OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska State Patrol troopers will put in more hours on state roads this St. Patrick’s Day to be on the lookout for drunken drivers.

The patrol says it received a more than $5,000 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety to pay for the enhanced enforcement.

The effort will run for all of Tuesday.

Those wanting to report suspected impaired drivers may call 911 or the Nebraska State Patrol Highway Helpline at (asterisk)55 from any cellular phone or 1-800-525-5555 from any landline.

LEWELLEN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is no longer considering Ash Hollow State Historical Park in western Nebraska as a site for an all-terrain vehicle park.

The decision came after the commission met with Garden County leaders and listened to the concerns of the public.

The commission is still interested in developing an ATV park, possibly in the Lake McConaughy region, as well as other parts of the state. It will continue to seek public input while other sites are considered.

The commission applied for and received grant funding for an ATV park at Ash Hollow through the Recreational Trails Program, but those grant program funds can be applied to other projects.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A charge against a Tennessee woman has been reduced after she testified in her former boyfriend’s attempted second-degree murder trial in Kearney.

22-year-old Ashley Dominguez, of Antioch, Tennessee, was placed on a two-year probationary term Friday following her testimony in the trial of 24-year-old Evan Swenson, of Nashville, Tennessee. Dominguez entered a plea deal to reduce her felony accessory charge to an attempted accessory felony charge in exchange for her testimony.

Swenson is charged with attempted second-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony in connection with the shooting of 31-year-old Gerard Vinett in November. Vinett was wounded in the shooting, but was released from the hospital.

Authorities say Dominguez sat nearby as Swenson shot Vinett twice.

• Adam Brian Crow, 35, North Platte and Amanda Ann Fonseca, 35, North Platte

 

• William Seth Stalvey, 27, Omaha NE and Alisha Lee Harrington, 25, Omaha NE

 

• Andrew Timothy Montag, 54, Oklahoma City OK and Tammy Ann Dunham, 53, North Platte

 

• Mark Christopher Matson, 37, North Platte and Jamie Lou Frye, 34, North Platte

 

• Levi John Bahe, 23, Gothenburg and Shelby Lynn McClellen, 20, Moorefield

 

• Steven Tyler Seamann, 22, Maxwell and Chelsea Ann Bornsen, 21, North Platte

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Two women have escaped unharmed from a fire that heavily damaged a house in Scottsbluff.

The blaze was reported around 1:45 p.m. Thursday.

Charlene Bernhardt owns the home, and she says she and her daughter-in-law were inside when they heard “a loud sound, like something exploded.” Scottsbluff Fire Chief Dana Miller says the fire appears to have started in the rear of the structure in a carport area. A neighboring house also was damaged.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Flames fanned by brisk winds in low humidity have blackened fields in several parts of Nebraska.

On Thursday firefighters battled blazes west of Grand Island in south-central Nebraska, as well as in Antelope, Colfax and Madison counties on the east side of the state. One of the fires near Grand Island stopped just west of some homes in a subdivision.

No injuries have been reported.

On Friday the National Weather Service issued hazardous weather outlooks that warned of the continuing fire danger.

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Breezy, with a north wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. North wind 6 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 69. Light and variable wind becoming south southwest 6 to 11 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33. South wind around 10 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Southwest wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.

 

Longtime North Platte radio personality, Tony Lama, has joined the staff of Employee-owned Eagle Communications, 1301 East 4^th Street.  He will begin duties as host of the Q Country Morning Show on Q Country FM 107.3on Monday, March 16^th.

Lama’s most recent hosting was on the Morning Show at KXNP-FM (KX104) in North Platte.

In a statement released today, Eagle’s Regional Nebraska Manager, Jerome Gilg, said “Tony Lama will be a very welcome addition to the solid Q Country lineup, which includes Brother B, and Bobby Knight.”

Gilg stated that Lama had indicated it was time to get back on the radio airwaves, and that Q Country was able to add him to the talented lineup of on-air personalities.

“The Q Country music lineup is North Platte’s new Country music”, Q-Country General Manager Lewys Carlini said.  “We want our listeners to love our sound, and find ‘a home’ here”.  Carlini added, “Tony Lama is a very talented performer who has the best interests of his listeners and our community at heart. I invite everyone to tune in Monday through Friday from 5am to 10am and experience that for themselves”.

Eagle Communications is a comprehensive employee-owned communications company headquartered in Hays, Kansas.

The corporation’s holdings include Radio, Cable TV Systems, Electronic Billboards and Digital news and entertainment platforms, such as North Platte Post.com.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Couples who want to marry in Nebraska will soon pay an extra $10 under a bill signed into law.

Gov. Pete Ricketts approved a bill Thursday that will increase the cost of marriage license fees from $15 to $25. Certified copies will rise in cost from $5 to $9.

The original bill would have raised the cost to $50 before lawmakers compromised at $25.

The Nebraska Association of County Officials says the $15 fee did not cover the costs of filing a marriage license and verifying the information.

The law will go into effect three months after the current legislative session ends.

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — A 25-year-old woman is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19 after making a plea deal on charges that she stole thousands of dollars from her employer in western Nebraska.

Online court records say Danielle Fry, of Bertrand, pleaded no contest on Tuesday and was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of attempted felony theft. Prosecutors dropped three felony theft counts.

Court documents say a representative of Sandstone Real Estate in Chadron contacted the Nebraska State Patrol in February 2014 and reported that he thought a former employee had embezzled from his business. Fry worked at Sandstone from August 2009 until Dec. 12, 2013. According to the documents, a CPA report said $56,500 was missing from Sandstone’s bank deposits over the period of January 2011 to January 2014.