A 24-year old McCook man has died after taking his own life following a pursuit.

Just before 11:00 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 27, a trooper attempted to stop a 1991 Chevy Blazer for speeding at the Highway 6/34 Junction near Culbertson in Hitchcock County. The vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit ensued.

The pursuit, which lasted approximately 18 minutes, traveled back roads in and around Culbertson. The pursuit ended near the intersection of Colorado & Warsaw Streets in Culbertson when the suspect stopped the vehicle and took off on foot.

A perimeter was established and a search for the suspect began. Just before 1:00 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 28, authorities made entry into a camper at 808 Wyoming Street in Culbertson. Inside they found the suspect with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. A .22 caliber handgun was recovered from the scene.

The suspect, identified as Cody A. Lienemann, 24, of McCook, was flown by medical helicopter to the McCook Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Nebraska State Patrol was assisted by the Hitchcock County Sheriff’s Office.

Nebraska law requires a grand jury be convened anytime someone dies while in custody or in the process of apprehension.

A North Platte man has been booked on felony assault charges after he allegedly assaulted his pregnant ex-girlfriend.

At around 7:43 p.m., on December 27, North Platte Police met with a female on the report of a domestic assault that ocurred at a residence in the 1400 block of West 4th Street.

The female told officers that she and her ex-boyfriend, Matthew Plunk, had become engaged in a verbal argument earlier in the day.  At one point, the victim alleged that Plunk grabbed her and pushed her several times.  Police say the female, who is pregnant, had bruises that were consistent with her allegations.

Officer began actively searching for Plunk and located him at a residence in the 400 block of East 12th Street.  As an officer attempted to place handcuffs on Plunk, he allegedly pulled away and physically resisted attempts to place him under arrest.

Plunk was eventually arrested and transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.

He was charged with felony domestic assault, because the female is pregnant, and resisting arrest.

• Jake Sheridan Blackburn, 27, North Platte and Alexa Ann Smidt, 25, North Platte

• Ryan Steven McQuillin II, 20, Killeen TX and Brooke Ashley Gibson, 22, North Platte

• William John Peers, 23, Pahrump NV and Rachel Mae Micheel, 22, North Platte

SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) — Uncertainty about the future of Cabela’s is creating financial challenges for a new aquatic center under construction in Sidney.

The city’s bonding agency, Ameritas Investment Corp., has declined to sell bonds to finance the $5.4 million aquatic center under construction.

Interim City Manager Geri Anthony says the agency cited concerns about whether the retail giant will remain headquartered in Sidney.

Mayor Mark Nienheuser says U.S. Bank in Lincoln had agreed to underwrite a $4 million loan via a 15-year note at an interest rate of 2.9 percent. Under the terms of the loan, the city would make annual payments of about $381,000 a year and a balloon payment of $1.8 million in 2023.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraskans are being reminded about the importance of monitoring carbon monoxide levels in their homes during the winter.

North Western Energy recommends purchasing a carbon monoxide detector with backup battery power to help keep everyone in the home safe.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that can be deadly if it’s allowed to build up inside a home or office.

The utility also recommends having gas furnaces inspected annually to detect any problems early.

The top 10 Nebraska stories of 2015, as voted by Associated Press newspaper and broadcast members:

1. DEATH PENALTY: Nebraska lawmakers abolish the state’s death penalty in a landmark vote with support from conservatives who came to oppose the punishment for religious, practical or financial reasons. The vote galvanizes death penalty supporters who launch a successful ballot drive to place the issue on next year’s general election ballot.

2. KEYSTONE XL: President Barack Obama rejects a presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that would have cut through Nebraska on its way to Texas Gulf Coast refineries.

3. GAY MARRIAGE-NEBRASKA: A federal judge strikes down Nebraska’s ban on gay marriage and civil unions as unconstitutional in March, prompting the state to appeal. But the ban — one of the most restrictive in the nation — is ultimately overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court’s finding in June that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States.

4. PRISON RIOT: A riot at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution leaves two inmates dead and four others injured and causes widespread damage.

5. OMAHA OFFICER KILLED: Omaha police officer Kerrie Orozco was one day away from going on maternity leave to care for the daughter she had delivered prematurely three months earlier when she is shot and killed in May.

6. HUSKER FOOTBALL: Nebraska goes 5-7 in Mike Riley’s first regular season as head football coach, the Cornhuskers’ first losing season since Bill Callahan’s 2007 team had the same record.

7. CONAGRA CHANGES: ConAgra Foods announces plans to move its headquarters to Chicago from Omaha, eliminate 1,500 office jobs and unload roughly two-thirds of the company by selling a division that makes store-brand food and spinning off its frozen potatoes business.

8. FRACKING WATER DISPOSAL: State regulators approve a disposal well that will let a Colorado energy company discard oil and natural gas wastewater underground in northwest Nebraska. The decision prompts state lawmakers to re-examine the state’s oil and natural gas regulations, which critics say are too lax.

9. FUEL TAX: Nebraska motorists will pay higher taxes at the gas pump to cover road and bridge repairs under a law passed over Gov. Pete Ricketts’ objections.

10. BIRD FLU: The bird flu sweeps through farms in the Midwest in the spring, and roughly 48 million birds either die from the virus or are euthanized to prevent its spread. Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska lose the most birds.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska residents earning the minimum wage will get a raise to $9 an hour when the new year begins, and farmers, businesses and zoos will get new tax breaks.

Eight state laws passed during this year’s legislative session will go into effect on Friday, as well as the final phase of the minimum wage ballot measure approved by voters in November 2014.

Among the new laws is a property tax exemption aimed at the Woodmen of the World Insurance Society in Omaha and a sales tax break for Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo and the Riverside Discovery Center in Scottsbluff.

Farmers and business owners will also be able to claim exemptions on tangible personal property, such as farm equipment and factory machines.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — State officials are now taking applications for a new Nebraska license plate that prominently features corn.

The specialty license plates will be produced if the state receives at least 500 applications for them with payment.

The Nebraska Corn Growers Association developed the license plates with a large ear of corn in front of a field ready to be harvested.

The trade group’s president Larry Mussack says the license plates show support for Nebraska’s top crop and for farmers.

The specialty license plates cost $70 in addition to the normal licensing fees for a vehicle.