OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha residents have raised concerns about the closure of a community meeting space owned by the city.
Brook Bench, the city’s parks, recreation and public property director, says city building code inspectors ordered the space closed because of significant violations, including safety and health threats.
City records show the building has plumbing and roof leaks, deteriorated and missing flooring, a broken water heater, and inoperable bathroom water faucets. Bench says the building also has mold.
Ella Willis, president of the Neighborhood Action and Facts Association, says the closure is disappointing and unfair because residents have worked hard to improve the north Omaha neighborhood.
Bench says the problems have been ongoing for years and that the Neighborhood Action and Facts Association was aware of them and responsible for making repairs.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) — A new track in South Sioux City is planning to host a brief three-horse race in order for the Winnebago Tribe’s economic development corporation to maintain its racing license.
Alexcia Boggs, development director for Ho-Chunk Inc., says state officials will allow the company to race only three horses Saturday since it’s a new course.
Ho-Chunk bought the former Atokad Downs in 2012 with the hope of developing a $30 million to $40 million casino at the site. A proposed constitutional amendment to legalize casino wagering at Atokad and other Nebraska horse tracks has been stalled.
In the meantime, the track must hold at least one live race in 2016 to maintain the racing license Ho-Chunk received from Nebraska earlier this year.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Officials say the 2016 Nebraska State Fair attracted 2.5 percent more people than a year ago.
The attendance of 361,107 over the fair’s 11-day run is a record for the Grand Island version of the state fair, which moved to the city’s Fonner Park in 2010 from its home in Lincoln.
This year’s biggest crowd turned up on the Labor Day holiday Monday: 56,280.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials say this fall’s enrollment has set a record for the University of Nebraska system.
The office of university President Hank Bounds says enrollment at the four campuses and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis is 52,515. That’s a 1.3 percent increase over fall 2015. The new figure surpasses the system’s previous high of 52,108, set in 1992.
The Lincoln campus reported an enrollment of 25,897 — a 2.5 percent increase. The Omaha campus reported an enrollment of 15,627 — an increase of 0.7 percent. The Medical Center in Omaha reported an enrollment of 3,861 for an increase of 1.9 percent. The Kearney campus reported an enrollment of 6,788 — an increase of 0.6 percent. The College of Technical Agriculture reported an enrollment of 342 — a decrease of 33.2 percent.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gage County has lost its appeal of a jury verdict awarding more than $28 million to six people who were wrongfully convicted in the 1985 slaying of a southeast Nebraska woman.
The appeal filed last month in U.S. District Court in Lincoln said there wasn’t enough evidence to find against the county and said the award was excessive.
Judge Richard Kopf said Tuesday that there was plenty of evidence to find against the defendants and said it was “laughable to suggest that the jury verdict was excessive.”
James Dean, Kathleen Gonzalez, Debra Shelden, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Thomas Winslow and Joseph White served a combined 77 years in prison before DNA testing cleared them in 2008. Joseph White died in 2011.
A North Platte man is in custody, accused of intentionally setting a home, that was being used as storage, on fire.
On Monday night, the North Platte Fire Department responded to the report of a structure fire in the 600 block of East 5th Street. Officials say the home was unoccupied and was being used as storage by Andersen and Sons NAPA, which sits directly south of the house.
Once the fire was extinguished, officers began interviewing potential witnesses.
According to Investigator John Deal, an officer spoke to a neighbor who said they had seen a shirtless man standing just outside the fence, near the back door, at the time of the fire. Deal says it was discovered that the back door had been forcibly opened.
Additionally, Deal said it had rained that night and investigators discovered shoe prints in the area where the man was reportedly standing.
The owners were contacted and responded to the scene. They told officers that, a few months ago, an employee, identified as 41-year-old Wade Wolf, had gotten upset and quit. The owners said that Wolf had been inside the house during his employment and was familiar with its contents, which included a set of valve covers that Wolf allegedly wanted.
The owners said he was not allowed to have or buy the valve covers, and this was one of the reasons that he had gotten upset.
Because the residence was unoccupied, Deal says the owners had installed motion cameras, which were still in operation at the time of the alleged arson.
Officers reviewed the footage and observed a man they say looked like Wolf pouring liquid on the floor of the residence and setting it on fire.
The videos also allegedly show Wolf carrying what appears to be valve covers, which were missing.
Investigators determined that there was probable cause to arrest Wolfe and, on September 6, an investigator located him and placed him under arrest.
He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center on charges of felony burglary and felony arson to a business.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man sought on an arrest warrant for drugs has been fatally shot by Douglas County sheriff’s deputies in southeast Omaha.
The shooting was reported around 3:40 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities say shots were fired as deputies tried to take the 25-year-old man into custody. A 911 audio recording shows deputies reported that they’d been fired upon and called for help. None of the deputies reported being injured. A 19-year-old woman near the scene was treated for cuts to a leg. It’s unclear how her injuries occurred.
The man was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at an Omaha hospital. He’s been identified as David Anderson.
The deputies involved have been placed on paid administrative leave. The Omaha Police Department has taken over the shooting investigation.
MPCC Rodeo Team members Sam Elliott, of Prineville, Ore., Garrett Heinert, of Papillion, and Nate Bausch, of Waterbury, get ready for a practice bull ride on Sunday. The team will host the 2016 Mid-Plains Community College Stampede on Sept. 16-17 at the Wild West Arena in North Platte.
The 2016 Mid-Plains Community College Stampede will pit some of the toughest cowboys and cowgirls in the region against the rankest livestock on the circuit.
The public is invited to watch the action Sept. 16-17 at the Wild West Arena, 2400 N. Buffalo Bill Ave, in North Platte. Performances will begin at 7 p.m. each night. Admission is payable at the gate. It’s $10 for adults and free for children 10 and younger. Continue reading “MPCC Stampede headed for Wild West Arena”
Two Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team members won their events at the Nebraska State Fair on Monday, earning $1,000 worth of scholarship money in the process.
Reece Weber, of Valentine, was first in the team roping and Rowdy Moon, of Sargent, claimed the top spot in the bareback riding during the Nebraska High School/College Rodeo Showcase. Continue reading “MPCC cowboys win at state fair”
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha residents have raised concerns about the closure of a community meeting space owned by the city.
