A sentencing hearing for a U.S. soldier who pleaded guilty to attempting to sell military secrets to a Russian spy has begun at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska.

Spc. William Colton Millay faces life in prison after pleading guilty in March to charges including attempted espionage, soliciting another to commit espionage and communicating national defense information.

The Army says the 24-year-old military policeman had access to classified information that he believed could hurt the U.S. and provided it to an undercover FBI agent who was posing as Russian intelligence.

An eight-member panel is debating Millay’s sentence Monday.

Authorities say the Kentucky native also was motivated by his disgust with the government and military.

Officials say there is no connection between Millay and Bradley Manning, the Army private accused of disclosing information to WikiLeaks.

 

Omaha police say the explosions at the Boston Marathon aren’t likely to change the security at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting, which is expected to attract more than 30,000 next month.

Omaha Police Lt. Darci Tierney says there are no threats locally, so police are not making any immediate changes in their approach.

Tierney says Warren Buffett’s company always hires private security officers and works with local police on security for the Berkshire event. Thousands of people come to Omaha for the annual meeting, which is planned for May 4.

Berkshire officials did not immediately respond to a message Monday afternoon.

FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault (Bro) says the Omaha office is monitoring the situation in Boston, but there was nothing Monday to suggest a threat in Omaha.

Google is stepping in to help family and friends of Boston Marathon runners find their loved ones after explosions near the finish line.

The site, called Google Person Finder, allows users to enter the name of a person they’re looking for or enter information about someone who is there.

Cellphone use has been difficult in the Boston area. A law enforcement official says cell service was shut down to prevent any possible remote detonations of explosives. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

Far-flung family members and friends are frantically using social media to check on the safety of runners and spectators after two bombs exploded near the finish line of the marathon, killing two and injuring dozens.

UPDATE: 4/15/13 05:15 p.m.

Boston police say no suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

Police Commissioner Edward Davis also says that the fire at a library a few miles away and more than an hour later doesn’t appear to be related to the explosions at the race on Monday. He says the fire may have been caused by an incendiary device.

Authorities say the blasts killed two people and injured at least 73.

Police say it’s too early to get into specifics about the nature of devices or whether shrapnel was involved.

 

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At least two explosions rocked an area near the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday afternoon.

The explosions occurred just a few seconds apart on opposite sides of the street.

According to witnesses, the first explosion left a huge plume of smoke hovering over the entire area.

Both explosions occurred around 2:45 pm, just about an hour after the first runner crossed the finish line.  The race was stopped shortly after the blasts.  Approximately 27,000 runners competed in the race.

Witnesses said several victims lost limbs in the explosion, and authorities are saying there was at least six reported injuries so far.

Many of the injured appeared to be spectators, and they were transported to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment.

There have not been any deaths reported at this point.

Gov. Dave Heineman says his $2.2 million budget request to buy an airplane from the University of Nebraska Foundation is needed to reach rural parts of the state quickly.

Heineman argued Monday that the plane ensures that he and other state officials are accessible to residents when needed. He says a state-owned plane is more cost-efficient than relying on a charter service.

The plane is a Beechcraft Super King Air plane. It is owned by the foundation but also serves the governor, agency heads and other state officials. The foundation has decided to sell the plane.

The Legislature’s Appropriations Committee has so far declined to include the plane in its proposed two-year budget. Some members have said they aren’t yet persuaded that it’s necessary.

Five workers at a beef processing plant in Grand Island are recovering after being exposed to dangerous chemicals during an accident that forced part of the plant to be evacuated.

Emergency crews were called to the JBS Swift plant around 10 p.m. Sunday after bleach was mistakenly pumped into a container of acid at the plant.

Grand Island Fire Chief Cory Scmidt says the mixture of chemicals caused a reaction that produced toxic gas.

Part of the plant was evacuated for more than an hour while the ventilation system was used to clear the gas.

Five workers were treated for exposure at a Grand Island hospital Sunday night and released.

Company officials did not immediately respond to messages Monday morning, so it wasn’t clear how the incident affected production.

A 5-year-old Nebraska boy is recovering after being run over by a car that a playful 6-year-old girl shifted into neutral.

Douglas County Chief Deputy Sheriff Marty Bilek says Evan Perez was seriously hurt in the Sunday evening accident but should recover.

Bilek says the girl was playing in her dad’s car while it was parked outside a west Omaha apartment complex.

The girl got out of the car before it rolled over Evan, who was chasing a soccer ball. Bilek says the car’s tires didn’t roll over Evan, but he suffered facial bruises and other injuries.

Dish Network is offering to buy Sprint Nextel Corp. in a cash-and-stock deal it values at $25.5 billion, saying its bid is superior to that of Japanese phone company SoftBank.

Sprint’s stock jumped in premarket trading Monday.

Dish, an Englewood, Colo. satellite television company, said that its transaction includes $17.3 billion in cash and $8.2 billion in stock.

Sprint stockholders would receive $7 per share, which is a 13 percent premium to its Friday closing price of $6.22. This includes $4.76 per share in cash and 0.05953 Dish shares per Sprint share.

Softbank is seeking approval from U.S. authorities for its $20 billion purchase of a 70 percent stake in Sprint Nextel Corp. that would be Japan’s biggest foreign acquisition ever.

Dish Network Corp. said that its offer is a 13 percent premium to the existing SoftBank proposal.

More than two dozen brass marker vases have been stolen from graves at Lincoln Memorial Park.

Employees counted 13 vases missing from the grounds in August. Last week a dozen more were reported missing.

Cindy Spaulding says her parents are buried in the cemetery and says the thieves are “stealing from dead people. I can’t think of anything lower.”

Police have been told about the thefts, and the cemetery has asked local scrap metal dealers to keep watch for the stolen vases.