LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s governor and top prosecutor, who are vowing to see the executions of 10 death row inmates carried out, may find the federal government blocking any such attempt.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the state cannot legal import a drug needed to carry out lethal injection in Nebraska.

Gov. Pete Ricketts said Friday that he doesn’t plan to cancel the shipment of sodium thiopental. His comments came in the wake of the Nebraska Legislature’s vote this week repealing the death penalty over his veto.

As first reported by The Omaha World-Herald, the FDA says it has no indication that sodium thiopental has recently been imported into the U.S. by state officials.

FDA spokesman Jeff Ventura said Saturday the FDA would refuse to allow the drug into the U.S.

 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld a decision to return a baby to its biological parents, who had given up the child in 2013 to friends who could not have children of their own.

The couples had been friends. The biological couple, listed only as Teresa and Monty S. in the ruling, agreed to conceive a child for their friends, listed only as Rebecca and Jason W.

The adoption was to be “open,” meaning the biological parents would be allowed to be part of the child’s life. However, that agreement soon fell apart, and Teresa and Monty filed to invalidate the adoption.

In upholding the invalidation on Friday, the high court said that while Nebraska law allows for open adoptions of foster children, it does not allow open private adoptions.

• Christian Larsen Skov, 47, Hershey and Elizabeth Ann Johnson, 47, Hershey

 

• John Dale Reinhardt, 49, Berthoud CO and Barbara Jane Feaster, 50, Berthoud CO

 

• James Robert McKain, 22, North Platte and Emily Marie Quaney, 23, North Platte

 

• Bobby Lee Cahill, 21, North Platte and Kelsey Anne Petersen, 20, North Platte

 

• Aaron Scott Hopkins, 20, North Platte and Lacy Jay Beyer, 23, North Platte

 

• Justin Lee Erickson. 24, North Platte and Brandi Kay Dye, 24, North Platte

 

• Sean Andrew Balerud, 26, North Platte and Jennifer Marie Miles, 21, North Platte

 

• Matthew Lee Shields, 31, Sutherland and Haly Jo Trusty, 26, Sutherland

GERING, Neb. (AP) — Gering police are looking for a 24-year-old who’s accused of robbing his grandparents and tying them up in their basement.

An arrest warrant for Levi Hartman says he’s charged with felony robbery. Police Capt. Jason Rogers says John and Marsha Hegwood were robbed at their home around 1 p.m. Sunday by two men.

Marsha Hegwood says she was sprayed with pepper spray and saw that her grandson, Levi Hartman, was one of the men. The other man hasn’t been named. John Hegwood says the unidentified man knocked him down.

The Hegwoods were taken to their basement and tied up in chairs.

They say their two vehicles were stolen as well as $155 cash and two credit cards. One of the vehicles has been found.

Today: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 65. East northeast wind 6 to 16 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tonight: A chance of showers, mainly before 10pm. Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Breezy, with a north wind 16 to 21 mph decreasing to 7 to 12 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 70. North wind 6 to 8 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. East southeast wind around 7 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. South wind 9 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has appointed a new state chief information officer.

Ed Toner will start in the job on June 9, replacing current acting state CIO Brenda Decker.

Toner is the director of IT Global Information and Operations at First Data in Omaha. He previously worked at Ameritrade, the company where Ricketts served as an executive.

Toner holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University.

Ricketts says Toner’s private-sector experience will help state agencies find new innovations, efficiencies and cost savings.

Toner’s annual salary will be $170,000.

BRIDGEPORT, Neb. (AP) — Police say a western Nebraska bicyclist has died after being hit by a truck pulling a trailer.

The Nebraska State Patrol says 44-year-old Jason Kraeger, of Bridgeport, died Wednesday while riding his bike on Highway 385 near Bridgeport.

Kraeger was riding when he was hit by a truck driven by Santos Gomez, of Alliance. The truck was pulling a corn trailer.

Kraeger was pronounced dead at the scene. He was wearing a helmet.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln Electric System and other owners of a coal-fired power plant in Wyoming have settled their rates dispute with BNSF Railway.

The settlement terms haven’t been released.

The dispute began more than 10 years ago when the Missouri Basin Power Project, which owns the plant, and the coal supplier filed a complaint with the federal Surface Transportation Board, saying the railroad was gouging them on coal deliveries to the Laramie River Station. In 2009 the board awarded the project members $345 million in rate relief. BNSF appealed, and the dispute has since been argued before the board and in federal courts.

The plant produces power for about 2 million consumers in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.