KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — The Kearney City Council has approved limiting where convicted sex offenders may live in the south-central Nebraska community.

The council took the action at its Tuesday meeting.

The ordinance as approved Tuesday bars all sex offenders listed on the state’s Sex Offender Registry from living within 500 feet of any school or licensed child care. The ordinance applies only to the offenders who move into Kearney or move to a new Kearney address after the ordinance goes into effect. It will not be retroactive, forcing anyone to move elsewhere.

Under state law, sex offenders must inform county sheriff’s offices when they move into a community. Failure to comply with the city ordinance will be a misdemeanor.

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 88. South southeast wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Southeast wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Southeast wind 7 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph becoming light south. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.
• Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Light and variable wind becoming northwest 10 to 15 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph.
• Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health regulators have approved a novel device for preserving donated lungs outside the body for possible transplantation into critically ill patients.

The Food and Drug Administration said approval of the XVIVO Perfusion System could lead to more successful transplants of lungs for people with cystic fibrosis and other respiratory diseases.

The device consists of a bubble-like chamber where the lungs are stored and connected to a series of pumps and filters that provide oxygen and a sterile cleansing solution. Lungs can be kept in the machine for four hours as doctors evaluate their suitability for transplant.

Only about one in five lungs donated today initially meet the medical criteria for transplantation. By giving doctors more time to examine the organs, FDA officials say more lungs may ultimately be transplanted. The device maker is based in Englewood, Colorado.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new report says most Nebraska law enforcement agencies fall short of providing the public with a simple, unintimidating way to file complaints against officers and departments.

The report issued Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska says the group looked into the practices of Nebraska’s 31 largest law enforcement agencies.

Of them, only eight provide information about filing complaints online. They are the Alliance, Bellevue, Lincoln, Omaha and Scottsbluff police departments, the Douglas County and Sarpy County sheriff’s departments and the Nebraska State Patrol.

But only one, the Lincoln Police Department, received praise for closely adhering to national and expert guidelines, allowing people to file complaints by phone, email, mail or in person, posting its complaint brochure online and using the least intimidating language in its policy.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — The Gering City Council has reprimanded a former member, citing her emails to other council members and derogatory comments she’s made.

The council voted 6-1 on Monday to sanction Jill McFarland, who resigned from her council seat last month. McFarland was accused of violating the council’s code of conduct by sending mass emails to other council members, in violation of the state’s Open Meetings Act. She also was accused of being publicly disrespectful of city staff and council members and posting online derogatory comments about them.

Mayor Ed Mayo says McFarland was invited to Monday’s meeting but didn’t attend. McFarland has said she’s not the only council member to have violated the policy on emails. She didn’t immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Last week’s rain in most of Nebraska has reduced irrigation demand and aided dryland crops.

A weekly U.S. Department of Agriculture report says parts of the state last week got upward of 2 inches of rain. Topsoil moisture was rated at 59 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture rated at 58 percent adequate, with no surplus.

The USDA says only scattered fields of winter wheat remain to be harvested. The report says 98 percent of the crop has been harvested, just short of the five-year average of 99 percent by this date.

The report says 71 percent of the state’s corn crop was rated good or excellent, and 70 percent of the soybean crop was rated in good or excellent condition.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — The Kearney City Council will consider limiting where convicted sex offenders may live in the south-central Nebraska city.

The council is scheduled to consider a proposed ordinance at its meeting Tuesday.

The ordinance would bar sex offenders from living within 500 feet of any school or licensed child care. The ordinance would apply only to Level 3 offenders — those considered to be at the highest risk of reoffending.

The ordinance would apply only to convicted sex offenders who move into Kearney or move to a new Kearney address after the ordinance is adopted. It would not be retroactive, forcing anyone to move elsewhere.

City Manager Mike Morgan says the ordinance was drafted after a group of residents requested it.

A North Platte business is raising money to assist in the fight against one of mankind’s most brutal and devastating diseases-juvenile diabetes.

Smoker Friendly has been raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) for the past month.

Customers can make a donation to JDRF in the amount of $5 or $10, and be entered to win some great prizes, including: liquor baskets, a Bud cooler, a Bud mirror, Coors coolers and more.  All donations go directly to the JDRF.

JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF’s goal is to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people’s lives until they achieve a world without T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners and is the only organization with the scientific resources, regulatory influence, and a working plan to better treat, prevent, and eventually cure T1D.

Diabetes is the name given to disorders in which the body has trouble regulating its blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels. There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which a person’s body still produces insulin but is unable to use it effectively.

Each year, more than 15,000 children and 15,000 adults—approximately 80 people per day—are diagnosed with T1D in the U.S.  The prevalence of T1D in Americans under age 20 rose by 23 percent between 2001 and 2009.  The rate of T1D incidence among children under age 14 is estimated to increase by three percent annually worldwide.

Organizers at Smoker Friendly say they decided to support the JDRF because the issue hits close to home.  They say several Smoker Friendly employees have family members who are affected by this disease.

To make a donation, visit Smoker Friendly at 825 South Jeffers.  Donations can be made through Sunday, August 31.

 

A North Platte man is in jail on felony charges after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend last week.

At around 9:00 p.m., on August 6, North Platte Police responded to the report of a suicidal male in the 1500 block of East 10th Street.

As officers investigated, they learned that the suspect, 23-year-old Clint Redden, had assaulted his 24-year-old girlfriend.

The victim alleged that, following an argument, Redden had pushed her down onto a bed and choked her using his forearm.

She stated that he continued to assault her by pushing her down and biting her.

Following further investigation, officers determined that there was probable cause to arrest Redden.

He was charged with felony strangulation and 3rd degree domestic assault.  Additionally, because a 23-month-old child was present during the violence, Redden was charged with misdemeanor child abuse.

Redden was placed in emergency protective custody and transported to Great Plains Health.  He was arrested upon his release from the hospital on August 11.

 

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 85. Light southeast wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning.
• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. Southeast wind 7 to 10 mph.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. South southeast wind 8 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
• Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. South southeast wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. South southeast wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
• Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.
• Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.