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Double murder suspect arrested in California

Brindar Jangir

The suspect of a double-homicide that occurred in Douglas, Nebraska last Saturday has been taken into custody in California.

Brindar H. Jangir, 36, of Sioux City, Iowa, was arrested Saturday afternoon, March 30, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in California. Jangir was in Mexico and attempting to regain entry into the United States on foot. He was arrested without incident at the Otay Sentri border crossing approximately 40 miles southeast of San Diego.

Jangir was wanted for the murders of Randal and Annette Grimes, of Douglas, Nebraska. Both victims were found deceased in their home after the Otoe County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of gunshots at 100 Otoe Street in Douglas at approximately 6:00 a.m. Saturday, March 23.

In addition to an Otoe County warrant for murder, Jangir also has a warrant from Lancaster County for a stolen firearm, which was used to commit the murders.

Nebraska State Patrol investigators are traveling to California to continue their investigation.

Ex-Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg hired at struggling Nebraska

Fred Hoiberg, the former NBA player who coached Iowa State and the Chicago Bulls, was hired Saturday to coach a Nebraska team that had big hopes this season but finished with a 19-17 record and out of the NCAA Tournament yet again.

Hoiberg has strong ties to the school, which announced his hiring four days after seventh-year coach Tim Miles was fired.

Hoiberg, dismissed by the Bulls in in December, agreed to a seven-year contract paying a total of $25 million.

The 46-year-old Hoiberg was born in Lincoln and maternal grandfather Jerry Bush was the Cornhuskers coach from 1954 to 1963. His paternal grandfather was a professor at Nebraska and his parents are graduates of the school.

“I can’t express how excited I am to be back on the sidelines and to be coaching at a university that means a lot to my family and me,” Hoiberg said. “Nebraska has always felt like a second home.”

Hoiberg went 115-155 from 2010-15 with the Bulls. Before that, he had a successful five-year run as Iowa State’s coach with an up-tempo, spread-the-floor offense. He went 115-56 and led the Cyclones to four straight NCAA Tournaments and two Big 12 tournament titles.

“When you look at him, you see an individual who has had success as a player and a coach,” athletic director Bill Moos said. “Fred’s background will sell itself on the recruiting trail, and help us bring in the type of student-athletes needed to compete at the highest level. His style of play not only will be appealing to prospective recruits but will also provide our great fans an entertaining brand of basketball.”

Hoiberg takes over a program that has never been able to win consistently. Nebraska’s most recent regular-season conference championship came in 1950. The Huskers remain the only Power Five conference program to have never won an NCAA Tournament game.

As a star player for Iowa State, Hoiberg became known as “The Mayor” because of his popularity in Ames. He competed twice a year against the Huskers from 1991-95 — when Nebraska enjoyed its most sustained success, with four straight NCAA appearances. In the 25 years since, the Huskers have gone to the tournament just twice (1998, 2014).

Nebraska had reason to be encouraged this season. The Huskers started 13-4 and were in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2014. Then the Huskers lost 11 of the next 13 and finished 13th in the Big Ten, the fifth time in seven years they’ve been 10th or worse. A brief run in the Big Ten Tournament wasn’t enough to earn an NCAA bid.

The Huskers will lose seniors James Palmer Jr., Glynn Watson Jr. and Isaac Copeland, and junior Isaiah Roby has said he didn’t know if he would return if there were a coaching change.

Hoiberg had said shortly after his dismissal by the Bulls that he wanted to coach again, but the speculation was that it would be in the NBA.

Nebraska has had a history of hiring hot mid-major coaches — Danny Nee in 1986, Barry Collier in 2000, Doc Sadler in 2006 and Miles in 2012.

The school built a new practice facility in 2011 and a new arena in 2013. With the infrastructure in place, Moos and the university administration were looking to make a splash hire.

“I had the opportunity to coach (an exhibition) at Pinnacle Bank Arena with the Bulls, and I have seen first-hand that the facilities are as nice as any in the country,” Hoiberg said. “When you couple that with a loyal and passionate fan base, you can see there is great potential for the future of Nebraska basketball.”

Police: 1 person killed in 4-vehicle crash in Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police in Lincoln say one person has died in a four-vehicle crash in Lincoln.

Police say the crash happened Friday afternoon just south of Gateway Mall when a westbound Mercedes sedan crossed into eastbound lanes and hit three other vehicles. Police say a passenger in the Mercedes, 23-year-old Jared Williams of Lincoln, was taken in critical condition to a local hospital, where he died.

Witnesses told police that the Mercedes appeared to be speeding and fishtailed before the crash.

At least two other people in the vehicles that were hit sought treatment for minor injuries.

Police are still investigating.

On-demand webinar covers rural dangers after flooding

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — In the wake of disastrous flooding in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa earlier this month, officials have created an on-demand webinar to help people deal with the serious health dangers that remain after major flooding.

The Central States Center of Agricultural Safety and Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health collaborated with the AgriSafe Network to create the webinar.

Major safety concerns include chemicals released from barns, homes and other on-farm sources and businesses; contaminated well water; human and animal communicable diseases; and mold.

More farm and ranch flood-related resources are available on the Central States Center website.

Sentencing set for man shot by US marshal in Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A man shot while trying to flee officers in Lincoln is scheduled to be sentenced April 30.

Lancaster County District Court records say 27-year-old Thomas Sailors, of Blue Springs, pleaded no contest Wednesday to assaulting a police officer and operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest.

Lincoln police say two of its officers and a federal marshal tried to serve Sailors with a warrant Jan. 5, 2018, while Sailors was in a sport utility vehicle in an apartment building parking lot. Police say that as Sailors drove away, he hit at least four cars, including one driven by the U.S. marshal. The marshal then fired shots into the SUV, wounding Sailors.

Sailors also is scheduled to be sentenced May 1 in Beatrice in Gage County drug and theft cases.

Iowa murder charge refiled against Nebraska 16-year-old

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa prosecutors have again charged a Nebraska 16-year-old with helping to rob and kill a man.

The adult murder charge against Xavier Smith Catchings, of Omaha, was refiled after a jurisdiction hearing in Council Bluffs. He and two other people are accused of killing Council Bluffs resident Adam Angeroth.

Prosecutors initially charged the boy in district court and then sought dismissal and his referral to juvenile court because the crime allegedly occurred when the boy was 15. The prosecutors said juveniles charged with forcible felonies must be at least 16 when the crimes occurred for the charges to be directly filed to district courts.

A judge ruled Thursday that Smith Catchings’ case should be returned to district court because it was unlikely he’d be rehabilitated in the juvenile system.

Nebraska man’s assisted suicide conviction upheld

Matthew Stubbendieck

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a Weeping Water man for helping his online girlfriend kill herself in 2017.

Matthew Stubbendieck was convicted of assisted suicide last year and sentenced to four years’ probation for helping 38-year-old Alicia Wilemon-Sullivan, of Orange City, Florida, kill herself. Prosecutors say he did nothing to stop Wilemon-Sullivan from slashing her wrists in a wooded area about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Omaha.

Stubbendieck reported Wilemon-Sullivan had killed herself three days later and led authorities to her decomposing body Aug. 5.

In his appeal, Stubbendieck said his trial judge wrongly allowed text messages into evidence that unfairly prejudiced him. He also said there was insufficient evident support his conviction.

On Friday, the state’s high court said Stubbendieck’s arguments were without merit.

Omaha man convicted in robbery killing of Army soldier

Jason Devers

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A jury has convicted an Omaha man of first-degree murder in the 2018 death of a U.S. Army soldier who was visiting Omaha relatives for the holidays.

A Douglas County jury also found 36-year-old Jason Devers guilty Friday of a weapons count in the January 2018 shooting death of 27-year-old U.S. Army Sgt. Kyle LeFlore.

Prosecutors say Devers and another man who was the gunman accosted LeFlore outside an Omaha bar with the intent to rob him. Police say a gold chain with LeFlore’s DNA on it was found among Devers’ belongings.

An Omaha jail inmate with a history of testifying to jailhouse confessions for prosecutors testified earlier this week that Devers told him about his involvement in the crime.

Nebraska transportation agency announces opening of highways

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Department of Transportation has announced the reopening of three eastern Nebraska highways in the wake of historic flooding earlier this month.

The department said Friday in a news release that parts of Highways 14, 30 and 81 have reopened following inspection and repairs by department crews and contractors.

Highway 14 between Verdigre and the Standing Bear Bridge has re-opened, as has Highway 30 between Columbus and Silver Creek. Highway 81 has been reopened while still under construction, which will mean some lane restrictions and construction zone speed reductions.

Motorists are still urged to check 511 — online at www.511.nebraska.gov or by dialing 511 — for road conditions before traveling in the state, as many local and county roads remain impassible.

Trump issues new permit for stalled Keystone XL pipeline

WASHINGTON (AP) — Moving defiantly to kick-start the long-stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline, President Donald Trump on Friday issued a new presidential permit for the project — two years after he first approved it and more than a decade after it was first proposed.

Trump said the permit issued Friday replaces one granted in March 2017. The order is intended to speed up development of the controversial pipeline, which would ship crude oil from tar sands in western Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

A federal judge blocked the project in November, saying the Trump administration had not fully considered potential oil spills and other impacts. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris ordered a new environmental review.

A White House spokesman said the new permit issued by Trump “dispels any uncertainty” about the project. “Specifically, this permit reinforces, as should have been clear all along, that the presidential permit is indeed an exercise of presidential authority that is not subject to judicial review under the Administrative Procedure Act,” the spokesman said.

But a lawyer for environmentalists who sued to stop the project called Trump’s action illegal. The lawyer, Stephan Volker, vowed to seek a court order blocking project developer TransCanada from moving forward with construction.

“By his action today in purporting to authorize construction” of the pipeline despite court rulings blocking it, “President Trump has launched a direct assault on our system of governance,” Volker said Friday in an email.

Trump’s attempt to “overturn our system of checks and balances is nothing less than an attack on our Constitution. It must be defeated,” Volker said.

Calgary-based TransCanada said in a statement that Trump’s order “clarifies the national importance of Keystone XL and aims to bring more than 10 years of environmental review to closure.”

Trump “has been clear that he wants to create jobs and advance U.S. energy security, and the Keystone XL pipeline does both of those things,” said Russ Girling, TransCanada’s president and CEO.

Keystone XL will create thousands of jobs and deliver crude oil to U.S. refineries “in the safest, most efficient and environmentally sound way,” the company said. An appeal filed by the company is pending.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce hailed Trump’s action, saying in a statement that “it shouldn’t take longer to approve a project than to build it.”

Keystone XL will boost U.S. economic and energy security interests, said Christopher Guith, acting president of the chamber’s Global Energy Institute. “Review after review has found it can be built and operated in an environmentally responsible way. It’s time to move forward,” Guith said.

Anthony Swift, director of the Canada project for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, said the pipeline “was a bad idea from Day One and it remains a terrible idea. If built, it would threaten our land, our drinking water, and our communities from Montana and Nebraska to the Gulf Coast. And it would drive dangerous climate change.”

Trump “is once again showing his disdain for the rule of law,” Swift said, adding that the last time Trump “tried to ram this permit through he lost in court” and is likely to do so again.

Keystone XL, first proposed in 2008 under President George W. Bush, would begin in Alberta and go to Nebraska, where it would join with an existing pipeline to shuttle more than 800,000 barrels a day of crude to terminals on the Gulf Coast.

After years of study and delay, former President Barack Obama rejected the project in 2015. Trump reversed that decision soon after taking office in 2017, saying the $8 billion project would boost American energy and create jobs. A presidential permit is needed because the project crosses a U.S. border.

After environmental groups sued, Morris said the administration had not fully considered potential oil spills and other impacts and that further reviews were needed.

TransCanada disputes that, saying Keystone XL has been studied more than any other pipeline in history. “The environmental reviews are clear: the project can be built and operated in an environmentally sustainable and responsible way,” Girling said.

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