyed, bringing the total number of chickens in the state lost due to the flu to 4 million.

Nationwide, the virus that has led to 40 million dead birds — mostly turkeys and egg-laying chickens.

Authorities: Omaha Cop Killer Linked to Past Shootings

Marcus Wheeler
Marcus Wheeler

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The man accused of killing an Omaha police officer this week had been linked to two other violent crimes in recent years, but officials say they lacked evidence to prosecute him.

Marcus Wheeler was killed by police on Wednesday after police say he shot 29-year-old Officer Kerrie Orozco.

In 2012, Wheeler was accused of shooting at a car. One of the occupants, Erica Jenkins, identified Wheeler as the shooter. But charges against Wheeler were dropped after Jenkins was implicated in three 2013 murders. Prosecutors say that discredited Jenkins as a witness against Wheeler.

In 2007, Wheeler told police he had disposed of a gun in a 2007 double homicide. But because authorities couldn’t determine the shooter, prosecutors couldn’t charge Wheeler as an accessory.

Kearney Official Seeks Resignation of State Liquor Official

nebraska-liquor-control-comKEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A Kearney City Council member has called for the resignation of the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission director and for an audit of the agency.

Kearney City Councilman Bruce Lear requested the resignation of commission director Hobert Rupe and the audit in a letter to Rupe and Gov. Pete Ricketts.

The letter followed the commission’s decision earlier this month to reverse the city of Kearney’s revocation of a local restaurant’s liquor license. City officials voted to revoke the restaurant’s license after it sold alcohol to underage patrons three times between 2011 and 2014.

Lear says the commission “implements its own rules without regard to the input of the communities it’s supposed to serve.”

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