OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — A Florida truck driver has pleaded not guilty to six vehicular homicide counts in Nebraska.

53-year-old Tony Weekly Jr. on Friday also pleaded not guilty in Keith County District Court to one count of reckless driving. His next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20.

The Nebraska State Patrol says Weekly, of Baker, Florida, was distracted and didn’t slow down in an Interstate 80 construction zone near Brule (brool), Nebraska, on July 31. His truck struck a van, and soon three more vehicles were involved in the fiery crash.

Authorities say a family of five from Minnesota died at the scene and another person died later. Five other people were injured, including Weekly.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts has declared a hiring freeze and a moratorium on some travel in the wake of a revenue shortfall.

The Nebraska Department of Revenue announced Friday that gross tax receipts in September totaled $507 million, which is 1.6 percent below projections set in February of $515 million. After tax refunds, the September net receipts of $437 million was 5.3 percent below the forecast of $462 million.

The state has been preparing for a tight budget in the upcoming 2017 session. Ricketts had already directed state agency leaders to look carefully at whether new hires are necessary and to limit travel and delay some purchases.

Ricketts said Friday that he is not likely to call a special session of the Legislature to deal with the shortfall.

• Alfonso Hinojos Payan 45, North Platte and Maria del Carmen Meza Jurado, 46, North Platte

• Kaitlyn Christine Blaesi, 23, North Platte and Jasmin Marie Jared, 20, North Platte

• Jeffrey Paul Soula, 32, Lincoln NE and Sarah Renae Kugler, 28, Lincoln NE

• Ronald Dale Lynch 57, Omaha NE and Kathy Lynn Gartner, 57, North Platte

A 22-year-old North Platte man is facing sexual assault charges after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

According to a statement from North Platte Police, the girl and her mother met with police and reported that the girl had been having sex with Aaron Estrada.

Investigators conducted an interview with the girl at Bridge of Hope Child Advocacy Center and determined that the alleged assault had occurred on more than one occasion.

On October 13, police contacted Estrada and, following questioning, determined that there was probable cause to arrest him for first-degree sexual assault of a child.

Estrada was booked into the Lincoln County Detention Center.

The newly constructed homes and town homes on Iron Eagle Court welcomed their first five home buyers over the last few weeks.

Five additional single family homes and eight town home units are at or near completion and ready for sale.  The project is being marketed for sale through Lashley Land and Recreational Brokers and a collaborative effort of the entire North Platte real estate brokerage community.

The project will host an open house and Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting on Wednesday, October 19 from 5:00 – 7:30 pm.

The homes are three-bedroom/two bath with open floor plans, two or three-car garages, granite countertops, nine-foot ceilings, spacious master bedroom layout, high-end fixtures and irrigated lawns.  There are four distinct floor plans and with attractive, diverse exteriors, and are between $208,900 and $212,900.

The town homes are two-bedroom/two bath with open floor plans, granite bar counter tops, vaulted ceilings, spacious master bedroom layout, custom cabinetry, and full-service maintenance free lawn care and irrigated lawns.  They are priced at $176,900 and are great for buyers who desire maintenance free living.  All of the homes are set within the tranquil setting of Iron Eagle golf course.

“The homes offer tremendous value in the market. An individual building one of these homes with all the expensive, high quality options could not build one of these homes for the price they are being offered at. This is a chance for people to take advantage of the efficiencies of building out an entire development at once” according to listing broker Mahaila Botts.

“We applaud Mayor Livingston, the City Council and Staff and the Chamber of Commerce for the foresight to implement the Shot in the Arm program.  If it hadn’t been for the Shot in the Arm program, this project wouldn’t be feasible” according to the developer, Ross Vogel of Heartland Housing Partners.

“It is such an exciting time to see residents move in, and the street become a neighborhood,” said Kirk Nichols of Nichols Consulting, the Project Superintendent.

Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Gary Person said he was “pleased to see new homes in this price range.” He added, “The community has needed a project such as this for a quite some time. Without question, Housing is the most critical component for meeting the work force demands of our existing employers, but is also the key to our future economic development success in North Platte and Lincoln County.”

Ty Lucas, Chief Lending Officer at NebraskaLand National Bank said “We were proud to team with Heartland Housing Partners on this project, these are high-quality homes in a fantastic location. It’s just great for the community all the way around.”

The 18-unit project is a collaboration between Heartland Housing Partners, NebraskaLand Bank and the City and Chamber of Commerce’s Shot in the Arm program.

The Nebraska Public Power District plans to issue approximately $120 million of fixed-rate, tax-exempt bonds, and approximately $60 million of fixed-rate, taxable bonds on Tuesday, October 18. The bond sale will include an order period for retail and institutional investors.

Proceeds from the tax-exempt bond sale will be used to finance the costs of generation and transmission capital additions to NPPD’s system and to refund a portion of Commercial Paper Notes. Proceeds from the taxable bond sale will be used to fund a portion of NPPD’s liability associated with its other post-employment benefits. Bond proceeds will also be used to pay financing costs.

It is currently anticipated that the bonds will be issued in $5,000 denominations or any integral multiple thereof.

NPPD has selected Morgan Stanley as its senior bond underwriter. Other underwriting firms include Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, Ameritas Investment Corp., D.A. Davidson & Co., Piper Jaffray & Co., RBC Capital Markets, and US Bancorp.

The tax-exempt bonds will be repaid over a 30-year period, and the taxable bonds will be repaid over an 18-year period. Individuals interested in purchasing the bonds should contact their broker or financial advisor.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A January trial has been scheduled for a 23-year-old man charged with vehicular homicide in Scotts Bluff County.

Court records say Josh Bolzer, of Mitchell, has pleaded not guilty to the homicide charge and to willful reckless driving and drunken driving. His trial is set to begin Jan. 3 in Gering.

Authorities say Bolzer was driving a truck early on Aug. 20 when it went out of control on U.S. Highway 26 on the west side of Mitchell. The truck stuck a utility pole, a tractor and a liquor store.

A passenger, 19-year-old Dereon Betancur, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other 19-year-old passengers were taken to a Scottsbluff hospital. Authorities say one of them reported that Bolzer had been driving 120 mph or more just before the crash.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A New York snack business is using Nebraska corn to create munchies from ingredients that haven’t been genetically modified.

BFY Brands recently rolled out its new line of snacks, including the triangular corn-based PopCorners.

All the corn to produce PopCorners is being grown on 59 Nebraska farms and milled by Bungee Limited in Crete before being shipped to processing facilities in New York.

BFY Brands CEO Paul Nardone says sourcing 20 million pounds of corn this year was challenging. Nardone says Bunge built a network of farmers, who earn a 20 to 25 percent premium for their corn.

U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows that only 8 percent of all corn acres planted nationally, and 5 percent in Nebraska, are non-GMO varieties.

*FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9:00AM ON 10/13/16*