BROWNSON, Neb. (AP) — Two tornadoes have been spotted on the ground in the southern Panhandle of Nebraska.
The National Weather Service says trained spotters and Cheyenne County officials reported the tornadoes between 2 and 2:20 p.m. Monday, about two miles south of Brownson.
No injuries have been reported, but one building was damaged.
The two initially have been classified as landspout tornadoes, which experts say usually are weaker and smaller than twisters that are associated with thunderstorm rotation.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Road planners are considering “super two” highways as ways to stretch Nebraska’s highway dollars.
The two-lane highways have wider shoulders and an extra passing lane every five miles or so.
Nebraska Roads Department engineers say the design could increase traffic flow at less than half the price of a new four-lane highway.
The department hasn’t yet announced where super twos might be used. State officials have encouraged communities to consider super twos as alternatives for lower-priority projects.
MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) — Officials expect a hangar project will be finished this year at McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport.
Airport officials say the new, six-bay hangar will help reduce a waiting list of about 10 aircraft owners interested in hangar space.
The city will be responsible for about 10 percent of the project cost, with the federal government picking up the remainder. The final cost could hit $640,000.
A man is in custody following a stabbing at a family party on Saturday night.
At around 10:45 p.m., deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office were informed that a man had been stabbed several times during an altercation at a residence at 29522 South Hershey Dickens Road, south of Hershey. It was reported that a female was driving the victim to Great Plains Health in North Platte.
Deputies met with the male victim who stated that he had been at a family party at the residence when he got into an argument with another male, identified as 24-year-old Miguel Zapata-Munoz, of Wallace.
The victim said that during the argument, Zapata-Munoz struck him in the head with a beer bottle then stabbed him several times, before leaving the scene.
Authorities say the victim was stabbed five times in the chest and torso.
Deputies and troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol were able to locate Zapata-Munoz in Wallace and take him into custody.
He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony first-degree assault and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony.
According to investigators, the victim’s injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.
HOLDREGE, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Patrol says a 35-year-old man died in a crash in south-central Nebraska.
Joshua Odell was pronounced dead at the scene of the single-vehicle crash early Saturday southeast of Holdrege.
The state patrol says Odell was alone in a pickup truck headed west on County Road 727 about 2:45 a.m. when the vehicle entered a ditch and rolled several times.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s Capitol will have a new look by the time the state celebrates its 150th birthday next year, and party planners hope to bring the festivities to as many residents as possible.
With less than a year until the March 1 anniversary of Nebraska’s statehood, crews are showing progress on construction projects to spruce up the Capitol and the surrounding area. For those who live far from Lincoln, organizers of the sesquicentennial are planning a series of events and programs that will take place throughout the state.
The Capitol is expected to have four new fountains in place before the celebration begins. A celebration is also planned in the newly renovated Centennial Mall in Lincoln.
SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Scotts Bluff County filed by the mother of a jail guard strangled by a 15-year-old inmate.
Julie Baszler filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in North Platte a year ago after efforts to reach a settlement with the county failed.
Baszler’s daughter, Amanda Baker, was 24 when she was strangled by then-15-year-old Dylan Cardeilhac in 2014.
Baszler’s lawsuit points to inaction by Baker’s supervisor to try to resuscitate her after finding her unconscious. The supervisor was later fired.
In dismissing the lawsuit Tuesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp said the Constitution doesn’t guarantee government employees minimal levels of safety or security in the workplace or against wrongful conduct of private actors.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 3 million spill-proof cups for children between 4 and 12 months old are being recalled by Mayborn USA because of the risk of mold that could cause sickness.
Ingestion of the mold can cause gastrointestinal symptoms and infections in those with compromised immune systems. Mayborn has received more than 3,000 reports of mold in the removable, one-piece, opaque valve of the cups, including 68 reports of children experiencing diarrhea, vomiting or other symptoms associated with drinking from a cup with mold in the valve.
This recall involves five types of spill-proof Tommee Tippee Sippee cups, all with a removable, one-piece white valve. Consumers should stop using them and contact Mayborn for a free replacement.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Seven men have applied to fill a vacancy on the Nebraska Supreme Court.
A public hearing of the Judicial Nominating Commission will be held in the York County Courthouse on June 1 to review all applicants. The public is welcome to attend.
The applicants are attorneys David Bargen, of Adams, and Michael Sullivan, of Hastings. The others are judges, including Daniel Bryan, of Auburn; Michael Burns, of Sutton; Jeffrey Funke, of Nebraska City, Bradley White, of Omaha; and Mark Young, of Grand Island.
The vacancy is due to the retirement of Justice William Connolly.
