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Ex-clerk at center of Nebraska town theft cases dies

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former city clerk accused of stealing from several southeastern Nebraska villages has died.

60-year-old Ginger Neuhart died at Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings on Tuesday, a day after pleading guilty to theft and agreeing to pay restitution to Alvo of $39,000. Her sentencing had been set for May 29. It’s unclear how she died.

Neuhart was also facing charges forgery and theft charges in Saunders County. She was accused of embezzling from the villages of Ithaca and Memphis while working as clerk/treasurer.

The charges followed Nebraska State Auditor reviews that found Neuhart had altered her monthly paychecks to add $1,000 to $2,000 to them after they’d been signed.

The audits found $160,500 in fraudulent payments to Neuhart since 2005 from Memphis coffers; $41,000 in overpayments in Ithaca since May 2013, and $105,000 from Alvo over seven years.

Lawsuit filed by woman in massage therapist sex assault case

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A woman has filed a lawsuit against the Omaha massage and spa business, saying it’s liable for her sexual assault by one of its employees.

The lawsuit was filed Friday in Douglas County District Court against Oasis Massage & Spa and seeks an unspecified amount in damages. It says Oasis failed to properly supervise 62-year-old Melvin Buffington, who has been criminally charged with 14 counts of sexual assault for incidents involving massage customers.

The woman, who goes by the pseudonym “Jane Doe” in the lawsuit to protect her identity, says Buffington sexually assaulted her in January, causing her mental anguish.

Center shares crime intelligence with Nebraska agencies

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A center is vetting and sharing federal and local intelligence with Nebraska law enforcement agencies on crime trends and terrorism in cases such as the Austin bombings this month.

Analysts at the Nebraska Information Analysis Center were already disseminating information on the Austin bombings to law enforcement agencies in Nebraska before the first televised press conference linked the bombs, according to center director Lt. Kurt Von Minden.

“Most people would just say, ‘Oh a bomb went off in Austin,'” said Von Minden. “Most of us here wouldn’t look at it that way.”

The NIAC, part of the Nebraska State Patrol, is the state’s only fusion center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It started in 2007 and operates on a $1.1 million budget, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.

Von Minden said the center has helped thwart attacks such as the case in which hackers attempted to access open ports on two school networks. Analysts alerted the schools, which closed the ports preventing malware, identity theft or data breach, he said.

In 2015, the center also created an information sharing system that allows agencies within Nebraska to query data from other departments in their investigations. More than 60 agencies within the state have access to the network, along with federal partners, said State Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas.

Information sharing keeps law enforcement from stepping on each other’s’ toes, said Von Minden. It also helps small agencies that can’t afford to hire crime analysts, he said.

He said the center offers information to non-law enforcement agencies such as energy providers to notify them of hacking threats or attacks.

Von Minden said the next challenge will be for analysts to understand crypto-currency and how it might be misused for identity theft or funding terrorism.

Nebraska lawmakers debate ‘last, best hope’ for tax cuts

By GRANT SCHULTE ,  Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — After months of negotiations, Nebraska lawmakers are set to begin debate Tuesday on a new version of Gov. Pete Ricketts’ tax plan geared toward property owners and corporations.

The package, endorsed by the state’s largest farm and business groups, will face heavy scrutiny from lawmakers in the final days of the 2018 session.

“It’s likely our last, best hope for tax relief in this legislative session,” said Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, who sponsored it on the governor’s behalf.

Here are five things to know about the package:

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WHAT WOULD IT DO FOR PROPERTY OWNERS?

The package would offer income tax credits to reimburse some of the property taxes paid by agricultural landowners and homeowners.

Homeowners would get a credit equal to 1 percent of their total property taxes in 2018, up to a maximum of $25. That means a homeowner with a $2,000 property tax bill would get $20 back after filing an income tax return. The credit would increase each year until 2030, when it would total 20 percent of a homeowner’s property tax bill. At that point, the credit would be capped at $500 to prevent mega-homes from getting too much of the benefit.

Agricultural landowners would get a credit totaling 2 percent of their property tax bill this year, with no cap. That credit would also increase annually until 2027, when landowners would get a credit equal to 20 percent of their property tax bill.

In both cases, the tax credit would be refundable, so property owners would get a payment from the state if the credits are greater than the total income taxes owed.

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WHAT WOULD IT DO FOR BUSINESSES?

Commercial property taxes wouldn’t be cut, but the plan would lower Nebraska’s top corporate income tax rate over five years and pump $5 million a year into job-training programs.

Nebraska’s top corporate rate of 7.81 percent would ratchet down to 6.84 percent, the same rate levied on individual taxpayers. Business groups such as the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry say the lower rate will help companies compete against businesses in neighboring states.

The original bill would have lowered Nebraska’s top individual income tax bracket as well, but that provision was taken out because of the cost.

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HOW WOULD THE STATE PAY FOR IT?

Nebraska state government would lose millions in revenue each year if the bill passes, and the totals would increase over time. Once the package is fully implemented in 2030, state officials estimate it would cost more than $644 million a year.

Supporters would pay for the first year of tax breaks by drawing about $40 million from the state’s cash reserve, which was designed to cover one-time expenses and sudden declines in tax revenue. They haven’t given specifics beyond that point, but Ricketts and Smith have said it’s doable by keeping tight control on state spending.

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WHAT ARGUMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR AND AGAINST IT?

Supporters say the bill would help farmers whose property taxes have soared over the last decade, despite a recent decline in commodity prices that has hurt their incomes. The bill “puts us on a path for long-term relief for all property tax payers,” said Steve Nelson, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau.

Smith and business groups argue the package will spur economic growth and make Nebraska more attractive to businesses. They also point to neighboring Iowa, where the Republican-controlled Legislature and GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds are pushing their own tax-cut packages.

Opponents argue the property tax benefits would take too long to go into effect and won’t keep pace with inflation. Most of the benefits in the bill would go to larger, wealthier farm operations, said Sen. Paul Schumacher, of Columbus.

“For the farmers that are really hurting, it’s not going to be much help at all,” Schumacher said. “Whatever help they get from it will be absorbed by the increased cost of fertilizer, fuel and insurance.”

Schumacher said the corporate tax cut isn’t large enough to make a difference for any businesses.

Some moderate and progressive senators said the bill would make it harder to invest in other priorities, such as child welfare services, water conservation projects and changes to the state’s troubled prison system.

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DOES IT HAVE A CHANCE OF PASSING?

Smith said supporters will have to navigate a “narrow path” to pass the bill in a tight budget year, but he and Ricketts have been meeting with senators to try to win more support. The bill is certain to face a legislative filibuster, forcing supporters to gather votes from at least 33 of the Legislature’s 49 senators.

That could prove challenging. Several rural senators have pitched their own ideas to lower property taxes, including a statewide ballot measure, and some progressive lawmakers say the governor’s bill would hurt the state’s finances. Three or four senators could provide crucial swing votes.

Nebraska sets informational meetings about mountain lions

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has scheduled three informational meetings about mountain lions.

Topics will include an update on research and details of the new mountain lion management plan. There also will be time to answer questions from the public.

The meetings will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The first is set for Tuesday at the Chadron State College Student Center Ballroom in Chadron. The second is scheduled for the next day at the Gering Civic Center in Gering. The third is set for April 11 at the Cherry County Fairgrounds in Valentine.

Lincoln parent group pushing for officers in middle schools

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A newly formed group of parents and grandparents is pressing the city of Lincoln and the Lincoln school district to put police officers in all 12 district middle schools.

Parents United For Greater School Safety asked the Lincoln Public Schools board and City Council to consider the proposal.

“We need these (school resource officers) to be a first-responder in the event of an incident,” said Greg Jeffers, a member of the group.

The Lincoln Police Department currently has six resource officers assigned to the district’s six high schools. The city pays for two-thirds of the cost and the district covers the rest.

The district previously had four school resource officers covering the middle schools until 2011, when officials decided the officers were needed for regular duty.

Adding the middle school officers would give more than half of the district’s students access to a resource officer, said Cheryl Bullard, a member of the parent group.

The group encouraged the city to apply for a federal COPS grant to help pay for the new positions. The grant would cover up to 75 percent of salary and benefits of police officers for three years, Bullard said. Those federal funds could drop the school district’s and the city’s contribution to as low as $187,500 annually.

City and school officials are discussing the possibility of adding school resources officers and hiring more officers to do a threat assessment, said Rick Hoppe, chief of staff for Mayor Chris Beutler.

School board committees are considering a variety of security issues, such as having social media-monitoring software to detect potential threats, improving school entrances, having sensors detect open doors and improving communication about lockdown drills and protocols.

Omaha zoo’s theater reopens after $1.2M renovations

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The theater in Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Nebraska has reopened after a $1.2 million renovation.

The zoo’s theater reopened Friday. It had been closed starting Jan. 15 for a revamp that included a new screen, sound system, chairs, carpet, lighting and cup holders.

The newspaper reports that the zoo ditched the Imax screen and replaced it with a 3-D 4K system. The new screen is smaller than the old one at 41 feet high and 75 feet long. Zoo officials say that will give the theater more film options and better sound quality. It’s also a cost saver compared to screening Imax movies.

The renovations were funded through donations. Films now screening at the theater include “Oceans: Our Blue Planet 3D” and “Meerkats.”

Lawmakers advance bill to address Nebraska’s prison problems

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lawmakers have advanced a package of bills designed to address Nebraska’s overcrowded prison system.

The measures that advanced Thursday would look at ways to address the system’s chronic understaffing, high recidivism rates and call for officials to prepare for an accelerated review process to handle an impending deadline to significantly reduce the prison population.

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services reports that its prisons are filled to roughly 160 percent capacity. Lawmakers imposed a July 1, 2020, deadline to lower that total to 140 percent of capacity, and state officials will have to consider paroling all eligible inmates if the population does not decrease.

No one spoke in opposition to the measure, and it advanced 37-1 to the second of three required votes.

Woman accused of chasing bike before fatal crash sentenced

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha woman accused of angrily chasing a motorcyclist before the bike crashed into another, killing three people, has been sentenced to a year of probation.

57-year-old Rhonda Boisseau also had her driver’s license revoked for 30 days at Thursday’s sentencing. She was also ordered to take anger management and empathy classes.

Police say Boisseau chased the motorcycle in a road rage incident last June after confronting a group of bikers in a parking lot. Police say the motorcycle driver, 24-year-old Andrew Torrice, ran a red light in an effort to flee Boisseau, crashing into another motorcycle. The crash killed Torrice, 34-year-old Adam Kammann and his passenger, 37-year-old Christine Zadina.

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