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Nebraska Officials Search for Missing Gibbons

gibbon(AP) — Hall County officials are on the lookout for two missing gibbons.

The small primates were taken from a Doniphan home between midnight and 3 a.m. Monday.

Their owner, Nancy Stephens, says the black primates with white faces, hands and feet are 2 and 3 years old.

Stephens has owned Caylee and Cody since they were babies. She studies behavioral sciences, but the animals are also her pets.

Gibbons are on the endangered animals list. Stephens told police the gibbons are valued at $25,000 each.

Cody, a male, is two feet tall and weighs 12 pounds. He has a split ear and a bad left eye. Caylee, a female, is two feet tall and weighs about eight pounds.

Scabies Found at Norfolk Nursing Home

scabies(AP) — A scabies outbreak has been reported at a Norfolk nursing home, and the home is now under quarantine.

The quarantine at Heritage of Bel Air is in place until Tuesday. Until then, families may call their loved ones, but are not allowed to visit.

Bel Air administrator Jan Zierke says all residents have been treated with a medicated cream and were showered Friday. Rooms also are being disinfected.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says scabies is a skin infection caused by microscopic human itch mites that can travel from person to person. They burrow under the first layer of skin and lay their eggs. Scabies causes intense itching and looks like heat rash.

Investors Work to Save Ashland’s 1939 Lighthouse

Photo Courtesy of Ashland Historical Society
Photo Courtesy of Ashland Historical Society

(AP) — Several investors are determined to save and relight a lighthouse that has served as a landmark for travelers along Nebraska’s Highway 6 near Ashland since 1939.

The Linoma Beach Lighthouse stands 110 feet high along the Platte River. Its state of disrepair has allowed hundreds of pigeons to make it their home inside. The light has long been broken.

A group of five investors who bought Linoma Beach at a foreclosure sale in 2010 have created and largely funded a nonprofit foundation to restore the lighthouse and get it working again.

They chose to save the 75-year-old lighthouse out of a sense of civic duty and because it holds fond memories for some who grew up in the area.

Buffett Gains Most in Last Year Among Most Wealthy

Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett

(AP) — America’s richest are getting richer and Warren Buffett leads the pack for turning his money into more money.

The head of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. gained $12.5 billion over the last year, making him the biggest dollar gainer among his wealthy peers. His $58.5 billion net worth places him second on the Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest people in the United States.

Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates took the top spot for the 20th straight year with $72 billion.

Forbes on Monday released its annual list of the richest Americans. Their fortunes grew on the strength of stock and real estate markets.

Forbes says the 400 people on the list posted a combined net worth of $2 trillion, up from $1.7 trillion a year ago, their highest combined value ever.

Fremont Man Faces Charges for Homemade Fireworks

fremont-police(AP) — A Nebraska man charged with assault, child abuse, and using explosives without a permit is scheduled to appear in court in Dodge County.

The county attorney’s office says 29-year-old Travis Lupton fashioned a homemade cannon out of powder he removed from fireworks on July 3. Two children and their mother suffered injuries to their faces when the improvised firework exploded west of Fremont.

An arrest warrant was issued Aug. 30 and served on Lupton Sept. 5. He is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 24.

His attorney Adam Sipple in Omaha declined to comment.

Omaha Fire Chief Signs New Retirement Deal

omaha-f-d(AP) — Omaha’s longtime fire chief, who clashed with the city’s new mayor, has signed a new retirement agreement after making concessions.

The city announced the new deal between outgoing Fire Chief Mike McDonnell and Mayor Jean Stothert’s office on Monday.

An earlier agreement between the two fell apart last month when they disagreed over the details.

As part of the new deal, McDonnell will retire Nov. 8 with a $124,000 pension after completing 24 years of service. The previous deal would have given him credit for an extra year and a $130,800 pension.

Stothert is promising to delay any firefighter layoffs or major cuts until after Dec. 21. Previously, she had promised to delay any major cuts until next July.

Navy Identifies Gunman as Former Full-Time Reservist

Aaron Alexis
Aaron Alexis

(AP) — The Navy says a gunman who opened fire inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard was a full-time reservist from 2007 to 2011.

The Navy said in a release Monday that 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, of Texas, left the Navy on Jan. 31, 2011, as a petty officer 3rd class. It’s not immediately clear why he left.

Alexis had been working for the fleet logistics support squadron No. 46, in Fort Worth, Texas. The Navy says his home of record was New York City.

A Navy Official speaking on condition of anonymity said Alexis is believed to have gotten into the Navy Yard by using someone else’s identification card. It is not yet clear if that individual was an accomplice or if that person’s ID card was stolen.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers are looking for a possible second suspect.

Alexis was one of 13 people killed during the rampage.

Obama Getting Updates on Deadly Shooting at Washington Naval Yard

obama(AP) — President Barack Obama is getting frequent briefings on a deadly shooting at the Washington Navy Yard.

The White House says the president had several briefings about the unfolding situation by senior aides.

The Navy says shots were fired Monday morning at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters, where about 3,000 people work. A Defense Department official is reporting several people were killed and as many as 10 wounded.

The White House says Obama directed his team to stay in touch with the Navy, FBI and local officials.

Inmate Attacks 2 Lancaster County Jail Guards

Lancaster Co. Detention Center
Lancaster Co. Detention Center

(AP) — Lincoln police say an inmate has been cited for attacked two correctional officers at the Lancaster County Jail.

The attack happened Saturday evening following visitation.

Police Capt. David Beggs says the two guards were walking 26-year-old Justin Bolinger back to his cell and instructed Bolinger to turn left. But Bolinger said he wanted to turn right and head to the showers.

Beggs says an officer stood in Bolinger’s way, and Bolinger proceeded to hit and scratch the officers, choking one.

The guards, ages, 57 and 28, were left with scratches on their necks. They eventually got Bolinger back to his cell, and he was cited on suspicion of two counts of assault by a confined person and one count of strangulation.

Magnifying Glass Left on Norfolk Deck Starts Fire

fire-graphic(AP) — It turns out ants aren’t the only things one can ignite with a magnifying glass.

Fire officials in Norfolk say a magnifying glass left on a wooden deck sparked a fire Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters say the blaze was small and confined to the deck of the two-story house serving as apartments.

There were no injuries.

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