BLAIR, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an Iowa pilot has died after his aircraft crashed near Blair Airport in eastern Nebraska.
The crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Blair police say the aircraft went down as it was taking off.
Authorities say the 59-year-old pilot lived in Glenwood, Iowa. His name hasn’t been released. He was alone on the aircraft.
Federal investigators have been called in.
YORK, Neb. (AP) — A grand jury has found no crime was committed by officers chasing a Kearney man who died when his vehicle crashed along Interstate 80 in York County.
Authorities say 40-year-old Anthony Emmons died Feb. 27 when he was ejected when his vehicle rolled after striking a guardrail and a pillar. He was being chased because he’d fled from a rest stop when a state trooper approached him. Authorities say Emmons’ vehicle matched the description of a vehicle that had been weaving in and out of interstate traffic.
An autopsy showed Emmons’ blood contained drugs and had an alcohol content of more than three times the legal limit.
State law requires a grand jury investigation whenever someone dies in custody or being taken into custody.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker has proposed a study looking at the possible merger of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Sen. Merv Riepe says the proposal had been prompted by University of Nebraska System President Hank Bounds’ decision last month to put Jeff Gold in charge of both Omaha campuses. Gold has been UNMC’s chancellor since 2014 and is expected to be UNO’s interim chancellor for the next two years.
Riepe had proposed the study last week without notifying Bounds or the NU Board of Regents. In response, Bounds emailed faculty, staff and students on the two campuses Thursday saying the study wasn’t brought at the university’s request.
Riepe says any merger decision should ultimately be made by the Board of Regents.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Berkshire Hathaway will file an update its U.S. stock holdings on Monday, but CEO Warren Buffett already announced one of the biggest changes the company made in the first quarter.
Buffett said earlier this month that Berkshire had sold about 25 million of its 81 million IBM shares because the company hasn’t performed the way he expected.
The filing expected Monday afternoon will detail all of Berkshire’s U.S. stock holdings at the end of March, so other changes may be disclosed.
Many investors follow what Berkshire buys and sells because of Buffett’s remarkably successful record over more than five decades.
Berkshire holds major stakes in Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo, American Express and other companies.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would overturn most local gun restrictions stronger than Nebraska state law is unlikely to come back this year.
Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln pulled his bill Monday to work on amendments. He says he’s running out of time with the legislative session expected to end next week but will continue working on the measure over the summer.
The bill would have prohibited local governments from gun ownership, possession and transportation. Law enforcement groups and some urban senators say Omaha and Lincoln need different laws because of higher crime.
At least 43 other states have passed laws pre-empting local gun ordinances at the urging of groups including the National Rifle Association.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A report from the Nebraska Crime Commission says that the disproportionate percentage of black drivers pulled over by Lincoln police has climbed over the last five years even as police officials gave more attention to the problem.
Black drivers accounted for about one in every 10 motorists pulled over last year even though African-Americans only accounted for a little over 4 percent of the city’s population.
The report released in March highlights the racial disparities among traffic stops for agencies like the Lincoln Police Department but doesn’t give an explanation behind them. Police officials deny racial profiling drives the disparity.
The commission has been tracking data on racial breakdowns of traffic stops and the results since 2001.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say officers have found a man dead after a standoff at a home in northeast Omaha.
The standoff began around 7 a.m. Monday when shots were fired as officers served an arrest warrant at the home. Police say the officers retreated and that none fired a weapon.
Nearby residents were evacuated and some streets were blocked off. Police say officers found the man dead inside the home a few hours later. It’s unclear whether he shot himself. A police spokesman didn’t immediately return messages from The Associated Press.
Police say he was the man they were sent to arrest. His name hasn’t been released.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has vetoed $56.5 million in state spending during the next two years.
Ricketts said Monday the cuts are a thoughtful and measured approach to continued declines in revenue. He says the Legislature relied on gimmicks to balance the budget instead of making difficult cuts.
His changes will cut 0.5 percent from most state agencies. The Department of Correctional Services, K-12 education and the property tax credit relief fund would not be affected.
Ricketts also reduced the amount transferred from a highway fund to avoid increasing the state’s gas tax.
Senators need 30 votes to override a veto.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have adopted resolutions affirming the state’s support for refugees and young immigrants who qualify for Deferred Action for Child Arrivals.
Senators voted 24-1 Monday to oppose any federal action rescinding DACA and 21-7 to state the Legislature believes in protecting all refugees. Both resolutions required only a majority of those voting.
Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha says he sponsored the DACA resolution to help young immigrants in Nebraska receive the same opportunities his immigrant parents had. He says the state must protect DACA recipients, who were brought into the country illegally as children and face an uncertain future under the Trump administration.
Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln introduced the refugee resolution shortly after President Donald Trump issued his first travel ban.
A North Platte man is facing charges after items he allegedly stole from a home were posted on Facebook.
On May 13, at around 5:02 p.m., North Platte police responded to the report of a burglary at a residence in the 300 block of Glen Rose Avenue.
The owner reported to police that he had been away from his home and, when he returned, he discovered that the front door was open and a window had been broken out.
He also stated that numerous items were missing, including tools, clothing, fishing equipment, and electronic equipment.
Investigator John Deal says the victim did not have any potential suspects in mind but, later in the evening, some of the items were posted on a local “for sale” Facebook page.
Deal says officers were able to determine that the post had been made from a residence in the 2100 block of West 3rd Street.
On May 14, at around 11:56 a.m., officers served a search warrant on the residence.
Inside, Deal says officers located most of the stolen property inside the residence.
The residents, who were cooperative according to Deal, told police that they had been contacted by Elliott Fair who told them that he had acquired a foreclosed home on Glen Rose Avenue and invited them over to view property from the home. They stated that they purchased numerous items and left.
Officers determined that Fair lived at a different residence in the 300 block of Glen Rose Avenue and obtained a search warrant.
Deal says other stolen items were found in Fair’s home and investigators determined that the home he burglarized was not in foreclosure. Deal says investigators also determined that Fair had broken into the home.
Additionally, Deal says a toddler was present in Fair’s home and some “drug items” that will be tested further were also located.
In the end, Fair was charged with felony burglary and child abuse.
He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.
