LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a former Broken Bow man has been imprisoned for lying about a sex assault conviction to housing officials.

The office of U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg (gihlg) says in a news release that Robert Tipton Jr. was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln to two years in prison.

The release says Tipton and his girlfriend applied for public housing in Broken Bow in February 2014. The application was checked “no” to a question of whether anyone in the household had ever been convicted of a crime. He signed the application and attested to its accuracy.

The prosecutors’ release says Tipton was convicted in 2001 in Garfield County, Colorado, of felony sexual assault of a child. Federal regulations bar sex offenders from living in public housing.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Open showers in school locker rooms are going to the wayside as Nebraska schools build more private stalls.

The trend of phasing out gang-style showers began decades ago. Today, it could ease privacy concerns of critics who oppose allowing transgender students to use the locker rooms of their choice.

With an increasing number of private showers and students who say they don’t shower at school, the likelihood students will have encounters decreases.

In recent years, at least two Nebraska high schools — in Crete and Elkhorn — and one middle school in the Papillion-La Vista district were built with only private stalls. Kearney’s new high school recently opened with a combination of private stalls and communal showers.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In some parts of the U.S., the thrill rides that whirl kids around are checked by state inspectors before customers climb on. But in other places, they aren’t required to get the once-over.

A boy’s death on a Kansas water slide and a Ferris wheel accident that injured three girls in Tennessee have focused attention on what experts call an alarming truth: Regulation varies greatly by state.

The industry has lobbied against federal oversight for decades. The Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn’t regulate rides at permanent parks. It oversees only traveling carnival rides. Even then, federal investigators respond only after accidents.

Whether a ride has to be inspected before thrill-seekers hop on depends on what state it’s in. Mississippi, Alabama, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah have no laws at all requiring inspections.

Law enforcement officials in Buffalo County have made several arrests as part of a narcotics investigation.

On Saturday, August 20, 2016, a search warrant was executed at 1602½ East 16th Street, in Kearney.

Following an investigation regarding methamphetamine distribution; approximately ¾ of a pound (289 grams) of suspected methamphetamine, along with items consistent with drug distribution including US currency, weapons, surveillance equipment, marijuana, TCH concentrate, and hydrocodone were seized from the location.

Jovani Jacobo, of Kearney, (DOB 5/12/89) was jailed for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute along with an outstanding Buffalo County Warrant for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Brandon Benhan of Kearney (DOB 8/22/90), Monica Cash of Kearney (DOB 4/23/93), and Danielle Hilker of Cambridge (DOB 2/14/94) were all jailed for possession of methamphetamine. Hilker was also jailed for a Buffalo County Warrant for Failure to Appear.

The search warrant was executed by the Kearney Police Department/Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Service Unit along with cooperating agencies: South Central Nebraska Safe Street Drug Task Force, Homeland Security, and the Nebraska State Patrol.

The Villages of Sutherland and Hershey will be spraying for mosquitoes on Tuesday, August 23rd, or Wednesday, August 24th, weather permitting, between the hours of 8 pm and midnight.

Officials ask all residents to turn off their window air conditioners or fans, close all windows, empty pet dishes and bring pets inside during this time.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is one of the nation’s first states to take advantage of a new federal training program designed to improve relationships between officers and their communities.

Agencies including the Nebraska State Patrol and the Omaha and Lincoln police departments have already started running officers through the Blue Courage program with help from a federal grant. Gov. Pete Ricketts and law enforcement leaders touted the program during a news conference Monday at the Capitol.

The U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance has provided assistance for the program in Nebraska, Washington state, Arizona and Baltimore County, Maryland.

Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center Director Bill Muldoon says the program is designed to reduce cynicism among officers, remind them of their impact on communities and emphasize a commitment to public service.

The names of the three people killed when two semis collided on Interstate 80 near Hershey in Lincoln County on Sunday, August 21 have been released.

Killed in the crash were Hieu Trung Le (M), 56, San Jose, Calif., Duy Trong Dao (M), 31, Sacramento, Calif., and Zurabi Mdzeluri (M), 37, Brooklyn, New York.

The crash occurred just before 6:30 p.m., Sunday, when an eastbound semi hauling produce crossed the median and struck a westbound semi hauling cars head-on, before sideswiping a passenger vehicle. The semi hauling cars came to rest in the ditch, with the other semi coming to rest blocking the westbound lanes of I-80.  Both semis caught fire and were engulfed in flames.

The driver of the eastbound semi, Hieu Trung Le, and a passenger in the semi, Duy Trong Dao were both killed in the crash as was the driver of the westbound semi, Zurabi Mdzeluri. All three died at the scene. No-one in the passenger vehicle was injured.

The crash closed a portion of westbound I-80 for approximately six hours. The investigation into the crash continues.

Three people are dead after a Sunday evening crash on Interstate 80, just east of the Hershey exit.

At around 6:30 p.m., law enforcement and emergency personnel responded to an injury accident at Mile Marker 166, two miles east of the Hershey exit.

According to witness reports, a semi was traveling eastbound when it crossed the median and collided head-on with a westbound semi.  The crash caused a fiery explosion that could be seen from North Platte.

The Nebraska State Patrol says three people were killed as a result of the crash but did not release any more details. A car was also involved in the accident but only sustained minor damage. Its occupants were not injured.

The crash forced the closure of I-80 from North Platte to Sutherland.

The Patrol says the crash remains under investigation.  We will have additional details when they are available.