We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

1 Winning Ticket Sold in $429 Million Powerball Drawing

powerballDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One ticket sold in New Jersey has matched all six numbers in the Powerball drawing worth $429.6 million.

Powerball officials said early Sunday the location of where the ticket was sold was not immediately known.

The winning Powerball numbers drawn Saturday night were 5-25-26-44-66 and the Powerball number is 9.

The jackpot Saturday had climbed to nearly $430 million, making the prize the largest since a record $1.6 billion payout in January.

Powerball is played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The odds of winning are one in 292.2 million.

Weekend Fire Damages Church in Scottsbluff

fireSCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — An overnight fire caused significant damage to a church in Scottsbluff.

Authorities believe lightning caused the fire at Zion Evangelical Church.

A neighbor called firefighters around 12:30 a.m. Sunday after noticing flames coming from the roof of the building.

Investigator Anthony Murphy says most of the damage affected the church’s activity center. A kitchen area also sustained some water damage.

Church member Mark Harris says services were held at the building Sunday morning.

Gas Prices Jump by 9 Cents Over Past 2 Weeks, to $2.27

gas-cardCAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average price of gasoline has jumped by 9 cents over the past two weeks to $2.27 a gallon for regular grade.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that the hike is mostly due to crude oil prices edging up. The price at the pump has risen 50 cents over the past 12 weeks.

In the Lower 48, the highest average price of regular gasoline was $2.83 per gallon in San Francisco. The lowest was $1.92 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The U.S. average diesel price is $2.28 per gallon, up 8 cents from two weeks ago.

Free Forums to Educate Nebraska Residents About Fraud

fraudLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska banking and insurance officials are joining the office of the attorney general to teach Nebraska citizens how to fight fraud.

The Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance will hold five forums between May and October showcasing state resources available for education and to prevent older Nebraskans from falling prey to financial schemers who seek to gain trust and coerce victims into poor financial decisions.

The forums will provide examples of fraud and tools to identify red flags, enabling residents and their loved ones to avoid becoming victims. Forums will be held in Scottsbluff, Norfolk, Kearney, Grand Island and North Platte. The free events are limited to the first 150 respondents.

People can register at www.ndbf.nebraska.gov or call 877-471-3445.

Questions Linger at Nebraska Prison Where Riot Happened Last Year

ne-department-of-correctionsLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Operations are improving at the prison in southeast Nebraska where two inmates were killed in a riot last year, but a number of concerns remain.

Repairs to the prison building from the May 10 riot aren’t complete, and the facility remains short on staff, which makes it hard to provide adequate programs for inmates.

Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes says the prison is nearly back to the way it was operating before the riot, and he complemented the hard work staff has done.

Omaha Sen. Bob Krist says he’s still not clear exactly what is being done to change the culture of the prison and resolve longstanding issues. Also, the number of inmate-on-staff assaults in recent months is troubling.

Chesnut Ties School Record, Huskers Win 6-3

Jeff Chesnut tied Steve Hale's school record for appearances with his 87th on Saturday (Photo Courtesy Scott Bruhn/Nebraska Communications)
Jeff Chesnut tied Steve Hale’s school record for appearances with his 87th on Saturday (Photo Courtesy Scott Bruhn/Nebraska Communications)

East Lansing, Mich. – On a day when Jeff Chesnut tied Steve Hale’s school record with his 87thcareer appearance, the Nebraska baseball team (29-16, 10-6 Big Ten) took the series opener at #24 Michigan State (30-12, 10-6 Big Ten) with a 6-3 victory. The Huskers are now 4-0 at McLane Stadium since joining the Big Ten Conference. Continue reading “Chesnut Ties School Record, Huskers Win 6-3”

Huskers Turn Heads at Nebraska Invitational

Paula Andrie (bottom) celebrates with her teammates after clearing 14-0 (4.27m) in the pole vault. (Photo Courtesy Scott Bruhn/Nebraska Communications)
Paula Andrie (bottom) celebrates with her teammates after clearing 14-0 (4.27m) in the pole vault. (Photo Courtesy Scott Bruhn/Nebraska Communications)

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska track and field team turned in some highlight performances at the Nebraska Invitational on Saturday at Ed Weir Stadium, one week before hosting the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Continue reading “Huskers Turn Heads at Nebraska Invitational”

Nebraska Teaching Certificate of Imprisoned Man Permanently Revoked

Jackson Hedrick
Jackson Hedrick

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former Lincoln middle school teacher who is serving 20 to 30 years in prison for sexually assaulting a student has had his Nebraska teaching certificate permanently revoked.

The move by the state Board of Education on Friday means Jackson Hedrick will never teach in Nebraska again.

Hedrick pleaded guilty in the case to first-degree sexual assault. Police say the 23-year-old Hedrick admitted to sending lewd texts to a 14-year-old girl who was a student at Irving Middle School, where he taught social studies. Police say he also provided her with alcohol and had sexual contact with her.

Hedrick graduated in 2014 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s degree in education. He is appealing his sentence.

Lincoln Man Sentenced for Sexual Relationship with Teenage Girl

Brandon Diequez
Brandon Diequez

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 21-year-old Lincoln man has been sentenced to five to 10 years in prison for a sexual relationship he had with a teenage girl when he was 19.

Brandon Diequez pleaded no contest to attempted first-degree sexual assault.

The girl’s mother went to police in December 2014 to report that her daughter was pregnant with Diequez’s child.

The girl, then 15, told investigators she had several sexual encounters with Diequez beginning in July 2014.

Diequez told police he waited until after she turned 16 that August.

Lancaster County District Judge Lori Maret sentenced him Wednesday. He also will have to register as a sex offender.

New Equipment to Speed Up Great Plains Health Lab Results

great-plains-health-with-woNORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — New equipment is expected to speed up laboratory results at Great Plains Health in North Platte.

The lab processes more than 3,000 tissue samples every month. Most samples require multiple slides, and each slide needed to be stained, cover-slipped and dried before it could be taken to pathology services. The process used to take six to eight hours.

But on Thursday, laboratory staff cut the ribbon on a VENTANA HE 600 automated staining system, which will improve safety and save a substantial amount of time.

Dani Franzen with Great Plains Health says the system will allow staff to do more than eight hours’ worth of processing in less than an hour.

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File