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Ricketts Vetoes Nebraska Legislative Redistricting Bill

Pete Ricketts
Pete Ricketts

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts has rejected an effort to overhaul Nebraska’s process for drawing legislative and congressional districts.

Ricketts vetoed a bill Monday that would create an independent redistricting commission to draw the state’s political boundaries. Ricketts says he cannot support handing the authority over to an “unconstitutional, unelected, and unaccountable” board.

Nebraska’s current system requires a legislative committee to propose new maps once every decade, after the census. The process was criticized as overly partisan during the last redistricting in 2011.

The Legislature approved the measure by Republican Sen. John Murante of Gretna and Democratic Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha last week with a 29-15 vote.

Senators could override Ricketts’ veto the final day of the session Wednesday. An override requires 30 votes.

1 Dead, 1 Injured in Lincoln Shooting

lincoln-policeLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln shooting has left one man dead and another hospitalized with serious injuries.

Lincoln Police Capt. Bob Farber said there is a public safety risk as authorities continue to look for a suspect in a Monday afternoon shooting that happened at a Euclid Street home.

Police also called animal control to report a dog that was injured by gunfire.

Lincoln police, Nebraska State Patrol troopers and deputy U.S. marshals responded to the two-story rental home.

Authorities also briefly locked down nearby Prescott Elementary School before allowing school officials to dismiss students. The school is about one block away from the scene of the shooting.

Police have not identified the victims.

EPA Plans to Clean Up 35 Homes in Lincoln Neighborhood

epaLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to clean up 35 homes with lead-contaminated soil in Lincoln’s North Bottoms neighborhood.

EPA spokesman Chris Whitley says the agency plans to offer remediation to property owners whose dirt tested high for lead. Whitley says remediation involves digging up at least one foot of soil, bringing in clean dirt and covering the area with sod or hydroseed.

The properties are located near the former site of the Northwestern Metal Co. plant, which operated from about 1918 to 1961.

Whitley says owners who agree to have their soil tested will receive a letter about remediation this fall or next spring.

The project is being handled by a federal Superfund program, and Whitley says remediation will be done at no cost to the property owner.

Authorities Say Kansas Man Killed in Nebraska Collision

fatal-crashTECUMSEH, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a Kansas man has been killed in a southeast Nebraska collision.

The accident occurred Sunday evening near Tecumseh, about a half-mile north of the intersection of Nebraska Highway 50 and U.S. Highway 136.

Deputy County Attorney Benjamin Beethe of Johnson County says it appears so far that a northbound car crossed the Highway 50 median and rammed into a southbound pickup, killing the car driver. He was identified as 77-year-old Gary Barton, of Haddam, Kansas.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office says the pickup driver, Clark Gartner, of Tecumseh, was not injured.

Ricketts Approves Funds to Boost Nebraska Roads Projects

roadLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Efforts to repair Nebraska’s crumbling county bridges and complete the state’s unfinished expressway system will get a funding boost from a new law backed by Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Ricketts signed a measure Monday to create a $450 million dollar state fund for highway construction projects.

The bill by Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion would create what’s known as an infrastructure bank to finance the work through 2033, drawing $50 million from the state’s cash reserve and using additional revenue from a gas tax increase approved last year.

Ricketts says safe and efficient infrastructure is essential to growing tourism, agriculture and manufacturing.

The League of Nebraska Municipalities, Nebraska Association of County Officials and Nebraska business and community leaders have all praised the measure as vital for economic development.

Colorado Pot Report: More Adults Using Drug, But Not Kids

Colorado-MarijuanaDENVER (AP) — Colorado kids aren’t smoking more pot since the drug became legal — but their older siblings and parents certainly are.

That’s according to a long-awaited report giving the most comprehensive data yet on the effects of Colorado’s 2012 recreational marijuana law.

The state released a report Monday detailing changes in everything from pot arrests to tax collections to calls to Poison Control.

It says marijuana use by people under 18 didn’t rise significantly in the years after the 2012 vote.

But use of the drug rose markedly among people 18 to 25, and among adults over age 26.

1 Dead, 2 Injured After Crash Near Grand Island

Hall-County-SheriffGRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man has died in a crash involving three vehicles near Grand Island that left two teenagers injured.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office says 51-year-old Joseph Soto, of Alda, was driving east on U.S. Highway 30 Sunday night when he drove his pickup over the center line and struck a vehicle driven by 17-year-old Samantha Lyons, of Shelton.

Officials say Soto’s car continued and struck another vehicle driven by 16-year-old Baily Miller, of Wood River.

Soto was taken to a Grand Island hospital, where he died.

The two teenagers were also taken to a hospital. Lyons was in critical condition Monday morning and Miller was treated and released.

Highway 30 was closed for a short period following the crash.

Glendy wins bull riding

Colter Glendy, of Oconto, holds a championship buckle following a rodeo in Lincoln on Saturday. Glendy won the bull riding for Mid-Plains Community College.
Colter Glendy, of Oconto, holds a championship buckle following a rodeo in Lincoln on Saturday. Glendy won the bull riding for Mid-Plains Community College.

The Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team snagged its second bull riding win in a row over the weekend.

Colter Glendy, of Oconto, was first in the event during the 58th annual University of Nebraska–Lincoln Rodeo on Friday and Saturday in Lincoln. Trey Engel, of Silver Creek, placed second. Continue reading “Glendy wins bull riding”

2 Businesses Fail Red Willow County Compliance Checks

state-patrol-logoOn Friday, April 15, the Nebraska State Patrol conducted alcohol compliance checks at 10 retail outlets in Red Willow County.

During the effort, two businesses checked, Schmick’s Market and Hi Times Liquor Mart 1, were found to be non-compliant after selling alcohol to a minor. The retail outlets checked included convenience, liquor and grocery stores, as well as restaurants and bars.

Law enforcement performs compliance checks to ensure that businesses are complying with the state’s alcohol laws and to decrease youth access to alcohol.

The compliance checks were conducted thanks in part to a grant from Region II Human Services.

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