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Man now faces murder charge along with son in Nebraska

BANCROFT, Neb. (AP) — Prosecutors have filed a murder charge against a 48-year-old man whose son faces the same charge in a northeast Nebraska slaying.

Jody Olson and his son, Derek, are charged with second-degree murder, arson and related crimes. They’re accused of killing 64-year-old Ernest Warnock, whose body was found March 11 in the rubble of his home north of Bancroft. Investigators have determined that he’d been stabbed to death during an altercation before the fire began.

Court records say Jody Olson originally was charged only with being an accessory to a felony. It’s unclear what led prosecutors to file the additional charges. Olson’s attorney and the prosecuting attorney didn’t immediately return calls Friday from The Associated Press.

Future of Nebraska residents’ health care uncertain

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The only potential choice for individual health insurance in Nebraska still hasn’t decided whether to offer plans next year that meet the Affordable Care Act’s standards.

The discussion about Medica Health’s plans for 2018 was triggered by an announcement Thursday that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska will drop its last two individual health plans that meet ACA standards, which include accepting all applicants and providing a wide range of health benefits.

Nebraska residents seeking insurance not connected to an employer or government-sponsored plan might not have options for ACA-compliant insurance if Medica pulls out of the individual health insurance market.

Geoff Bartsch of Medica says while the company is on track to continue next year, there’s always a possibility for Congress to “change the landscape.”

Lincoln hotel home to honey farm

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A hotel in Lincoln has started a new honey farm on its roof.

Beekeepers Warren Nelson and his son, Trey, carried four bee-filled hives last week to the roof of the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel, where they’ll multiply until the hotel is home to about 240,000 honey-producing bees.

About 40,000 of the bees originally arrived in Nebraska in April from California after the hotel contacted Valhalla Bee Farm, which Warren Nelson operates. Nelson says he took care of the bees at his home for a few weeks until they multiplied to nearly 100,000.

The hotel hopes to soon harvest up to 600 pounds annually. It’ll sell some in the gift shop, and its chef is already preparing to incorporate it into its menu.

California man arrested in Nebraska; marijuana seized

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Deputies say a California man has been arrested after more than 80 pounds of marijuana was found in his car during a traffic stop.

A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy pulled over a car driven by the 37-year-old man around 10 p.m. Thursday on suspicion of failing to signal a lane change.

Deputies say they could see silver heat-sealed bags partially covered by a sleeping back in the car and smelled coffee, which they suspected to an attempt to mask the odor of drugs.

Officials say a police dog indicated illegal drugs in the car, and a subsequent search turned up 82 pounds of marijuana.

The driver was arrested.

Montana officials identify Nebraska man who fell into river

POLSON, Mont. (AP) — Officials in northwestern Montana have released the name of a 23-year-old Nebraska man who is missing after falling into the Flathead River near a hydroelectric dam.

Lake County Sheriff Donald Bell said that Richard Mitchell of Minatare, Nebraska is the man who has been missing since mid-day Wednesday.

Bell says Mitchell was with Marissa Scott and Nathaniel Garcia, both of Gering, Nebraska, when they crossed guard rails and passed warning signs at an overlook at SKQ Dam near Polson. He said they were climbing down a cliff when Mitchell fell about 12 feet into the water.

The search for Mitchell continued Friday.

Brady HS girls claim Class D NSAA Cup for 2017

The Nebraska School Activities Association is pleased to announce the final standings for The NSAA Cup, the NSAA All-Activities Award for Nebraska high schools. The annual awards program began in the fall of 2006 to recognize the state’s most successful high school athletic and fine arts programs, presents awards to the 12 Nebraska high schools which earn the most points during the school year by participating in NSAA education-based activity programs.

This all-activities (fine arts and sports), all-school recognition platform recognizes the “Best of the Best” each year in NSAA programs. The NSAA Cup is presented to the winning schools in the four classes of the All-School Division, Girls Division and Boys Division during special ceremonies the following fall.

Each year the NSAA recognizes the most successful activities programs in the state with the NSAA Cup. Winners are determined by a point system based on participation in NSAA education-based activities and performance in state championship events within each division and class. Music, which does not have a state-level event, earns points based on participation at the district music contest.

The boys and girls competition in each class features schools earning participation and performance points from their respective activities. In the all-school division, schools receive participation points for each of its NSAA registered programs, and earn additional points for placing in NSAA championship events. All schools, which finish in the top eight positions (plus any ties) in a state championship event, receive points. In activities’ championships involving cooperative agreements, each of the schools in the cooperative will earn the points for that respective event providing they have at least one student participating on the cooperative varsity team.

In playoff events involving teams in a split classification, the same top eight positions in that event’s class (ex. D1 and D2) will earn full points for their class competition. If there are fewer than eight schools from a classification in the event, only those schools represented, are eligible to receive points.
Championship performance points are awarded for all activities championship events as follows:

First place – 50 points
Second place – 45 points
Third place – 40 points
Fourth place – 35 points
Fifth place – 30 points
Sixth place – 25 points
Seventh place – 20 points
Eighth place – 15 points

2016-17 Final NSAA Cup Standings

Mountain lion depredation of calf confirmed near Hay Springs

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LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska Game and Parks Commission officials have confirmed that a male mountain lion killed a calf near Hay Springs in Sheridan County.

The owner of the land where the calf was killed contacted Game and Parks officials on May 30 after finding the carcass. Game and Parks representatives examined the carcass and immediate vicinity the following day. The condition of the carcass suggested a high probability that a mountain lion was responsible.

The landowner and Game and Parks officials worked together to identify and euthanize the offending animal in accordance with the agency’s Mountain Lion Response Plan.

This is the second confirmed instance of livestock depredation in Nebraska by a mountain lion in modern times. The first took place in Blaine County in the spring of 2014.

3 years in prison for soldier who lied way to Purple Heart

SEATTLE (AP) — A former soldier who lied his way to a Purple Heart and hundreds of thousands of dollars in government benefits has been sentenced to three years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle issued the sentence Thursday in Tacoma, Washington, to Darryl Wright.

Wright, a former National Guardsman, feigned injuries from an explosion in Iraq in 2005 and doctored statements from fellow soldiers to obtain two awards, a Combat Action Badge and a Purple Heart, which is reserved for those wounded in action.

The Army has since revoked those awards, though Wright still has the medals.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud. Prosecutors were seeking a prison term of five years, and they wanted the judge to order Wright to return the medals and a Purple Heart license plate.

Settle declined to go that far, but he did order Wright to repay nearly $650,000 in benefits.

Police ID woman killed north of downtown Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police have identified a woman whose body was found about a mile north of downtown.

Police say officers were sent to the area about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to check reports of screaming and of people drinking outdoors near a homeless encampment. Police say 32-year-old Rachel Ham was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ham is believed to have been living in the encampment. Police announced Thursday the arrest of a suspect, a 53-year-old man who was booked into jail on suspicion of second-degree murder and use of a firearm. Court records don’t show that he had been formally charged by late Thursday afternoon.

2 arrested in Omaha following multi-state pursuit

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) have arrested two people in Omaha after a pursuit on Interstate 80 that began in Iowa Thursday morning.

Before crossing the Missouri River and entering Nebraska, a stolen Jeep driven by Michael Eugene Pierce, 27, swerved at an Iowa State Trooper, attempting to avoid a spike strip. The vehicle also rammed two Iowa State Patrol cruisers.

NSP picked up the pursuit near mile marker 452 in Omaha. Shortly thereafter the vehicle lost control and came to a stop near mile marker 451.

Troopers arrested Pierce, along with passenger Mary E. Kennison, 29, on charges of Theft by Unlawful Taking of more than $5,000, Operating a Motor Vehicle to Avoid Arrest, Resisting Arrest, and Willful Reckless Driving. Both were lodged in the Douglas County Correctional Center.

No troopers from either Nebraska or Iowa were injured during the pursuit.

The vehicle was determined to have been stolen from Greeley, Colorado.

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