NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — A North Platte man accused of child abuse in 2009 has pleaded not guilty to child abuse in a new case.

Online court records say James Coleman Jr. entered the plea Monday. He faces four counts of felony intentional child abuse.

The new case began June 4, when hospital doctors told police about several fractured ribs and a skull fracture they found on Coleman’s 2-month-old baby. Police later learned that another of Coleman’s children had been taken to the emergency room or a family doctor numerous times as an infant, which had then concerned the physicians.

Court records say Coleman was charged with intentional child abuse causing injury in 2009. He pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of misdemeanor assault and was given 12 months’ probation.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — A man has been given 20 to 60 years in prison for killing his wife on their farm in western Nebraska.

The Nebraska attorney general’s office said 62-year-old Emerson Craig was sentenced Monday in Lincoln County District Court in North Platte. He’d pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the April 26, 2014, slaying of 52-year-old Heidi Craig.

Emerson Craig had called authorities to the farm near Maxwell and said his wife had been crushed under a hay bale, which he said he had moved using a truck. Officials say autopsy results showed she had actually died of blunt force trauma to the head and strangulation.

Investigators say Craig had obtained a life insurance policy on his wife that would pay double if her death were a result of an accident.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A state lawmaker is criticizing the Nebraska Democratic Party for including voter registration forms in welcome baskets for refugees.

Republican state Sen. John Murante called on the party Monday to provide a list of basket recipients to county election officials and notify recipients that they are ineligible to vote.

The Democratic Party donated baskets that included baby formula, dishware and other items to refugee resettlement groups. The resettlement groups have said they discarded the forms and distributed items based on need.

Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb says she has received death and sexual assault threats since the story broke on conservative blogs.

Murante says officials need to be “absolutely certain” that no one ineligible has tried to register to vote. Murante is considering a run for Nebraska secretary of state.

LINCOLN, Neb. – Two campgrounds at Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area will close temporarily to allow construction crews to complete upgrades to campground amenities.

Lone Eagle Campground, located between Arthur Bay and Sandy Beach, will be closed March 31 until approximately early May. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission received a $740,000 appropriation from the 2013 Nebraska legislature to upgrade all 84 camping sites at Lone Eagle to full-service accommodations. An electrical system upgrade and accessibility upgrade were completed in 2014 with $100,000 in additional funding from the Keith County Visitor’s Committee. This closure will allow construction crews to complete installation of a wastewater and drinking water system, which will bring RV dump and fill locations to each of the 84 sites.

Little Thunder Campground, located between Martin Bay and Arthur Bay, will be closed March 31 until approximately late April. Little Thunder received an improvement grant from the Keith County Visitor’s Committee in 2016 for $50,000 for the installation of new 20/30/50 amp electrical pedestals at all 42 camping sites located in the area. Nebraska Game and Parks is providing additional funding.

Several minor upgrades recently have been completed or are in the process of being completed, including landscape and existing facility improvements.

Contact Park Superintendent Colby Johnson at 308-284-8804 or [email protected] for more information.

• Zachary Earl Paulman, 26, Sutherland and Shayla Lynn Belka, 24, North Platte

• Daniel James Givens, 55, North Platte and Jeri Rae Kniep, 54, North Platte

A man is facing several charges after a disturbance early Sunday morning at a North Platte motel.

According to the North Platte Police Department, officers responded to the Best Western Motel, 3201 South Jeffers Street, at around 12:26 a.m. on the report of a disturbance.

Officers arrived and located a male, later identified as 21-year-old Carlos Alvarez, standing outside yelling at a group of people and threatening them.  Officers detained Alvarez and spoke to several witnesses and a 23-year-old male victim.  They all reported that they had been on the balcony of their room when Alvarez approached and asked if he could hang with them.

Investigator John Deal says they agreed to let Alvarez into the party, but he soon became confrontational.  When he was asked to leave, witnesses say he punched the male victim in the mouth and threw a beer bottle at him, narrowly missing.

Deal says others in the party took control of Alvarez and escorted him out, at which time officers arrived and detained him.

Following further investigation, Alvarez was placed under arrest and jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.  He’s been charged with 3rd-degree assault, felony attempted 2nd-degree assault and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

The victim suffered only minor injuries, according to Deal.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraskans are being encouraged to pick their favorite turtle, snake or lizard to become the first state reptile.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is holding an online vote to determine the favorite reptile out of six species that are native to the state.

The finalists are the ornate box turtle, common snapping turtle, bullsnake, western hognose snake, prairie lizard and six-lined racerunner lizard

Officials say they will take the results of the online vote to the legislature and ask senators to endorse the pick.

Currently,

Nebraska doesn’t have a state reptile, but it does have a state bird, flower, insect and mammal.

The voting is being held online at www.OutdoorNebraska.org/reptilevote.