LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new report says Nebraska’s unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a point to hit 2.5 percent in April, remaining the lowest rate in the nation.

The Nebraska Labor Department said in the report released Wednesday that the preliminary April rate is nine-tenths of a point under the April 2014 rate of 3.4 percent.

The new Nebraska figure remains well below the preliminary national unemployment rate of 5.4 percent in April. U.S. Labor Department figures say Nebraska was trailed by North Dakota at 3.1 percent and Utah at 3.4 percent.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say last week’s rainfall across much of the state delayed Nebraska farmers’ work in their fields.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that as of Sunday, 92 percent of the expected Nebraska corn crop had been planted, trailing the five-year average of 96 percent by the date. And just 59 percent of the expected soybean crop had been planted, compared with the five-year average of 73 percent and the 85 percent of last year.

However, 50 percent of the expected sorghum had been planted by Sunday, compared with the average of 41 percent.

The winter wheat condition was rated 14 percent very poor, 18 percent poor, 32 percent fair, 34 percent good and 2 percent excellent.

Today: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 9am. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
Tonight: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. South southeast wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. South southeast wind 6 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. South southeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. North wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

Authorities say the vehicle that two missing North Platte teens were in when it plunged into the South Platte River has been located.

According to Lincoln County Sheriff Jerome Kramer, divers were placed in a platform at around 6:00 p.m., on Tuesday, and lowered into the river where sonar equipment had located what was believed to be a vehicle.

Kramer said the divers were able to lower down directly on top of the object and confirm that it was the vehicle that was being driven by Lexi Wiezorek.

According to Kramer, divers reported that the vehicle was completely buried and “silted in,” but a small portion of the roof and the windshield were exposed.

Kramer said a small opening in an area of the windshield allowed the diver to reach inside the vehicle, and he reported that the inside of the vehicle was completely full of silt as well.

“There is no way to retrieve the vehicle from the water until we’re able to dig it out with heavy equipment when the water level recedes,” Sheriff Kramer said.

Chief Deputy Roland Kramer said because the vehicle is 98 percent covered in sand inside and out, any attempt to pull the vehicle out would be unsuccessful because of the weight.

Chief Deputy Kramer said the National Weather Service told them earlier in the week that they projected the river would recede by June 15, however, recent rains have likely extended that date.

Authorities say the exact location of the vehicle has been marked using GPS, and will also be marked by surveyors to ensure they can easily relocate it when the river levels recede.

Officials are asking the public to stay away from the search area, and say any violators will be arrested and charged with trespassing.

The crane used in today’s operation was provided by Simon Contractors and the platform, which weighed around 3,600 pounds, was constructed by TK’s Welding.

 

 

 

OMAHA, NE (May 27, 2015) – Nearly two-thirds of people injured or killed in a crash involving a teen driver are people other than the teen behind the wheel, according to a new report released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

In 2013 alone, 371,645 people were injured and 2,927 were killed in crashes on U.S. roadways that involved a teen driver. The national results are being released to coincide with the “100 Deadliest Days”, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when teen crash fatalities historically climb.

“Teen crash rates are higher than any other age group, and this data confirms that the impact of their crashes extend well beyond the teen who is behind the wheel,” said Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Since teens drive more during the summer than any other season, this insight is a timely reminder to everyone—drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists— to be mindful when sharing the roads with young drivers.”

The study analyzed data of police-reported crashes of drivers aged 15-19, from 1994-2013 and found that:

· While the overall number of teen crashes are down,the majority of people killed (66%) and injured (67%) in crashes involving a teen driver are people other than the teen themselves

· Nearly 50 percent of those injured were in another vehicle; 17 percent were in the teen driver’s car; and 2 percent were non-motorists (i.e., pedestrian, bicyclist)

· Nearly 30 percent of those killed were in another car, 27 percent were the teen’s passenger and ten percent were non-motorists (i.e., pedestrians, bicyclist)

AAA is promoting the study findings to raise attention among parents of teen drivers and all road users during the “100 Deadliest Days” period. Based on a AAA analysis of the government’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), in 2013, an average of 220 teen drivers and passengers died in traffic crashes during each of the summer months, a 43 percent increase compared to the rest of the year.

“Keeping teen drivers safe is the shared responsibility of parents, policy makers, other motorists, and obviously the teens themselves,” said Rose White, Traffic Safety Director for AAA Nebraska and The Auto Club Group. “We should be especially vigilant over the summer because the negative consequences of not doing so affect all of us.”

AAA has been a long term advocate on behalf of teen drivers and their families and has been a leader at the state level in advocating for the implementation and improvement of both graduated drivers licensing (GDL) laws and quality driver education programs. Additional data from this study point to the drop in overall crash rates for teen drivers that can be attributed to strong GDL legislation. In the last 20 years, non-fatal injury crashes and fatal crashes of teen drivers aged 15-19 decreased by 51 percent and 56 percent respectively. In comparison, crashes resulting in non-fatal injuries and fatalities, including but not limited to those involving teen drivers fell by 25 percent and 17 percent respectively.

“While great strides have been made to improve the safety of teen drivers over the past 20 years, motor vehicle crashes still remain the leading cause of death for drivers aged 15 to 19, so advocating on behalf of teen driver safety remains a top priority for AAA,” said White.

Tools to help parents prepare for the “100 Deadliest Days” of summer driving and other resources to coach teens through the learning-to drive process including a parent-teen driving agreement can be found on AAA’s award-winning website TeenDriving.AAA.com. Parents have found the online AAA StartSmart program to be particularly useful, helping them to quickly become effective in-car coaches, make informed decisions about access to a vehicle, and manage their teen’s overall driving privileges.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska drivers could receive refunds from the state on clean-burning fuel converters and pumps under a bill advanced by lawmakers.

Senators gave initial approval Tuesday to the incentives for companies and individuals that use vehicles which run on hydrogen fuel cells and liquefied petroleum.

Supporters compare clean-burning fuel alternatives to ethanol, which needed government support to jump-start its success. They say new infrastructure, production and fueling stations will likely follow the proposed $500,000 investment.

Opponents say a free market should regulate the expansion of natural gas for fuel, not the government.

The bill by Sen. Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha also includes rebates for purchasing or converting fuel pumps and cars to run on fuels with higher ethanol content.

The measure advanced on a 27-13 vote.

PENDER, Neb. (AP) — The hometown of the first casualty listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has been corrected, thanks to a Nebraska woman’s research.

Pat Schoenfelder looked forward to seeing a traveling replica of the memorial when it stopped in her hometown of Imperial, Nebraska, in April. Her interest also was piqued when she heard the first name listed was that of a Nebraskan. But Internet searches showed her that Army Maj. Dale Buis, who died July 8, 1959, was from Pender, Nevada. She could find no such place.

She found records that showed Buis was from Pender, Nebraska, and contacted The Virtual Wall website, which posts biographical information about the people listed on the memorial. The website now lists him as being from Nebraska.

A North Platte man is facing a felony theft charge after police say he was caught driving a stolen pickup on Monday morning.

At around 9:40 a.m., on May 25, an officer with the North Platte Police Department responded to a residence in the 2100 block of West 18th Street.

The officer met with a 55-year-old male who alleged that, during the overnight hours, someone had stolen his 1999 Ford F-350 pickup from his driveway.

A couple of hours later, police were notified that the pickup had been seen in the area of 13th and Madison Streets, by friends of the victim.

Police say the friends confronted the driver, 50-year-old Glen “Eugene” Leetch and a 33-year-old passenger.

Leetch and the other suspect allegedly fled on foot before being located in the area by officers.

Following further investigation, officers determined that there was probable cause to place Leetch under arrest and charge him with felony possession of stolen property.

He was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed.

According to police, the other suspect was questioned and released.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — Officials say more minor flooding is expected in North Platte and other parts of western and southern Nebraska.

The South Platte River measured 12 feet Monday on its North Platte gauge. Matt Masek of the National Weather Service says the river is expected to rise just above flood stage of 13 feet by late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Masek says heavy rainfall in the southern Nebraska Panhandle and in Colorado is causing the increase, and more rain is in the forecast.

Weather service warnings have been issued for minor flooding of the Platte River downstream in Brady, Kearney and Grand Island.