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New Lancaster Co. Jail Offering Overnight Stay

jail-cellNebraskans are invited to spend the night in Lancaster County’s new jail.

Anyone can tour the jail and spend a night in a cell on Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

County officials say they’re hosting the overnighters to make sure everything in the jail is functioning properly before inmates move in this summer.

Jail officials ask that each participant donates $30 to stay the night. The proceeds will go to Operation Santa Claus and the Child Advocacy Center, a nonprofit that works to prevent child abuse.

The event starts at 6 p.m. each night and ends at 7 a.m. the next morning. The jail is located on 3801 W. O St. Free tours will also be available April 4-19.

New Jersey Law Bans Anyone Under 17 from Using Tanning Beds

chris-christie-tanningNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has signed legislation banning anyone under 17 from using a tanning bed and anyone under 14 from getting a spray tan a year after the state’s Tanning Mom became a tabloid sensation.

The legislation was developed after a northern Jersey woman accused of taking her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth was charged last year with child endangerment. The deeply tanned woman became known as the Tanning Mom, but a grand jury declined to indict her in February.

The measure signed Monday night allows 17-year-olds to use tanning salons provided a parent or guardian accompanies them to their first visit and consents.

Christie cites the “documented and well-understood” risks associated with the misuse of indoor tanning systems as a main reason for signing the legislation.

Jodi Arias’ Attorneys Seek Mistrial Due to Juror Misconduct

Jodi Arias
Jodi Arias

Jodi Arias’ defense lawyers are seeking a mistrial in her murder case due to juror misconduct.

In a court filing Sunday, her attorneys claim the misconduct was discovered during closed proceedings last week. They did not cite specifics but note that removing the juror would also be an option. That would leave five alternate jurors, in addition to the 12 who will decide the case.

Arias’ lawyers argued last week the prosecutor committed misconduct by signing autographs and posing for pictures outside court.

The judge questioned jurors individually in private, then a legal correspondent for Turner Broadcasting’s “In Session” was asked about what she saw.

Defense lawyers contend the prosecutor’s antics may have tainted the jury if anyone on the panel witnessed it.

Testimony in the case is set to resume Tuesday.

Clerical Error Lead to Release of Colorado DOC Chief’s Killer Four Years Early

Evan Ebel
Evan Ebel

A clerical error allowed the man suspected of killing Colorado’s prisons chief to be released from custody about four years early.

Court administrators acknowledged the error in a statement Monday. They said that in 2008, Evan Spencer Ebel pleaded guilty to assaulting a prison guard. He was supposed to spend four additional years in prison.

A court clerk failed to note that the sentence was supposed to be served after the one Ebel was already serving. As a result, prison records showed it should run at the same time as the 8-year assault sentence Ebel was already serving. He was released Jan. 28.

Ebel was killed in a shootout in Texas on March 21. He used the same gun that was used to kill prisons chief Tom Clements days earlier.

CO Theater Shooting Trial Delayed as Prosecutors Announce They Will Seek Death Penalty

james-holmesNow that prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty against James Holmes, the trial of the man accused in last year’s movie theater attack in Colorado will be delayed — at least until February.

And the judge in the case acknowledged today that even that much of a delay might not allow enough time for all sides to prepare.

Holmes had been scheduled to go to trial in August in the attack that killed 12 people and injured 70 others.

There was no audible reaction from him today when the prosecutor announced the decision to pursue the death penalty. Holmes’ parents sat side by side in the gallery, clutching hands. They were also quiet, as were the victims and their loved ones who were in the courtroom when the decision was announced.

One man whose best friend was killed in the attack says he had a “huge adrenaline rush” when he heard that Holmes might face death. Bryan Beard said, “I hope I’m in the room when he dies.”

Last week, prosecutors said they had rejected an offer from Holmes’ attorney to have him plead guilty and serve life in prison.

Oldest Person in America Dies at 113

elsie-thompson
Elsie Thompson

The oldest person in the United States has died at age 113, just weeks before her 114th birthday.

A spokeswoman from Elsie Thompson’s church in Clearwater, Fla., said she died March 21.

The Gerontology Research Group, which verifies age information for Guinness World Records, listed Thompson as the oldest living U.S. citizen after January’s death of 114-year-old Mamie Rearden of South Carolina.

Thompson was born in Beaver Falls, Pa., on April 5, 1899. Her husband, Ronald Thompson, was a Republican state senator in Pennsylvania, and in 1971, the couple moved to Clearwater, Fla. Mr. Thompson died in 1986.

Mrs. Thompson is survived by her son, who is in California, and four grandchildren.

She often said the secret to her longevity was loving people and greeting each day with a smile.

Hearing on Whether a Fox News Reporter Should Be Forced to Testify in CO Theater Shooting Trial Continued

Jana Winter
Jana Winter

A hearing on whether a reporter should be ordered to testify about how she obtained confidential information in the Colorado theater shooting case is being continued until next week.

New York-based Fox News reporter Jana Winter cited anonymous law enforcement officials in reporting that suspect James Holmes had sent a psychiatrist a notebook of drawings that foreshadowed the July 20 attack.

Prosecutors and Holmes’ lawyers argued about the issue in court Monday, but the defense wants to again question a detective about whether he might have told someone else about the notebook, who may have then talked to Winter.

The judge agreed and scheduled another hearing for April 10. He raised the possibility that Winter’s source was from outside Colorado, and not subject to the case’s gag order.

Supreme Court Denies Appeal of Colorado Professor Who Lost His Job Over Nazi Comments

supreme-courtThe Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from former University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill in his effort to reclaim his job.

The justices did not comment Monday in refusing to review a Colorado Supreme Court ruling in favor of the university.

Churchill faced condemnation and calls for his dismissal over an essay describing some victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as “little Eichmanns,” a reference to Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi leader who helped orchestrate the Holocaust.

The university investigated whether the piece was protected under the First Amendment and found that it was.

But while the investigation was under way, other academics accused Churchill of plagiarism and fraud in scholarly writings, which led to his termination in 2007. None of the allegations concerned the Sept. 11 essay.

Chelsea Clinton to Help Omaha Group Raise Money

girls-inc.Chelsea Clinton will follow the example of her parents by speaking in Omaha at a fundraising lunch for the nonprofit Girls Inc. group.

Chelsea Clinton will speak about service and youth engagement at the CenturyLink Center in downtown Omaha on May 10.

Both former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are among the prestigious speakers Girls Inc. has attracted in the past.

Current President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, billionaire Warren Buffett and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have all spoken at the event.

Chelsea Clinton is working on her doctorate at Oxford University while working as a special correspondent for NBC and serving on the board of her father’s charitable foundation.

Girls Inc. offers educational and recreational programs for girls.

NJ Powerball Winner Pays Off $30K in Child Support Debt

powerballThe New Jersey man who just won a $338 million Powerball jackpot has resolved a child support debt.

Pedro Quezada appeared Monday afternoon in state Superior Court in Paterson.

Authorities had said the 44-year-old Passaic resident owed about $29,000 in back support for three of his five children.

During the court hearing, officials said Quezada had paid $30,000 to settle the debt. He also told the judge that the three children would now be living with him.

Quezada claimed a lump-sum payment last week worth $221 million, or about $152 million after taxes.

The unpaid child support payments date to 2009.

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