EUGENE, Ore. – Nebraska sophomore thrower Nick Percy won the national championship in the discus on day three of the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships on Friday at Hayward Field, highlighting a day that included three first-team All-America performances by the Husker men. Continue reading “Percy Captures Discus National Championship”
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McCOOK, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will provide an update on the Lake McConaughy/Lake Ogallala Master Plan later this week.
The master plan provides comprehensive guidance on how to manage the lakes’ natural resources and public use.
It will include planning that has taken place and what is scheduled, the role and advice of the plan’s advisory committee, review of public comment received during a June 1 informational meeting and the next steps in the process.
The meeting will be held Friday morning at McCook Community College in McCook. The public is invited to attend.
The commissioners also will hear an update on pheasant research in southwestern Nebraska. There will be a report on turkey management and hunting in Nebraska, and a communications report on spring events and promotional campaigns.
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — Omaha resident and recent University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate Aleah Peters has been crowned Miss Nebraska 2016.
Peters, who entered the pageant as Miss Omaha, was crowned Saturday night in North Platte. Peters wowed the judges in the talent competition with a baton-twirling performance to “Wings.”
Peters will represent Nebraska in the Miss American Pageant the week of Sept. 6 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Miss Douglas County Savannah Rave was named first runner-up. Other finalists included second runner-up Miss Queen City Lianna Prill, of Kearney, and third runner-up Miss Twin Rivers Jenni Wahonick, of Papillion. Fourth runner-up was Miss Scotts Bluff County Allison Baird, of Gering.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Law enforcement officials believe two inmates who escaped from a maximum security prison last week made their getaway in a laundry truck.
Court records say officials believe Armon Dixon and Timothy Clausen stowed onto a laundry truck that left the Lincoln Correctional Center at 9:15 a.m. Friday bound for another state prison in Tecumseh.
The documents say a 911 caller reported seeing two men dressed as inmates running Friday in an area where the truck stopped at an intersection.
Authorities later discovered a hole in the truck’s roof.
Dixon was captured Saturday after a massive manhunt in Lincoln, but Clausen remains at large.
Both men are convicted rapists and are considered a great danger to the public.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Patrol is looking for new troopers.
The patrol is accepting applications for trooper through Aug. 1 for consideration to be part of the 58th basic recruit camp scheduled to begin next March.
Applicants must be a U.S. citizens and at least 21 years old by Aug. 18, 2017, when they would be sworn in. Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED equivalence. All necessary qualifications and requirements along with additional information on what can be expected during the hiring process can be found under the Career Opportunities tab of the Nebraska State Patrol website.
SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Scotts Bluff County officials say a glut of adult prisoners has led them to stop accepting juveniles at its detention center.
County Commissioner Mark Masterton said the move is only temporary. Masterton says the adult area is at 100 percent to 125 percent capacity, while there are only four youths in the juvenile detention center.
On Friday, Masterton said that the county has decided to use those juvenile beds to house female inmates. The four juveniles have been moved to another county.
Masterton said changes made by the Nebraska Legislature in 2014 to the juvenile justice system have meant fewer juveniles in detention.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Recreational users of the Missouri River now have an interactive guide available to help plan their outdoor adventures.
The Missouri River Outdoor Recreational Access Guide shows about 160 public access sites for activities along the river as it flows downstream along Nebraska’s border. The guide also was designed as a source for navigation along the river.
The river and lands open to public access offer chances for fishing, hunting, boating, canoeing and kayaking, among other activities.
The Missouri River Outdoor Recreation Access Guide is available on the Game and Parks Commission’s website. To view the guide, visit https://maps.outdoornebraska.gov/MRRecreationGuide/.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Law enforcement and social service agencies are preparing a major push to clamp down on human trafficking in Nebraska, but advocates say the state needs to do more for survivors who are likely to require housing, specialized counseling and medical care.
The new approach championed by Attorney General Doug Peterson focuses on helping survivors, stopping traffickers and shrinking the market by going after customers rather than prostitutes. A state task force is developing a plan, and Peterson is considering legislation next year to increase criminal penalties for traffickers.
Yet Peterson and other advocates acknowledge that major changes will take time, largely because Nebraska has a shortage of services that are tailored to human trafficking victims.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Republican Congressman Adrian Smith, who represents Nebraska vast rural 3rd District, has named a new agriculture director to his staff.
Smith says Sallie Atkins, of Halsey, is his new ag director. Atkins will lead engagement efforts on statewide agriculture issues and serve as the liaison for 3rd District farmers and ranchers, agriculture groups and other stakeholders.
Atkins served as central Nebraska director of constituent services for former U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns. Most recently, Atkins was regional director of membership for the Nebraska Farm Bureau.
Atkins has also served as executive director and chairman of the Nebraska Beef Council, vice president of Nebraska Cattlemen and board chairman of the Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Council.
