(AP) — Gov. Dave Heineman is voicing support for a bill that would exempt agricultural repair and replacement parts from Nebraska’s sales tax.
The Republican governor also repeated his call on Monday for lowering the taxable land value of farmland from 75 percent to 65 percent. Heineman says the state can afford tax relief.
He says Nebraskans are being overtaxed right now and that he is determined to get tax relief for Nebraskans.
The tax exemption bill for agricultural repairs was introduced by state Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton. It advanced through a first-round vote last week.
(AP) — A trial has been scheduled next year in a federal lawsuit that alleged the University of Nebraska at Kearney denied a student the chance to keep a therapy dog in her university-owned apartment.
The trial will be held in U.S. District Court in Lincoln. It is scheduled to begin Feb. 9, 2015.
The U.S. Justice Department sued the university and the University of Nebraska Board of Regents in November 2011, saying the university unlawfully denied Brittany Hamilton the chance to keep a 4-pound miniature pinscher named Butch in her university-owned apartment a mile off campus to cope with depression and anxiety.
(AP) — Teachers, nurses and administrators in Nebraska’s public schools would receive at least an hour of suicide awareness and prevention training each year under a proposal presented to a legislative committee.
Sen. Amanda McGill of Lincoln introduced the bill, which was heard by the Education Committee on Monday.
McGill says she introduced the bill to save lives. The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 14 percent of Nebraska high school students surveyed seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months. Eight percent attempted suicide.
Several people spoke in support of the bill, with some sharing their own experiences with suicides in their families.
The training would start next school year, if the legislation is approved.
Interstate 80 westbound at Sutherland was closed Monday afternoon for nearly four hours after a crash involving two semis.
According to the Nebraska State Patrol, 47-year-old Dean Kruger, of Iowa, was driving his semi westbound on I-80 at around 12:30 p.m., when he drifted onto the shoulder and struck a parked semi, rolled and ended up in the ditch about three miles west of Sutherland.
According to Troopers, the parked truck had broken down the night before and was unoccupied at the time of the crash.
Kruger was transported to Great Plains Regional Medical Center with minor injuries and was cited for driving on the shoulder.
Westbound lanes of I-80 were reopened at around 5:00 p.m.
Today: Sunny, with a high near 26. Wind chill values as low as -7. Light north northwest wind becoming northwest 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around -3. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. West southwest wind 7 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. Southwest wind 7 to 13 mph becoming north northwest after midnight.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. North wind 8 to 10 mph.
(AP) — Authorities are investigating the engine problems that forced a small plane to land in a Nebraska cornfield.
The emergency landing happened around 6 p.m. Friday north of Eustis in western Nebraska halfway between Kearney and North Platte. Both men in the plane walked away without injuries.
Dawson County Sheriff Gary Rieber says the single-engine 1978 Cessna R182 was flying from Pontiac, Mich., to Denver when the accident happened. The plane stopped in Grand Island, Neb., and then developed engine problems shortly after takeoff.
Authorities have said the two men on the plane were a father and son from Colorado, but they haven’t identified them.
A North Platte couple is facing felony charges after police received a report of a strong odor of marijuana coming from a North Platte apartment.
NPPD Public Information Officer, Rodney Brown, said officers responded to the complaint of marijuana emanating from an apartment in the 300 block of South Dewey at around 3:10 p.m. on Friday, January 24.
Upon arrival, Brown said officers could smell a strong odor of burning marijuana and observed 41-year-old Latonya Tyan inside the residence smoking from a glass pipe.
Officers entered the apartment and conducted a search which netted additional drug paraphernalia with white powder residue, syringes, marijuana, marijuana pipes and prescription drugs.
Following further investigation, 44-year-old Phillip Tyan was arrested and charged with possession of Fentanyl, a pain medication, and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Latonya Tyan was arrested and charged with possession of acetaminophen with hydrocodone and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Tyans were transported and jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.
Two North Platte men have been charged with multiple felonies following a fracas at a North Platte apartment complex.
According to Officer Rodney Brown, at around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 26, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to the report of an assault at the South Platte Terrace apartments in the 700 block of East Philip.
The caller, 55-year-old Roy Delise, alleged that, following an argument, 56-year-old Scott Mehring had brandished a large knife from a sheath he wore on his hip and threatened to kill him. Delise told officers that Mehring then struck him in the head with the butt of the knife multiple times. He said that while Mehring was striking him, the blade of the knife cut his hand.
An officer remembered seeing a male subject that matched Mehring’s description leaving the building as police arrived.
Officers were able to locate the subject thought to be Mehring, later identified as 37-year-old Anthony Bennett, outside the apartment building.
When officers attempted to make contact with Bennett, he fled on foot towards Sunmart, 601 E. Francis.
Officers pursued Bennett and were able to take him into custody following a brief struggle. Brown said that, during the struggle, an officer sustained a laceration to his knee when Bennett threw a cell phone at him.
During a search of Bennett’s person, officers located two plastic baggies full of prescription pills. Additionally, they found a clear glass pipe containing a white powdery substance suspected to be methamphetamine.
Bennett was charged with 2nd degree assault on an officer (Class II felony), possession of Alprazoam (Class IV felony), possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver (class IIA felony), resisting arrest (Class I misdemeanor), and possession of drug paraphernalia (infraction).
At the same time as officers were pursuing Bennett, they were able to locate the original suspect, Scott Mehring, east of South Platte Terrace near the entrance to Autumn Park Drive.
Officers determined there was probable cause to charge Mehring with terroristic threats (Class IV felony) and 2nd degree assault (Class II felony) for assaulting Delise.
Bennett and Mehring were transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.
Following the investigation, offers determined that Delise had also assaulted Mehring. He was cited for fighting by mutual consent and released.
According to the Nebraska Department of Roads, two semis collided between Sutherland and Paxton. I-80 westbound is closed between Sutherland and Paxton as debris from the accident, which is blocking both lanes, is cleared off the roadway. NDOR said two towing services are on-scene, but the do not have an estimate on when the road will be reopened.
The Post has no reports of injuries or any other details of the accident at this time.
Nebraska State Patrol Scanner Traffic has confirmed that I-80 WEST is CLOSED between Sutherland and Paxton. This is a developing story that we will update as soon as more information is available
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 19. Wind chill values as low as -10. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around -4. Wind chill values as low as -11. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 26. Wind chill values as low as -12. Light north northwest wind becoming west northwest 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 2. Wind chill values as low as -11. West northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. West southwest wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
(AP) — Gov. Dave Heineman is voicing support for a bill that would exempt agricultural repair and replacement parts from Nebraska’s sales tax.
