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Mazda recalls nearly 80K vehicles to replace faulty air bags

DETROIT (AP) — Mazda is recalling nearly 80,000 cars and SUVs, some for a second time, to replace dangerous Takata air bag inflators.

The recall covers front passenger inflators on certain 2007 through 2009 and 2012 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda 6 vehicles. The recalls vary by state and age of the vehicles.

Takata inflators can explode with too much force and hurl shrapnel into drivers and passengers. As many as 19 people have been killed and more than 180 hurt due to the problem.

The recall supersedes one issued in January that temporarily replaced older Takata inflators with the same parts. Ammonium nitrate used in the inflators can deteriorate over time. The company says newer inflators are safer. In the latest recall, dealers will install permanent replacement inflators that don’t use ammonium nitrate.

Officials: Inmate playing basketball collapsed, then died

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska prison officials say an inmate died after collapsing while playing basketball.

A news release from the Nebraska Correctional Services Department said Tuesday that 35-year-old Lucius Turner died around 4 p.m. Monday at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln. The department says staff members performed CPR after Turner collapsed, and 911 was called.

The department says Turner was serving a sentence of 40-55 years for robberies in Gage and Lancaster counties.

An autopsy has been ordered.

Explosion in Lincoln heard for miles, levels house

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An explosion that was heard from miles away has leveled a house in southeast Lincoln.

The home appeared to be nearly leveled by the explosion, which happened about 4:30 p.m. Monday.

It wasn’t clear if anyone was injured in the explosion or the cause of the blast.

Residents reported hearing the explosion from other parts of Lincoln, and a smoke plume was visible from miles away.

Police were asking people to stay away from the area.

Woman accused of diverting daughter’s disability benefits

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln woman has been accused of stealing her daughter’s Social Security disability benefits.

Court records say 36-year-old Maria Owen-Miller is charged with felony theft. Her attorney didn’t immediately return a call Monday from The Associated Press. Owen-Miller’s next court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 30.

Authorities say Owen-Miller had become payee of her daughter’s benefits and had agreed to notify Social Security if her daughter were no longer in her care. Authorities say Owen-Miller didn’t do so when her daughter began care at an Omaha group home for children in June 2014. Investigators say none of the benefit payments Owen-Miller received were paid to the group home or her daughter.

Andy J. Nielson Death Notice

Andy J. Nielson, 91, of North Platte, died July 27, 2017, at North Platte Care Center. Services will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 18, at First United Methodist Church. Inurnment will be at Fort McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell. Online condolences may be shared at carpentermemorial.com. Carpenter Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Nebraska athletics to fund scholarships for nonathletes

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Cornhuskers’ athletics department plans to fund a new scholarship program for nonathletes.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green and Athletics Director Shawn Eichorst announced the Husker Scholars program at the university system Board of Regents meeting Friday. Green says Nebraska Athletics will contribute $5 million annually to help keep an education from the university “affordable and accessible.”

He says the first scholarships will be awarded in time for the 2018-19 school year.

Eichorst says the scholarships are made possible through the loyal Husker fan base, which helped the department generate $112 million in revenue in 2015-16, compared with overall expenses of $104 million.

Mayor in Nebraska says town’s lake is dangerous

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TERRYTOWN, Neb. (AP) — The mayor of a western Nebraska town has issued a warning saying a nearby lake is dangerous.

New warning signs have been placed around Terry’s Lake prohibiting swimming and boating. Terrytown Mayor Kent Greenwalt says the water is dangerous because the shallow lake bottom drops off about 10 feet (3.05 meters) to 15 feet (4.57 meters) in.

Greenwalt says he’s heard various estimates of how deep the lake actually is, but “wouldn’t doubt” it’s deeper than 50 feet (15.2 meters).

The mayor says the city’s maintenance crew is monitoring the lake and police will also patrol the area. Greenwalt continues encouraging people to stop by the lake, but to stay out of the water for safety reasons.

Nebraska suspends ex-trauma surgeon’s medical license

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The state of Nebraska has temporarily suspended a former trauma surgeon’s medical license amid allegations of unprofessional and negligent conduct.

A hearing for a petition against Reginald Burton for disciplinary action and temporary license suspension is scheduled for Tuesday. The petition was filed this month with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health.

The petition lists allegations from Burton’s former co-workers at Bryan Health. Several of the allegations deal with alleged misconduct involving young adult male patients and “fuzzy” prescribing practices.

Burton resigned from Bryan in December saying he decided to relocate his practice.

An attorney for Burton says the complaint was fueled by gossip from a group trying to drive the former medical director of trauma out of Lincoln.

US pot states try to curb smuggling, fend off administration

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Officials in states like Oregon where marijuana is legal are trying to curtail smuggling of pot to other states. Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is pushing for a more aggressive approach in these states, noting the drug is being diverted to other states.

The U.S. attorney for Oregon, Billy Williams, told The Associated Press that insufficient enforcement has led to marijuana overproduction and diversion.

Under a bill Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed into law, all marijuana grown for sale in the legal market must be tracked from seed to store by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which regulates recreational marijuana. Washington state is replacing its current tracking system with a better one. Voters in California last November approved recreational marijuana, and a software system to keep track of it.

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