Hall County District Court records say Ahmed Said was sentenced Tuesday. He’d been convicted in June of second-degree murder and use of a weapon. Court records say he fatally beat 41-year-old Abdulma Khamis on April 12 last year at Pioneer Park.
A portion of the crime was captured on security video from a nearby car dealership.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission says nearly 9,000 rural Nebraska homes and businesses will be getting access to high-speed internet for the first time.
The commission says four companies will receive more than $41 million from the Connect America Fund to expand broadband internet in dozens of Nebraska counties over the next 10 years.
Most of the money will go to AMG Technology Investment Group LLC, which does business as Nextlink Internet. It will provide the new service to all but about 130 of the 8,900 properties.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The children of a woman killed in a house explosion last year are accusing the city of Lincoln, Lancaster County and gas utility Black Hills Energy of negligently causing her death.
The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Amy Roche and Matt Jasa have filed a more than $4 million tort claim in the blast that killed their mother, Jeanne Jasa. The filing is required before a lawsuit can be filed against a Nebraska government agency.
Lincoln police are still investigating the August 2017 natural gas explosion and haven’t yet ruled out foul play.
The family alleges Black Hills infrastructure and its safety devices failed, allowing gas to fill the home.
A utility spokeswoman declined to comment. Assistant City Attorney Elizabeth Elliott says she hasn’t made a formal decision on the claim.
MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) — A southwest Nebraska county attorney who wants to employ his daughter for some part-time legal work wants county commissioners to reconsider their decision to not let him hire a second deputy attorney.
The McCook Daily Gazette reports that Red Willow County Attorney Paul Wood had included more than $19,000 for the hire in his 2018-19 budget proposal.
But Commissioners Jacque Riener and Earl McNutt said last week they couldn’t justify spending the money and that their denial had little to do with Wood’s desire to hire his daughter.
On Monday Wood asked commissioners to reconsider his proposal. One commissioner made a motion to do so, but the motion died for lack of a second.
The issue was tabled until the Sept. 10 meeting.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man has been given 45 to 70 years in prison for the random shooting of a store employee in an Omaha parking lot.
Douglas County District Court records say 21-year-old Ryan Blaha was sentenced Monday. He’d pleaded no contest to assault and weapons charges after prosecutors dropped related charges.
Police say Blaha used a shotgun to shoot Jared Clawson on Jan. 11 last year and fire at two of Clawson’s co-workers at Nebraska Furniture Mart. Relatives say Clawson has undergone 20 surgeries for his nearly fatal wounds.
In court Monday Blaha spoke of his great shame and remorse.
WEEPING WATER, Neb. (AP) — Firefighters have rescued a skydiver who landed in a tree in eastern Nebraska after her first solo jump from a plane.
Firefighters and Cass County sheriff’s deputies were called to help around 4 p.m. Saturday. Twenty-nine-year Abbey Lacy was stuck around 60 feet (18 meters) up, hanging from parachute cords attached to her harness. Members of her parachute club gathered below and reassured her while she awaited rescue near Weeping Water.
Power was cut in nearby overhead lines, and two men using an aerial ladder freed her from her predicament.
She was treated for bumps, bruises and cuts at an Omaha hospital, and doctors say some nerve damage in one of her legs likely will heal.
The Omaha resident says she’ll go back up for another jump as soon as her leg allows.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Democratic Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould has accused U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer of allegedly serving the interests of the Republican Party and its donors over the needs of most Nebraska residents.
The two U.S. Senate candidates discussed trade, health care, immigration and taxes at a Monday debate in Grand Island.
Raybould called Fischer “corrupt,” citing her support for insurance companies, railroads and cable companies. She says Fischer has received $120,000 from health care companies and pharmaceutical companies. Raybould’s campaign says the city councilwoman doesn’t accept donations from corporate political action committees.
Fischer says the accusations are out of desperation. She emphasized her independence as a lawmaker and her ability to find bipartisan solutions to problems. Fischer also highlighted her efforts supporting road work, paid family leave and national security.
HENRY, Neb. (AP) — Nearly 90 firefighters from several departments combined to put out a grass and brush fire along the Wyoming state line in western Nebraska.
Morrill Volunteer Fire Department Chief Matt Hinman said Tuesday that he was headed home after watching for hotspots left behind by the blaze, which was first reported at 3:35 p.m. Monday a few miles north of Henry.
Hinman says no injuries were reported and no structures were burned. He estimated that nearly 2 square miles (518 hectares) were blackened by the wind-driven flames.
The fire cause is being investigated.
BLOOMFIELD, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man died after his car ran off a county road and rolled in northeast Nebraska.
The accident occurred just before 11 p.m. Saturday, less than 2 miles (3 kilometers) north of Bloomfield. The Nebraska State Patrol says 44-year-old Roy Kalb was driving south when his car drifted to the right and he overcorrected. His car rolled several times before landing in a roadside ditch.
Authorities say Kalb had another accident on the same road on Aug. 10. He was charged with two misdemeanors, including leaving the scene of an accident without providing required information.
He lived in Bloomfield.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A trade agreement between the United States and Mexico is critical to Nebraska agriculture and the state’s overall economy, Gov. Pete Ricketts said Monday after President Donald Trump announced the countries have reached a preliminary deal to replace NAFTA.
Ricketts expressed optimism that a newly revised North American Free Trade Agreement will benefit Nebraska. His comments in an interview came after he returned from a three-day trade mission to Mexico last week that included meetings with business leaders and government officials.
Ricketts said he emphasized the importance of NAFTA during the visit, and has previously encouraged U.S. officials to finalize an agreement. The trip included meetings with business officials to persuade them to invest in Nebraska in the future, as other companies in Canada and Europe have done after some of the governor’s previous trade missions.
An agreement that promotes free trade “would really allow us to continue to grow that relationship (with Mexico) that’s been so beneficial to Nebraska,” Ricketts said. “Sometimes these relationships take time to produce any tangible results, but I think we did a great job of laying that groundwork while we were in Mexico.”
Mexico is Nebraska’s second-largest trading partner, taking more than $1.5 billion in exports last year, according to the state Department of Economic Development. Nearly $1 billion of those exports are agricultural products. Ricketts said Mexico is buying many of its agricultural products from countries such as Russia and Brazil, but Nebraska is well-positioned to grab some of that business once a trade deal is finalized.
The Nebraska Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farming organization, praised Trump’s announcement as a benefit for farmers but said more needs to be done to bring the third NAFTA country, Canada, back to the negotiating table.
“It’s time for our countries to resolve these issues and lock in an updated track agreement,” said Steve Nelson, the group’s president.
