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Lawmakers vote to strip cities of power to ban Airbnbs

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have passed a bill to strip cities of their power to ban short-term rentals such as Airbnb.

The measure won final approval Friday with a 46-0 vote. It now goes to the governor.

The bill by state Sen. Adam Morfeld, of Lincoln, still allows cities to tax short-term rentals and regulate them for health and public safety purposes.

It also gives online short-term rental companies to enter into an agreement with the state to collect and pay sales taxes that are owed.

Charge dropped against ex-officer in Omaha stun gun death

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A misdemeanor assault charge has been dropped against a former Omaha police officer in the 2017 stun gun-related death of a mentally ill Oklahoma man.

The Douglas County Attorney’s office said in a news release Friday that after reviewing audio and video taken from the scene of 29-year-old Zachary Bearheels’s death, prosecutors “cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that McClarty was not justified in his actions.”

McClarty and another officer, Scotty Payne, were both fired and charged after police video showed Payne repeatedly stunning Bearheels and McClarty repeatedly punching Bearheels after he was already on the ground. Bearheels died shortly after the confrontation.

A jury acquitted Payne last year of second-degree assault and use of a weapon in Bearheels’ death.

The Omaha Police Department issued a statement saying prosecutors’ decision to drop the charge does not affect the department’s decision to fire McClarty.

Nebraska Catholic dioceses get extension to produce records

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Roman Catholic parishes, schools and other institutions in Nebraska will have 11 more days to produce records subpoenaed by the state Attorney General’s Office in its investigation into possible child sex abuse.

The state’s top prosecutor and representatives for the Catholic dioceses in Omaha and Lincoln met in court Friday — the deadline for church officials to produce the records — and agreed that the dioceses would have until March 12 to produce the records.

The agreement came three days after Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson subpoenaed more than 400 Roman Catholic churches and institutions in the state seeking any records related to child sexual assault or abuse.

In a news release following the hearing, the attorney general’s office said it was apparent that records the dioceses voluntarily provided last fall “were not complete.”

The dioceses also are seeking to quash the subpoenas as they’re written, saying they’re too vague. A hearing on that motion will be held March 12.

Omaha woman who started food rescue organization honored

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Omaha field office of the FBI has honored a food rescue organization and its founder with the 2018 Director’s Community Leadership Award.

The office presented Beth Ostdiek Smith, founder of Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue, with the award earlier this week.

Started in October 2013, Saving Grace redirects perishable food that had been destined for landfills to food pantries, shelters, senior citizen centers and other nonprofits that feed the hungry in the Omaha area. Saving Grace picks up donated items from more than 50 stores, restaurants and other entities and delivers them the same day, free of charge.

The Director’s Community Leadership Award was created in 1990 as a way to honor those who combat crime and for outstanding contributions to the community, among other things.

Third arrest made in Feb. 5 shooting death of Omaha man

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say they’ve made a third arrest in an Omaha shooting last month that left one man dead and a woman injured.

Omaha police say in a news release that 38-year-old Christina Stover was arrested Friday and booked into Douglas County jail on suspicion of two counts of being an accessory. Her arrest followed those of 26-year-old James Sawyer and 27-year-old Adonus Moses on suspicion of first-degree murder, assault and several weapons counts.

All three are suspected in the Feb. 5 shooting that killed 18-year-old Elijah Foster and injured a 20-year-old woman. Officers who responded to the shooting found Foster’s body near a vehicle in northeast Omaha. The woman was found injured a few blocks away.

March roars in like a lion with rain, snow, bitter cold

CHICAGO (AP) — A winter storm is making its way across much of the U.S., bringing rain, snow and bitter cold to some areas.

The storm was spreading from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and into the Rocky Mountains on Saturday, with rain to lower elevations and heavy snow at higher elevations. The fast-moving storm is expected to move across the Great Plains and Midwest overnight, where temperatures in the storm’s path are expected to plummet. Some areas of Kansas may get as many as 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow.

According to the National Weather Service, wind chills in northern Illinois could drop to minus-28 (minus-33 Celsius) by Monday morning. The National Weather Service said the usual low temperature for this time of year in Chicago is 24 degrees. Michigan also is in store for a bitter-cold start to March, with temperatures 20 degrees (-6.7 Celsius) to 30 degrees (-1 Celsius) below normal forecast Sunday through Wednesday. Temperatures in the northern part of the state could be as low as minus-13 (-25 Celsius) on Sunday night into Monday morning.

Meanwhile, winter storm watches are in effect for the upper East Coast beginning on Sunday night, with heavier snow possible in some areas.

Move Over violation leads to cocaine seizure


Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested two people and seized two pounds of cocaine following a traffic stop near Hershey on Interstate 80.

At approximately 9:00 a.m. Thursday, February 28, an eastbound Cadillac Escalade failed to move over while a trooper was finishing another traffic stop on I-80. The trooper performed a traffic stop on the Escalade near mile marker 163.

During the traffic stop, troopers conducted a search of the vehicle and found two pounds of cocaine hidden inside the backrest of the driver’s seat.

The driver, Andrea Freeman, 36, and passenger, Victor Phillips, 30, both of Chicago, were arrested for possession of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver, and no drug tax stamp. Both were lodged in Lincoln County Jail.

Mroczek to leave NPHS for Gothenburg

North Platte, NE – News has come down over the weekend that Activities Director Marc Mroczek will take a new position with Gothenburg Public Schools in August. Mroczek will be the new Assistant Principal and Activities Director.

Mroczek has been with North Platte Public Schools for seven years, before that he was a coach and AD with Chase County Public schools for 12 years.

Mroczek will finish off the school year with North Platte Public Schools.

The current AD for Gothenburg, Tyler Herman, will be taking a similar position in York.

No word yet on what the process will be to find a new Activities Director at NPHS.

Timothy P. Murphy, Memorial Book Signing

Timothy P. Murphy, 60, of North Platte, passed away February 22, 2019, at Centennial Park Retirement Village. Online condolences may be shared at www.carpentermemorial.com. Those wishing to sign the memorial book may do so Tuesday, March 5 from 9 a.m. to 5p.m. at Carpenter Memorial Chapel which is in care of arrangements.

Eagle Communications Promotes Trotman To Vice President of Radio

Mark Trotman

Eagle Communications announced today the promotion of Mark Trotman to Vice President of Radio, effective immediately.

Trotman has served as Eagle’s market manager in Hutchinson since 2010. He will now focus on coordinating the company’s revenue development, sales training and additional processes for Eagle’s 28 radio stations.

“Mark’s experience and success in Hutchinson is valuable in each of our markets and we look forward to his leadership in these important areas.” said Eagle Communications Chairman and CEO Gary Shorman Eagle

With Trotman’s promotion, sales manager Terry Drouhard will now serve as market manager in Hutchinson. Drouhard was appointed to operations manager in Hutchinson in 1989 and promoted to Sales Manager in 1996.

Terry Drouhard

“Terry has outstanding teambuilding skills and a commitment to growing each of our customers,” said Shorman. “As an employee owned company, we build for the long term. Terry’s strong leadership and knowledge of the market make him the right choice for this new role.”

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