LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A legislative report says Nebraska is struggling to provide adequate mental health services to its residents and still faces challenges in its efforts to curb binge drinking and substance abuse.
The Behavioral and Mental Health Task Force released Thursday a list of 18 recommendations for better mental health services.
The report says the state, particularly in rural areas, doesn’t have a sufficient amount of mental health workers. The panel recommends publicly funded post-graduate fellowships in psychiatry for physician assistants and psychiatric nurses.
The report also recommended adopting a mental health care provider shortage emergency act to ensure that if the number of staff members at the Lincoln Regional Center falls below a certain level, a portion of vacancy savings would be used for staff retention bonuses.
rdDETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling more than 680,000 midsize sedans mainly in North America because the front seat belts may not hold people in a crash.
The recall covers certain 2013 to 2016 Ford Fusion, 2013 to 2015 Lincoln MKZ and 2015 and 2016 Ford Mondeo cars.
Ford says heat generated when the seat belt pre-tensioners deploy can cause cables to break. If that happens the belts may not hold people. Ford says it knows of two injuries related to the problem.
Pre-tensioners tighten seat belts when they sense that cars are stopping.
Dealers will inject insulation into the pre-tensioners to protect the cables from heat at no cost to owners. The recall is expected to begin on Jan. 16.
Most of the cars are in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Board of Pardons has rejected a former Lincoln man’s attempt to commute his second-degree murder sentence.
Terry Taylor asked the board to commute his sentence to a limited number of years. Taylor now lives in Texas and is on lifetime parole.
The board’s three members, Gov. Pete Ricketts, Secretary of State John Gale and Attorney General Doug Peterson, said Thursday they would be content to have Taylor remain on parole for the rest of his life.
The 53-year-old Taylor killed Ben DeBaets Jr. in December 1984, stabbing him 51 times. Taylor was released from prison in 1996 after serving 11 ½ years in prison, including county jail time.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of business supply managers shows improvement but still reflects relatively weak economic conditions in nine Midwest and Plains states.
The Mid-America Business Conditions Index report released Thursday says the overall economic index for the region rose to 46.5 in November from 43.8 in October.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says he expects the overall regional economy will continue to underperform the national economy because of the region’s dependence on agriculture and energy.
The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth in that factor. A score below that suggests decline.
The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
A 33-year-old North Platte man has been jailed after he allegedly held a knife to his wife’s face.
At around 7:07 p.m., on November 30, an officer met with a 31-year-old female who alleged that her husband, Sergio Martinez, had assaulted her earlier in the evening.
The woman told officers that she and Martinez had been at their residence in the 800 block of East 4th Street, at around 5:00 p.m., when Martinez asked her to come to the garage.
According to Investigator John Deal, the woman stated that when she went to the garage, Martinez began making accusations and became enraged. At one point, Martinez allegedly forced his wife onto a couch, sat on top of her and held a pocket knife to her face, refusing to let her up. Deal says Martinez also stabbed the knife into a table next to the victim.
Eventually, the woman said she was able to convince Martinez to let her go, at which point she left and called the police.
Officers made contact with Martinez at the residence and placed him under arrest without incident.
He was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony terroristic threats, felony false imprisonment, use of a weapon to commit a felony and domestic assault.
The knife, according to Deal, was found in Martinez’ pocket. Officers also found evidence of a disturbance in the garage, including knife marks on a table.
A 39-year-old North Platte man is facing felony charges after a crash on the Buffalo Bill viaduct Wednesday night.
At around 11:10 p.m., officers responded to the report of a motor vehicle accident on the Buffalo Bill viaduct, which crosses the Union Pacific tracks.
Officers arrived and discovered that two vehicles were involved in the crash.
It was determined that a 2006 GMC Yukon, driven by 39-year-old Travis Berney, was traveling southbound over the viaduct, well over the posted speed limit, when it encountered a 1998 Ford Ranger, driven by Bobby Ansley, of North Platte, which was also traveling southbound over the viaduct.
According to Investigator John Deal, the Yukon struck the rear-end of the Ranger, causing the Ranger to skid approximately 100 feet and strike the concrete guardrail head-on. Deal says the impact caused the vehicle to roll over onto its top and slide another 200 feet or so down the southbound lane.
The Yukon crossed into the northbound lane and traveled almost 125 feet before striking the guardrail and coming to a stop.
Deal says Ansley was wearing a seatbelt and sustained some minor cuts to his head, but he was not transported to Great Plains Health.
Berney, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was transported to GPH with a lower-leg injury. A passenger in his vehicle, 46-year-old Jose Cardenas, was wearing a seatbelt but was transported to GPH with a lower-leg injury. His status is unknown.
Further investigation led officers to believe that Berney was under the influence of alcohol. Deal says officers noticed that Berney smelled of alcohol and displayed other signs of being intoxicated. He also had a suspended license. A blood draw was done at the hospital to determine Berney’s level of intoxication, however, those results are still pending.
Nonetheless, Deal says a preliminary test determined that Berney was over the legal limit to drive of .08. As a result, he was charged with felony driving under the influence of liquor fourth offense and felony driving under suspension.
Upon his release from the hospital, Berney was placed under arrest and transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.
Deal says the Ranger was a total loss and the Yukon sustained around $10,000 in damage.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska state senator who was defeated in the May primary election is returning to the Capitol as a lobbyist.
Sen. Nicole Fox of Omaha has taken a job with the Platte Institute for Economic Research, a think tank that advocates for free market principles. She starts in January.
Fox, a Republican, was appointed to her seat by Gov. Pete Ricketts in 2015. She ran for election this year but lost to two primary challengers in the heavily Democratic district.
During her time in office, Fox joined forces with the Platte Institute on a bill that reduced regulations for natural hair braiders.
The Platte Institute’s current lobbyist, Jen Rae Wang, has accepted a job in the district office of Republican U.S. Rep.-elect Don Bacon.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A legislative report says Nebraska is struggling to provide adequate mental health services to its residents and still faces challenges in its efforts to curb binge drinking and substance abuse.
