DENVER (AP) — Sheriffs in Colorado and two other states may not like legal marijuana — but they don’t have the ability to force Colorado not to allow it. That’s Colorado’s argument in a motion filed Friday asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit from 10 county sheriffs in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska.

The lawsuit is one of several legal challenges Colorado faces after legalizing recreational pot in 2012. The sheriffs say that recreational pot burdens law enforcement and should be axed.

Colorado asked the U.S. District Court in Denver to dismiss the claims. Colorado points out that medical marijuana would still be legal even if recreational pot regulations are thrown out. And Colorado insists that it is within its rights to regulate pot even as it remains illegal under federal drug law.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts has appointed a Kansas transportation consultant to lead the Nebraska Department of Roads.

Kyle Schneweis will take over as director on June 8. Ricketts announced the appointment Friday at the conclusion of a national search.

Schneweis currently works as a partner at High Street Consulting Group, LLC, a transportation planning, policy, and financial consulting firm. The firm’s clients include more than a dozen state transportation departments, the federal government and industry groups.

Schneweis served in various roles at the Kansas Department of Transportation from 1999 to 2010.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of North Dakota. Ricketts says Schneweis will help the department think creatively about how the state finances roads and works with regulators.

Schneweis’s salary will be $145,000 a year.

• Stephen Joseph Reed, 51, Hershey and Jessie Lee Stites, 32,  Hershey

 

• Zane Robert Parkhurst, 23, Cody NE and Anna Christine Woodhead, 23, North Platte

 

• Joel David Woodhead, 25, Columbia MO and AnnDee Kay Gannon, 25, Denver CO

 

• Thomas Scott McConnaughey, 39, North Platte and Brandi Jo Wendorf, 40, North Platte

 

• Thomas Allen Empfield, 45, North Platte and Denise ReNee Sasse. 45 North Platte

 

• Mark David McCombs, 21, North Platte and Clarissa Marie Bucholz,, 19, North Platte

 

• Justin Michael Hodgkin, 19, North Platte and Vannesa Ann Higgins, 19, North Platte

 

• Zachariah Dylan Lindstedt, 34, North Platte and Maurisa Leeann Bicknell, 23, North Platte

 

• Ryan William Cassell, 27, North Platte and Dustina Jeri Rogers, 28, North Platte

 

• Walter Dale Gruber, 58, Brady and Korena May Walz, 51, Brady

 

• Ryan Eugene Sander, 30, Greenfield MA and Karissa Anne Johnson, 31, Greenfield MA

 

• Clayton Wyman Osborn, 23, Lincoln NE and Ariel Briann Clements, 21, Lincoln NE

A North Platte man has been charged with multiple felonies following an alleged assault on Thursday evening.

At around 5:32 p.m., officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to the report of an assault in the 1800 block of West 13th Street.

Officers arrived and met with a 15-year-old male and several other witnesses.

It was alleged that 19-year-old Briano Parra-Munoz had arrived at the residence and wanted to fight the teen.  Police say Parra-Munoz was apparently upset with the boy over a female.

According to the victim and witnesses, Parra-Munoz assaulted the boy with a knife, then fled the scene in a vehicle with a female juvenile passenger.

Police obtained a description of the vehicle Parra-Munoz was driving and, a short time later, located it in the 700 block of West 10th Street.

Officers say, based on witness statements and evidence collected at the scene, probable cause existed to place Parra-Munoz under arrest.

He was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on charges of felony 2nd-degree assault, felony terroristic threats, use of a weapon to commit a felony and child abuse.

The female passenger in Parra-Munoz’ car was interviewed by police and the victim was transported to Great Plains Health by his mother, where he received treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

Police say the car Parra-Munoz was driving was towed, and a warrant will be requested to search it.

The knife used in the alleged attack has not yet been recovered.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Legislature will debate Gov. Pete Ricketts’ choices to revamp the leadership in the struggling Department of Health and Human Services.

The Health and Human Services Committee advanced four appointments for consideration on Friday. Members voted 7-0 on the new appointments of Courtney Phillips as CEO and Calder Lynch as Nebraska’s Medicaid director.

The committee also unanimously recommended John Hilgert as director of Nebraska’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs and voted 5-0 on Joseph Acierno as the state’s chief medical officer.

Sens. Sue Crawford of Bellevue and Sara Howard of Omaha did not vote on Acierno’s appointment, saying Nebraska has fallen short on measures to improve residents’ health.

Other committee members say they expect Phillips and Ricketts will improve the department.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A western Nebraska woman is accused of stealing and spending the tax refund of her slain sister no longer faces theft charges.

Prosecutor Scott Blaha sought the dismissal on April 16, determining that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict 27-year-old Cassandra Baker, of Scottsbluff.

Baker’s sister, 24-year-old Amanda Baker, was fatally attacked by an inmate on Feb. 14, 2014, at the Scotts Bluff County Jail.

Court documents show Amanda Baker filed her 2013 returns before her death and that her federal refund of nearly $4,300 was deposited onto a prepaid credit card.

Court documents in a probate case say that Cassandra Baker said she’d used the money to care for Baker’s son for a time after his mother’s death.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska senators will vote on the appointment of a new State Patrol superintendent who was ensnared in a gender-discrimination lawsuit more than a decade ago.

A legislative committee voted 8-0 Friday to recommend the appointment of former State Patrol commander Bradley Rice. His appointment now goes to the full Legislature.

Rice was part of a panel that denied Sgt. Carla Schreiber promotions in the agency between 2004 and 2005. Schreiber says the rejections were based on gender rather than her qualifications. She was awarded damages and the rank of lieutenant in 2007.

At his confirmation hearing Wednesday, Rice said he does not see gender as a factor in promotions within the agency.

Committee members say current reports of Rice’s leadership as commander outweigh the decades-old allegations.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A new flight simulator purchased by the University of Nebraska at Kearney will give students a chance to train in the fundamentals of aviation in a safer and more affordable manner.

The $130,000 simulator will allow the aviation program’s 60 students to attempt more maneuvers in a shorter amount of time than in a real aircraft. Flight instructor Holly Michael says students will be able to attempt 8-10 maneuvers per hour in a simulator, rather than 4-5 in a real plane.

Students also will be able to practice emergence maneuvers otherwise dangerous to attempt in the real world, Michael says.

Training in the new flight simulator is expected to cost $60 an hour. By contrast, Michael says training in a real aircraft costs more than $145 an hour.