KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — The director of Nebraska’s Agriculture Department will keep his job in the next state administration.
Gov.-elect Pete Ricketts announced Monday night at the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federal convention in Kearney that he’d retain the services of Greg Ibach (EYE’-bah). Gov. Dave Heineman first appointed Ibach to the post in June 2005.
Ibach also runs a cow/calf and grain operation near Sumner in central Nebraska.
North Platte Police are investigating the death of a 21-year-old North Platte woman.
At around 5:45 a.m., on December 8, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to a residence in the 3600 block of Timothy Court, on the report of a death.
Officers learned that the body of Taylor McGlothlin had been discovered on the bathroom floor by her mother.
According to Officer Rodney Brown, paramedics responded to the scene, but McGlothlin was already deceased.
Brown said it appears the death was accidental.
No further details were released.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A prison group is helping Native American inmates keep ties with their culture and connect them to former members who have been incarcerated.
The Native American Spiritual and Cultural Awareness club, or NASCA, held a two-hour powwow for members Monday at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.
The group’s chairman says the powwow, in which inmates danced around a drum and sang in unison, helps rehabilitate inmates. Inmates value their time around the drum.
Ron Sun Bear, an Oglala Lakota, is now serving two drug sentences and says NASCA has been helping him stay connected to his culture.
McCOOK, Neb. (AP) — A southwest Nebraska man who stole a semitrailer and called 911 after he got it stuck in a ditch has been sentenced to prison.
39-year-old Dwayne Hines of Palisade was sentenced to four to six years after pleading guilty to a theft charge. He stole the semitrailer from Karrer Park in September and told a witness he was going to drive it to Texas.
Authorities say he drove it more than 20 miles north before he got the vehicle stuck and called 911.
He tells deputies he was kidnapped by someone who stole a truck.
A 22-year-old North Platte man has been charged with a felony after a dispute in the parking lot of a local fast food restaurant.
A November 29, at around 12:05 p.m., an officer with the North Platte Police Department received a complaint from a 22-year-old male, who alleged that Colby Dewey had assaulted him and a 25-year-old female.
The victim claimed that they had been in the parking lot of Taco Johns, 1216 East 4th Street, when they were approached by Dewey.
According to Officer Rodney Brown, the victim stated that Dewey attacked him, but the victim was able to fend him off.
At some point, Brown said both the victim and Dewey drew knives, but police do not believe the knives were used in the assault.
Brown said a 25-year-old female then exited the restaurant and approached Dewey as he was seated in his vehicle.
Dewey allegedly forcefully pushed the door open, causing injury and pain to the female’s arm.
Officers located Dewey later that night, after he admitted himself to the Behavioral Health Unit at Great Plains Health, but did not place him under arrest.
On December 8, officers located Dewey at a residence in the 400 block of North Ash.
Dewey was arrested and transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center, and jailed on charges of felony 2nd degree assault and 3rd degree mutual assault.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Images of Nebraska’s landscapes, monuments and people are now available on a state tourism YouTube page.
The videos and photos were shot by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Bill Frakes and Laura Heald of Straw Hat Visuals. Both joined forces with the Nebraska Tourism Commission to work on the project.
The team crisscrossed the state several times over to film different parts of Nebraska, from Husker football tailgates in Lincoln to an all-night shoot in Toadstool Geologic Park in the northwest part of the state.
The Nebraska Tourism Commission works to expand the state’s travel and tourism industries.
Online: www.VisitNebraska.org
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The number of Christmas tree farms has dwindled in Nebraska and elsewhere across the nation.
Fewer people are establishing new Christmas tree farms, while current owners are retiring and selling their property to land developers.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture, the number of Nebraska acres for Christmas tree production decreased from nearly 1,100 in 2002 to almost 650 in 2012.
National numbers also have seen a similar decrease. In 2002, the federal agency reported about 14,700 producers harvesting almost 21 million trees. In 2012, almost 13,000 producers harvested about 17 million trees.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are unveiling plans to improve the quality of education for roughly 60,000 juveniles confined in youth detention centers.
The pair on Monday toured a school for confined youth in Northern Virginia. They say improving the quality of education for all offenders — but particularly younger ones — has proven to be one of the best methods for preventing returns to prison.
The new policy sets guiding principles for improving education for young people in correctional facilities and emphasizes the states’ obligations for educating students with disabilities there. It also clarifies that juveniles in correctional facilities may be eligible for federal Pell Grants if they meet other criteria.
The program is an outgrowth of President Barack Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative.
Walgreens is testing a new telemedicine service that lets patients see a doctor without leaving home or even visiting any of the drugstore chain’s clinics.
The Deerfield, Illinois, company says patients in California or Michigan can contact a physician around the clock through Walgreen’s mobile application for smartphones or tablet computers.
The visits cost $49, and doctors can diagnose and treat conditions like pink eye that don’t require a physical exam. They also can write prescriptions.
Walgreens is the nation’s biggest drugstore chain, with more than 8,200 locations.
Walgreens and other drugstore chains have been increasing their health care offerings. Walgreens runs 420 in-store clinics, and company officials say they believe the app will help build brand loyalty.
Health insurers like Anthem and hospital groups also offer virtual doctor visits.
COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — An organization known for its work with troubled children in Nebraska is seeking to expand community-based services across the state.
Dave Reed, central Nebraska director for Boys Town, says there’s still a need for the quality residential care for participating children with behavioral, emotional and academic issues. The organization opened a Columbus office last November to increase the number of kids served in their own homes and communities.
About 90 percent of the Omaha area children served by Boys Town stay in their communities. He says the goal is to continue that trend across the state so participating kids aren’t forced to stay in group homes during care.
Reed says the organization is expected to help more than 1,000 kids next year.
