(AP) — A western Nebraska woman is behind bars, accused of helping her husband kill himself, then hiding his body.

Cheyenne County Sheriff’s deputies say 53-year-old Deann Kimble, of Sidney, was arrested Wednesday and has since been charged with assisting suicide and concealing a body, both felonies, in the death of her husband, 61-year-old Russell Kimble.

Deputies say Kimble told them that she had promised her husband she would not intervene when he decided it was “his time to die.”

She told investigators that on March 22, believing he was gravely ill, Russell Kimble shot himself in the storage unit in which they lived while she sat in their van. Investigators say she then wrapped his body is a shower curtain and sheet and buried him in a shallow grave.

• Adam Ray Dailey, 18, North Platte and Kelsey Jane Tockey, 18, North Platte

 

• Thomas Joseph Younghans, 30, Corpus Christi TX and Beatriz Chavez, 27, San Antonio TX

 

• Bryan Kevin Culbertson, 24, North Platte and Bethany Allison Ming, 20, Cayce SC

 

• Gary Dean Smith, 48, North Platte and Jodi Lynn Martin, 43, North Platte

(AP) — Gov. Dave Heineman has vetoed a bill that would outlaw mountain lion hunting in Nebraska.

In a message to lawmakers on Friday, Heineman said the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission should have the power to manage the mountain lion population for the health and safety of residents. Nebraska approved its mountain lion hunting season in 2012, with then-unanimous support in the Legislature.

Heineman says he also was concerned that the bill could be unconstitutional because of a recent statewide vote that placed hunting, fishing and trapping rights in the Nebraska constitution.

The bill to end the season was introduced by Sen. Ernie Chambers. Chambers, of Omaha, has said the mountain lions pose no real threat to humans.

(AP) — The office of Attorney General Jon Bruning is warning Nebraskans to be wary of a phone scam reported by the IRS.

Victims have reported threats of driver’s license suspension, arrest and deportation.

Bruning’s office says the calls may seem legitimate because, for example, the callers often know the last four digits of their potential victims’ Social Security numbers.

The scammers demand payment for taxes owed and also may contact the victim with bogus follow-up emails.

Bruning’s office says the IRS usually contacts people by mail about unpaid taxes.

• Today: A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 57. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 6 to 11 mph becoming west northwest 18 to 23 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. North northwest wind 11 to 16 mph becoming northeast 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 72. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 19 to 24 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph.
• Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37. South wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. South wind 5 to 13 mph.
• Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.
• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. Breezy.

(AP) — A bill to create a public guardian office for vulnerable Nebraskans has won final approval in the Legislature.

The office would serve as a last resort for Nebraskans who need a guardian or conservator when no one else is available. Lawmakers voted 44-0 on Thursday to pass the measure by Sen. Colby Coash, of Lincoln.

County courts often appoint guardians for people when a disability or mental illness prevents them from making responsible decisions. But in some cases, no one is willing or able to serve in that role.

The new office would have a director, deputy director and 12 associate public guardians. Its staff will also provide education, training and support to current and future guardians and conservators.

(AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have passed a series of tax measures that would benefit farmers, low-income elderly homeowners and residents whose incomes rise with inflation.

The three tax proposals won final approval on Thursday, and will now be sent to Gov. Dave Heineman.

One bill would eliminate the sales tax that farmers pay when repairing or replacing their ag equipment.

A second proposal would expand Nebraska’s homestead exemption program so that more Nebraskans could qualify. The tax exemption is given to seniors, disabled veterans and their spouses, and people with certain disabilities.

A third measure would ensure that Nebraska’s income tax brackets keep pace with inflation. The bill seeks to address cost-of-living salary increases that can bump taxpayers into a higher bracket, where they end up paying more.

(AP) — Nebraska first lady Sally Ganem will speak this weekend at an event intended to show low-income residents how to shop for healthy food on a budget.

The Visiting Nurse Association will help with Share Our Strength’s “Cooking Matters” classes on Saturday at three Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market stores in Omaha. At the classes, some 300 low-income residents will learn to compare unit prices, purchase fruits and vegetables on a budget, read food labels and pick out whole grains.

Ganem will speak Saturday at a 10 a.m. class in southwest Omaha.

A slushy, wet snow that fell in North Platte Thursday morning is being blamed for a rollover accident that injured a Brule man.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, at around 8:30 a.m., North Platte Police responded to a single vehicle rollover accident at the 177 exit on the eastbound off ramp of Interstate 80.

Brown said a 2004 Toyota Scion XA being driven by Hank Schep, 77, of Brule, exited the interstate and lost control due to the icy road conditions.

The vehicle went off the roadway as Schep began to round the cloverleaf that merges onto South Jeffers, and rolled onto it’s top.

A passing motorist from Ogallala came upon the scene immediately and, after smelling gas, was able to break out the windshield and pull the driver to safety, Brown said.

Schep, the lone occupant of the vehicle, was transported to Great Plains Regional Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Brown said Schep was not wearing a seatbelt, and alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash.

 

(AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have approved a bill that would allow the state to grow industrial hemp for research.

The measure won final approval Thursday with a 39-2 vote. The bill would allow the University of Nebraska and the state Department of Agriculture to grow industrial hemp.

Industrial hemp is a close plant cousin to marijuana, but it has only a tiny fraction of the ingredients that allow marijuana users to get high. Supporters say industrial hemp could become a good alternative crop for farmers. Opponents argue that legalizing hemp is a move toward legalizing marijuana.

The measure, by Sen. Norm Wallman of Cortland, was modeled after the federal farm bill that makes such research an exemption to federal drug laws.