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Colorado boy pulled from Nebraska lake dies at hospital

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — A 4-year-old Colorado boy pulled last week from the water of a western Nebraska lake has died.

The Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office says in a news release that the boy, Messiah White of Colorado Springs, died early Tuesday at a Denver hospital.

Messiah was found unresponsive Saturday in the water at Lake Minatare State Recreation Area in western Nebraska.

CPR was performed on the boy, who was flown to a Scottsbluff hospital and later transported to the Denver hospital.

The boy’s death has been ruled accidental.

Authorities say driver died after truck ran off highway

ARNOLD, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a South Dakota man may have had a medical issue before his truck ran off a state highway west of Arnold in central Nebraska.

The Custer County Sheriff’s Office says 56-year-old Steven Rogers was pronounced dead Tuesday at a North Platte hospital.

The truck veered off Nebraska Highway 92 west of Arnold around 9 a.m. Tuesday and ran about 100 yards into a pasture before stopping. Sheriff Daniel Osmond said Wednesday there was no crash: The truck just ran off into the field for about 100 yards (91 meters) and stopped. Osmond says that’s what leads investigators to suspect Rogers suffered a medical problem.

Authorities say Rogers lived in Milbank, South Dakota.

Raybould seeks additional debates in Nebraska US Senate race

Jane Raybould (Image: Wikipedia)

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Jane Raybould is seeking additional debates in her campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska.

Raybould’s campaign announced Tuesday that she has accepted invitations to three debates in Omaha and one in Lincoln. Raybould is hoping to pressure Fischer into more debates.

A Fischer campaign spokeswoman says Fischer has only agreed to appear in one debate with Raybould.

The candidates will face off at 9 a.m. on Aug. 27 at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island in an hour-long debate sponsored by the Omaha World-Herald and Omaha television station KMTV.

Fischer, a Republican from Valentine, is seeking a second term in office. Raybould is a Lincoln city councilwoman who helps run her family’s grocery chain.

Man gets jail, probation for Nebraska crash that killed 6

Tony Weekly

OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — A Florida truck driver has been given 180 days in jail and two years of probation for a western Nebraska crash that killed six people, including a family of five from Minnesota.

Keith County District Court records say 55-year-old Tony Weekly, of Baker, Florida, was sentenced Friday in Ogallala. He’d pleaded no contest to six counts of vehicular homicide and one of reckless driving. He was credited for 30 days served.

Investigators say Weekly was distracted July 31, 2016, and didn’t slow down in an Interstate 80 construction zone near Brule (brool), smashing into the back of a minivan. Inside were Jamison and Kathryne Pals, of St. Paul, and their three children, ages 3 years, 2½ and 23 months.

Another man injured in the crash, Terry Sullivan, of Denver, died later.

4 types of Goldfish Crackers recalled, salmonella fears

NORWALK, Conn. (AP) — Pepperidge Farm is voluntarily recalling four varieties of Goldfish Crackers because of fears they could potentially have salmonella.

The company on Monday took the action after one of its ingredient suppliers notified it that whey powder used in a seasoning may be contaminated. The products were distributed in the United States and no illnesses have been reported.

The Goldfish recall covers Flavor Blasted Xtra Cheddar, Flavor Blasted Sour Cream & Onion, Goldfish Baked with Whole Grain Xtra Cheddar and Goldfish Mix Xtra Cheddar + Pretzel. The company has posted a chart with the product codes on its website.

The products can be returned to the place of purchase for a refund.

Consumers can call customer service at 800-679-1791.

Nebraska begins construction for Capitol geothermal wells

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new geothermal well field should supply the Nebraska Capitol with cool air and heat in one year.The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the well field is part of the first phase of a 10-year Capitol renovation project. The $106 million project also includes window repair, fire alarm upgrades and new emergency electrical generator.

State officials have closed off an area to drill wells and route large carrier pipes beneath the street. The closed-loop system will keep a liquid solution flowing between the well field and the Capitol to absorb and shed the building’s heat.

Capitol Administrator Robert Ripley says the ground’s temperature will cool the solution within the pipes. He says the building’s heat will return as cool air after traveling into the ground.

Construction is expected to be completed within a year.

NSP introduces 2 new K-9s

After months of training, two new dogs have joined the force of the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) Police Service Dogs unit.

Koda, a two-year-old Belgian Malinois, is partnered with Trooper Jesse Pfeifer and is stationed in Norfolk. Last week, Koda helped find 141 pounds of marijuana in a vehicle.

Amos, a 15-month-old Dutch Shepherd, is partnered with Trooper Brent Potthoff and is stationed in Sidney. Both Amos and Koda are dual purpose K9s, trained for patrol and detecting controlled substances.

“These dogs are highly trained and their handlers go through rigorous training as well,” said Lt. Gordon Downing, Commander of the NSP Police Service Dog (PSD) division. “The partnership between a handler and a dog is critical in order to respond as a team to the situations they face while on the job.”

These new K9s bring the NSP PSD unit to nine dogs spread out around the state, with another expected to join the team in the coming months. The dogs live and work with their trooper handler.

Koda and Amos replace two recent retirees: Eddie, who was previously partnered with Trooper Potthoff, and Murphy, who retired when his handler was promoted to sergeant within the NSP Patrol Division in Omaha.

TD Ameritrade’s 3Q earnings nearly double to $451M

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Online brokerage TD Ameritrade’s fiscal third-quarter earnings nearly doubled as trading remained strong and last year’s acquisition of rival Scottrade started paying off.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based company said it earned $451 million net income, or 79 cents per share. That was up from $231 million, or 44 cents per share, a year ago.

When adjusted for one-time expenses, TD Ameritrade earned 89 cents per share. That was well above the 79 cents per share that analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research expected.

TD Ameritrade said the integration of its Scottrade acquisition, which it completed last fall, is ahead of schedule, and the company has cut $212 million in expenses through the end of the quarter.

The online brokerage posted revenue of $1.38 billion in the period. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.35 billion.

TD Ameritrade handled an average of 783,665 trades per day, which helped it generate $490 million in trading fees, up from $335 million.

And the company’s asset-based revenue grew to $859 million from last year’s $573 million.

TD Ameritrade CEO Tim Hockey said the company added a new investment-advice tool during the quarter that is a combination of automated advice and human suggestions. That will help round out its offerings of advice.

TD Ameritrade TD Ameritrade Holding Corp.’s stock was up 64 cents, or about 1 percent, at $59.70 in extended trading after the release of the earnings report.

Ex-employee pleads guilty to stealing from sheriff’s office

BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP) — A woman who worked 33 years for Custer County has pleaded guilty to stealing from the Sheriff’s Office.

Court records say 59-year-old Kelli Estergard, of Callaway, pleaded guilty to theft after prosecutors lowered the charge and dropped a related charge. Her sentencing is set for Aug. 23.

Authorities say the theft occurred between July 23, 2015, and Jan. 30 this year.

Nebraska tax committee declines to call for special session

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A legislative committee is declining to call for a tax-focused special session, despite uncertainty over whether Nebraska needs new laws to collect online sales tax revenue.

Members of the Tax Rate Review Committee ended their meeting Monday without making any recommendations. The committee meets twice a year to review state revenue estimates and determine whether tax rates need to be changed.

Nebraska State Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton told members his department is still reviewing the impact of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened the door for states to require online retailers to collect sales taxes.

Fulton says he doesn’t believe a special session is necessary to address the ruling, but his department is still trying to determine whether legislation should be introduced next year.

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