OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 22-year-old Fremont man has been given two days in jail and two years of probation for vehicular homicide.
Online court records say Kyle Swatzell was sentenced on Thursday in Douglas County Court. He’d pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge.
Authorities say Swatzell was driving a semitrailer on Nebraska Highway 36 on Sept. 11 last year when he ran a stop sign and hit a sport utility vehicle, killing its driver, 36-year-old Ryan Boelman, of Bennington.
Swatzell’s two days of jail are to be served on Sept. 11 this year and next year. He was fined $1,000 and must perform 100 hours of community service. Judge Sheryl Lohaus also revoked Swatzell’s license for two years.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A July sentencing has been scheduled for a 57-year-old Florida woman convicted of drowning a puppy in a south-central Nebraska airport restroom.
Cynthia Anderson, of Edgewater, Florida, pleaded no contest on Thursday and was convicted of cruel neglect of animal, resulting in its death. She faces up to five years in prison on the felony charge. Her sentencing is set for July 30.
On Jan. 23 Anderson was barred from boarding a flight at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island because the puppy was so young and not properly contained.
Authorities say Anderson then was seen entering the restroom. Another woman soon reported finding a dead Doberman puppy in a toilet.
Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then a chance of thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Some storms could be severe, with large hail and damaging winds. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Breezy, with an east wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 19 to 24 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3am. Some of the storms could be severe. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 73. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. South southeast wind 6 to 16 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Monday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. Tuesday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The bird flu outbreak that reached Nebraska earlier this week has spread to a second farm in the northeast corner of the state.
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture said Thursday that a second flock of 1.8 million chickens in Dixon County is infected.
The original farm where the disease was found earlier this week had 1.7 million chickens. All the chickens on both farms, which are owned by the same producer, will be killed to help limit the spread of the disease.
State Agriculture Director Greg Ibach says officials have established a perimeter around both farms.
Ibach says the spread of the disease is unfortunate, but not unexpected. The disease has been difficult to contain in other states.
Officials say the bird flu doesn’t represent a significant human health risk.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska motorists will pay higher taxes at the gas pump to cover road and bridge repairs, despite Gov. Pete Ricketts’ objections.
Lawmakers voted 30-16 Thursday to override the Republican governor’s veto of a 6-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase.
The proposal would raise Nebraska’s total gas tax over four years to 31.6 cents per gallon. The tax would generate an additional $25 million annually for the state and $51 million for cities and counties once fully implemented.
Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, the bill’s sponsor, says the gas tax is the most effective way to pay for construction work to help improve road safety and the economy.
Ricketts, a Republican, says the vote will hinder economic growth and create a new burden for Nebraskans.
Luis Alvarado was 2-for-4 with two doubles (Photo Courtesy Stephanie Carpenter/NU Media Relations)
Champaign, Ill. – On a rainy night at Illinois Field, the #2 Illinois Fighting Illini (44-6-1, 20-1 Big Ten) ran its nation-leading win streak to 25 games and clinched the 2015 Big Ten regular-season title with a 6-3 victory over the Nebraska baseball team (34-20, 9-13 Big Ten).
Freshmen Luis Alvarado and Scott Schreiber each had two hits on the night, including a pair of doubles from Alvarado. Illinois didn’t have one play with multiple hits on the evening, but its first eight batters each recorded a hit.
In his final regular-season start as a Husker, Chance Sinclair lasted 5.0 innings in the loss and fell to 6-7 on the year. Sinclair struck out five and only issued two walks, but gave up four runs on five hits. After giving up three hits to start the bottom of the first, Sinclair allowed only two hits the rest of the way, but one was a two-run homer in the fourth.
Illinois junior Kevin Duchene went 7.0 innings and picked up his 10th win of the season. Duchene allowed three runs on five hits and two walks, just his ninth and 10th walks of the season, while striking out four. The lefty entered the game with a 0.95 ERA and allowed a season-high three-earned runs to the Huskers. In his first 11 starts of the year, Duchene has allowed more than one total run only twice, and had allowed more than one earned run only once.
The Illini jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on three hits, including a leadoff double from Adam Walton. Illinois’ first three batters recorded hits, but then Sinclair settled in and kept the Illini from a big inning.
After going down in order in the first, the Huskers had their leadoff man on in each of the next three innings, including a leadoff double from Alvarado in the second, but each time Duchene kept the Huskers off the board.
Sinclair allowed one baserunner in the second and third innings combined, and had retired five straight before issuing a leadoff walk in the fourth to Jason Goldstein. After picking up his fourth strikeout of the day against Casey Fletcher, Pat McInerney doubled up Illinois’ lead with a two-run home run to left field. Sinclair retired the next two batters, but not before Illinois built a 4-0 lead through four.
Illini put together its third two-run inning of the night in the sixth to take a 6-0 lead. Will Krug drove in a run with a two-out single and then Illinois added a run on a ground ball to Blake Headley, who tagged out Krug on the play to end the inning, but David Kerian scored before the tag to put Illinois on top, 6-0.
The Husker offense came alive in the seventh, starting with a one-out single from Schreiber. Jake Meyers came in as a pinch hitter and worked a four-pitch walk off Duchene, just his ninth free pass allowed on the year. Headley then delivered the big blow of the inning with a home run off the scoreboard in right field, his second career homer off Duchene. Wes Edrington then worked a walk, marking only the second time this year Duchene has walked two batters in a game. With the top of NU’s lineup coming, Duchene put an end to the bleeding with back-to-back groundouts from Ryan Boldt and Jake Placzek.
King retired the Illini in order in both the seventh and eighth, but Nebraska just one hit off Illinois’ bullpen in the final two innings and lefty Tyler Jay earned his 11th save of the season in the win.
Game two of the three-game series between the two teams is scheduled for 6 p.m. tomorrow night and the game will be shown nationally on the Big Ten Network.
GIRLS
Katherine Montgomery – Pole Vault – 1st Place
Erin Nozicka – Triple Jump – 2nd Place
Anna O’Malley – 1600 meters – 1st Place
Anna O’Malley – 3200 meters – 1st Place
Jordyn Childears – 100 hurdles – 2nd Place
4 x 100 Meter Relay (Jessica Slattery, Amanda McClellen, Anna O’Malley, Jordyn Childears) – 1st Place
BOYS
Drew McClellan – Pole Vault – 1st Place
Bryce Byrn – Triple Jump – 2nd Place
Michael Elsten – Shot Put – 1st Place
Michael Elsten – Discus – 2nd Place
Lane Kinsley – 100 meters – 2nd Place
Chase Ochs – 800 meters – 2nd Place
Chase Ochs – 1600 meters – 2nd Place
Bryce Byrn – 110 Hurdles – 1st Place
Bryce Byrn – 300 Hurdles – 2nd Place
There will be eleven Class C district meets.
– The winners of the first two places and the two fastest thirds in each individual running event qualify for the state meet. There shall be a maximum of 24 qualifiers. If there is a tie for the last qualifying spot, none of those tied shall qualify.
– In the field events the first two places shall qualify for the state meet.
– The winners of first place in the relay events qualify for the state meet, plus the five fastest times of the nonqualifiers regardless of place, with a maximum of 16 relay teams qualifying. If there is a tie for the last qualifying spot, none of those tied shall qualify.
– Athletes placing first or second must have cleared 9’6” or higher to qualify in the boys’ pole vault and 6’6” or higher in the girls’ pole vault.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service says there’s been a small rise in the number of mail carriers bitten by dogs.
Linda DeCarlo, the agency’s manager of safety, says 5,767 postal carriers were attacked last year, up from 5,581 in 2013.
She says Los Angeles had the largest number of attacks, with 74, followed by Houston with 62 and San Diego with 47.
The numbers come as programs were announced Thursday for National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which starts Sunday. Officials unveiled videos and tips on staying safe.
Carriers, children and senior citizens are most vulnerable to bites. Doctors say more than half of the 4.5 million people bitten each year are kids.
The American Veterinary Medical Association urges parents to teach their children how to approach and play with dogs.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for hiring someone to set his struggling manufacturing business on fire in an attempt to obtain $4.3 million in insurance money.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Nebraska says 53-year-old Thomas Schropp was sentenced Thursday and ordered to pay $7.6 million in restitution. He was convicted in February of arson and insurance fraud.
Upon release from prison, Schropp must serve three years of supervised release.
Prosecutors say Schropp’s business, PK Manufacturing in Nashville, Nebraska, was purposefully set on fire in November 2008 after he asked an associate to burn it down for $20,000. They say Schropp then filed an insurance claim, which was denied.
Schropp’s attorney previously said he plans to appeal the verdict.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A deadly Nebraska prison riot may have caused half a million dollars in damage, and is believed to have started when inmates complained about a lack of rehabilitation programs.
Lawmakers said Thursday that damage to the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution could total $350,000 to $500,000, although insurance will likely cover the expense.
Inmates took control of part of the prison on Sunday, and two inmates were killed. The facility was still on lockdown Thursday, and one section of cells was considered an active crime scene.
Separate investigations are being conducted into the deaths of the inmates and the cause of the riots.
Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha, who was briefed on the incident, says the riot may have started when inmates complained about a lack of programming.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 22-year-old Fremont man has been given two days in jail and two years of probation for vehicular homicide.
