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UNL Alumni Donates $8 Million to School of Music

UNL(AP) — A University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate who spent his career working in finance is donating $8 million to the university’s School of Music.

The university announced the gift from Glenn Korff Tuesday and said the music school would be renamed in his honor.

Korff lives in Boulder, Colo., after retiring from Goldman Sachs, but he has long been a supporter of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1965.

Korff’s donation will be used to create an endowed fund. One-quarter of the proceeds will be used for student scholarships and one-quarter will support the faculty.

The other half of the proceeds will support academic programs and activities like concerts, tours and competitions.

Omaha Police Investigate Slaying of Woman

omaha-police(AP) — Douglas County sheriff’s investigators and crime scene experts are checking the area where a woman’s body was found.

Sheriff’s Lt. Rob Jones says the body was discovered about 2:15 a.m. Wednesday on 168th Street, just south of Fort Street in northwest Omaha.

Jones says the woman’s injuries were consistent with gunshot wounds. He did not release her name.

No arrests have been reported.

Driver Dies in Beatrice Mall Parking Lot Crash

fatal-accident(AP) — A 53-year-old man has been killed in the crash of his Corvette at a mall parking lot in Beatrice.

The accident occurred around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Beatrice Police Sgt. Brian Carver says witnesses reported the car was speeding down an access road parallel to U.S. Highway 77 before crashing into a parked vehicle and then a pole on the north side of the Indian Creek Mall parking lot.

Authorities suspect the driver was suffering some sort of medical problem before the crash. The man’s name hasn’t been released.

Mistrial Declared in Trial of Former RalstonTeacher Accused of Molestation

Nicholas Richter
Nicholas Richter

(AP) — A hung jury has led a judge to declare a mistrial in the case of a former Ralston teacher accused of inappropriately touching young students.

Prosecutors must now decide whether to retry 59-year-old Nicholas Richter on four counts of third-degree sexual assault of a child. A jury had deliberated for about 14 hours Friday, Monday and Tuesday before informing the judge that members were deadlocked.

Four boys ranging in age from 10 to 12 testified in the trial that Richter groped them during classes. A 40-year-old man also testified that Richter groped him three decades ago.

Richter’s attorney had described the testimony as consisting of “inconsistent and inaccurate memories.”

Omaha Man, 74, Stabbed to Death

stabbing(AP) — Police are investigating the stabbing death of a 74-year-old man they believe was attacked after confronting two people.

A news release from Omaha police says Paul Riederer died early Tuesday. Officers responded to a report of a cutting and found Riederer with a stab wound.

Police say Riederer told officers he was stabbed after confronting two suspects, although he did not realize at first that he had been stabbed.

Riederer was taken to an Omaha hospital with an injury not initially believed to be life threatening, but his condition worsened and he later died.

Police continue to investigate and ask anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers or call police at 402-444-5652.

Judge Dismisses Omaha Firefighter Union’s Lawsuit

OMAHA-FIRE-AND-RESCUE-BADGE(AP) — A judge has dismissed the Omaha firefighter union’s lawsuit against the city that sought to prevent cuts to the fire department budget.

Douglas County Judge James Gleason wrote in a ruling issued Monday that the union’s argument that Mayor Jean Stothert’s proposed 2014 budget would harm public safety were premature.

Stothert has proposed layoffs and taking rigs out of service, prompting the union to claim the moves would conflict with the city’s obligations under a collective-bargaining agreement.

But Gleason ruled that the union can’t make legal arguments until the City Council approves a budget.

Stothert says in a statement that she agreed with the judge’s decision and added “we did not think that there was any merit to the allegations in the lawsuit.”

 

Wildebeest Gores Zookeeper at Utah Amusement Park

wildebeest(AP) — A zookeeper at a Utah amusement park has been hospitalized after being gored in the leg by a wildebeest.

Paramedics responded to a report of the goring Sunday at the Lagoon amusement park in Farmington, about 20 miles north of Salt Lake City.

Farmington Fire Chief Guido Smith says a 28-year-old female employee was gored during a feeding process, when she “came in contact with the animal’s horn.” He says she suffered an injury to her thigh.

Smith says the woman was transported to a trauma center in Salt Lake City, where she was in serious but stable condition.

Lagoon amusement park spokesman Adam Leishman says the park keeps a number of exotic cats, bison, deer, warthogs and other animals.

Davis County sheriff’s Sgt. Susan Poulsen says Utah Occupational Safety and Health officials are looking into the workplace accident.

 

Hall County Releases Name of Crash Victim

Hall-County-Sheriff(AP) — Authorities have released the name of a man who died after a crash south of Grand Island.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as 29-year-old Jerry Ramirez, of Grand Island.

The crash happened about 2 p.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 281 when 30-year-old Hermino Alamilla lost control of his car. The car rolled several times before coming to rest.

The car was then hit by a pickup driven by 26-year-old Megan Brodrick, of Grand Island. She wasn’t hurt.

Ramirez was a passenger in Alamilla’s car. The Sheriff’s Office says Ramirez died after being ejected during the crash.

Another passenger wasn’t hospitalized.

Alamilla was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Charges against him include vehicular homicide. Online court records don’t list his attorney’s name.

Prosecutors: Suspect Said He Strangled Woman Found in Omaha Grave

omahapopo(AP) — Prosecutors say a man accused of killing his girlfriend told investigators he strangled her in an Omaha park and then dumped her body in an open grave he’d seen in a nearby cemetery.

Those and other details about the death of 19-year-old Melissa Rodriguez were aired during a bail hearing Tuesday for Mikael Loyd. He’s charged with first-degree murder in her slaying. Her body was found Thursday at Graceland Park Cemetery in southeast Omaha.

The judge ruled that the 19-year-old Loyd must remain in jail without bail.

Loyd and Rodriguez met at Hitchcock Park on Wednesday. They argued, made up and argued again.

Prosecutors say Loyd said he killed Rodriguez because she reminded him of his mother, whom he blamed in his father’s death.

Colorado’s Marijuana Industry: Legal, Not Cheap

Colorado-Marijuana(AP) — Colorado’s pot regulators are laying out how much it’s going to cost to join the newly legal business.

The Colorado Department of Revenue started three days of public hearings Tuesday to explain all the regulations to people who want to be in Colorado’s marijuana business. It’s legal, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be cheap.

Application fees run up to $5,000. Operational licenses cost another $2,750 to $14,000. Those who want to sell both medical and recreational pot would have to pay double.

The regulations are final Oct. 15. Some in the marijuana industry want the Department to reduce fees for people selling both medical and recreational pot.

Retail marijuana sales begin in Colorado Jan. 1.

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