A 31-year-old Scottsbluff man has been given 240 days in jail in a painkillers fraud case.
Kevin Haley had pleaded no contest to a charge of intentionally violating narcotics law. Prosecutors had lowered the charge in exchange for Haley’s plea.
An arrest affidavit says Haley had used different birthdates and names in obtaining prescription pain relievers and had lied to health care providers to obtain the prescriptions.
A monthly economic survey index for nine Midwest and Plains states dropped last month but continues to suggest improving economic growth for the region.
The Mid-America Business Conditions index hit 56.8 in April, compared with 58.2 in March.
The confidence index rose to 59.9 last month from 58.2 in March.
Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the supply managers surveyed “expect the upturn in housing to remain an important ingredient of the economic expansion.”
The survey uses a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth while a score below 50 suggests decline for that factor.
The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Nebraska spends nearly $95 million a year on child-care subsidies for working, low-income families — but the state isn’t tracking the quality of care those children receive.
Lawmakers gave first-round approval Tuesday to a bill that would measure and rate child-care providers if they collect at least $250,000 annually.
Last year, 62 private providers met that threshold. They serve more than 12,000 children, at a combined state cost of $27 million.
The bill would also expand eligibility. Current law allows a family of three to qualify if they make less than $23,400 a year. The bill would increase the maximum income to nearly $25,400 by 2015.
Sen. Kathy Campbell says the state needs to look beyond safety and health standards for early childhood care.
A Sutherland man, who was out on bail, has been arrested and charged with yet another crime.
On Monday, April 29, Deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a domestic disturbance on West Birdwood Road north of Sutherland.
Upon arrival, Deputies made contact with a female who reported that her husband, 25-year-old Jeremy Kreiling, had assaulted her.
Deputies noticed that the female had difficulty speaking, and at this time, she informed them that Kreiling had strangled her to the point that she became dizzy and disoriented. She also told Deputies that Kreiling had held up a rifle and made threatening statements.
Deputies made contact with Kreiling who refused to speak with them about the incident.
Kreiling was arrested and charged with Domestic Assault and Felony Strangulation.
Kreiling was out on bond for First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child at the time this crime was committed.
Four cities have told the state they’re interested in hosting the new Nebraska veterans home.
The four cities are Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney and North Platte.
The new home will replace the 125-year-old veterans home in Grand Island.
Rodney Anderson is administrator of the State Building Division says the communities will be given information about site evaluation and selection. They have until June 11 to submit proposals.
A false alarm sparked fear of a possible chemical spill in Union Pacific’s Bailey Yards in North Platte on Monday.
Sirens sounded and text messages were sent after an employee overreacted.
Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said the employee overreacted when they saw some kind of discharge coming from a tank car. However, it was discovered that the tank car was in a routine venting process.
Employees and residents are on high alert after a tank car filled with chlorine derailed just east of Bailey Yards last Monday.
On April 26 at around 10:27 p.m., North Platte Police responded to a residence in the 100 Block of West 9th, after receiving a report of a burglary.
Officers learned that two of the residents had returned home to find Tonya Fuentes in their home loading up a bag with groceries and alcohol.
When confronted, Fuentes told the residents that her sister lived in the house. However, the sister was not present and no one had given Fuentes permission to enter the house and take the items.
By the time police arrived, Fuentes had left the residence.
At 11:33 p.m. that same evening, Officers were called to a disturbance in the 1100 Block of North Bailey. Upon arrival, police found Fuentes and another subject yelling at each other in the street.
Fuentes was arrested for the Burglary that had occurred earlier, as well as the home invasion.
She was charged with Burglary and Disturbing the Peace and was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.
A 36-Year-Old North Platte man has been charged with Felony Child Abuse.
On April 26, North Platte Police were called to meet with a local school counselor after a 10-year-old student was found to have a bump on her head.
Following an investigation, police learned that there had been a disturbance at the girl’s home the previous night, which also involved her 16-year-old brother and her father, Kevin Hawkins.
Investigators conducted interviews with both children, and determined there was probable cause to arrest Hawkins for Felony Child Abuse.
He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.
A North Platte man has been charged with multiple felonies after making threats with a rifle.
North Platte Police responded to the report of a disturbance at a local residence.
Police say that at around midnight on April 19th, Cortney Hansen, 33, went to his ex-girlfriend’s house in North Platte where she and her children were sleeping. Hansen had reportedly been drinking and brought a large caliber rifle with him to the home. He remained at the home and began making suicidal threats, as well as threatening others with the rifle.
Hansen was taken into custody around 10:00 a.m., by police.
He was then evaluated by medical staff for an unknown medical condition and was later hospitalized.
The Lincoln County Attorney’s office obtained a warrant for Hansen’s arrest and he was jailed on charges of Making Terroristic Threats, Use of a Weapon to Commit a Felony and Felony Child Abuse.
A weekend fire at a central Nebraska hospital caused significant damage to both of its ambulances.
The fire happened Sunday morning at Phelps Memorial Health Center in Holdrege.
Both of the hospital’s two ambulances were parked in the garage at Phelps Memorial when one of the ambulances caught fire.
Hospital administrator Mark Harrell says all the patients were evacuated within eight minutes after the fire was found. They were able to return to their rooms later Sunday.
But Harrell says one ambulance is a total loss and the other sustained heavy smoke damage. He estimated the damage at $500,000.
An electrical problem in one of the ambulances is believed to have caused the fire, which started near the vehicle’s battery.
