LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) — A June sentencing has been scheduled for a 26-year-old man convicted for an exchange of gunshots with Lexington police.

Jose Covarrubias pleaded no contest and was convicted on four counts last week. A weapons charge was dropped in exchange for his pleas. He’ll be sentenced on June 29.

Police say officers checking on a disturbance on July 30 last year saw Covarrubias fire a handgun at a woman fleeing a house. The officers say he fired at their vehicles, and one officer returned fire before Covarrubias fled. A child was treated at a hospital for a minor injury from an apparent ricochet.

Authorities say Covarrubias was captured in September in Laredo, Texas, at the U.S.-Mexico border as he tried to return to this country.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government survey finds that public schools have beefed up school security measures with safety drills and parent notification systems in the years surrounding the massacre at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The uptick comes during a four-year span that saw an overall decrease in violent crime reported by schools, but one that included high-profile incidents such as the Newtown, Connecticut, shootings in December 2012.

The survey found that 88 percent of public schools had a written plan of how to respond to an active shooter, and that 7 out of 10 had drills to practice the plan. About three-quarters of schools reported using security cameras.

The findings come from the National Center for Education Statistics based on a survey of principals in the 2013-2014 school year.

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 63. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Southeast wind 7 to 10 mph.
Friday: Rain, mainly after 7am. High near 54. East southeast wind 8 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Friday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 48. East southeast wind 11 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 65. South southeast wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71.
Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Memorial Day: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.

After another full day of searching for Lexi Wiezorek and Noah Ramos, family members will wait another day before the search for their loved ones resumes.

Wiezorek and Ramos were driving on South River Road on Monday night when their vehicle left the washed-out roadway and plunged into the South Platte River.  They have not been seen since.

On Wednesday, volunteers, law enforcement, family members and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission scoured the river and its banks but again found no reported signs of the teens.

The Game and Parks Commission launched their sonar boat and reportedly located a “suspicious object” in the water.  However, due to decreasing daylight, rescuers were forced to delay their mission until Thursday.  Authorities say they were not able to identify what the object was, and the Post was not able to confirm the location of the object.

Members of the Lincoln County Dive Rescue Team plan to resume search activities on Thursday morning.

The North Platte Jaycees have been collecting supplies to support all involved in the search for Lexi and Noah and say food, water and paper supplies are their greatest needs at this point.

The Jaycees Hall is located at 10th and Willow Streets.

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Teens Missing After Driving Into South Platte River

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill to limit mandatory minimum sentences for crimes like robbery, assault on a police officer and certain drug offenses will not pass in the Nebraska Legislature this year.

The bill’s sponsor said Wednesday that he will not spend any more time on the bill this year because it lacks the support required to override an expected gubernatorial veto.

The measure by Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha has been touted as a way to reduce prison crowding.

But opponents say that proposed policy was not part of the Council of State Government’s recommendations to repair Nebraska’s corrections department. Gov. Pete Ricketts says the bill would compromise public safety.

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CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — A 25-year-old woman has been given jail time and probation for embezzling money when she worked for a Chadron real estate company.

Danielle Fry, of Bertrand, was sentenced on Tuesday in Dawes County District Court. Judge Travis O’Gorman gave her 180 days in jail, three years of probation and ordered Fry to pay $20,000 in restitution. Officials say Fry already has paid the restitution to Sandstone Real Estate.

Fry had pleaded no contest and was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of attempted felony theft. Prosecutors dropped three felony theft counts in exchange for her plea.

According to court documents, a CPA report says $56,500 was missing from Sandstone’s bank deposits over the period of January 2011 to January 2014.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has signed a new two-year budget that includes $408 million in state money for property tax reductions.

The Republican governor announced Wednesday that he approved the $8.7 billion package without vetoes. He says the budget met his goals of increasing property tax relief and slowing state spending increases.

The budget includes an increase in state aid for property tax reductions, education and prison expenses. The $408 million approved will go to Nebraska’s property tax credit fund, which uses state money to offset local property taxes.

Ricketts says he was pleased with the overall budget, calling it a good step toward sustainable tax relief.

Lawmakers approved the budget last week.

APRIL TRAFFIC FATALITY TOLL
16

During the month of April 2015, sixteen persons were killed in traffic crashes on Nebraska
roadways, according to data collected by the Nebraska Department of Roads.

 These 16 fatalities occurred in 13 crashes
 None of the 14 vehicle occupants killed were using safety belts
 None of the fatalities occurred on the interstate, five happened on non-interstate highways, and
eleven took place on local roads
 Fourteen of the fatalities occurred in rural locations
 Six of the fatalities were the result of single-vehicle run-off-road crashes, including five rollovers
 One of the fatalities was a motorcyclist
 One of the fatalities was a bicyclist
 One of the fatalities resulted from a collision with a train
 There were 19 fatalities in April of 2014
 Fifty-two of the 64 vehicle occupants killed so far during 2015 were not using safety belts

(Lincoln, Neb.)- Sworn members of the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) were honored during the 16^thAnnual Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Outstanding Law Enforcement Awards & Recognition ceremony.

The awards ceremony held Tuesday, May 19, in Lincoln recognized law enforcement officers who work daily to ensure Nebraska roadways are kept safe from drinking and drugged drivers.

According to the Nebraska office of Highway Safety, of the 225 fatalities recorded on Nebraska roads in 2014, 78 were alcohol related. That compares with 211 fatalities in 2013, 70 of which were alcohol related.

“I want to thank MADD for its recognition of our officers,” said Colonel Bradley Rice, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Collaboration with our public safety partners is a key to effective enforcement.  Working together we continue to raise awareness and provide education on the dangers of impaired driving.”

The Troopers listed below were honored by MADD for their commitment to keeping Nebraska communities and roads safe.

Troop A- Omaha	Adult DUI- Enforcement Individual Education-Individual	Trp. Eric Kauffman #683 Trp. Jason Morris #262
Troop B- Norfolk	MIP Enforcement Team MIP Enforcement Individual MIP Enforcement Individual Adult DUI Enforcement Individual Adult DUI Enforcement Team	Trp. Nicholas Bonney #49, Trp. Matthew Schmit #417 Trp. Bryan Wiggins #495 Sgt. Benjamin Brakenhoff #583 Trp. Tim Doggett #126 Sgt. Benjamin Brakenhoff #583, Trp. Bryan Wiggins #495
Troop D- North Platte	MIP Enforcement Individual Adult DUI Enforcement Individual Adult DUI Enforcement Individual	Trp. Tyler Schmidt #664 Trp. Bryan Walter #456 Trp. Justin Buhlke #12
Troop E- Scottsbluff	Traffic Enforcement Mobilization Team	Trp. Michael Cerny #680, Trp. Chris Baer #100, Trp. Troy Elliott #665,  Trp. Courtney Horak #234, Trp. Manny Jimenez #300, Trp. Sgt. Kevin Krzyzanowski #400, Trp. Cody Potthast #304
Headquarters Troop-Lincoln	Adult DUI Enforcement Individual Adult DUI Enforcement Individual Adult DUI Enforcement Team	Sgt. Michael Grummert #397 Trp. Kaleb Bruggeman #584 Trp. Kaleb Bruggeman #584. Trp. Daniel Clancy #54, Trp. Denny Frey #91, Sgt. Michael Grummert #397, Trp. John Lukesh #342, Trp. William Rowell #660

 

Today: A chance of rain and snow before 11am, then a slight chance of rain between 11am and 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. North northeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. North northeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 63. Calm wind becoming south southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph.
Friday: Rain likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 55. Southeast wind 8 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 66.
Saturday Night:Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.