OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska education member is refusing to leave office despite a vote from his colleagues that called for his resignation after racist content appeared on his blog.

The Nebraska State Board of Education voted 6-2 on Wednesday for member Pat McPherson to resign. Top elected officials have called on McPherson to step down in response to repeated comments on his blog that referred to President Barack Obama as a “half-breed.”

McPherson has disavowed the posts and said he did not write them. He read a statement Wednesday saying he is not a racist, and will not allow the controversy to overturn an election.

The resolution approved by the board says the “storm of attention and outrage” over the posting is likely to continue and distract from its mission.

If there’s one thing we know about online hook-ups, it’s that they can go bad in a lot of ways.

That’s exactly what happened on Tuesday morning in North Platte.

At around 10:10 a.m., on January 27, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to the Motel 6, 1520 South Jeffers Street, on the report of a disturbance between a male and female.

Officers located the couple, a 36-year-old male from Easton, Pennsylvania, and 29-year-old Jesselyn Bond, of Valentine, in the parking lot of the motel.

According to officer Rodney Brown, the male stated that he and Bond had met on an online “hook-up” site and had been seeing each other for a few weeks.

The man told officers that, following an argument, Bond had taken his cell phone and refused to return it.  The victim said he then took Bond’s car keys, and contacted police.  Brown said Bond became agitated and began screaming at the victim.

Officers reported that, upon their arrival, Bond refused to comply with orders.  As they attempted to place her in restraints, Bond resisted and fought, causing injury to one of the officers.

She was eventually taken into custody and transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Bond has been charged with felony 3rd degree assault on an officer, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest and false reporting.

As of Wednesday morning, Bond was being held without bond.

 

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Animal welfare advocates are urging Nebraska lawmakers to oppose the governor’s reappointment of the state agriculture director.

Testifiers accused the department Tuesday of failing to enforce punishments against commercial breeders who mistreat dogs. Opponents posted a petition against the reappointment on the website change.org, which received nearly 4,000 signatures in less than a week.

Their comments came during a confirmation hearing for Greg Ibach, who was appointed as director in 2005. Gov. Pete Ricketts reappointed Ibach in December.

Nebraska Humane Society president Judy Varner says she supports the appointment, noting positive shifts in the department’s commitment toward neglected animals in the past year.

Representatives from the Nebraska Farm Bureau, the Nebraska Cattlemen and the Nebraska Farmers Union say Ibach has been cooperative and listens to their concerns.

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 63. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 11 to 16 mph increasing to 21 to 26 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. Blustery, with a north northwest wind 18 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 43. North northwest wind 13 to 18 mph decreasing to 7 to 12 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
• Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 20. Light and variable wind becoming south southeast 5 to 7 mph after midnight.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 48. South wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.
• Saturday: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
• Saturday Night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson is defending his state’s lawsuit against legalized marijuana in Colorado, saying he doesn’t want Colorado’s “failed experiment” to spill over into Nebraska.

The new Republican attorney general argued in a statement Tuesday that the decision by Colorado voters will cause long-term harm to Nebraskans.

Peterson’s predecessor in office, Jon Bruning, announced last month that Nebraska and Oklahoma were asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Colorado’s decision to allow recreational marijuana. Colorado has said it will fight the lawsuit.

Despite growing public support for legalizing marijuana, Peterson says Colorado’s decision has given rise to a multimillion-dollar “impairment industry” with products that are becoming more potent.

Peterson says Nebraska state officials now seize twice as much marijuana trafficked from Colorado as from Mexico and California.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is one step closer to creating new license plates that would recognize the state’s 150th anniversary.

A bill to allow the “Nebraska 150 Sesquicentennial” plates was sent to the full Legislature on Tuesday after a committee vote.

The measure by Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion would direct the state to design a new license plate to commemorate the anniversary in 2017.

Motorists could apply for the new plates between Oct. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2022. Those who choose the optional plate would pay a $70 annual fee, which would help generate money for anniversary events and the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Public Power District has settled on a final route for a new high-voltage power line that will cross several counties in the state’s environmentally sensitive Sandhills region.

The district announced the decision on Monday, saying it sent letters last week to landowners along the route as part of the district effort to obtain entry permission.

Some ranchers along the route say the line poses a threat to the Sandhills’ fragile ecosystem of grasses and dunes. NPPD says it’s working with landowners and a university grasslands expert to protect the land.

The transmission line will start at Gerald Gentleman power plant near Sutherland and go north to a new substation near Thedford and then east toward Holt County to a new substation that will connect into an existing transmission line.

A 22-year-old North Platte man is facing charges after he allegedly led police on a vehicle chase, through North Platte, early Tuesday morning.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, an officer was on patrol at around 1:50 a.m., on January 27, when they observed a silver Chrysler minivan traveling at a high rate of speed on 12th Street near Cottonwood Street.  The officer estimated the vehicle was traveling at around 60 mph.

The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the suspect, later identified as Markus Znaniecki, refused to comply.

Brown said Znaniecki went south on Poplar Street, west on 11th Street, though a stop sign on Walnut Street and north on Chestnut Street, before heading west down an alleyway between 9th and 10th Streets.

The suspect vehicle then struck a telephone pole, veered across the alley, onto a chain link fence, and eventually ended up in some trees behind a residence in the 300 block of East 10th Street.

The van became high-centered, according to Brown, and Znaniecki was taken into custody without further incident.

Znaniecki was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on charges of driving under the influence of liquor, willful reckless driving and felony operation of a motor vehicle to avoid prosecution.

Brown said there was extensive damage to the van.  Damage to the fence and trees was estimated to be over $500.

If you are into pageants and prom, or if you just like bling and pretty girls, the Quality Inn is the place to be this weekend.

Hirschfeld’s Prom Shoppe and the Miss Nebraska Organization are hosting the 2015 Crowns and Gowns event.

Organizers say the event will feature over 1,000 new prom dresses, from over 30 of the hottest designers.

Crowns and Gowns will also feature a high-intensity fashion show, featuring Miss Nebraska Contestants, on Saturday afternoon.  The fashion show is free to the public, and will feature a performance by Miss Nebraska 2014, Megan Swanson.

The Miss Nebraska Organization will be hosting an amazing line of pageant workshops, all weekend long, and the event will culminate with a pageant on Sunday afternoon.

The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., on Saturday January 31, and Sunday, February 1, at the Quality Inn and Suites, 2102 South Jeffers.

Schedule of Events

Saturday, January 31

• 8:00am-5:50pm: Headshots
• 8:30am-10:00am: Don Baker Workshop
• 10:00am-6:00pm: Shopping
• 11:00am-12:00pm: Modeling Workshop
• 1:30pm-2:30pm: Fitness and Nutrition Workshop
• 3:30pm: 4:00pm-Etiquette Workshop
• 7:30pm: Fashion Show Doors Open
• 8:00pm: Fashion Show

Sunday, February 1

• 10:00am-6:00pm: Shopping
• 2:00pm: Pageant

 

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 73. West wind 5 to 7 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. West wind 6 to 9 mph.
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 62. Breezy, with a northwest wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.
• Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. North northwest wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 43. North northwest wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
• Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 21.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 45.
• Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.