SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) — A 54-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison in the killing of a 30-year-old Sidney woman.

Larry Martinez was also sentenced Wednesday to 10 to 50 years in prison for using a firearm to commit a felony. He had been found guilty of first-degree murder in the July 2012 death of Mandy Kershman.

According to prosecutors, Martinez became angry about a text message Kershman sent him. Authorities say the victim was at a friend’s house and Martinez went to the home to confront Kershman about the message and shot her. According to prosecutors, Kershman and Martinez had been in a relationship at the time of the shooting.

Sentencing in the trial had been previously delayed so the judge could determine if Martinez was competent.

Martinez’s sentences will run consecutively.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Energy consultants and executives are recommending that Nebraska allow private firms to compete with the state’s public power utilities, saying it will lower customer costs.

The companies convened in Lincoln on Wednesday for a symposium to discuss Nebraska’s status as the nation’s only state which relies entirely on public utilities.

Nebraska is still one of the nation’s cheapest states for energy, but has seen rate increases in recent years and lost ground to other states.

John McClure, general counsel for the Nebraska Public Power District, says the increases were due to long-term infrastructure investments, increased coal costs and a drop in electricity prices when the state had a surplus. NPPD retail customers will see no rate increase next year; wholesale customers will see an increase of less than 1 percent.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new administrator at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has resigned after a little more than a week on the job.

Yolanda Webb, director of the Developmental Disabilities Division, submitted her resignation Wednesday to Gov. Pete Ricketts. Webb started the job on Aug. 31 at a salary of $142,500.

Webb, of New Orleans, La., had been the executive director and CEO of the Metropolitan Human Services District, the planning and public policy body for several parishes.

Webb says in her resignation letter that she decided to go in a new direction, but did not elaborate. In a statement, Ricketts says his administration has already started looking for a new division director.

Courtney Miller, a deputy director at DHHS, will serve as the division’s acting director.

A Brady man has died from injuries he sustained when he was struck by a vehicle.

According to a news release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, at around 9:20 p.m., on Tuesday, deputies were asked to respond to a pedestrian/vehicle accident on Link 56 D, south of Brady.

It was reported that a pedestrian in an electric wheelchair had been struck by a vehicle.

Deputies located 54-year-old David Rice, Jr., of Brady, who was seriously injured.

Rice was transported to Great Plains Health, in North Platte, before being flown to a Denver hospital.

Authorities say Rice died from his injuries on Wednesday morning.

An accident reconstructionist was called to the scene to investigate and determined that Joshua Boon, of Brady, had been driving his vehicle northbound when he apparently struck Rice and his wheelchair.

Deputies say Boon was cited for no proof of insurance and no vehicle registration.

Investigators do not believe Boon was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The investigation is ongoing.

A 23-year-old man is facing a felony burglary charge after he allegedly broke into a North Platte apartment in late August.

At around 5:00 a.m., on August 21, an officer with the North Platte Police Department responded to the report of a burglary at an apartment in the 800 block of North Jeffers Street.

The officer met with a 30-year-old male who alleged that, after returning from work, he discovered that his door and the lock on it had been “messed with.”

The victim also reported that a television, Blu-ray player and clothing had been stolen from the residence.

Police took a report but say they had no suspects and little evidence in the case.

Then, on September 8, an officer responded back to the apartment complex where the reported theft had occurred and met with a tenant who believed they knew of some stolen property.

The tenant showed the officer the television, Blu-ray player and clothing, which was located in the storage area of the complex.

Through their investigation, officers learned that 23-year-old James Townsend had been living in the storage area of the complex for the past couple months.

Officers made contact with Townsend and placed him under arrest.

He was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on a charge of felony residential burglary.

Townsend’s bond has been set at ten percent of $25,000.