An on-going, joint investigation involving members of the Central Nebraska Drug and Safe Streets Task Force resulted in the service of three search warrants at approximately 7 a.m. Friday, May 17, in Kearney.

Search warrants were served simultaneously at 1801, 1806, and 1811 Ave B by members of the Kearney Police/Buffalo County Emergency Services Team and Task Force Officers.

Officers located narcotics at each location and made four arrests.

36-year-old Jennifer Burbach,n43-year-old JC Hunt, 46-year-old Geoffrey Mazankowski, and 54-year-old Gordon Macellus, all of Kearney, were booked into the Buffalo County Jail on Felony Possession of Controlled Substance charges. Two children were also present during the arrests and have been placed in the custody of family members.

This is an on-going investigation.

Members of the Central Nebraska Drug and Safe Streets Task Force involved with this operation include the Kearney Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department, Adams County Sheriff’s Department, Hall County Sheriff’s Department.

Troopers across Nebraska will be on the lookout for seat belt violations during traffic stops as part of the annual Click It or Ticket campaign that traditionally begins the summer driving season.

The campaign, which runs from May 20 through June 2, includes the Nebraska State Patrol and numerous other agencies across the state with partnership from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office (NDOT-HSO).

“There’s no question that seat belts save lives,” said Colonel John Bolduc. “Our troopers see it on a daily basis as they respond to and investigate crashes.”

While 86 percent of Nebraskans wear seat belts, nearly 70 percent of the people who lose their lives on Nebraska roads are not wearing a seat belt, according to 2018 statistics. 

“The statistics are clear,” said Bolduc. “We encourage everyone to wear their seat belt for every trip and every time they’re in the vehicle.”

Troopers and dispatchers will be working overtime as part of this enforcement thanks in part to a grant for $25,000 from NDOT-HSO.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Officials say Nebraska’s unemployment rate inched up to 2.9% in April.

The Nebraska Labor Department said in a news release Friday that the preliminary April rate is up a tenth of a point from March’s rate of 2.8% – the same figure recorded for April 2018. It also was well below April’s national preliminary rate of 3.6%, which is down two-tenths of a point from 3.8% in March and three-tenths of a point under the April 2018 rate of 3.9%.

The Nebraska figure had been 2.8% for eight months in a row.

The preliminary nonfarm employment figure last month rose to more than 1.02 million.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – An inmate serving a life sentence for a Lincoln murder has died.

The Nebraska Correctional Services Department says 61-year-old Walter Bradford died Thursday at the department’s Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln.

The department says Bradford started his sentence in December 1983. He’d robbed and fatally stabbed Gordon Robert Eno in Lincoln the year before. Brian Perkins also was convicted in the slaying and sentenced to life.

The department says Bradford was being treated for a medical condition, but the cause of his death has not yet been determined.

North Platte Fire and Rescue responded to a structure fire on 3rd Street and Mills Avenue just after 10:00 am on Thursday morning. The fire was contained to a garage, which sustained significant damage. We are gathering details and will update this story as they become available.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska lawmakers have kicked off a debate on a proposal to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes as activists push a much broader ballot measure that would place the issue before voters next year.

Supporters argued Wednesday that the legislative bill is narrowly tailored, with restrictions on how much users can possess and a ban on marijuana smoking.

Senators who oppose the measure say the drug is still illegal at the federal level and argue that its benefits and dangers haven’t been fully studied.

The sponsor, Sen. Anna Wishart, of Lincoln, says the bill is intended to address the concerns of many groups who raised concerns about it.

Legalization supporters are circulating petitions to place the issue before voters on the November 2020 ballot, where it’s likely to pass.