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Woman’s Body Found in Open Grave in Omaha

police-lights-red

(AP) — Omaha police are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in an open grave at a cemetery, and authorities are treating the case as a homicide.

Officers were called to Graceland Park Cemetery around 10 a.m. on Thursday. The cemetery was closed for the rest of the day, and a scheduled burial at the gravesite was postponed.

The graveside service was scheduled for 28-year-old Kevin McIntyre, who was shot and killed on Aug. 4. Authorities say they do not believe the McIntyre slaying is connected to the body that was found in the grave.

Missing Lincoln Kindergartner Turns Up in Wrong Class

humann-elementary(AP) — When his mommy called for him, the missing Nebraska kindergartner piped up.

School officials and police searched Humann Elementary School, the playground and the Lincoln neighborhood for the 5-year-old. He’d disappeared Wednesday — his second day of school — between breakfast and the first class bell.

Turns out he’d fallen in with the wrong crowd.

District spokeswoman Mary Kay Roth said the boy lined up with first-grade students after breakfast and then responded to another boy’s name when the students reached their classroom.

After his mom was called to the school, she got on the intercom and said, “You need to come see Mommy in the office.”

That’s when he stood up and said, “I need to go see Mommy.”

And so he did.

Nebraska Farmer’s Lawsuit Against Inspector Dismissed

gavel-more(AP) — A judge has dismissed a libel lawsuit filed by a Nebraska farmer against an inspector of organic food.

Lancaster County District Judge Paul Merritt Jr. last week granted a summary judgment sought by Evrett Lunquist, of Raymond. Lunquist had been sued by Paul Rosberg, of Wausa (WAH’-sah).

Lunquist performed inspections at Rosberg’s farm from 2003 until 2007 and reported Rosberg for suspected fraud to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rosberg sued Lunquist after an official from the USDA’s National Organic Program mistakenly included Lunquist’s name in a report about the allegations.

Rosberg, who said Thursday that he is appealing revocation of his organic certification, says in his lawsuit that Lunquist misrepresented facts about the operation to the USDA.

Rosberg says he intends to seek reconsideration of Merritt’s ruling.

Elderly Nebraskan Dies After Tractor-Truck Collision

tractor-accident(AP) — Authorities say a 73-year-old man has died after a collision between a tractor and a semitrailer tanker truck on a rural highway in northeast Nebraska.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department says the accident occurred Wednesday about a mile northwest of Foster on Nebraska Highway 13.

The southbound tractor driven by Dallas Oestreich, of rural Hadar, turned onto the highway and collided with the tanker. The department says Oestreich died while being taken to an Omaha hospital.

The truck driver was identified as 60-year-old Richard Myers Jr., of Norfolk. He was taken to a Norfolk hospital.

The highway was closed while spilled diesel fuel was cleaned up.

New School Year Starts for Students Who Survived Moore, OK Tornado

moore-ok-tornado(AP) — Nearly three months after a twister blasted through Moore, Okla., and destroyed two elementary schools, students are going back to class.

And although many families are ready to return to a familiar routine, parents and teachers say many children in the Oklahoma City suburb have fears that are still fresh and a lot more healing to do.

One young girl is so afraid of the wind that she carries headphones to block out the noise. Other kids are traumatized by memories of their narrow escape and friends who died just a few feet away from them.

Classes resume Friday in temporary buildings until Plaza Towers Elementary and Briarwood Elementary are rebuilt. The May 20 tornado killed 24 people and wrecked scores of homes and businesses.

NASA, Navy Practice Space-Capsule Recovery

nasa-good(AP) — The Navy and NASA have completed their first tests showcasing how they’ll recover astronauts from the ocean following future missions to deep space.

On Thursday, a team of Navy divers and the crew of the USS Arlington retrieved a mock-up of the Orion space capsule from waters at Naval Station Norfolk.

The Navy hasn’t been used to recover astronauts since 1975, when the USS New Orleans recovered the Apollo spacecraft. After that, astronauts began returning to Earth via the space shuttle. Once the space shuttle program was shuttered, U.S. astronauts began hitching rides aboard a Russian rocket that lands in a Kazakhstan desert.

Unlike in past recovery efforts, the Navy didn’t use helicopters to retrieve Orion. Instead, a winch pulled the spacecraft into the Arlington’s well deck.

Keystone XL Foes to Build Barn in Pipeline’s Path

keystone(AP) — Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline in Nebraska are making good on their promise to build a barn in the project’s path.

Volunteers will gather on Saturday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the solar- and wind-powered barn. The barn will sit on land directly on the pipeline’s route, about 15 miles northwest of York.

Organizers say the barn will serve as a gathering place to learn about sustainable energy alternatives that would benefit agriculture. If President Barack Obama approves a federal permit for the oil pipeline, opponents say the barn’s location would force pipeline developer TransCanada to either reroute the Keystone XL or destroy the barn.

Opponents also plan to build picnic tables and paint billboards that will be placed with landowners along the pipeline route.

Lincoln Wheel Tax Set to Increase in September

Lincoln-NE(AP) — Lincoln motorists will pay a higher wheel tax when they renew their registrations, starting in September.

Lancaster County Treasurer Andy Stebbing said Thursday that the tax will go up $5 for cars, $2.50 for motorcycles, $7.50 for pickups and $25 for commercial tons that weigh at least 8 tons.

The city wheel tax is set by the Lincoln City Council. The city uses the revenue for street work. The increase stems from a 2011 decision by the city council and mayor to raise the tax from $54 per car to $74 over a three-year period to help pay for street construction.

Nebraskan Shot by York County Deputy to Be Charged

york_co_Sher(AP) — York County’s chief prosecutor says she’s seen a dashboard recording of an officer-related shooting and intends to charge a man wounded in the exchange of shots with a sheriff’s deputy.

York County Attorney Candace Dick said Wednesday that she hadn’t yet charged 26-year-old Max McCall, of York. Dick says she’s awaiting reports from state investigators.

Sheriff Dale Radcliff has said the deputy was responding to a call Sunday morning about McCall when the deputy spotted McCall’s vehicle and gave chase. The chased ended when McCall’s vehicle went into a ditch.

The sheriff says McCall was armed with a rifle when he got out of his vehicle and fired twice at the deputy. The deputy shot back, hitting McCall twice.

The deputy wasn’t wounded.

Omaha Man Claims $1 Million Powerball Prize

powerball(AP) — An Omaha man has claimed a $1 million prize from last week’s Powerball drawing.

Thomas Reiners came forward Tuesday as the winner. He says he bought the ticket at a convenience store in the eastern Nebraska town of Genoa.

Reiners, who says he plans to save the money for retirement, learned of his good fortune by checking his numbers online. His five-play Quick Pick ticket matched all of the winning white ball numbers.

Lottery officials say there were three winning tickets for the nearly $450 million Powerball on Aug. 7— one in Minnesota and two in New Jersey.

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