(AP) — A Scottsbluff man accused of robbing a bank on the day before Thanksgiving has pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal.

42-year-old Michael Scott entered the guilty plea to a robbery charge Thursday in Scotts Bluff County District Court.

Scotts Bluff County Attorney Doug Warner has agreed not to refile theft and fraud charges related to more than $8,000 in losses with bank ATM cards.

Scott will be sentenced at the end of September. He pleaded guilty last month to possession of methamphetamine in connection with the bank robbery. In a separate case, he was sentenced in May to at least a year in prison for assaulting an inmate at the county jail.

(AP) — A Scotts Bluff County judge has denied a request by the public defender’s office to withdraw as the legal representative of a former Gering man charged in the death of a 2-year-old girl.

District Court Judge Leo Dobrovolny denied the request made after 26-year-old Dustin Chauncey wrote a letter to the court, questioning whether the public defender’s office could adequately represent him because of its large caseload. He sought representation by the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy.

The judge ruled Thursday indigent defendants can’t change counsel at their own choose.

Chauncey has pleaded not guilty to intentional child abuse resulting in the death of Juliette Geurts, of Gering, in July 2008. He was the boyfriend of the girl’s mother.

From medical certification to a cell phone ban, the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) Carrier Enforcement Division will again host informational meetings in towns across Nebraska to provide updated information on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety and Hazardous Material Regulations. The meetings will include information on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA), Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program.

Implemented in December 2010, the CSA program monitors a motor carrier’s on-the-road performance, and implemented new penalties for unsafe driving behavior.

”There have been several updates that should be of interest to all drivers and operators of a commercial motor vehicle, including a ban on cell phones and texting,” said Captain Gerry Krolikowski, Carrier Enforcement Division Commander. “With all the changes, we would encourage those individuals who have attended in the past, to attend one of the six meetings scheduled for 2013.”

Information will also be provided regarding the law which requires holders of a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to provide the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles with a current copy of their medical examiners certificate, as well as the revised “Hours of Service” rules.

Two of the six meetings will be held in Grand Island during Husker Harvest Days, allowing individuals not only in that general area to attend, but also those who travel to participate in this annual event.

The meetings should be attended by anyone who operates any of the following vehicles:

• A pickup pulling a trailer (over 10,000 lbs. combined weight or gross combined weight rating).

 

• A pickup or truck weighting over 10,000 lbs. or gross vehicle weight rating over 10,000 lbs.

 

• A pickup, trailer, truck or semi requiring a class A, B, C, Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).

 

• Any motor vehicle transporting hazardous material of any quantity.

 

• Any farm truck displaying farm plates and registered for more than 16 tons.

 

• Any passenger carrying vehicle designed or used to transport 8 or more passengers, including the driver for compensation.

 

• Any passenger carrying vehicle designed or used to transport 15 passengers, including the driver and not used to transports passengers for compensation.

 

The schedule of NSP Carrier Enforcement Division Town Meetings is as follows:

 

No registration required. Questions concerning the town meetings or groups interested in holding a town meeting should contact the NSP Carrier Enforcement Division at (402) 471-0105.

(AP) — The front lines of the “No Smoking” battle have moved outdoors.

City parks, public beaches, college campuses and other outdoor venues across the country are putting up signs telling smokers they can’t light up. Outdoor smoking bans have nearly doubled in the last five years, with the tally now at nearly 2,600 and more in the works.

But some experts question the main rationale for the bans. They say there’s not good medical evidence that cigarette smoke outdoors can harm the health of children and other passers-by. There are hundreds of studies linking indoor secondhand smoke to health problems like heart disease. But there’s been little research on outdoor smoking.

• Today: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. South southeast wind 6 to 10 mph.
• Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
• Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming east around 6 mph in the afternoon.
• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. East southeast wind 3 to 6 mph.

(AP) — Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and first lady Sally Ganem are promoting a movement to get parents more involved in their children’s education, with the Republican governor proclaiming August as “Parental Involvement in Education Month” in Nebraska.

Ganem, a former elementary school principal, joined Heineman for a news conference Wednesday in Lincoln to encourage parents to do such things as read to their children, set high academic expectations for them and meet with teachers.

They also highlighted the work of the Nebraska Community Learning Center Network, a statewide public-private partnership that promotes school-community collaborations.

The network will present activities at this month’s Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island focused on the application of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, commonly referred to as STEM courses.

(AP) — The City Council in the Nebraska Panhandle city of Alliance has accepted an unusual gift: control of Carhenge, the state’s junk-car tribute to Stonehenge in England.

The council voted Tuesday night to accept the structure and its 10-acre site, which includes a parking lot, picnic tables and gift shop.

Carhenge was built in 1987 by Jim Reinders and several relatives as a memorial to his father. It sits on land the family once farmed two miles north of Alliance. A few years later Reinders donated Carhenge to a nonprofit group, Friends of Carhenge, which will be turning over control to the city in October.

The monument is composed of 38 automobiles planted or otherwise arranged to resemble Stonehenge. The site attracts an estimated 75,000 to 80,000 visitors a year.

(AP) — Nebraska has raised the number of confirmed cyclospora cases in the state to 86.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says eight cases have been confirmed since July 30, when 78 were listed.

The infections started in June, and officials say none of those identified lately is believed to be from a new outbreak.

The stomach illnesses in Iowa and Nebraska have been linked to salad mix served at local Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants and supplied by a Mexican farm.

Iowa said last week that it had 146 confirmed cases, but a new figure is expected to be released Thursday.

Officials say the outbreak of cyclospora infections numbers nearly 470 people in 16 states. The illness comes from fecal contamination and causes diarrhea and other symptoms.

(AP) — Many Nebraskans couldn’t resist buying a $2 Powerball ticket for a chance to win Wednesday night’s $425 million jackpot.

Amy Joslin says she and her husband always play Powerball when the jackpot climbs over $300 million. That’s happening more often since lottery officials increased ticket prices last year.

Joslin says it would be sweet to win the big prize because the 33-year-old has four young daughters at home.

But even the big jackpot isn’t enough to attract some players. Twenty-eight-year-old Armando Mendieta of Omaha says he doesn’t buy tickets because he doesn’t like gambling.

And Mendieta says he figures he’d never get lucky enough to match all six numbers to win.

The odds of matching all five white balls plus the Powerball are 1 in 175.2 million.

The Nebraska State Patrol, with the assistance from the North Platte Police Department, conducted surprise commercial vehicle inspections today, Wednesday, August 7, in North Platte. The surprise inspections target commercial vehicles that might not travel outside the city or pass through weigh stations as part of their regular routes.

During the special enforcement effort, the Metropolitan Aggressive and Prevention Selective (MAPS) Teams conducted 54 inspections, discovered 171 violations, and took 16 vehicles out of service (not allowed to continue on the road).  Vehicles are placed out of service for a variety of reasons relating to bad brakes or tires, or other problems that pose immediate safety risks. In addition, three drivers were taken out of service (not allowed to continue driving) for, Driving Under Suspension (1), Hours of Service Violation (1), and No Operator’s License (1). Officers issued a total of $2,425 in fines.

“The MAPS Team ensures truck operators who rarely leave the city limits are maintaining their vehicles and abiding by safety regulations,” said Colonel David Sankey, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “While most truck owners and operators share our concern for safety, we know some think they can ignore safety standards as long as they avoid the weigh stations. The MAPS Team extends our reach into cities and towns across the state.”

This was the 4^th MAPS Team event of 2013. Inspections have also been conducted in Sarpy County, Grand Island, and Kearney this year.  More surprise inspections are planned throughout the spring and summer in cities and towns across Nebraska.

The MAPS Team is funded largely by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Troopers check for compliance with federal safety regulations and enforce laws pertaining to weight, size, registration, dyed fuels, and permits associated with commercial vehicles. The MAPS Team was implemented in 1998 and consists of 36 troopers from the Nebraska State Patrol Carrier Enforcement Division. On average, 20-24 troopers work each MAPS event.