(AP) — A Scottsbluff woman accused of child abuse says she and her husband are innocent.

Jennifer Herrera testified Friday that she and her husband, Carlos, have been robbed of their family. Closing arguments are expected soon in their trial on charges of child abuse resulting in serious injury.

Prosecutors say authorities began their investigation in October 2011, when the couple’s son missed school after showing up with injuries.

Defense attorneys say child services officials forced the couple’s children, including a daughter, to believe abuse was taking place.

Police say the Herreras tried to conceal the boy’s whereabouts when officers went to check on the child. Officers say he had several injuries, including the imprint of a shoe across his face. They also say the boy suffered extreme neglect and malnutrition.

(AP) — The Nebraska Department of Roads is explaining plans for a “storefront to storefront” rebuilding of U.S. Highway 83 in downtown North Platte.

State district engineer Gary Thayer explained at a public meeting the plans to begin work in April 2015 and finish by that fall. The $2.7 million cost of the project will be paid by local, state and federal sources.

The project will be from First to Sixth streets and will include reconstruction of the highway, curb, sidewalks and utilities.

Thayer says parts of the road structure are nearly 80 years old, and brick remains under some section.

(AP) — Eight former TierOne Bank officials are being sued by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. because regulators say the board members and executives improperly approved risky loans in Las Vegas that contributed to the bank’s failure.

The FDIC says more than three-quarters of $200 million of loans in Las Vegas the board reviewed went bad.

TierOne failed in 2010 after concealing the extent of its real estate losses. Its assets were sold to Great Western Bank.

Attorney Gregory Scaglione, who represents former CEO Gil Lundstrom and another executive, says the former bank officials shouldn’t be held personally responsible for these loans because they weren’t negligent.

Scaglione says regulators and shareholders approved TierOne’s plan to start lending in new markets like Las Vegas and Florida.

(AP) — A 20-year-old Iowa man has been given five years of probation in a Nebraska drug case.

Benjamin Schneider had pleaded no contest in April. Cheyenne County prosecutors dropped other drug charges in return for Schneider’s plea.

Authorities say Schneider and 30-year-old Jessica Carroll were driving down Interstate 80 on Jan. 8 when a state trooper pulled over their vehicle and later found hashish and more than 3 pounds of pot inside it.

Carroll also pleaded no contest after making an agreement with prosecutors. Her sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 14.

Court records say Carroll and Schneider are from Ames, Iowa.

(AP) — The Hotel Pawnee assisted living facility in a North Platte historic building could lose its power unless it fixes problems cited by a state inspector.

Nebraska Chief Electrical Inspector Kevin Booker says the Hotel Pawnee must fix numerous but small problems or lose power Monday.

Booker says Wednesday that inspectors have repeatedly asked facility managers to fix problems, such as illegally installed heaters and broken electrical boxes. He says it would take a licensed electrician one day to fix the problems.

Pawnee administrator Sandra Schade says the center has tried to address problems.

Booker says a notice has been issued to the city that if a contractor isn’t fixing the deficiencies by Monday, the building’s power should be shut off.

The eight-story building dates to 1929.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Investigators have made two more arrests in connection with the burglary of Kohler Trailer Sales.

On Wednesday, June 5, Deputies responded to a motel south of Interstate 80 in North Platte, looking for 27-year-old Cara Harder of Grand Island, after they learned she was in possession of property that had been stolen from Kohler Trailer Sales on May 22.

Deputies located Harder in her room and placed her under arrest.

Harder asked Deputies if she could retrieve some of her personal property from her room and allowed Deputies to enter the room with her.

Upon entering the room, Deputies observes suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.  Additionally, they located 29-year-old Terry Houchin in the room and placed him under arrest as well.

Houchin was arrested and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  Harder was arrested and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Stolen Property.

Authorities say the investigation continues in the case, and additional charges may be filed against Houchin and Harder.

Cody Jolliffe, Jacob Moser and Ryan Walsh have also been arrested in connection with the Kohler Trailer Sales Burglary.

(AP) — Chrysler is recalling nearly 435,000 Jeep SUVs to fix air bag and transmission fluid leaks.

The automaker will recall more than 254,000 Patriots and Compasses from 2010 through 2012 in the U.S. to fix an air bag problem. It’s also is recalling more than 180,000 Jeep Wranglers from 2012 and 2013 for transmission fluid leaks.

In the Patriots and Compasses, a software error could cause late deployment of the side air bags and seat-belt tightening mechanisms. For Wranglers with 3.6-liter V-6 engines, Chrysler says a power steering line can wear a hole in the transmission oil cooler line. The SUVs can leak fluid, damaging transmissions. Both recalls start in July.

The recalls come just two days after Chrysler refused a government request to recall more than 2.7 million older-model Jeeps.

 

The North Platte City Council has approved committing $4 million toward the city’s bid to land the new state veterans home.

The council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to grant the funding request from the North Platte Chamber and Development Corp.

At stake is the $120 million replacement for the aging Grand Island Veterans Home. The state will be considering proposals from four cities that wish to host the replacement home, a 225-bed facility that will be called the Central Nebraska Veterans Home.

In addition to North Platte, the cities in the running are Grand Island, Hastings and Kearney.

(AP) — A Nebraska state senator is pondering a run for governor in the 2014 election.

Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege said Wednesday that he’s thinking about joining the race, but won’t make a decision until he hears input from people and groups he trusts.

Carlson, a Republican, says he won’t run unless he thinks he can raise enough money to compete in the race and win. He also says he wants to focus on leading a new state water task force, which has to report back to the Legislature in December.

Carlson was elected to the Nebraska Legislature in 2006 and was re-elected in 2010. He serves as chair of the Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee. He is ineligible to run for the Legislature again in 2014 because of term limits.

 

(AP) — Authorities say a fire at a vacant Creighton University dorm was accidentally caused by a construction crew working on remodeling.

The Omaha Fire Department says a dorm room at Deglman Hall was being remodeled Monday when the accidental ignition happened. Additional information wasn’t provided.

No one was injured. Damage is estimated to be more than $10,000.

Contractors alerted officials and firefighters were able to control the fire within minutes.