LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska projects that encourage outdoor recreation could be eligible for grants.The state Game and Parks Commission is accepting applications for the outdoor recreation grants. The program is funded by federal money.
The grants could cover as much as half of the cost of athletic fields, swimming pools, splash pads, picnic areas or other facilities.
The projects must be sponsored by a city, county or natural resources district to qualify.
Grant applications are due by Sept. 7. More information is available online on the commission’s website.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials are reminding mushroom hunters to get permission from landowners before hunting for morel mushrooms on private land.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is reminding mushroom hunters to respect landowners by getting permission. Mushroom hunting is permitted on most state park land.
But mushroom hunters should watch out for turkey hunters on state wildlife management areas.
BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an 18-year-old died after his sport utility vehicle collided with a pickup truck just south of Beatrice in southeast Nebraska.
The Gage County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that Shawn Vraspir, of Beatrice, was driving west on a county road when he didn’t halt at a stop sign and collided with the northbound pickup on U.S. Highway 77. He was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday afternoon.
The office says the pickup driver was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries thought to be non-life-threatening. She was identified as 47-year-old Sadie Saunders, of Topeka, Kansas.
LYONS, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man killed himself and a woman was shot several times at her home in northeast Nebraska.
Deputies were sent Wednesday night to a residence about 4 miles (7 kilometers) northeast of Lyons after a woman called 911, saying she needed help because someone was there with a gun. A Burt County news release says they found 34-year-old Megan Cameron in the doorway of her home, suffering from several gunshot wounds. Inside they found the body of 36-year-old Judd Bogseth. The release says it appears he shot himself.
Cameron was flown to a Sioux City, Iowa, hospital.
Sheriff Robert Pickell also in the release that Bogseth had forcibly entered Cameron’s home. The sheriff didn’t say, however, whether the case is being investigated as an attempted murder followed by a suicide. The sheriff didn’t immediately return a call Friday from The Associated Press.
PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — County officials say an eastern Nebraska jail needs to be replaced immediately due to rapid overcrowding.
Sarpy County officials are already working on a plan to build a new jail, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The county jail has regularly exceeded its capacity since the 1990s.
Corrections officials oftentimes have to house inmates as far as halfway across the state as nearby jails also fill up, said Stu De La Castro, director of the county’s administrative services. Transportation costs can be hefty considering inmates must return to the county for court appearances.
There is $1.5 million in this year’s budget for housing inmates outside of the county. The county estimates it will cost about $2.9 million annually to house inmates elsewhere by 2025.
Housing and transporting inmates outside of the county can also be dangerous and time-consuming for county sheriff’s deputies, said Chief Deputy Gregg London.
“It’s not, ‘Do we build it?’ or ‘Do we not build it?'” said Jim Warren, a member of the Sarpy County Board. “It’s a matter of ‘What do we build?'”
The county plans to acquire land for a new facility by the end of the year, De La Castro said.
The county has approved a contract with real estate consultant Midwest Right of Way Services to help acquire a site, though one hasn’t been selected yet. A new jail could be operating within three years, he said.
County officials want to ensure that the new jail will have an accompanying mental health facility and space for programs like GED certificate classes and anger management training.
“We’d do this broad spectrum of things to help people … be able to successfully re-enter society when they leave,” De La Castro said. “So we don’t have this big revolving door.”
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A jury in Texas has issued a nearly $90 million verdict against Omaha trucking company Werner Enterprises.
The award was handed down Thursday in a lawsuit brought by the family of a Houston boy who died in a 2014 crash with a Werner truck on Interstate 20 in Texas.
Werner says it will appeal the $89.6 million verdict.
Seven-year-old Zack Blake died in the crash, and his 12-year-old sister suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her a quadriplegic. The children’s mother, Jennifer Blake, and an older son were seriously injured.
The lawsuit says Werner disregarded safety policies during a winter storm that produced freezing rain.
But Werner says it was the Blake family pickup truck that went out of control, crossed a median and hit the Werner truck. Werner says the semitrailer was traveling well below the posted speed limit at the time of the crash.
MAY 18, 2018 (LINCOLN, NEB.) — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) will be on the lookout for seatbelt violations and other signs of dangerous driving for the two weeks surrounding Memorial Day.
The “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign coincides with efforts from other law enforcement agencies around Nebraska, and many more participants around the country. The campaign will run from Monday, May 21, through Sunday, June 3.
“Seatbelt use is a proven way to increase your odds of survival in the event of a crash,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “We’re proud to join our colleagues around the country in spreading that message through active enforcement of seatbelt laws.”
This effort will include troopers in all NSP Troop Areas, spanning border to border in Nebraska.
The enforcement effort is made possible thanks in part to a grant for $28,830 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of bankers shows that the economy is slowly improving in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says that while commodity prices have improved recently, they remain below breakeven for a large share of grain farmers.
The overall Rural Mainstreet index slipped slightly to 56.3 in May, up from 53.5 in April. It’s the highest level since July 2013. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy in the months ahead, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.
Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.
More than one-third of bank CEOs identified rising regulatory costs as the top economic challenge to their operations over the next five years.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man who has spent years fighting to expand ballot-petition rights in Nebraska announced Thursday he will mount an independent bid for state treasurer while seeking to overturn a law that makes it harder for nonpartisan candidates to run for higher office.
Kent Bernbeck said he will challenge Republican John Murante in the November general election. His candidacy faces long odds, but the veteran direct-democracy activist has filed successful legal challenges in the past to loosen restrictions on citizen-led petition drives.
Murante, of Gretna, defeated former Omaha mayoral candidate Taylor Royal in the GOP primary Tuesday and faced no other opponents.
Bernbeck is challenging a law introduced by Murante that requires nonpartisan candidates to gather signatures from roughly 10 percent of the state’s registered voters, or nearly 120,000 people, to be included on the general election ballot. The previous threshold was 4,000.
Nebraska’s signature requirement is now among the highest in the country. Thirty-seven states require 10,000 signatures or less.
Murante welcomed Bernbeck to the race and said the competition won’t affect his plans.
“I’ve spent the last year traveling around the state and talking about what my small-business experience and strong conservative leadership can bring to the position,” he said.
Bernbeck said the requirement limits voters’ options and makes it nearly impossible for independent candidates to get elected.
He plans to challenge the law in federal court and said Murante’s “partisan overreach” could cost taxpayers up to $300,000 in legal fees, based on similar lawsuits.
Bernbeck said he’ll bring the lawsuit soon and expects to have a decision by September. He said he has a “high degree of confidence” a judge will reverse the law, and has started collecting signatures to get his name on the ballot. Bernbeck said he’s aiming to collect 5,000 to 6,000 signatures so he’ll qualify if the law is reversed.
Sen. Bob Krist, of Omaha, sought to challenge the law earlier this year when he announced a run for governor as an independent candidate. He initially planned to form his own party to avoid the high signature threshold, but instead changed his registration to Democrat.
Krist won the Democratic party’s primary nomination Tuesday. He had challenged the law in the U.S. District Court in February but dropped the lawsuit when his party affiliation changed.
Bernbeck said he hopes the lawsuit and his campaign will promote accountability and encourage independent candidates to run in future elections.
“I haven’t laid awake in bed the last five years thinking about this job,” he said. “But I think I would do a good job because of my business experience.”
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska projects that encourage outdoor recreation could be eligible for grants.The state Game and Parks Commission is accepting applications for the outdoor recreation grants. The program is funded by federal money.
