A North Platte man is facing a slew of charges after he allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend and her mother.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, North Platte Police responded to the report of an assault in the 100 block of East 8th at around 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 22.

Upon arrival, a 34-year-old female alleged that her ex-boyfriend, 32-year-old Eugene Grenier, had forced his way into her residence and shoved both her and her 56-year-old mother to the ground.  She alleged that Grenier then struck her in the head several times with his shoe.

Following the assault, the victim stated that Grenier destroyed several items in the house including a television, Blue-Ray player and various personal decorative items.  The damage to the property is estimated to be around $1,100.

Brown said two children, ages 10 and 13, were present during the altercation and witnessed the violence.

Grenier turned himself in to police and was charged with burglary (Class III felony), 2nd degree domestic assault (Class IIIA felony), two counts of child abuse (Class IIA felony), criminal mischief (Class I felony) and 3rd degree assault (Class I Misdemeanor).

Grenier was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

(AP) — Authorities have released the name of a rural Shelton woman who died after her vehicle rolled on a gravel road in south-central Nebraska.

On Tuesday the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office identified the woman as 27-year-old Sarah Hensley. The office says the accident was reported at 11:50 p.m. Sunday and occurred just northwest of Gibbon.

The Sheriff’s Office says Hensley was driving east when her vehicle ran into a roadside ditch and rolled. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy has been ordered.

Nearly 680 high school vocal and band musicians from Kansas and Nebraska have been selected to participate in clinics next week at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

The sophomores, juniors and seniors from 118 schools were selected after auditions. The clinics will be held on Jan. 27.

The students will be divided into three choirs and two bands. They’ll rehearse all day and perform during a concert that evening in the UNK Health and Sports Center.

Many area students were selected to participate in the clinics.

Arnold-Claire Beshaler, Grace Magill

Broken Bow-Hannah Evans, Morgan Winter, Julie Loy, Kara Kuskie, Hollie Rose

Callaway-Karni Doyle, Bailey Mach, Jenna Hoesel, Dakota Seng, Haylee Stryker

Cozad-Cristian Hernandez, Dalton Klein, Kelsey Newburn, Keragin Stephen

Gothenburg-Dylan Fance, Alayna Collins, Jacob Franzen, Drake Langley, Rhett Lindholm, Brett Mann, Abbigail Mazour, Dayla Trevino, Lauren Andres, Alyssa Johnson, Keely Lecher, Jennifer Maline, Blayr McMichael, Betsy Potter

Hitchcock County-Hayley Hrnchir, Nathan Rick, Bryce Jones

Lexington-Ja’Salena Asebedo, Lane Duncan, Yvette Jiminez, Belbeth Orozco, Avion Reed, Amber Holbrook, Paige Arnold, Jacqui Garcia, Gabrielle Mills, Alba Muniz

Maxwell-Katy Walker

Maywood-Brooke Moore, Lydia Fritsche

McCook-Courtney Garcia, Rachel Gordine, Tara Daniel, Ahria Golden, Madison Snyder, Dania Wiemers

North Platte-Jamie Brinamen, Skye Spencer, Kate Sterling, Joseph Stockton, Ryan Weatherly, Garrett Kreifels, Hannah Lee, Lauren Magner, Katherine McClintock, Stirling McCook, Nathan McGahan, Andrew Parish, Jacob Perez, Katie Roessler, Ceara Roundy, Summer Brown, Laura Evans, Tiffany Hall, Sydney McGahan, Holly Wilke, Rachel Yonkers

North Platte St. Patrick’s-Jared Brosius, Bridget McKeon

Ogallala-Landon Trumbull, Ryan Carey

Overton-Alex Carlson, Addy Fisher, Tara Liess, MacKenzie Beavers, Peyton Zimmerman

Perkins County-Capri Meyer, Dakota Molder, Amanda Osler, Michelle Skeels, Alex Farnsworth, Kaleb Gaar, Lila Konecky, Zak Kurkowski, Hailey Sletten, Alyssa Young

Southwest-Micah Hinz, Jackson Porter, Arianna Gutierrez, Megan Helberg, Korin Jackson, Karlie Swink

Stapleton-Brandon Kleewein, Taylor Morris

Sutherland-Mikayla Meyer, Madison Moatson, Darien Myers, Allison Steward, Daisha Marquardt, Halie Fleecs, Cassandra Medina, Malinda Foster

Valentine-Kinzie Eggleston, Emilee Hughes, Sophie Lopez, Annie Brickner, Sydney Dunn, Savannah Jackson, Emily Perrett, Jaydn Hollenbeck, Hailee Vernon, Colin Swedberg, Landon Swedbert

 

(AP) — The drop in corn prices apparently has dampened demand for farmland in Nebraska and cooled off the hot seller’s market.

Two reports suggest the rise in farmland value has slowed.

A report by Farm Credit Services of America says that during the second half of last year, Nebraska farmland value increased at the slowest rate seen in several years, rising less than 1 percent. And a regional farmland price index kept by Creighton University economist Ernie Goss hit its lowest level since 2009. A January report issued last week said the index dropped for the second month.

Corn prices dropped to less than $5 a bushel last year from more than $6 a bushel in 2012.

(AP) — A bill to ban the retail sale of novelty lighters that resemble toys is sparking debate among Nebraska lawmakers.

Senators failed to reach a vote Tuesday on a proposal intended to keep the lighters away from children. Supporters say some of the lighters resemble animals, tractors, blow dryers, cell phones, coins and cameras.

Fifteen states have passed similar laws. Neighboring Iowa has no legislation introduced, but South Dakota and Colorado have pending bills.

Sen. Les Seiler of Hastings says children are naturally drawn to the lighters and could hurt themselves or damage property.

Opponents questioned whether they pose a greater threat than normal lighters or candles. Sen. Colby Coash of Lincoln says parents should take responsibility for keeping the lighters away from children.

• Today: A slight chance of flurries between 1pm and 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 33. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around -5. Wind chill values as low as -12. North northeast wind 12 to 17 mph decreasing to 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 24. Wind chill values as low as -15. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning.
• Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 8. Wind chill values as low as -7. South southwest wind 9 to 13 mph.
• Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. Breezy, with a west wind 11 to 16 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph.
• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. Blustery.

(AP) — The Nebraska attorney general’s Medicaid fraud unit says it recovered more than $13.5 million last year.

The office of Attorney General Jon Bruning announced Tuesday that the unit has recovered more than $77 million since the unit was created in 2004. The recovered money reimburses the Medicaid program for losses, and can be applied to legal fees for specific cases. The cases often involve service providers and drug companies that violate Medicaid rules.

Bruning promised the Legislature in 2004 that the program would pay for itself within three years. The money recovered annually surpassed the program’s operating budget in 2006.

A Miss Nebraska contestant’s lawsuit over injuries she suffered when a bull charged at her at a 2010 county fair has been dismissed.

Scotts Bluff County District Judge Leo Dobrovolny ruled Tuesday that defendants in the case were not served within the required six months after the lawsuit was filed in August 2012.

Jessica Littlejohn and her father filed the suit against entities including the Scotts Bluff County Agricultural Society, the Scotts Bluff County Fair Board and the County Scholarship Fair Pageant. Scotts Bluff County was dismissed from the case last March.

A bull broke loose as Littlejohn and other pageant contestants were being introduced to a crowd. The lawsuit claimed the county entities were negligent for not securing the bull.

(AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker wants to give voters another chance to legalize casino gambling.

Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber proposed a constitutional amendment Tuesday that would place the issue on the November ballot. Lawmakers have rejected similar measures in recent years, and voters shot down two proposals that appeared on the same ballot in 2004.

The new proposal would use 50 percent of any gambling-tax revenue to reduce property taxes. Another 25 percent would go to public schools, 12 percent would go to the state Game and Parks Commission, 12 percent would pay for state water projects, and 1 percent would go to a state program that helps problem gamblers.

Supporters argue that Nebraska is losing revenue to Iowa and South Dakota, which allow casino gambling.

Six people were killed in traffic crashes on Nebraska roadways in the past four days, leading the Nebraska State Patrol to urge motorists to do their part in complying with all traffic safety laws.

From Friday, January 17, through Monday, January 20, six people were killed in traffic crashes in Nebraska.  The fatal crashes occurred in Thurston, Lancaster, Dakota, Buffalo, and Douglas (2) Counties.

Four of the six crashes involved single vehicle rollovers. Of those four rollover crashes, three of the people killed were not wearing seat belts and investigators were unable to determine if the fourth person killed was buckled up.

“One life lost in a motor vehicle crash is one too many,” said Colonel David Sankey, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “To have six people killed over a long weekend should be a wakeup call for all motorists to practice safe driving habits each and every time they get into a motor vehicle.”

The fatalities bring the number of people killed on Nebraska roads to date in 2014 to eight, compared with 12 roadway deaths on this same date in 2013.