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Names released of 3 whose bodies were found in Lincoln home

crime-scene-police-shootcrimeLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the names of three people whose bodies were found inside a Lincoln home.

On Monday police identified the three as 53-year-old Tina Jensen, 50-year-old Ronald Heritage and 55-year-old Norma Voges. Police say Heritage and Jensen were in a relationship and shared the home. Voges was a longtime friend of both.

Officers were called to the scene Sunday afternoon by relatives of Jensen.

Police say a firearm had been found as well as evidence that it had been fired inside the northeast Lincoln residence. Spokeswoman Katie Flood said police need autopsy results before she can say whether investigators suspect a double murder-suicide had occurred.

Police have said there’s no threat to the public.

Henry A “Hank” Newland

newman

Henry A “Hank” Newland, age 85, of North Platte, NE, passed away Friday, May 13, 2016, at Linden Court in North Platte.

Hank was born July 10, 1930, to Henry Wincen and Isabel Fern Mann Newland at Springview, NE. He grew up near Sparks, NE and attended country schools.

On September 25, 1950, Hank was united in marriage to Frances Anne Richardson at Springview. They lived in Winner, SD for a short time while Hank worked for Wilson Transport. He then served in the U.S. Army as a combat infantry man with the 2nd Infantry Division during the Korean Conflict.

Following his discharge Hank and Frances moved to the Sparks and Springview area where they ranched for several years. In 1962 they moved to Valentine, NE where Hank was employed by Valentine Motor Lines and did upholstery work.

By 1979 they settled in North Platte and Hank went to work for the City of North Platte, working at the cemetery and later the Parks Department, from which he retired. After retiring he worked at El Rancho Lawn Ornaments with his daughter, June, and took up woodcarving as a hobby.

Hank was a member of the V.F.W.

He is survived by his children, Douglas (Beth) Newland and Joanne (David) Nelsen, of Valentine, Duane (Susie) Newland, of Lincoln, NE, and June (Richard) Shaw, of North Platte; nine grandchildren, Matthew (Olesia) Newland, Jeffrey (Sheila) Newland, Brian (Nina) Newland, Brandon (Rita) Newland, Brent (Jessica) Newland, Bethany (Rourke) Springer, Ben (Tiffany) Nelsen, Annie (Sam) Bailey and Megan (Dean) Richey; and 16 great-grandchildren.

Survivors also include his brothers, Glen (Marla) Newland and Wilbur Newland, of Ravenna, NE; sisters, Inez Richardson, of Corydon, IA, and Letha Bartlett, of Alda, NE; brothers-in-law, Dick Osburn, of Cairo, NE, and Tom (Mary) Richardson, of Hershey, NE; sisters-in-law, Emily (Dean) Bartlett, of David City, NE, Pauline Pilkington, of Springview and Barbara Richardson, of Lineville, IA; and many nieces, nephews and other family and his friends.

Hank was preceded in death by his wife, Frances; his parents, Henry and Isabel; a sister, Louise Osburn; sister-in-law, Betty and husband, Kenneth Harp; brothers-in-law, George ‘Butch’ Richardson, Leo Richardson, Gene Bartlett, Richard Pilkington and Hank Richardson; and father and mother-in-law, George and Emma Richardson; niece, Nancy Osburn Harbenberger; nephew, David Richardson;.

Funeral Service will be 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 18, 2016, at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore with Chaplain Gary Smith officiating. Burial with military honors will follow in the North Platte Cemetery. Visitation will be Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore which is in charge of arrangements. Condolences may also be shared at odeanchapel.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to North Platte Alzheimer’s Support Group.

North Platte Weather-May 16

forecast graphic may 16 2016Today
Showers likely, mainly between 10am and 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 50. East northeast wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tonight
A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 39. Northeast wind 7 to 11 mph.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. North wind 8 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. East wind 5 to 8 mph.
Wednesday
Partly sunny, with a high near 64. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.
Thursday
Partly sunny, with a high near 64.
Thursday Night
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47.
Friday
Partly sunny, with a high near 69.

Researchers will try growing hops in Nebraska

wikipedia.org
wikipedia.org

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will grow hops at five locations across the state this summer to test the beer ingredient’s potential as a crop here.

Demand for hops is increasing significantly along with the microbreweries that use it. Currently, 98 percent of the hops grown in America are produced in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Michigan.

Associate Professor Stacy Adams says growing hops could give farmers an additional revenue stream alongside their other crops. And hops used to be grown in Nebraska before prohibition.

Hops will be grown at UNL’s East Campus in Lincoln and its Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff. Three cooperating farmers will also try growing hops near Valparaiso, Norfolk and Sutton.

An $83,000 state grant is paying for the project.

Police find 3 people dead inside a Lincoln home on Sunday

lincoln-policeLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The bodies of two women and one man have been found inside a Lincoln home.

Lincoln Police Capt. Danny Reitan says authorities were called to the home in northeast Lincoln around 1:15 p.m. Sunday when one body was found.

Paramedics and police arrived and found all three bodies inside the home. Reitan says it wasn’t immediately clear how long the people had been dead before their bodies were found.

Investigators are not looking for any suspects in the deaths, and Reitan says there is not a threat to the public.

Fire caused $450,000 damage at Scottsbluff church

fireSCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — A fire at a Scottsbluff church earlier this month caused $450,000 damage because it burned for more than five hours before being discovered.

Firefighters increased their damage estimate for the May 8 fire at Zion Evangelical Church in Scottsbluff.

Scottsbluff Fire Marshall Anthony Murphy says the extent of the damage became clear after revisiting the building and talking with insurance officials.

Authorities believe a lightning strike that caused a power outage in the neighborhood around 7:15 Saturday evening started the fire.

It wasn’t detected until early Sunday because the building didn’t have a fire alarm system.

Primary could foreshadow shake-up in Nebraska Legislature

ne-legislature-13LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s Legislature could see a major shake-up next year.

Five incumbent lawmakers came in second place in last week’s primary race, meaning they face a serious threat from a challenger in the November general election. One incumbent narrowly finished third but provisional ballots are still being counted.

If all six lose their seats, more than two-thirds of the senators in Nebraska’s Legislature would have two years of experience or less.

Some senators say they’re concerned that so many new members at once would lead to a more partisan and gridlocked Legislature. Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha says it’s a problem because the Legislature is complex, and new lawmakers need time to learn.

Eleven seats are open because of term limits, and another 17 lawmakers have only served since 2015.

2 people hospitalized in northeast Nebraska plant accident

ambulance-lightsNORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say two people were injured in an industrial accident at Nucor Steel in Norfolk.

Firefighters were called Thursday night to the plant. Norfolk Fire Chief Scott Cordes says the two people were injured in what first responders described as an industrial accident that resulted in burns.

Cordes says one person was flown to a Lincoln burn hospital and the other was driven to Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk.

Officials have not released the identities of the victims or their medical conditions. A Nucor spokesman acknowledged that an accident had occurred, but decline to provide the newspaper any details of the accident.

Mother of child hurt on carnival ride wants more regulation

Facebook: Virginia Cooksey
Facebook: Virginia Cooksey

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The mother of an 11-year-old girl partially scalped when her hair got caught in the gears of a carnival ride is calling for stricter regulation of such rides.

Virginia Cooksey says her daughter remains in intensive care in an Omaha hospital, but is talking and drinking water. She says that while her daughter is improving, the girl will no doubt be traumatized by the incident and has already undergone several surgeries to repair her damaged scalp.

Cooksey said Friday that carnival rides should have seat belts and more maintenance.

The Nebraska Labor Department earlier this week found no indication that the spinning carnival ride was malfunctioning when the girl’s hair was caught, ripping her scalp.

Nebraska’s Midland University to offer video gaming as sport

midland-universityFREMONT, Neb. (AP) — Midland University in Fremont has added more than two dozen programs to its sports roster since 2009. Next year, it’ll add one more: video gaming.

The school already has a video game club team. Now, it plans to field a varsity-level team in the fall, complete with a coach and scholarships.

Known as eSports, video game competitions have jumped in popularity at campuses nationwide. Hundreds of schools have club teams, and a small but growing number are offering gaming as a varsity sport with scholarships.

Midland spokesman Nate Neufind says the school of about 1,400 students 30 miles west of Omaha wanted to “create one more opportunity for students to pursue their passion at the college level.”

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