(AP) — Four Nebraska men have been charged in separate federal indictments of failing to register as sex offenders.

Twenty-seven-year-old Duane Levering, of South Sioux City, and 34-year-old Stephen Tanner, of Omaha, are each accused of failing to register in March.

Thirty-four-year-old James Thompson is charged with failing to register from February through May. Federal authorities did not say where Thompson lives.

Thirty-six-year-old Oscar Gonzalez Jr., of Lexington, is accused of failing to register from October to May.

All the men were charged in indictments handed down Thursday. Each faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.

A one-vehicle accident led to multiple injuries in Frontier County on Wednesday.

According to a news release from the Frontier County Sheriff’s Office, the accident happened on a County Road northeast of Curtis.

The release says rescue personnel from Curtis and Maywood responded to the accident at around 3:15 p.m.

Three passengers in the vehicle were taken to Great Plains Regional Medical Center by ambulance, and the driver was life-flighted to Kearney’s Good Samaritan Hospital from the scene.

The names and conditions of those injured have not been released.

 

A Nebraska bill that would expand protections for human trafficking victims has won first-round approval from lawmakers.

The bill that advanced on Thursday focuses heavily on minors of both sexes who are coerced and sometimes forced into the sex trade.

Sen. Amanda McGill of Lincoln says the law should reflect that young people often aren’t entering the sex trade by choice.

The measure would define human trafficking as a form of child abuse, offer an affirmative legal defense for human trafficking victims charged with prostitution, and provide immunity to minors who could otherwise face charges.

Lawmakers say they plan to continue addressing the issue. Sen. Colby Coash of Lincoln says he’s concerned that the penalties for johns still aren’t enough to dissuade them.

(AP) — A new program will offer an online education in financial literacy to Nebraska high school students and parents.

State Treasurer Don Stenberg on Thursday unveiled the new initiative, which will be available this fall. The program is being offered through an agreement with EverFi, Inc., an educational technology company based in Washington, D.C.

The coursework addresses a range of financial topics, including credit cards, credit scores, insurance, mortgages, savings, student loans and taxes.

Bonnie Sibert of the Nebraska Department of Education says the animated, interactive programs will add a new twist to existing financial literacy programs in schools.

The initiative is sponsored by the Nebraska State Educational Savings Trust, the state’s college savings program.

For more information, visit the State Treasurer’s website www.treasurer.org.

A North Platte man is facing charges in an accident that took the life of a Stapleton man.

Logan County attorney Steve Vinton said Jesus Gonzales-Torres will be charged with motor vehicle homicide and reckless driving, both misdemeanors.

Authorities say Roger Beckett was traveling in a minivan on Highway 83 near mile marker 119 just before 5:00 p.m on May 18., when a pickup driven by  the 71-year-old Gonzales-Torres, crossed the center line and struck the minivan head-on.

Roger Beckett was pronounced dead at the scene and his wife, Barbara, was seriously injured.

Law enforcement initially said they believed alcohol was involved, however they now do not believe that to be the case.

Roger Beckett’s funeral is next Wednesday.

(AP) — A University of Nebraska-Kearney professor has been accused of possessing and distributing child pornography.

The Kearney Police Department arrested 52-year-old Joseph Benz late Wednesday. The Attorney General’s Office says a cyber-crimes unit had been investigating him.

Authorities searched the psychology professor’s home on Tuesday. One computer uncovered up to 20,000 questionable image files, and investigators are looking into at least two other computers.

Benz has been charged with three counts each of possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. He is at the Buffalo County Jail.

Records do not list an attorney.

Platte River Mall is gearing up for the first Community Garage Sale Event on June 1^st.

Individuals who live in an area not suitable for holding their own Garage sale or simply want a more convenient place to hold their sale, are encouraged to sign up with the Mall Office soon.

“We have limited spots available and need people to stop in and fill out the registration forms before the 1^st. We have received feedback via social media that there is a need for this in our community and are happy to host such an event,” says Assistant Mall Manager Cassie Condon.

Spots are $10 for four parking spaces and will be held on the west side of the Mall between Nebraskaland Tire and Verizon Wireless.

Additional Community Garage Sale Events will be held July 13 and August 10.

Reducing the potential for serious injury and fatality crashes is the goal of the Nebraska State Patrol’s (NSP) “100 Days of Summer” enforcement initiative. The special initiative designed to promote voluntary compliance with all traffic safety laws will run from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

In its sixth year, the “100 Days of summer” initiative provides motorists an opportunity to view planned NSP enforcement activities. Each day, beginning with the Memorial Day holiday weekend and continuing through Labor Day, the Nebraska State Patrol Field Services Division will work to hold at least one traffic safety enforcement operation somewhere in the state.

Interested motorists can visit the Nebraska State Patrol website atwww.statepatrol.nebraska.gov and click on the NSP Enforcement Activities link located beneath the state map on the NSP homepage to access an enforcement calendar. The enforcement calendar will list at least one traffic safety enforcement effort per day. By viewing the calendar, motorists will access information on the type of enforcement planned and the location of the enforcement.

“Roadway safety is a shared responsibility,” said Colonel David Sankey, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “You can help us make this summer travel season a safe one. Remember to always wear your seat belt, obey the posted speed limit and never drive impaired or distracted.”

When travelers hit the road for Memorial Day weekend, they should be careful when crossing railroad tracks.

It can take more than a mile for a train to stop, and when a train collides with a vehicle there can be disastrous consequences for the vehicle’s occupants.

Union Pacific’s public safety director Dale Bray says by the time a locomotive engineer sees a vehicle on a crossing, it is often too late to stop the train.

The Federal Railroad Administration says there were 1,960 incidents at railroad crossings nationwide last year and 233 deaths.

House Republicans have pushed through legislation to bypass the president to speed up approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas.

The bill was approved 241-175 largely along party lines. It’s unlikely to be taken up by the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Democrats criticized the legislation as a blatant attempt to allow a foreign company to avoid environmental review. Republicans say the measure is needed to ensure that the pipeline first proposed in 2008 is built.

The measure would deem the project approved without a presidential permit, as required under current law, and with no further environmental review. It also would limit legal challenges to the project.

President Barack Obama has twice thwarted the pipeline project amid concerns about a proposed route through environmentally sensitive land in Nebraska. The White House approved a southern portion of the project from Oklahoma to Texas.