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Property Tax Bill Aimed at Farm Homes Stalls in Nebraska

agricultureLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would have given a property tax exemption to Nebraska farm homes has stalled in the Legislature.

Senators agreed Tuesday to shelve the bill for the rest of the year amid criticism that it only would have benefited rural Nebraska residents.

Lawmakers still have to debate a larger bill that would provide a tax credit for farm and ranch landowners and impose budget restrictions on community colleges.

Some senators say the Legislature hasn’t done enough to lower taxes for all businesses and individuals, and argued that the debate has pitted urban lawmakers against rural lawmakers.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Lydia Brasch of Bancroft.

Homemade Explosive Device Found on Lincoln School Playground

lincoln-fire-departmentLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A homemade explosive device has been found on a Lincoln elementary school playground.

A fire investigator seized the small explosive Tuesday afternoon and removed the device from Brownell Elementary School.

Lincoln Fire Investigator Ken Hilger says bomb squad members were called to the school just before 1:30 p.m. after a staff member found the item.

A black canister with a wick was taken inside a school office and that’s when authorities were called. Staff then evacuated the office.

Officials say the wick appeared to have already been lit and burned itself out. The device didn’t appear to have exploded.

Hilger says the device wasn’t very big but was capable of hurting someone.

Body Camera Regulations Gain Ground in Nebraska Legislature

police-lights-redLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A push to impose statewide rules for police body cameras in Nebraska faces little opposition in the Legislature.

The bill by Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha sailed through first-round voting Tuesday with a 28-0 vote.

The measure would require the Nebraska Crime Commission to develop a model policy for body-worn cameras. Agencies would need to adopt that model or create their own. The recordings from body-worn cameras could be withheld from the public under an exception to the state public records law.

Representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska have backed the bill, saying the policy is similar to existing policy for camera recordings and audio recordings.

Kearney Police Say Teen Uses Text-to-911 to Report Father

911-ServicesKEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Teenagers and texting go hand-in-hand, but it’s not often that a teen uses it to blow the whistle on a parent.

Kerney police say that’s exactly what happened Friday, when a 13-year-old girl used Buffalo County’s text-to-911 system to tell authorities her father was driving drunk.

Police then stopped the car and say they found the girl and her 12-year-old brother being driven by their 44-year-old father.

Police say a preliminary breath test showed the father’s blood alcohol level at .224 — nearly three times the legal driving limit of .08.

Authorities say it was the fourth time the text-to-911 system had been used since coming online in January 2015. It was the second time its use led to an arrest in Buffalo County.

Inmate Assaults Staff Member at Nebraska State Penitentiary

prisonLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Prison officials say the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services is investigating another assault on a staff member.

The department says the incident occurred Tuesday afternoon at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln. The officer was transported to a local hospital and released after being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Director Scott Frakes says in a statement that the department will not tolerate assaults on its staff. The results of the investigation will be submitted to the local county attorney for prosecution.

Another Nebraska State Penitentiary staff member was assaulted Sunday. Earlier this month, two officers at the facility were dealt minor injuries by an inmate.

Abortion Opponent Complains About Signs on Display at Nebraska Capitol

NE-Right-to-LifeLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A leading abortion opponent is accusing state officials of selectively enforcing a policy that forbids advocacy groups from picketing inside the Nebraska Capitol.

Nebraska Right to Life Executive Director Julie Schmit-Albin raised the issue Tuesday after seeing supporters of a Medicaid expansion bill standing in the Capitol with signs around their necks.

Schmit-Albin says she has been told her group isn’t allowed to carry signs inside the building. State rules allow demonstrations on public sidewalks outside the building and on the East, West and lower North Terraces.

The Capitol’s tourism supervisor says she was unaware that the Medicaid group of roughly 100 was demonstrating inside the building.

Nebraska Right to Life hosts several Capitol events annually, including a “Walk for Life” in January that draws around 5,000 people.

3 Children Killed in 2-Car Crash at Dallas Intersection

fatal-crashDALLAS (AP) — Three children are dead and two drivers and a teenage passenger are hospitalized after one car slammed broadside into another carrying the children at a western Dallas intersection.

A Dallas police statement says a car driven by a man was westbound on Singleton Boulevard about 5:30 p.m. Monday when a car with a female driver and four children as passengers pulled out from a side street. The man’s car slammed into the left side of the second car.

Police Senior Cpl. Melinda Gutierrez says three children, all younger than 13, died shortly thereafter at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, and a 13-year-old was taken to an unspecified hospital in unknown condition. She says both drivers received non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators suspect excessive speed factored in the crash. Identities are being withheld.

Carrie Leona Bannister

bannister

Carrie Leona Bannister, age 90, of North Platte, formerly of Hershey, NE, went to her eternal home on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, at Centennial Park Retirement Center in North Platte.

Carrie was born October 21, 1925, to Henry William and Rosa (Lubes) Steinke at Loup City, NE. She grew up around Carroll, NE and attended country school then started high school in Clarks, NE. The family later moved to Central City, NE where Carrie finished school, graduating with the Class of 1943, and worked at Wilders Cafe.

On September 22, 1944, Carrie married Robert Bannister in Omaha, NE, and to this union their son, Terry, and daughter, Gracia, were born. Carrie and Robert farmed near Central City before moving to Gibbon, NE in May of 1960. Then in 1967 they settled in Hershey where Carrie worked in the lunch program at Hershey School. She was also a member of the Hershey United Methodist Church and taught Sunday School for many years. Carrie enjoyed volunteering for the Red Cross and Home Health.

Carrie loved her family and having family dinners but her greatest joy was her husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also enjoyed crocheting, camping and tending to her flower garden. Carrie and Robert were members of the Lake Maloney Ski Club for many years and enjoyed their trips in the mobile home to Yuma, AZ for 10 years. In 1998 they were named Grand Marshals of the Hershey Fall Festival. In the Fall of 2005, they moved to North Platte then to Centennial Park Retirement Home in August 2013. Carrie and Robert had celebrated nearly 72 years of marriage together.

Those left to cherish her memory are her husband, Robert, and their children, Terry (Barbara) Bannister and Gracia (Larry) Kennedy, all of North Platte; grandchildren, Misty (Todd) Armstrong and Marcy Kennedy, of Omaha, and Micah (Danielle) Kennedy, stationed in Petaluma, CA with the U.S. Coast Guard; great-grandchildren, Tristan Armstrong, Kiptyn Kennedy, Lilli Hamilton and Adalynn Kennedy; a sister, Genivie Harris, of Central City; sister-in-law, Arlene Steinke, of Oklahoma; and many nieces, nephews and other family.

Carrie was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Rosa Steinke; five sisters, Lillie Perce, Marie Perce, Deloris Gustafson and Dorothy and Alice Steinke; two infant brothers; three brothers, Walter and wife, Bernice, Emil and wife, Donna, and George Steinke; and brother-in-law, Mike Harris.

Cremation was chosen. Memorial Service will be 3 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 2016, at the Hershey United Methodist Church with Pastor Kola officiating. Inurnment will follow in the Riverside Cemetery. The memorial book may be signed at odeanchapel.com or from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore which is in charge of arrangements. Memorials are to the Hershey United Methodist Church.

Police: Man Arrested in Fatal Shooting of Omaha Teen

Jail-Bars-and-Cuffs_mediumOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection to an August shooting that left an Omaha teenager dead.

A news release from the Omaha Police Department said that the suspect was arrested Monday on suspicion of first-degree murder, use of a weapon to commit a felony and use of a weapon by a prohibited person.

Police found 19-year-old Garion Johnson with multiple gunshot wounds in north Omaha on August 8. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Another 26-year-old man was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of first-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony in connection to the case.

Driver Killed in Fiery Crash, Nebraska State Patrol Said

state-patrol-logoWINNEBAGO, Neb. (AP) — A driver has been killed in a fiery crash in northeast Nebraska’s Thurston County.

The accident happened about 2:15 a.m. Monday on a county road around three miles from Winnebago. The Nebraska State Patrol says the car went out of control, rolled into a roadside ditch and caught fire.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. His name hasn’t been released.

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