GIBBON, Neb. (AP) — Two people have been injured in a house fire in the south-central Nebraska city of Gibbon.
Firefighters were dispatched to the house around 11 p.m. Friday. Officials say the fire started in a garage and spread to the rest of the house.
Two people were taken to a Kearney hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
The fire cause is being investigated.
A 22-year-old woman is dead and a 28-year-old male has been hospitalized following a fatal crash in North Platte Monday morning.
At around 4:30 a.m., officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to a one-vehicle accident near Griffith and East Philip Avenue.
According to Officer Rodney Brown, an investigation revealed that a 2000 Chevy S-10 pickup, driven by Alizebeth Moreau, was eastbound on Philip, traveling at around 48 mph.
Brown said an officer on patrol observed the pickup pass another vehicle near Belmont Street.
The pickup was then observed attempting to make a wide turn north onto Griffith Street, where it left the roadway and struck a tree on the corner of Griffith and Philip Streets.
Brown said officers on the scene aided with medical attention to Moreau and a male passenger.
Moreau was pronounced dead at the scene.
The male, Jeffrey LeGrand, of Lemont Illinois, was transported to Great Plains Health. His condition is unknown.
The accident remains under investigation.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraskans will have another chance to see the variety in their state’s landscape from above.
NET Television is planning to rebroadcast an hourlong special that features aerial footage shot from a helicopter.
The “Nebraska Land & Sky” special will air Wednesday night at 8 p.m. and repeat at midnight.
NET executive producer Joe Turco says the show offers viewers an amazing view of Nebraska, including rugged landscapes in the Panhandle, vast prairie and cropland and cities.
The footage was shot by a British aerial videography company called Skyworks.
A 24-year-old North Platte man is facing multiple charges after he allegedly threatened several people with a gun a a local sports bar.
At around 11:20 p.m., on November 27, North Platte Police responded to the report of a male subject threatening others with a gun at Wild Bill’s Wings and Bowling, 1100 South Jeffers.
Upon arrival, a group of customers at the restaurant alleged that they had gotten into an argument with Julius Reed.
They told officers that Reed had left the restaurant, then returned, brandished a handgun and threatened them.
According to police, Reed then left and, as he drove away, fired a single round into a Chevy Impala he believed was owned by the group he was arguing with.
Officers located Reed at a residence in the 300 block of North Sheridan and, following further investigation, placed him under arrest.
Reed was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on charges of felony terroristic threats, use of a weapon to commit a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, carrying a concealed weapon and criminal mischief.
CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — Christmas tree cutting permits are now available for parts of the Nebraska National Forest.
The permits are on sale for $10 at ranger district offices in Chadron and Halsey. Permit-holders are allowed to harvest one ponderosa pine or eastern red cedar tree, up to 15 feet tall. Harvesting is only allowed in selected areas of the Nebraska National Forest.
Each permit includes cutting guidelines, travel recommendations and a map that shows roads and trails that the public can use to find a tree.
Permits are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The ranger district offices are located at 125 N. Main St. in Chadron and 40637 River Loop Road near Halsey.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Rail delays have been a problem for farmers throughout much of the Great Plains this year, but they’ve been less of an issue in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.
Grain elevators around Sioux City say their rail shipments of grain this year have been mostly on time, and they’re cautiously optimistic about handling the big 2014 harvest over the next few months.
Don Truhe, general manager for the Southeast Farmers Elevator Coop, says his cooperative has been lucky to get all of its trains on time this year.
It helps that a significant portion of the grain grown in the region is used by feedlots or biofuel plants.
In recent reports to the Surface Transportation Board, BNSF, Union Pacific and Canadian National railroads said they are making significant progress.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state officials have released a plan that aims to have faster Internet service available to more households by 2020.
The goals in the “Broadband in Nebraska” report include having broadband service of at least 25 megabites per second available to 90 percent of homes, and having 90 percent of Nebraska households subscribe to broadband service.
Rural areas are more expensive for carriers because the service has to cover large distances but still reach relatively few paying customers.
A University of Nebraska-Lincoln economist told lawmakers last year that his research has shown a correlation between broadband service in small towns and business activity. The research found that smaller towns with broadband services also tended to have more 18- to 34-year-olds and residents with college degrees.
SEATTLE (AP) — Researchers at Washington State University are working on a breath test to determine if a driver is under the influence of marijuana.
Law enforcement officers have a test for alcohol, but they don’t have a tool to test for marijuana impairment. Right now, officers must use blood tests to determine if THC is present in a driver’s blood.
But WSU chemistry professor Herbert Hill says existing technologies like those used by airport security agents to detect drugs and explosives can be altered to test breath for THC. Hill says his team hopes to start testing on humans early next year.
The Washington State Patrol says it welcomes anything that gets impaired drivers off the road.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska native says he’s celebrating the state’s 150th birthday by painting one picture for each of the 93 counties.
Todd Williams plans to complete the pieces by 2017, when Nebraska has its sesquicentennial celebration. Thirty pieces will be finished by the end of this year.
13 of the completed pieces will be featured in a 2015 calendar. Its proceeds will help raise money for the upcoming celebration.
Williams, who grew up in Central City, says he wants to depict significant historical sites and events across the state. One painting shows Washington County in 1890 and another shows author Wright Morris’ boyhood Home in Merrick County.
Williams is also using the calendar to promote his paintings, which will need sponsors.
