OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Bail has been set at $5 million for an Iowa resident accused of killing a romantic rival last seen alive more than four years ago in Omaha.
Forty-one-year-old Shanna Golyar, of Persia, Iowa, is charged with first-degree murder. Bail was set during a hearing Tuesday inside the Douglas County Jail. Prosecutors say she killed Cari Farver, of Macedonia, Iowa, who was 37 when she was reported missing in November 2012.
Golyar’s attorney is James Martin Davis, and he said Tuesday there’s no confession, no body, no murder weapon and “no sufficient showing of blood that there was a death that even took place.”
Prosecutors say Golyar and Farver had dated the same man and that Golyar tried to cover up the killing by posing online as Farver.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln has been cutting down young, healthy ash trees to save money for its battle against an insect invader.
The emerald ash borer, which has killed millions of ash trees in other states, has been confirmed within 16 miles of Lincoln and already may be in the state capital. The city has around 70,000 ash trees, including around 14,000 on city street rights of way and in parks.
The city is removing younger ashes that are 14 inches in diameter or less at breast height. Experts say that to keep those trees alive through the looming infestation would require $150 chemical treatments every two years.
Under the city program, replacement trees will be lining streets as untreated ash trees die.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have accused an Omaha firefighter slapping, shoving and threatening to kill a woman inside a home on Christmas morning.
Jail records say 45-year-old Sean Brenner remained in custody Wednesday. Court records say he’s charged with felony terroristic threats. The records don’t list an attorney who could comment for Brenner. The Fire Department has placed him on leave.
Deputies responding to the home around 5:30 a.m. Sunday say the woman had redness and swelling on her face. They say she reported that she and Brenner got into an argument and that he slapped her several times, punched her in a cheek and shoved her into a countertop. She also says he put a kitchen knife to her throat and threatened to kill her and her son before killing himself.
FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — The Fremont City Council has approved plans for a bigger Costco Wholesale chicken operation.
The plans were approved unanimously Tuesday.
The processing plant as approved would cover 360,000 square feet, compared with the original plan for 250,000 square feet. An associated hatchery would cover 85,000 square feet — up from 75,000 square feet.
City documents say the expansion would increase the facility cost to $275 million, compared with original plans for a $180 million project. A staff report estimates that the tax based added to Fremont and Dodge County will rise to $93 million from $63 million and the new estimate of infrastructure improvements and impacts will increase to $275 million from $180 million.
Costco has said the operation would employ 800 to 1,000 people.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a toddler in foster care has died after suffering brain and internal injuries at a west Lincoln home.
Lincoln Officer Katie Flood said Wednesday that the little boy died just before 10 p.m. Tuesday at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Medics who were sent to the home just before 11 p.m. Thursday took over resuscitation efforts by a caregiver there.
Police are checking for evidence or reports of physical abuse, but no arrests have been reported. An autopsy has been ordered.
Nebraska Health and Human Services Department spokesman Russ Reno says the home’s residents have been licensed foster care providers for nearly three years and have had no disciplinary reports filed against them. He declined to comment further.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is kicking off its 150th anniversary with four new initiatives to promote volunteerism, fitness, a sense of history and knowledge about the state.
Nebraska’s first lady, Susanne Shore, unveiled the programs Wednesday with Gov. Pete Ricketts and organizers.
The Nebraska Impact initiative encourages residents to volunteer at least 150 hours next year and track their progress online.
The Nebraska 150 Challenge is a web-based fitness program that challenges residents to walk, run, bike or swim at least 150 miles in 2017.
The Now You Know Nebraska program is a series of 174 short online videos with snippets of interesting facts about the state.
The I Am Nebraska initiative is an effort to collect oral histories of Nebraska.
Nebraska became the nation’s 37th state on March 1, 1867.
A North Platte man is facing a felony child abuse and a weapons charge after he allegedly assaulted his teen daughter’s boyfriend.
On December 28, at around 3:12 a.m., officers responded to a residence in the 800 block of South York Avenue after it was reported that someone had broken into the home by kicking in the back door.
As officers were responding to the scene, a woman called the North Platte 911 Center to report that her 16-year-old son had been assaulted at the same residence where the alleged break-in had occurred, and that she was taking him to the Emergency Room.
An officer was dispatched to the Emergency Room at Great Plains Health, where he met with the boy and his mother. The boy told the officer that he had been communicating with his 13-year-old girlfriend via telephone when she asked him if he would meet her outside her house, and wait in the alley.
The boy reported that, when he arrived at his girlfriend’s house, he saw the back door open and assumed it was her. Instead, it was her father, 31-year-old Sean Naliielua, who was armed with what police are referring to as a “brass knuckle taser.” The victim said Naliielua repeatedly punched him in the face with the weapon before he was finally able to escape and contact his mother.
Meanwhile, officers met with Naliielua at the residence. Naliielua claimed that he had been sleeping when an unknown male kicked in his back door and entered the residence, so he began to punch him. According to Investigator John Deal, Naliielua showed officers a splintered door jamb and claimed that was the point of entry.
However, the officers noticed that the door jamb had already been repaired, and found it strange that a door would be repaired shortly after a home invasion was reported.
The officers then interviewed Naliielua’ daughter. She reported that she had been communicating with her boyfriend when her dad heard her phone alert. When he discovered that she was communicating with the boy, she said he told her to ask him to meet her in the alley. She said she did this and, when he texted that he had arrived, her dad exited the house. She said when he came back inside, he was holding the brass knuckle stun gun which had blood on it.
Officers investigated further and discovered a set of plastic brass knuckles built onto a stun gun in the trash can of the home. Deal the weapon still had blood on it when it was recovered.
Additionally, Deal says no blood was found in the home, but officers did discover blood and signs of a struggle in the alley behind the home.
In the end, Deal said it was apparent that Naliielua had made up the story about the home invasion and had lured the boy to the home so he could assault him.
Naliielua was placed under arrest and transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center. He’s been charged with felony aggravated child abuse and use of a weapon to commit a felony. He’s being held on ten percent of $50,000 bond.
Deal says the 13-year-old was removed from the home.
The boy’s injuries aren’t believed to be life threatening.
Charles Everette ‘Chuck’ Wilcox, age 68, of North Platte, NE, died Tuesday, December 27, 2016, at Centennial Park Retirement Village.
Chuck was born November 2, 1948, to Marlyn Dale and Lois Hougham Wilcox in North Platte. He grew up and attended school in North Platte then went to work for Reinhardt Plumbing. Chuck later moved to Alliance, NE, where he hired on with the Burlington Northern Railroad as a Pipefitter. He returned to North Platte in 1985 and went back to Reinhart’s before working for himself. Chuck had owned several business then started A-1 Services which he owned until 2010 when he started a scrap metal service. He had worked until recently when his health declined.
On February 8, 1969, Chuck married Marilyn Kay Kuehl in North Platte and they were together for nearly 48 years. He loved fishing, hunting, wood working, and watching movies. He was also a member of the Arnold Nazarene Church.
Chuck leaves behind his wife, Marilyn, two daughters, Chari (Tony) Znaniecki and Tina Gastineau, and mother and stepfather, Lois and Charles Baker, all of North Platte; his father and stepmother, Marlyn, Sr. and Beverly Wilcox, of Texas; five grandchildren, Markus, Matthew, Corbin, Ethan and Sebastian; sisters, Ronda Schultz, Teresa Silcox, and Judy (Chuck) Schanfish; brothers, Marlyn, Jr. (Ellen) Wilcox, Danny (Un Chu) Wilcox, and Stanton (Brenda) Wilcox; friend, Kim Ziel, of North Platte; and numerous nieces, nephews and other family.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Stephen Wilcox; sister, Michelle Bernt; and an infant brother and sister.
Cremation was chosen. Memorial Service will be 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 4, 2017, at the Parkview Community Church of the Nazarene. The memorial book may be signed at odeanchapel.com or prior to the service at the church. Memorials are suggested to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore is in charge of arrangements.
Macayla K. Razes, 21, of North Platte passed away Friday, December 23, 2016, as a result of a car accident near Sterling, CO.
Macayla was born December 11, 1995 in North Platte. She attended pre-kindergarten in Iowa, and returned to North Platte where she attended Lincoln Elementary, Madison and Adams Middle Schools, and graduated from North Platte High School in 2014. Macayla came to North Platte to live with her father in November 2000, and was currently living with her aunt Cathy.
Macayla enjoyed swimming and hanging out at the lake, listening to music, climbing, watching scary movies, Law and Order, and Forensic Files. Her favorite things were spending time with her siblings, cousins, and friends. Macayla especially loved being a mommy to her son Raiden. Noone was a stranger to her and she claimed many friends as her brothers and sisters.
Survivors include her son Raiden Maddox Smith and his father Aaron Smith, both of North Platte; father, Dennis Razes of North Platte; mother, Amber Bachman (Darren) Strough of Pinewood Springs, Colorado; aunt Cathy Razes (who raised her) of North Platte; grandparents, Denise and Bruce Brummer of Merna, Terry and Kathy Collins of North Platte, Tom Bachman of Auburn, Iowa, and Cindy Fertig of Lakeview, Iowa; great-grandparents, Janet Razes and Lewis Collins of North Platte, and Nancy Fertig of Lakeview, Iowa; sisters, Charity Flippo of WA, Amanda Prososki of Schuyler, Morgan Nowatzke of Huron, SD, Baily Schrader and Shaylin Talbot of Atkinson, Marissa and Madison Strough of Pinewood Springs, CO; brother, Tyson Hunter of Carroll, IA; special aunts, Brenda Heinzle of North Platte, Tia Collins of Lincoln, and April Derra of Omaha; special cousin, Joshua Tudor of Lincoln; and many other aunts, uncles, cousins, and special friends.
Macayla was preceded in death by her angel baby; great-grandparents, Dennis Razes, Othmar and Betty Bachman and Jim Fertig; and an uncle, Brett Brummer.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be established in her name and online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com.
Services will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, December 31, 2016 at Salvation Army Church with Captain Anthony Bowers and Pastor Job Vigil officiating. Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. with the family receiving friends 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Friday, December 30, 2016 at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home which is in charge of arrangements.
Terry L. Haney, 66, of North Platte passed away at his home on December 27, 2016 from complications of Idopalatic Pulmonary Disease.
Terry was born December 7, 1950 in North Platte to Robert C. and Lola (Arterburn) Haney.
He grew up in North Platte, NE attending North Platte schools and served in the National Guard from 1970 – 1976. Terry was employed with the Union Pacific Railroad until 2011, when he retired. He met and married Sandy (Houpt) Morris on September 24, 1988. Terry attended the North Platte Berean Church.
Terry’s interests were deer, pheasant, and duck hunting, and four wheeling with his wife, children, and grandchildren. He was a member of the NRA and Platte River Sportsman Club. He loved his family, friends, and Christmas.
Survivors include his wife, Sandy of North Platte; daughters, Toni (Bennie) Campton of Littleton, CO, and Tammi Griffis of Maxwell; sons, Travis Harris of Littleton, CO, and Darrin (Darla) Morris of Maxwell; grandchildren, Ty (Erinn) Campton, Vincent Campton and Zach (Britta) Campton, Taime (Jess) Hill, Evan Griffis, Brandon Worth, Chelsea Worth, and Ashley Pratt; 11 great-grandchildren; best friend, George (Linda) Somerhalder of Arlington, TX; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; infant daughter, Tammy Lynn: and brothers, Robert, Donnie, and Dennis Call and his beloved dog, Pine Cone.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Great Plains Hospice, Paws-i-tive Partners or the Berean Church of North Platte. Online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com.
Services will be held 10:30 a.m. Thursday, December 29, 2016 at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home with Jason Davis officiating. At Terry’s request, family and friends are to dress casual. Burial will follow at Floral Lawns Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be 12:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Wednesday with the family receiving friends from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home which is in charge of arrangements.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Bail has been set at $5 million for an Iowa resident accused of killing a romantic rival last seen alive more than four years ago in Omaha.
