LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — This year’s Free Fishing and Park Entry Day in Nebraska is set for May 19.

That’s the day people may enjoy a Saturday of fishing or state park activities without the need to obtain fishing or park entry permits.

The special day is held yearly on the Saturday preceding Memorial Day weekend. Anglers must observe all fishing regulations, and camping, lodging and all other user fees still apply at state park areas.

Visit www.OutdoorNebraska.org and check the online calendar for more details.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has scheduled classroom courses at locations across the state on boating safety.

Nebraska law requires any motorboat or personal watercraft operator born after Dec. 31, 1985, to complete a safety course and have a course certificate. People must be at least 14 to drive motorboats and personal watercraft in Nebraska.

A schedule is available at www.boatsafenebraska.org, in the boater education section.

Update 4.28.18 7:30am

At 4:40 PM on 04/27/18, officers were called to the area of Lakeview and Sweetwood on the report of a man shooting a gun in the direction of another person.  

The suspect was found to have three outstanding warrants for his arrest in Lincoln County.  All the warrants were related to controlled substance violations.  Officers located the suspect outside his home near Alpha and Madison. The man retreated into his home and the officers secured the area.  Believing the man was armed, police negotiated with the suspect for several hours.  Negotiations deteriorated and at 1:50 AM, officers entered the residence and took the suspect into custody.  

No one was injured and the 35-year-old suspect has been taken to Great Plains Health for evaluation.  A search of the residence is being conducted and the investigation is ongoing.  Charges are pending.

There was a soccer game in progress at NPHS and only as a precaution, the teams were removed from the field and the students sheltered in place inside of the school.  The incident did not involve the school and no one at the school was in any danger.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4/27/18 8:00 pm

Multiple law enforcement agencies are at an active scene at 49 S. Madison.

A party had fired a gun at another location and police had contact with him at this location.  He’s fled into the house and they are attempting to contact him at this time.

Police are encouraging people to stay away from the area.

There was a soccer game at NPHS and only as a precaution, the teams were removed from the field and are sheltering in place inside of the school.  This does not involve the school and no one at the school is in danger.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — More than 200 drunken driving cases in southeast Nebraska could be affected by a certification issue with some breath tests conducted by law enforcement, according to a county prosecutor.

Certain breath tests are being tossed out as evidence in western Nebraska counties. But a judge hasn’t ruled on the issue in Lancaster County courts yet, according to local attorneys.

“We intend to go forward with the prosecutions and look at each case,” said Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon.

State regulations require a simulator solution be used to regularly test the accuracy of each breath-test machine’s readings. The solution must come with a certificate of analysis and a signature of the person responsible.

A Gering attorney discovered earlier this month that the person who signed off on the tests never actually conducted them. Many DUI cases depend on evidence from breath tests taken at jail or detox, which differ from the preliminary tests given by police on the street.

Lincoln defense attorney Mark Rappl has been researching the discovery’s local impact. He believes the certification issues could affect cases dating back more than a year.

Condon and his staff instructed law enforcement to seek only blood samples to establish a driver’s blood-alcohol content until further notice.

If local judges decide to toss out the affected tests as evidence, only some DUI cases will be affected. Prosecutors can still convict drivers who display signs of impairment, including failing sobriety tests, smelling of alcohol or driving poorly.

The certification problem would likely affect aggravated DUI cases, according to Condon. Aggravated DUI cases have stricter penalties and often rely on the level of alcohol in someone’s body.

Rappl said the only thing about drunken driving “that makes it a crime is the number.”

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The peregrine falcons that have nested for years on the Nebraska Capitol have moved up to a new home.

Officials say the two abandoned their longtime nesting site outside the 18th floor and have established a new nest in a gutter at the base of the dome. The nest isn’t visible from the FalconCam that’s provided a view of their family life over the years.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Joel Jorgensen told the Lincoln Journal Star that observers from the ground have been monitoring the birds’ movements, and it appears Ally has laid more eggs. He says it also appears Ally and her mate, 19/K, are taking turns on incubation duty.

Last year the two abandoned their clutch of five eggs at their former nest.