JUNE 5, 2018 (LINCOLN, NEB.) — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol issued more than 100 citations for seatbelt violations during the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign which ran for two weeks surrounding Memorial Day.
The enforcement ran from May 21 through June 3 in conjunction with efforts of numerous other departments around Nebraska and agencies all over the country. The campaign included high-visibility patrols, special enforcement areas, and vehicle checks.
In addition to the 101 seatbelt violations, NSP issued 27 citations for improper child restraint and made 37 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Troopers also arrested 68 people on drug possession charges and performed 460 roadside motorist assists.
Other statewide enforcement statistics for NSP’s “Click It or Ticket” enforcement include:
101 – Seatbelt citations
27 – Child Restraint citations
1,601 – Speeding citations
37 – Driving Under the Influence
37 – Open Container
23 – Minor in Possession
70 – Driving Under Suspension
60 – No Proof of Insurance
68 – Drug Possession arrests
9 – Stolen Vehicle Recovered
17 – Fugitives Apprehended
6 – Reckless Driving arrests
2,691 – Total citations
460 – Motorist Assists
“Click It or Ticket” was made possible thanks in part to a grant for $28,830 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The first female commander of the Nebraska Air National Guard has taken command.
Brig. Gen. Wendy Johnson was installed as commander during ceremonies this past weekend at the Nebraska National Guard headquarters in Lincoln.
Johnson is a native of Elba who enlisted in 1984 and has held a variety of leadership positions.
Johnson will be assistant adjutant general for air as well as commander of the Nebraska Air National Guard, succeeding Brig. Gen. James “Bob” Stevenson. He’s moving to a new post with the U.S. Strategic Command headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue.
.LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska judge has tossed out a lawsuit challenging the state’s lethal injection protocol.
The move marks the second time in recent months that a court has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to block Nebraska’s efforts to resume executions after more than two decades.
A Lancaster County district judge ruled last week that two death penalty opponents who filed the lawsuit lacked standing to do so.
Sen. Ernie Chambers and Rev. Stephen Griffith alleged in their suit that Nebraska’s execution protocol was developed without following state law and procedures. They asked the court to stop any executions until a proper protocol is implemented.
The decision follows a request last month from state Attorney General Doug Peterson. He asked the Nebraska Supreme Court to speed up its decision on issuing a death warrant for an inmate on death row.
WAVERLY, Neb. (AP) — Tyson Foods is buying the Nebraska company that makes the Smart Chicken brand of air-cooled chicken.
Tyson says it plans to keep Tecumseh Poultry’s roughly 600 workers and allow the company to operate as a separate subsidiary. Terms of the deal were not disclosed this week.
Smart Chicken’s air-chilled method of processing differs from the common industry practice of water chilling. The company started in 1998 and has two plants in Waverly and Tecumseh, Nebraska.
Tyson’s Chief Marketing Officer for poultry Eric Schwartz says acquiring this brand will help the company offer more choices for consumers.
Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson already owns the NatureRaised Farms and Aidells brands of organic products.
North Platte police have identified the suspect involved in yesterday’s pursuit as 30-year-old Luke Lefever.
Lieutenant Steve Reeves says Lefever was transferred to an Omaha hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Reeves says the hospital does not release information on trauma patients.
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JUNE 4, 2018 (NORTH PLATTE, NEB.) — A suspect was shot following a pursuit that crossed two counties in central Nebraska Monday morning. The pursuit of a stolen vehicle began in Dawson County near Highway 30 and Road 490. Near the initial stages of the pursuit with Dawson County Sheriff’s deputies, shots were fired.
The pursuit continued into Gothenburg, where the suspect stole another vehicle and headed west on Interstate 80. The vehicle eventually came to a stop northeast of Hershey on a county road.
More shots were fired by multiple law enforcement officers, including a Nebraska State Trooper. The suspect was struck. Officers on the scene rendered medical aid. The suspect was then transported to Great Plains Health and has since been flown to a hospital in Omaha. No officers were injured.
The Nebraska State Trooper who fired shots has been placed on administrative leave, in accordance with NSP policy, while the incident is investigated.
On 06/04/18, at 8:27 AM, a Dawson County Deputy Sheriff called for assistance while investigating a suspicious vehicle northwest of Gothenburg. The deputy and a Gothenburg police officer struggled with a man at the scene in an attempt to take him into custody.
The suspect fled on foot and confronted a nearby property owner. The suspect stole a UTV from the resident and Dawson County authorities initiated a pursuit as the suspect took off across rural property driving the UTV. The suspect eventually stopped at another rural residence and stole a 2003 Chevrolet pickup with an attached utility trailer from the property owner. He continued his flight from law enforcement.
The Nebraska State Patrol and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office assisted as the pursuit entered Lincoln County on Interstate 80. The suspect continued westbound on I80, eventually leaving the roadway and continuing his flight on county roads. The pursuit continued into the south side of North Platte, resulting in an accident at HW83 and State Farm Road.
Law enforcement lost sight of the suspect’s vehicle for a short time but later located the vehicle west of North Platte on HW30. The suspect continued to flee from law enforcement and eventually went off-road near N. Parkway Rd and W Suburban Rd.
The suspect drove on private property for a short time and then tried to get back onto the roadway. As he did so, he appeared to purposely ram a law enforcement vehicle and then backed in the direction of other officers. Shots were fired by law enforcement and the suspect continued to flee across a field. The vehicle slowly came to a stop and law enforcement officers cautiously approached the pickup. The officers confirmed that the suspect had suffered gunshot wounds and Emergency Medical Services were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Hershey Fire Department, Sutherland Fire Department and the North Platte Fire Department responded. The 30-year-old suspect was taken by ambulance to Great Plains Health. He was later flown to an Omaha hospital.
A thorough investigation is being completed by the Nebraska State Patrol, Lincoln County Sherriff’s Office and the North Platte Police Department at the direction of the Lincoln County Attorney.
By GRANT SCHULTE and TESS WILLIAMS, Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Solar energy is gaining traction in Nebraska as a growing number of cities adopt the technology, and state officials are looking for ways to help the trend along.
The technology has become so popular that some cities have had to expand their recently built solar farms or build new ones to keep pace with customer demand.
Many of the cities are taking advantage of the Nebraska Public Power District’s SunWise Community Solar Program, approved in 2016 to help cities and villages adopt solar power in a central location for residents to use.
The program has helped launch new solar farms in Scottsbluff, Venango and Kearney since 2017, and more than half a dozen other cities have expressed interest, said NPPD General Retail Manager Tim Arlt.
Separately, Fremont is moving forward with a second solar farm due to high demand on the first array that went live earlier this year.
Fremont City Administrator Brian Newton said the farm allows customers to buy their own solar panel or pay a one-time fee to use power generated in the farm. He said the first farm sold out to 217 residents within seven weeks.
Arlt said the challenges include finding available land that’s close enough to feed into NPPD’s grid and making sure the local grid can handle the additional power.
“We want to say yes if a community wants it,” he said.
Nebraska lawmakers may review some of the challenges as well.
Sen. Rick Kolowski, of Omaha, has introduced a legislative study to explore ways to promote solar energy, noting its environmental benefits. Kolowski said he wants to see the state use renewable resources more effectively, and he hopes the study could lead to legislation that would provide incentives or tax breaks to encourage more solar energy.
“This isn’t going away,” Kolowski said. “We have to do it not just for ourselves, but for the future of our state.”
The NPPD arrays let residents buy into solar energy without having to install their own rooftop panels. Residents who want to use the energy shoulder the expense to keep the costs from shifting to those who don’t.
Despite its rapid growth in Nebraska, solar energy has spread faster in some areas than others because of the state’s patchwork of local public utilities, said Cliff Mesner, a Central City attorney, developer and solar energy advocate.
Homeowners who don’t live in an area that offers solar energy have few options other than to install solar panels on their property, Mesner said. That in turn can draw objections from neighborhood groups that don’t like the appearance of solar panels on rooftops or in yards.
Also concerning is the looming threat of tariffs on aluminum and steel, with are used in solar arrays and could substantially raise costs, Mesner said. President
Donald Trump recently signed a bill to extend a federal solar tax credit for homeowners, but it’s scheduled to expire in 2021.
Mesner said solar energy has grown faster in states with higher electric rates than Nebraska’s because purchasing it made financial sense. But as Nebraska’s rates rise, he said, solar will become more feasible.
“I think it’s made some great strides in the last few years, but we are behind where other states have been,” Mesner said. “We’re doing some great things right now, but we’ve got a long, long ways to go.”
Mesner said many homeowners have bought into solar because the costs are fixed for 20 to 25 years as electricity prices continue to rise. Many current solar customers are paying more now, but could end up saving money over the long term, he said.
Kearney launched Nebraska’s largest community solar array last year on 53 acres of city-owned land near a technology park. The farm can meet about 5 percent of the city’s peak energy needs, enough to power 900 homes.
City officials partnered with NPPD to connect the system to the city’s grid and sold off shares of the electricity it produces.
So far, city officials have sold or reserved about 90 percent of the shares and will use some as a recruiting tool for new businesses that want to use green energy, said
Kearney Mayor Stan Clouse. The University of Nebraska at Kearney bought about half of the total shares in an effort to use more renewable energy and hedge against long-term price increases.
“It’s still in the infant stages, but I’m optimistic,” Clouse said.
Clouse said his city approved the project to give residents more energy choices and potentially attract small and mid-sized technology companies with the promise of renewable energy. City officials can’t install wind turbines in the area because it’s in the migratory flight path of Nebraska’s Sandhill cranes, Clouse said.
Clouse, an account manager for the Nebraska Public Power District, pointed to Facebook’s decision in 2013 to build a data center in Altoona, Iowa, instead of Kearney, citing nearby wind energy as one factor.
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Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte
Radio Ink magazine is known for world-famous lists. In April, they published a list of Radio’s Top- 20 leaders. It includes Eagle Communications’ President Gary Shorman.
“These are the radio industry’s best. They know how to motivate their teams to success. They are winning at sales, programming, and management. They are relentless in what they do, and they do not fail. This list is made up of radio’s most positive. They are the people who take the time to mentor others and make a lasting impact on careers. They give time back to the radio industry to help it grow. They may not be promoting themselves or be among the powerful executives we always write about, but they are making the radio industry run like a well-oiled machine.”
Gary Shorman was very detailed in his response when we asked him about the characteristics of a successful leader. “Team builder,” he says. “No one can win with a dysfunctional team, so do the opposite.
Find players who love their community and want to make it better. Find players who want to build their success year after year. Find players who want to be on a winning team. Once that is done, give them the opportunity to participate in decisions and goals, then give them the tools to succeed. At Eagle, I interview all our potential employee-owners before we bring them on board. I’m encouraged by what I see and how many of our newest have a strong desire to play on a winning team.
“Creativity. I get a chance to listen to a lot of radio stations. We win when our clients and advertisers win. That happens with creative marketing campaigns and continued brand-building. At Eagle, our businesses are the local businesses that compete with the big national companies. At one time it was the Sears & Roebuck catalog or the new Walmart store coming to town.
Today our customers battle for business with the brown delivery truck that brings products from around the world. To win, our local businesses need us to help tell their story on the radio and through our digital products. We win with creativity.”
Finally, he says, “Get results.
If something is not working, find another way. Ratings, no ratings. Good economy, bad economy. Stocks up, stocks down. Whatever is happening in the world, we all get paid for results. If you cannot find a way to get results, you will probably be working somewhere else.”
Shorman says leadership in any industry takes hard work and the ability to work with the people on your team.
“Radio is no exception. I have not met many leaders who made it to their position without learning the basics of the business and working harder than others around them to succeed. In any business, but especially radio, you must enjoy being a part of a team, loving those you work with and encouraging those who are facing challenges.”
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has formed a 150-member commission to craft a report recommending what the school should look like 25 years from now.
The commission of faculty members, students, staff, and businesspeople will consider changes such as technological improvements, growing diversity and declining state money, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
Lisa Smith, senior vice president for the D.A. Davidson investment firm in Lincoln, said the commission’s leaders told members early on to “think big.”
The commission aims to produce work that is “bold, distinctive, inspirational, universally understood,” Smith said.
The project started in March. The commission hopes to have a draft in September and to share the report in November.
The school hired a consulting firm for $190,000 to assist in the process and lead sessions seeking additional input.
Executive Vice Chancellor Donde Plowman said she could envision the commission looking at whether a degree must average 15 hours over eight semesters or if students should blend a variety of subjects for a major. The commission might also consider finding more opportunities for students to learn through experience and increasing partnerships between the university and community.
The discussion comes as the university plans to celebrate its 150th anniversary next year.
“Not many institutions have been around for 150 years,” said history professor Will Thomas, who co-leads the commission. “That begs the question, how will we carry that legacy forward for another 150 years?”
OSHKOSH, Neb. (AP) — There will be no jury for the trial of a western Nebraska school superintendent accused of assaulting a student.
Court records say the motion by the lawyer for Paula Sissel was granted after a hearing Wednesday in Garden County Court. Sissel has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault.
Judge Randin Roland is scheduled to hear the evidence and testimony on June 20 in an Oshkosh courtroom before issuing his verdict.
Nebraska State Patrol Sgt. Brian Eads (eeds) has said it’s his understanding the assault occurred Nov. 13, when the 61-year-old Sissel was attempting some corrective action with the student.
Sissel is superintendent of the Garden County Schools district.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Patrol and other agencies have successfully coordinated a delivery of potentially lifesaving medicine from Omaha to a children’s hospital in Colorado.
The Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora requested a rare medication from the University of Nebraska Medical Center late Tuesday evening, according to Nebraska Medicine spokeswoman Taylor Wilson. The medicine treats amoeba-related infections.
The weather was too rough to fly the medicine from eastern Nebraska, so Nebraska Medicine contacted the State Patrol to help relay the medicine 540 miles (869 kilometers) to the hospital.
“All they tell us is there’s a child that really needs this and it’s a critical moment,” Patrol Lieutenant Matt Sutter said. Troopers weren’t given any further information about the child’s condition, he said.
The request was the longest distance patrol officers have transported medical necessities under an urgent time frame, according to Sutter.
Nebraska troopers needed to drive the drug closer to the state’s western border with Colorado, where they would pass off the medicine to the Colorado State Patrol.
The effort included seven troopers, who would hand the package off to the next patrol car in the relay. Sutter tracked the medicine across the state while monitoring weather and air-transport options.
Weather conditions in western Nebraska improved so troopers passed the medication to an airplane pilot in North Platte, who flew the drug to a Colorado airport near the hospital. The medicine arrived at the hospital early Wednesday morning. The transportation totaled less than 6 hours from when the first trooper started the relay.
“We try to look at it from the perspective of what would we want the state patrol to do for us if we were that family in that situation?” Sutter said. “When you put things in that perspective and you use that empathy as your measuring stick it’s amazing how all the resources come together and ultimately do the right thing.”
JUNE 5, 2018 (LINCOLN, NEB.) — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol issued more than 100 citations for seatbelt violations during the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign which ran for two weeks surrounding Memorial Day.
