LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A social services director from Virginia has been chosen to serve as the next leader of Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services.

Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Tuesday he has selected Dannette R. Smith to serve as the agency’s new chief executive officer.

Smith was selected through a national search. The governor’s office says she has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience, most recently as the director of the Virginia Beach Department of Human Services.

Ricketts says Smith is a “customer-oriented, results-driven leader” who will build on the work of her predecessor, Courtney Phillips. Phillips left the position to become executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

Smith previously held jobs in Washington state, Georgia and North Carolina. She will earn $220,000 annually in Nebraska.

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) have arrested two people and seized 50 pounds of high grade marijuana during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 near North Platte.

At approximately 1:30 p.m. Monday, a trooper observed an eastbound 2018 Chevrolet Malibu fail to signal a lane change near mile marker 181 on I-80. During the traffic stop, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity.

A search of the vehicle revealed 50 pounds of high grade marijuana in large garbage bags in the trunk. The marijuana was contained in vacuum sealed bags.

The driver, Thanh Ho, 51, and passenger, Joe Nguyen, 56, both of Westminster, Colorado, were arrested for possession of marijuana – more than one pound, possession with intent to deliver, and no drug tax stamp. Both people were lodged in Lincoln County Jail.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Officials say an online site can provide winter travelers with information about Nebraska road conditions from the perspective of snowplow drivers.

The Nebraska Transportation Department said in a news release Tuesday that the online Plow Tracker site ‘s interactive map shows state plow trucks on highways. At the click of a mouse, site users can see what the snowplow drivers are seeing, thanks to forward-facing dashboard cameras. Plow Tracker automatically refreshes information every minute.

Department operations manager Tom Sands says the weather conditions can often be worse than they appear on the dash cameras, which show only a portion of a roadway.

You can visit the site here.

STANTON, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have suspended the water search for a man and motorcycle last seen on the ice of a lake in northeast Nebraska.

Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger said Monday that the ice on Maskenthine Lake is too thin to safely conduct a water search for 55-year-old Eddie Myrick. The Stanton resident was last seen riding on the ice Sunday afternoon.

Unger says an extensive search on the ground around the lake showed no signs of Myrick. Dive teams had been called in to help search an area of open lake water. It wasn’t clear whether the opening was a result of the motorcycle or something else breaking through the ice.

The lake sits about 2 miles (3 kilometers) north of Stanton in Stanton County.

A 42-year-old North Platte man was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly led police on multiple pursuits.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, on Friday, at around 11:20 p.m., The North Platte Police Department received a call that a woman was screaming for help in the area of 9th and Jeffers Streets.

A male who was believed to be involved in the incident fled the scene, but was trailed by officers.

When the driver, who was later identified as Terry Yonker, refused to stop, a pursuit ensued through the city and was discontinued when the suspect left the city limits on U.S. Highway 30.

Shortly thereafter, deputies observed the vehicle around the area of Platte Valley Road and Range Road. They attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Yonker again refused to stop and drove on the Union Pacific Railroad right of way, reaching speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour.

Deputies say Yonker continued to drive north of Sutherland before turning east onto North River Road. The pursuit ended when Yonker crashed the vehicle and was taken into custody.

Authorities say Yonker was uninjured in the incident and was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.

He’s been charged with flight to avoid arrest and willful reckless driving. Additional charges are likely according to the Sheriff’s office.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Organ Recovery has changed its name to Live On Nebraska.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that the organization also has a new website: LiveOnNebraska.org . The site has a spot where people can register as donors.

The name change coincides with the completion of the organization’s new headquarters in Omaha. President and CEO Kyle Herber says the new building and name change reflect the organization’s growth. The organization had 25 employees five years ago. Today it has about 65.

The new headquarters has updated operating suites where tissue recovery takes place and an organ perfusion room where organs can be kept viable for a longer time. A call center will let Live On Nebraska connect directly with donor hospitals and families, a service that was previously outsourced.

The Douglas County Coroner’s Office will move its operations to the building later this month.