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Nebraska Secretary of State Says Death Penalty Repeal Will Get Vote

lethal-injectionLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office says a petition drive to overturn the repeal of the state’s death penalty appears to have met the threshold to get the issue on the ballot.

As of Friday, county officials from around the state reported verifying 65,171 of the nearly 166,000 signatures turned in by petition organizers.

The Secretary of State’s Office says there are nearly 1.139 million registered voters in Nebraska. Organizers needed valid signatures from 5 percent of registered voters, or just under 57,000, to put the issue on the November 2016 general election ballot.

The effort needs 10 percent of registered voters’ signature to prevent the death penalty repeal passed by lawmakers last spring from going into effect until the vote occurs.

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Hastings Woman to Stand Trial in Death of Toddler

Azudany Serrano-Contreras
Azudany Serrano-Contreras

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — A 33-year-old Hastings woman accused of causing a toddler’s death in March by allegedly stuffing a baby wipe down her throat will stand trial on a charge of committing intentional child abuse causing death.

Azudany Serrano-Contreras waived her right to a preliminary hearing Friday in Adams County Court.

If convicted, she faces 20 years to life.

Investigators say Serrano-Contreras told officers she was baby-sitting 19-month-old Aliyana Peterson on March 12 when she wiped the girl’s face with a baby wipe, set it down on a counter and turned to get lotion. She says when she turned back, the girl was gasping for air.

Doctors say the child did not have the strength or dexterity to shove the wipe that far into her throat.

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Prosecutors Criticize Bail Being Set for Nebraska Murder Suspect

Carl Heng
Carl Heng

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Prosecutors are criticizing a judge’s decision to set bail for a man charged with murder after a different judge had twice refused to do so.

Douglas County District Judge Gary Randall set bail Friday at $50,000 cash for Carl Heng.

Heng is charged with second-degree murder and a weapons count for the Aug. 24 shooting death of 25-year-old Thomas Lane. Heng has insisted he was acting in self-defense and protecting Lane’s girlfriend, who was a co-worker.

But prosecutors say the evidence shows Lane was unarmed and not posing a threat when he was shot as he unlocked an exterior door to his apartment building.

Heng is free after his family posted his bail late Friday.

Lincoln County Marriage Licenses (Week of September 7, 2015)

marriage-licenses

  • Anthony Allen Wagner, 27, Maxwell NE and Austinn Rose Wipf, 25, Maxwell NE

 

  • Scott Russell Finney, 40, Mullen NE and Tammy Jean Harm, 57, North Platte NE

 

  • Christopher Scott Hammatt, 45, Murrieta, CA and Susan Elizabeth Hammatt, 41, Murrieta, CA

 

  • Ryan Jon Scott Shockley, 33, North Platte NE and Kimberly Ann Merritt, 34, North Platte NE

 

  • John James Malcomson, 40, North Platte NE and Laura Jean Baker, 40, North Platte NE

AUDIO: Bulldogs defense plays tough in 20-7 loss at Kearney

North Platte FootballNorth Platte (2-1) suffered their first loss of the 2015 season on the road at Kearney (2-1) on Friday night. The defense played tough in the 20-7 loss, but a pair of late scores to end the first half proved to be the difference. Kearney scored on a four-yard touchdown run from quarterback Jake Waller on their opening drive to take a 6-0 lead. Continue reading “AUDIO: Bulldogs defense plays tough in 20-7 loss at Kearney”

Falls City Man Faces Murder Charge in Fatal Shooting

gavel-moreFALLS CITY, Neb. (AP) — A Falls City man accused of fatally shooting a relative in August is facing a murder charge.

Deputy County Attorney Zach Blackman says a charge against Desiderio Hernandez has been upgraded to first-degree murder. He was previously charged with attempted first-degree murder.

34-year-old Hernandez is accused of shooting 31-year-old Joseph Debella Jr. on Aug. 5. Debella died days later at a Lincoln hospital. Authorities say the men were cousins.

Hernandez was arrested after a nearly seven-hour standoff at a home in Kansas. He faces other charges including use of a firearm to commit a felony.

A message left for an attorney representing Hernandez was not immediately returned Friday.

Northeast Nebraska Farmers Win Appeal in Grain Elevator Case

ne-supreme-courtOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has reversed the state Public Service Commission’s ruling in the case of two farm operations whose claims were denied when a Pierce grain elevator was shut down last year.

The high court said Friday that the commission wrongly denied the claims of Curt Raabe and James and Diane Herian, all of Pierce County.

It ordered Raabe be paid his $88,500 claim to cover a check issued to him days before the elevator closed. The court also ordered the Herians be compensated for nearly 28,000 bushels of corn they had stored at the failed elevator.

The Public Service Commission closed Pierce Elevator Inc. in March 2014, after a bank discontinued financing the operation. More than 200 farmers filed claims worth $9.7 million against the company.

Nebraska In Line to Get $52 Million for New Veterans’ Home

department-of-veterans-affairsLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is now in line to receive $52 million from the federal government to help pay for a new state veterans’ home in Kearney.

Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has set aside partial grant funding for the project.

The new $121 million facility will replace the outdated home in Grand Island.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services signed a contract with a Kearney architectural firm in June 2014 to begin design work for the project.

Courtney Phillips, the department’s CEO, says the state will receive the money if it completes the next round of federal requirements within 180 days. The requirements include final architectural drawings and specifications, an advertisement for construction bids, and submittal of the final application.

Police ID 2 Men Found Fatally Shot in Omaha

omaha-policeOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police had identified two men found fatally shot in a gravel alley behind a north Omaha home.

According a news release from Omaha police, 58-year-old David Cooper and 42-year-old Kevin Pace were killed. Police say the men were shot around 7 p.m. Thursday, and officers responding to the scene found them in the alley a few minutes later. Medics were called to the scene, but attempts to resuscitate the pair were unsuccessful. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have not announced any arrests in the case.

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