AUBURN, Neb. (AP) — A southeast Nebraska county is switching to plastic markers for veterans graves in order to thwart thieves.
Crooks have been stealing the standard bronze markers.
Nemaha County veterans service officer Bill Hessler told the county commissioners Wednesday that the new markers will come in two varieties: one for veterans who served during a war and one for veterans who served during peacetime. The bronze markers had designated service during specific wars.
Hessler says families that want to replace bronze markers can buy the plastic markers for $30.
SCHUYLER, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a teenage girl has died and two other people have been injured in a Schuyler crash.
The accident occurred around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday. Officers briefly chased a car that was being driven erratically but soon halted the pursuit because of safety concerns. Within minutes, they were sent to check a report that the car had rammed a tree.
The 15-year-old girl was found on the ground near the car. Authorities say she was flown to a Lincoln hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The driver was flown to an Omaha hospital for treatment, and a 15-year-old male passenger was taken to a Schuyler hospital.
Authorities suspect the driver had been drinking alcohol.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The first of five men charged in a deadly Tecumseh prison riot last year has been sentenced to a year in prison.
22-year-old William Harris pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of third-degree assault in the riot that killed two inmates, destroyed portions of the prison and injured two corrections officers and four inmates.
At the time of the riot, Harris was serving a 51- to 74-year sentence for assault and use of a deadly weapon in Douglas County.
Four other prison inmates were charged with assault and related charges following the riot. Law enforcement officials still haven’t arrested anyone in connection with the killing of the two inmates, Donald Peacock and Shon Collins.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man has been given 50 to 80 years in prison for sexually assaulting an unconscious 9-year-old girl and taking photographs.
Online court records say 56-year-old Alan Kosmicki was sentenced Wednesday in Lancaster County District Court. He’d pleaded no contest to attempted sexual assault of a child and visual depiction of sexual conduct. Prosecutors lowered the sexual assault charge in exchange for Kosmicki’s pleas.
Court records say a Seward man who bought the contents of a storage shed found a memory card among the items and then found explicit images of a man and girl on it. He turned it over to police.
Investigators say they determined that the man in the pictures is Kosmicki. He initially told investigators that he wasn’t the man in the pictures.
Miss Rodeo America Katherine Merck, pins the sash on Laramie Schlichtemeier Wednesday night, after Schlichtemeier is crowned Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2017. Emily Taylor, MRN 2016, stands by to offer a congratulatory hug. (Heather Johnson)
Laramie Schlichtemeier is Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2017.
The Ogallala woman was crowned Wednesday night during the first performance of the Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte.
Following four days of competition, Schlichtemeier won the categories of horsemanship, speech, personality, photogenics and congeniality.
Carly Woerman, of North Bend, won the appearance and written test categories and earned the title of first-runner up. She will fulfill the duties of queen if, at any point, Schlichtemeier is unable to do so.
A Rising Star award was also given this year. It went to Leanna Gubbels, of Laurel.
Schlichtemeier’s prizes include thousands of dollars in scholarships (including a two-year, renewable full tuition scholarship to Mid-Plains Community College), a tiara, a saddle, a buckle, chaps, tack and jewelry, among many other items.
She will remain a lady-in-waiting until January. That will give Emily Taylor, Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2016, time to compete at the Miss Rodeo America Pageant at the end of this year.
Schlichtemeier’s job until then will be to prepare for her reign and fill in at rodeos, parades and other events Taylor is unable to attend.
Schlichtemeier attends Chadron State College. She plans to graduate in December with a degree in business administration and an emphasis in agri-business.
“My career goal is to have a positive impact on farmers, ranchers and the people who have chosen one of the most important career fields in the world,” said Schlichtemeier. “I am leaning toward pursuing a position as an agricultural loan officer in a financial institution. In that role, I feel I can help expand and further develop a dynamic and crucial industry for future generations.”
Schlichtemeier loves anything that has to do with horses, hunting, fishing and Nebraska attractions and also enjoys volunteering for community service projects. Her parents are Jeff and Shari Schlichtemeier.
An early morning fire caused damage to a North Platte duplex on Thursday.
North Platte firefighters responded to a structure fire at D and Chestnut Streets just before 6:30 a.m.
City Fire Marshal George Lewis says it appears the fire was electrical in nature.
Lewis said the fire started in the attic of structure and was contained to the attic for the most part. The structure had a low roof, and Lewis said that made it somewhat difficult for firefighters to work in the area.
The fire was brought under control at around 6:40 a.m.
Both residences were occupied at the time of the fire, but Lewis said everyone was able to get out safely and no injuries were reported.
There have been no reports on the amount of damage to the structure. Lewis said the smoke damage was minimal because the fire was contained to the attic.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida sheriff says charges are unlikely against the parents whose 2-year-old son was killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings tells The Associated Press there was no indication Will and Melissa Graves of suburban Omaha, Nebraska, committed any crime that contributed to the reptile grabbing their son, Lane Graves.
Demings says his department and the state wildlife agency would look into the issue of signs around Seven Seas Lagoon, where Disney had posted “no swimming” signs but no warnings about alligators.
Authorities say the boy waded into no more than 1 or 2 feet of water in the lagoon around nightfall Tuesday when he was taken from a small beach. The boy’s father desperately tried to fight off the gator, but couldn’t save his son.
Garrett Vig rides a bull at the 2015 Buffalo Bill Rodeo. This year’s rodeo kicked off on Wed., June 15 and continues through June 18. Photo by Dott’s Shotts.
North Platte, Neb. (June 15, 2016) – North Platte is about 1,000 miles from Las Vegas, but a bareback rider at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo on Thursday night got a bit closer to the bright lights of Sin City.
BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — The Air Force has agreed to a $55 million upgrade of the runway at Offutt Air Force Base, a move that will extend the life of the runway for about 20 years.
Nebraska’s congressional delegation welcomed the Air Force’s decision, which was announced Wednesday.
Sen. Deb Fischer says design work will begin this fall and construction will start in 2018.
The decision eases fears that a deteriorating runway could eventually prompt the Air Force to move the 55th Wing to a different base. That would have eliminated thousands of civilian and military jobs in the area.
Because of the crumbling runway, ground crews have had to watch constantly for loose chunks of concrete that could destroy a jet engine if they were sucked inside.
AUBURN, Neb. (AP) — A southeast Nebraska county is switching to plastic markers for veterans graves in order to thwart thieves.
