The Nebraska State Patrol released a short video showing the rescue of eight hunters and a dog from an icy Missouri River in Northeast Nebraska yesterday.  If you didn’t see the story, check it out here: http://www.northplattepost.com/2013/12/05/8-nebraska-hunters-rescued-from-missouri-river/

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — A Columbus man has pleaded guilty to six counts of possessing child pornography.

Sentencing has been set Jan. 31 for 35-year-old Christopher Fleming. Prosecutors dropped six counts of porn distribution and two more counts of child porn possession in exchange for Fleming’s pleas.

Fleming fled the Columbus area in mid-April after an arrest warrant was issued. He surrendered in May. At an earlier court hearing, Fleming told a judge he ignored the warrant so he could spend time with his dying father in Texas.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Former state Sen. Brenda Council has been given three years of probation on one federal count of wire fraud.

A federal judge in Omaha also fined Council $500 on Thursday.

She’d pleaded guilty in September to spending money from campaign donations to gamble at casinos. Council agreed to plead guilty after prosecutors said they’d ask the judge to give her probation.

Council pleaded guilty last year to two state misdemeanor counts of filing false campaign finance reports. State prosecutors say the reports concealed her misuse of more than $63,000 in campaign donations at casinos. She was fined $500.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers, who beat Council to regain the legislative seat he held for 38 years, filed a complaint in 2012 that prompted the U.S. attorney’s investigation.

SCHUYLER, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a 16-year-old Schuyler boy who died in a rollover crash southwest of Schuyler.

The Colfax County attorney’s office identified the boy as Ramon Azcunaga, a student at Schuyler Central High School.

Authorities say Azcunaga was a passenger in a car that ran off a gravel road and rolled over in a farm field a little after 4 a.m. Thursday. Azcunaga was ejected.

Two other boys in the car were treated at the scene and released. Their names haven’t been released.

The crash is still being investigated. An autopsy was ordered.

DUNCAN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a 55-year-old man who died while working on his truck at his home in eastern Nebraska.

Platte County Attorney Carl Hart identified the man as William Dolge.

The Platte County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were sent to the home in Duncan around 1:45 a.m. Wednesday. They found Dolge pinned under a pickup.

He’d been working on the truck when it shifted out of gear and rolled, trapping him under the vehicle frame. Dolge was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hart says the accident probably occurred within eight hours of the deputies’ arrival.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officials say two students have been arrested for allegedly bringing a loaded gun to an Omaha school.

Omaha Public Schools says the students were found in possession of the weapon at Benson High School Magnet on Thursday.

School principal Anita Harkins-Baldwin said in a letter to parents that a school resource officer confiscated the weapon and police were called. She said there were no threats, shots fired or injuries.

In October, a student gave a loaded gun to another student while at Benson. No shots were fired in that case and both students were arrested.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha woman has been convicted of a felony charge of animal neglect in connection with the death of her family dog last year.

A Douglas County District Court jury found 35-year-old Mashaunda Ball guilty Wednesday of causing a Boston terrier named Bubbles to die of starvation.

Ball adopted the dog from the Nebraska Humane Society in August 2012. Ball called the shelter several months later to dispose of a dead dog.

Bubbles was found alive in a kennel cage, but he was extremely thin and weak. The dog had lost several pounds and was covered in crusted urine and feces. Officials decided to euthanize him after his condition worsened.

Ball testified that Bubbles was a part of the family and he was regularly fed.

Eight hunters and a dog were rescued by helicopter from two boats stranded in the rapidly freezing Missouri River just east of Santee on Thursday. There were no injuries.

A Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) helicopter from its Aviation Support Division in Lincoln pulled the hunters from the boats two at a time by mid-afternoon. There were four hunters in each boat.

The boats had been blocked by ice in the river, and attempts by Nebraska Game and Parks Commission officers to reach them were prevented by the ice.

The rescued men were: Leigh Winterboer, Spencer, Iowa; Bill Lang, Huntington Beach, Calif.; Eric Scranton, Norfolk; Mitch Scranton, Norfolk; Brad Rasmussen, Spencer, Iowa; Colby Kerber, Broken Bow; Matthew Cronk, Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Ben Micek, Omaha.

South Dakota Game Fish and Parks had received a call for help at 11:30 a.m.Three Nebraska Game and Parks officers, NSP Troop B officers in Norfolk, the Santee Police Department and Bloomfield Fire and Rescue responded.

The hunters said no ice was on the river when they put their boats in at 5:30 or 6 a.m. Thursday. The 18-foot flat-bottom boats were left in the river following the rescue.

Tom Zimmer, Game and Parks law enforcement supervisor for northeast Nebraska, said sportsmen must take precautions outdoors in changing conditions.

“In cold weather conditions, be aware of your surroundings,” he said. “The river can ice up very quickly.”