LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A state law that allows Nebraska counties to kill black-tailed prairie dogs on private property if a neighbor complains could be in jeopardy under a bill advanced by a committee.
The Legislature’s Agriculture Committee voted 6-1 on Tuesday to advance the measure for debate.
Black-tailed prairie dogs are native to western Nebraska and considered an important species to maintain the region’s ecological balance, but some ranchers view them as pests because they tear up valuable grassland.
Only Sheridan County in northwest Nebraska has made use of the law, which allows counties to establish management programs for the animals. Landowners are given notice to clear the animals themselves. Those who fail to comply can face fines and have a county-designated manager come onto their property.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force Reserves will qualify for military honor license plates under a new Nebraska law.
Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a measure Tuesday that will create five new military honor license plate designs. Reservists and officers of the United States Public Health Service or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration can apply for the plates.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, says it will honor reservists who have served their country.
The measure also allows military honor plates on vehicles owned by a trust that includes an eligible veteran.
Veterans and active members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and National Guard already qualify for military honor plates. They cost as much as standard license plates.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A court hearing is scheduled Wednesday for a former Lincoln police officer accused of driving drunk and speeding through downtown Lincoln.
Court records say 30-year-old Brian Nicholson is charged with driving under the influence and speeding. A public phone listing for him couldn’t be found Tuesday. The court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him.
He was stopped around 2:15 a.m. Jan. 29 by a state trooper who later said Nicholson was driving 67 mph in a 35 mph zone. A criminal complaint says Nicholson’s blood tested out more than twice the legal alcohol limit to drive. Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister says Nicholson wasn’t on duty at the time.
COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — A Platte County judge has ruled that the Nebraska Public Power District doesn’t have to release utility records showing how much it costs to generate electricity.
Private energy developer Gary Aksamit of Aksamit Resource Management filed a document in June 2016 asking judges in three counties to require their electric utilities to disclose costs of generating electricity. Aksamit’s lawyers argued in December that releasing those records would serve public purposes.
Judge Robert Steinke wrote Feb. 28 that the information release wouldn’t serve a public purpose.
Aksamit Resource Management Vice President Michael Matheson argued Monday that there is still a public interest in releasing the records because otherwise “there is no public oversite on public power in Nebraska.”
Utility spokesman Mark Becker says the public power company is “obviously pleased” by the decision.
CHICAGO (AP) — A new study finds fewer overweight Americans have been trying to lose weight in recent years. And researchers wonder if fat acceptance could be among the reasons.
The trend over nearly two decades could also reflect people giving up after repeated failed dieting attempts. It happened as U.S. obesity rates climbed.
Researchers at Georgia Southern University analyzed U.S. government health surveys from 1988 through 2014. More than 27,000 adults aged 20 to 59 were involved.
In the early surveys, about half the adults were overweight or obese. Those numbers climbed to 65 percent by 2014. But the portion of overweight or obese adults who said they were trying to slim down fell from 55 percent to 49 percent.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha tax preparer has been imprisoned for falsifying documents for several clients.
Prosecutors say 42-year-old Lisa Holmes was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison, one year of supervised release when she leaves custody and was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $49,000. She’d pleaded guilty in December to tax fraud.
Prosecutors say Holmes inflated income figures for some business clients, which resulted in their receiving higher tax refunds than they should have.
BROWNVILLE, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators will inspect Cooper nuclear power plant next week to determine why a key heat-removal system and its backup were both offline at the same time last month.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it will conduct a special inspection at the plant owned by the Nebraska Public Power District to determine what led to the error.
Regulators say that on Feb. 5 workers discovered a problem with a system that would help remove heat from the plant during an accident. That system may have been offline for months.
During the time that system was disabled, workers did maintenance work on a back-up heat-removal system, and it was offline for about 72 hours.
Cooper sits along the Missouri River in southeast Nebraska near Brownville about 80 miles south of Omaha.
CHICAGO (AP) — If you’re gorging on bacon or skimping on nuts, you might want to rethink your diet. That’s according to new research that links 10 foods with deaths from heart disease, strokes and diabetes.
The study says overeating or not eating enough of those foods contributes to nearly half of U.S. deaths from the three causes.
The researchers used data showing that about 700,000 Americans died in 2012 from heart disease, strokes and diabetes. They also examined several years of national health surveys that asked adults about their diets.
“Good” foods that were under-eaten included nuts and seeds, seafood and fruits. “Bad” foods that were overeaten included salt, processed meats and sugary drinks.
Results were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials have announced plans to cut 39 jobs at a Beatrice facility for people with developmental disabilities and transition residents out of a state program in Hastings.
The staff reduction announced Tuesday will affect workers at the Beatrice State Developmental Center who aren’t considered front-line staff, such as laundry and maintenance employees. Officials say the change came after a review found that some employees were performing duplicative tasks.
In an unrelated decision, state officials plan to move six residents out of homes run by the Bridges program in Hastings.
The change comes because the Bridges program violates federal rules designed to keep residents with developmental disabilities out of institution-like settings. Courtney Miller of the Department of Health and Human Services says plans will be made for each resident.
On 3/6/17 at 8:43 PM officers with the NPPD responded to a shooting incident at a residence in the 1100 block of west 11th street.
Officers made contact with an 18 year old male victim who had a gunshot wound to his forehead. Medical attention was given by officers until EMT’s arrived. Once the victim was transported to the hospital officers contacted several people who were at the scene. They learned that the suspect in the shooting was Christian Vera who was located in the alleyway behind the residence. Christian was taken into custody without incident. A mid-size handgun was located in the alleyway near Christian.
It was determined based on evidence and witness statements that several individuals were playing video games inside of the residence when Christian Vera produced a handgun to show to the victim. During the process of showing off the handgun Christian negligently discharged one round which struck the victim in the head.
There is nothing to indicate at this time that any disagreement or quarrel occurred prior to the shooting and the incident is believed to be accidental. The suspect and victim are related to one another.
Christian was placed under arrest for 2nd degree assault and use of a weapon to commit a felony. One of the definitions of 2nd Degree Assault in Nebraska is recklessly causing serious bodily injury to another with a dangerous weapon.
It is suspected that the handgun in question was stolen and further follow up is being conducted.
The victim was flown to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE and his current condition is unknown.
No further information is available at this time and the investigation continues.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A state law that allows Nebraska counties to kill black-tailed prairie dogs on private property if a neighbor complains could be in jeopardy under a bill advanced by a committee.
