OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 30-year-old Omaha schoolteacher has been accused of sexually assaulting one or more students.
Douglas County Court records say 30-year-old Gregory Sedlacek is charged with two counts of sexual assault of a child. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for Sedlacek. Jail records say he remained in custody Wednesday.
A court document says a witness reported seeing Sedlacek molest a 7-year-old girl on the Fontanelle Elementary School playground. The document says Sedlacek later acknowledged to an investigator what he’d done to the girl several times and said he’d done similar things to other students.
The school district placed him on leave last month. He’d taught at the school for three years.
Author: Post Staff
Inmate gets 6-9 more years for assaults during uprising
Lancaster County District Court records say 27-year-old Matthew Pavey was sentenced Nov. 20 for his role in an April 2017 fire and disturbance at the Nebraska prisons’ Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln. Pavey pleaded no contest to three counts of assault.
Pavey has been serving 75 years to life for the shooting death of James Carr, who was gunned down near the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus in January 2016.
Three other inmates charged in the disturbance also have been sentenced.
Nebraska Farm Bureau says trade conflicts cost state $1.2B
KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska Farm Bureau report says trade conflicts have cost Nebraska farmers up to $1 billion in farm income this year.
The report released Monday says additional costs include between $164 million and $242 million in lost labor income.
The report didn’t mention President Donald Trump, who imposed steep U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports earlier this year.
The economic analysis prepared for the Farm Bureau specifically examined the impact on corn, soybeans and hogs, the products most affected by the retaliatory tariffs.
Jay Rempe is a Nebraska Farm Bureau senior economist and co-author of the new report, and he says the total loss to the broader Nebraska economy was estimated as high as $1.2 billion.
The analysis didn’t account for federal Market Facilitation Payments aimed at offsetting the loss of farm revenue because of trade disruptions.
Taser was ineffective, expert testifies at officer’s trial
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A police expert has testified that an Omaha police officer’s stun gun didn’t function correctly when he used it to try to subdue a mentally ill man.
Omaha Officer Dave Staskiewicz (STASS’-koh-wihtz) testified Monday at the trial of Scotty Payne, who is charged with felony assault in the June 5, 2017, death of 29-year-old Zachary Bearheels.
Staskiewicz says that although Payne pulled the Taser trigger 12 times, the two prongs did not attach to Bearheels during 11 of those pulls, so the stun gun largely wasn’t effective. Staskiewicz questions only one of Payne’s trigger pulls, when Bearheels was seated on the ground with his back against a police cruiser tire.
An autopsy says Bearheels suffered “sudden death associated with excited delirium,” physical struggle, restraint and use of a stun gun.
Meteorologist says steam from plants helped generate snow
NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — A meteorologist says steam from one or more plants on the east side of Norfolk helped generate snow that blew south to Seward and Lincoln.
Brian Barjenbruch works for the National Weather Service office in Valley, and he says the conditions were just right for the phenomenon Monday. He says the steam interacted with ice already in the clouds, allowing more snow to form.
He says it’s like lake-effect snow in which cold, dry air passes over warmer water.
The narrow snow band dropped about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow east of Madison by Monday afternoon, and Barjenbruch says it was separate from the intermittent precipitation that fell on other parts of eastern Nebraska.
Man pleads not guilty in fatal shooting of man
HEBRON, Neb. (AP) — A man accused of shooting two brothers — one fatally — has pleaded not guilty in southeast Nebraska.
Thayer County District Court records say 21-year-old Michael Lewis entered the pleas Tuesday to charges of assault and use of a weapon.
Authorities say the shooting occurred Oct. 27 after 28-year-old Remington Elting, of Davenport, and his 33-year-old brother, Reuben Elting, also of Davenport, broke into Lewis’ home in Hebron. Remington Elting died and Reuben Elting was hospitalized.
Lewis’ attorney says Lewis acted in self-defense.
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5.
Man charged with hit-run crash death in Omaha
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have charged a driver with several crimes following the Omaha crash death of a 14-year-old boy.
The Douglas County attorney’s office said in a Tuesday news release that Jeffrey Eggeling is charged with vehicular homicide with a prior conviction for driving under the influence, driving under the influence and causing serious injury, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. County court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for Eggeling, who remains in jail.
Police say Eggeling ran a red light at a west Omaha intersection on Saturday and collided with a vehicle driven by Clifford Canaday, who was accompanied by his son, Trevor. Police say Eggeling fled but was later found by officers.
Authorities say Trevor Canaday died from his crash injuries. His father was hospitalized.
Nebraska consortium to present drought plan
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska natural resource districts, water utilities and state officials are preparing to present a collaborative report identifying additional water sources for Lincoln and Omaha and ways to replenish the Lower Platte River during drought.
The Lower Platte River Basin Consortium will hold a public meeting Wednesday in Lincoln to share details of its drought contingency plan, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The collaboration comes after a 2012 drought that put a strain on the Lower Platte River, the section of the Platte River that divides the Omaha-Lincoln metro corridor and serves about 80 percent of Nebraska’s population.
The consortium published a draft analysis last month on eight potential sources of extra water, ranging in cost from $6 million to almost $250 million. Options that might supply the most water include building reservoirs on creeks, piping in water from the Missouri River or tapping into a nearby aquifer, according to the report.
It’s the first time water managers, such as natural resource districts and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, have collaborated to chart a path forward with utilities, such as the Lincoln Water System and the Metropolitan Utilities District of Omaha, said Steve Owen, Lincoln’s water production superintendent.
All groups are concerned about the impacts of global warming on the state. Nebraska is projected to experience typical summer temperatures equivalent to those during the 2012 drought and heat wave in between 20 and 50 years, according to an analysis by the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.
“As Nebraskans, we should all be mutually concerned that we’re able to deliver water to all of our communities,” said Rick Kubat, government affairs attorney for MUD. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when (water will be needed). Rather than being reactionary to that situation, the purpose of the consortium is to be proactive.”
The consortium will next evaluate the best options through drought monitoring and test scenarios.
Economist: Skilled worker shortage hurts Midwestern economy
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economy continued to expand in nine Midwestern and Plains states last month but was hampered by shortages of skilled workers, according to monthly survey results released Monday.
The Mid-America Business Conditions Index dropped to 54.1 in November from 54.9 in October, the report said. The September reading was 57.5.
“The regional economy continues to expand at a healthy pace,” said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey of supply managers. “However, as in recent months, shortages of skilled workers remain an impediment to even stronger growth. Furthermore, supply managers are reporting mounting negative impacts from tariffs and trade skirmishes,” he said.
The November employment index climbed to 57.5, from 52.2 in October.
Overall manufacturing employment growth in the region over the past 12 months has been very healthy, at 2.5 percent compared with the national average of 2.3 percent, Goss said.
“I expect this gap to close in the months ahead as regional job growth slows faster than national manufacturing job growth,” he said.
The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Economic optimism remained on the plus side last month, at 55.5, but was lower than the 59.6 in October.
“Almost one-third, or 30 percent, of supply managers expect business profits to improve in 2019,” Goss said.
The regional new export orders index rose slightly, to 51.8 from October’s 51.5, and the import index climbed to 54.3, from 48.7 in October. Healthy regional growth boosted imports for the month despite higher tariffs on imported goods, the report said.
More than 65 percent of the supply managers who responded to the survey indicated that rising tariffs had made it more difficult or expensive to purchase from abroad, Goss said.
The survey was completed before word came of an agreement reached Saturday between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping for the U.S. to hold off for 90 days raising tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods. It buys the two countries more time for their talks aimed at settling their trade differences.
Midwest economy: November state-by-state glance
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Institute for Supply Management, formerly the Purchasing Management Association, began formally surveying its membership in 1931 to gauge business conditions.
The Creighton Economic Forecasting Group uses the same methodology as the national survey to consult supply managers and business leaders. Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss oversees the report.
The overall index ranges between 0 and 100. Growth neutral is 50, and a figure greater than 50 indicates growth in that factor over the next three to six months.
Here are the state-by-state results for November:
Arkansas: The overall Arkansas index rose to 53.9 last month from October’s 52.9. Index components were new orders at 50.9, production or sales at 52.2, delivery lead time at 55.9, inventories at 53.4 and employment at 57.3. Arkansas nondurable-goods manufacturers added 1,400 workers for a 1.7 percent gain over the past 12 months, Goss said. And Arkansas’ durable-goods producers boosted jobs by 800 for a 1.1 percent gain.
Iowa: The state’s overall index climbed a point to hit 52.8 in November, compared with 51.8 in October. Index components were new orders at 50.0, production or sales at 51.0, delivery lead time at 54.6, employment at 56.1 and inventories at 52.2. Iowa nondurable-goods manufacturers added 3,100 workers for a 3.3 percent gain over the past 12 months, he said. Durable-goods producers in the state boosted jobs by 6,100 for a 4.9 percent gain over the same period.
Kansas: Kansas’ overall index inched up to 51.6 last month from October’s 51.4. Index components were new orders at 49.1, production or sales at 49.8, delivery lead time at 53.3, employment at 55.0 and inventories at 50.9. The state’s nondurable-goods manufacturers added 900 workers for a 1.3 percent gain over the past 12 months. During this same period of time, durable-goods producers in the state boosted jobs by 2,800 for a 3 percent gain.
Minnesota: The state’s overall index dropped to 53.9 in November, down a point from 54.9 in October. Index components were new orders at 50.8, production or sales at 52.1, delivery lead time at 55.8, inventories at 53.3 and employment at 57.2. Minnesota’s nondurable-goods manufacturers added 700 workers for a 0.6 percent gain over the past 12 months, while durable-goods producers boosted jobs by 5,100 for a 2.5 percent gain.
Missouri: Missouri’s overall index rose to 54.7 last month from 52.5 in October. Index components were new orders at 51.5, production or sales at 53.0, delivery lead time at 56.7, inventories at 54.2 and employment at 58.1. Missouri’s nondurable-goods manufacturers lost 1,500 jobs — a 1.4 percent loss over the past 12 months. But durable-goods producers boosted jobs by 8,200 for a 5.2 percent gain.
Nebraska: The state’s overall index slipped to 51.3 in November from October’s 51.5. Index components were new orders at 48.9, production or sales at 49.5, delivery lead time at 53.0, inventories at 50.6 and employment at 54.7. Nebraska’s nondurable-goods manufacturers added 2,000 workers for a 3.7 percent gain over the past 12 months, while durable-goods producers boosted jobs by 2,300 for a 5.2 percent gain.
North Dakota: North Dakota’s overall index dropped to 57.6 last month from 61.3 for October. Index components were new orders at 63.5, production or sales at 63.3, delivery lead time at 68.7, employment at 58.1 and inventories at 52.9. North Dakota’s nondurable-goods manufacturers added 200 workers for a 2.3 percent rate of growth over the past 12 months, while durable-goods producers boosted jobs by 500 for a 3 percent gain.
Oklahoma: The state’s overall index climbed to 55.9 in November from October’s 55.0. Index components were new orders at 52.4, production or sales at 54.3, delivery lead time at 58.0, inventories at 55.5 and employment at 59.3. Oklahoma’s nondurable-goods manufacturers shed 2,200 workers — a 5.5 percent loss over the past 12 months. But durable-goods producers in the state boosted jobs by 3,100 for a 3.5 percent gain.
South Dakota: South Dakota’s overall index jumped to 55.6 last month, compared with 52.6 in October. Index components were new orders at 52.2, production or sales at 53.9, delivery lead time at 57.7, inventories at 55.2 and employment at 59.0. South Dakota’s nondurable-goods manufacturers added 600 workers for a 3.8 percent gain over the past 12 months, while durable-goods producers boosted jobs by 1,400 for a 5.1 percent gain.