LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An attempt to ship lethal injection drugs from India to Nebraska was thwarted several weeks ago when the items were flagged because they didn’t have proper papers.

Department of Correctional Services spokesman James Foster said Thursday that the supplier tried unsuccessfully to ship the drugs via FedEx late last month.

The Department of Correctional Services spent more than $54,000 to buy the drugs from Chris Harris, a distributor in India, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said they can’t be imported. Nebraska hasn’t executed an inmate since 1997, and the state currently lacks two of the three drugs required for its protocol.

FedEx’s online tracking page says the shipment was flagged because of “improper or missing international paperwork,” and was returned Sept. 4.

North Platte Post News Director Scott Carlson sat down with Mark Elworth, Jr. of the Nebraska Marijuana Party to discuss the movement to legalize the medical and recreational use of marijuana in Nebraska.

https://soundcloud.com/eagleradio-1/mark-elworth-jr-marijuana-party-of-nebraska-podcast-with-intro

A pursuit that started in Wyoming ends in Nebraska after troopers use stop sticks to disable the vehicle.

Just after 3:00 p.m., (MDT), Nebraska law enforcement was alerted by the Wyoming Highway Patrol that they had discontinued a pursuit of a 2005 gray Explorer at the state line. The driver of the vehicle who was believed to be armed was wanted on a warrant out of Laramie County for Stalking.

The vehicle entered Nebraska eastbound on I-80 where the Kimball County Sheriff’s Office and the Kimball Police Department picked up the pursuit.

At approximately 3:20 pm, three miles west of Potter, the Nebraska State Patrol took over the pursuit. Troopers successfully deployed two sets of stop sticks flattening tires on the vehicle. Just west of Sidney the vehicle went into the median, crossed the westbound lanes and ended up in the north ditch.

The driver failed to respond to commands to exit the vehicle. A portion of westbound I-80 near the vehicle was closed as troopers continued to try and contact the driver.  Approximately 45 minutes after the pursuit ended, the driver, identified as Joseph Mladenik, 40, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, exited the vehicle and was taken into custody without incident.

Mladenik, who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, was transported to a hospital in Sidney for observation. Once released, he was lodged in the Scottsbluff County Jail on charges to include Felony Flight to Avoid Arrest, 4^th Offense DUI, and Carrying a Concealed Weapon.

The Nebraska State Patrol was assisted by the Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office and the Sidney Police Department.

CAMBRIDGE, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating accusations of hazing by Cambridge Public Schools students at a summer wrestling camp in Hastings.

The district says two students came forward with complaints. The specifics of their allegations have not been released.

Superintendent Robert Gregory says the district is cooperating with the patrol investigation. No arrests have been reported.

LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a small plane has crashed into an alfalfa field about a mile from the Lexington airport.

The plane went down around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday. Emergency responders say one of the two people in the single-engine Piper may have suffered a minor head injury.

The names of those on board and other information about the crash have not been released.

The crash is being investigated.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new federal report says the proportion of Nebraska residents without health insurance dropped below 10 percent last year.

The census report released Wednesday says 9.7 percent of residents were uninsured in 2014, down from 11.3 percent the previous year.

David Drozd of the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Center for Public Affairs Research says the decline was small compared to the rest of the nation because the state’s uninsured rate was already low. The national uninsured rate declined from 13.3 percent in 2013 to 10.4 percent last year.

The U.S. Census Bureau says the rate dropped more in states that have expanded Medicaid coverage under the federal health care law. Nebraska has opted against the expansion.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts is headed to China for the next leg of his trade mission to meet with business and government leaders.

Ricketts began the trip in Japan, where he met with company officials who have opened production facilities in Nebraska.

The governor said Wednesday that he has met with Itochu, Japan’s second-largest trading company; Kewpie, a food product company with facilities in Norfolk, David City and Ravenna; and Kawasaki, which employs more than 2,000 people in Lincoln.

Ricketts says many of the talks have focused on vocational training. In China, Ricketts says he plans to talk about the center pivot industry.

Jack Schreiner, the president of the Hastings-based Bruckman Rubber Co., says the trip has helped his mid-sized business gain a foothold in international markets.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A band instructor at Kearney High School is recruiting students to help fill the need for buglers at military funerals.

Rick Mitchell discovered the shortage after performing at military funerals for several years. Often times a recorded version of taps is played at a funeral, but he believes veterans deserve better.

When Mitchell is unable to attend military funerals, he asks two of his students, Caleb Hardy and Bailey Premer, to step up to the task.

Mitchell says he’s impressed with the students because they play well under pressure and handle the duty with professionalism.

Both students say performing taps isn’t difficult, but sometimes it’s hard to manage the emotions that come with performing the funerals.