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Transmission Lines Delay Progress on The Keystone XL Pipeline

nppdA Nebraska utility says the new route for a proposed oil pipeline that would carry Canadian crude oil through the state will delay work on electric transmission lines for the pipeline.

Nebraska Public Power District officials say they won’t be able to build the transmission lines by the deadline TransCanada set for the end of 2014.

The Associated Press reports NPPD Chief Operating Officer Tom Kent says there’s no way the transmission lines will be ready by 2015.

TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline will carry Canadian crude to the Gulf Coast if it can win President Barack Obama’s approval.

Environmentalists have opposed the project because they worry the pipeline could contaminate groundwater reserves and threaten ecologically sensitive areas in Nebraska and other states along its 1,700-mile path.

Man Commits Suicide in Front of Omaha Police Officer

omaha-policeAn investigation has been ordered after Omaha police say a man shot himself to death in front of an officer.

Police say the officer was patrolling a north Omaha neighborhood around 1:30 a.m. Friday when he heard gunshots nearby. The officer told investigators he saw a man walking westbound in the area and ordered him to stop several times. The man refused to stop, and the officer called for backup and again ordered the man to stop.

Police say the man, identified as 31-year-old Robert Willis, then pulled out a handgun and shot himself once.

Willis was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The officer, who has not been identified, has been placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy, pending the investigation.

 

Fremont Man Charged with Soliciting Sex from a Minor in Police Sting

Mark Avis
Mark Avis

A 42-year-old Fremont man has been arrested and charged with trying to solicit sex from an underage girl after answering an online advertisement.

Sgt. Jay Murphy tells local media that Mark Avis answered an ad the officer posted on Craigslist. The officer then told Avis he was a woman who was prostituting her 15-year-old daughter.

Murphy says when Avis showed up at an arranged meeting place for sex with the fictional teen, he was arrested. On Thursday, he paid $1,000 bond to be released from jail.

He’s faces seven charges, including child enticement and attempted first-degree sexual assault.

 

Stenberg Warns Businesses and Residents to Be On the Lookout for Forged State Docs

Don Stenberg
Don Stenberg

Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg is warning banks, businesses and residents to be on the lookout for forged state documents that look like checks.

Stenberg says a 19-year-old Omaha woman has been arrested on suspicion of forgery for allegedly cashing forged state warrants at banks and businesses. Police also have issued an arrest warrant on a forgery charge for a 20-year-old Omaha woman.

Investigators say the two cashed at least three forged warrants for nearly$13,000. Stenberg says the state lost no money in the scam.

A warrant is a written government financial order that looks and clears through a bank like a check, but is drawn on government funds rather than checking accounts.

Stenberg is warning Nebraskans to refuse to cash checks for anyone they don’t know.

PA Woman Gets 2-4 In the Clink for Poisoning Boyfriend with Eye Drops

eye-dropsA central Pennsylvania woman will spend two to four years in prison for poisoning her boyfriend with eye drops.

Thirty-three-year-old Vickie Jo Mills, of McConnellsburg, was sentenced Tuesday. She had pleaded guilty to a count of aggravated assault.

State police say Mills admitted putting eyedrops into Thurman Nesbitt’s drinking water 10 to 12 times since June 2009.

Police say Nesbitt’s doctor treated him for years for nausea, vomiting, blood pressure problems and breathing trouble until blood tests revealed tetrahydrozoline (teh-truh-hye-DROZ’-uh-leen). That’s the main ingredient in eyedrops.

Investigators say Mills said she wanted Nesbitt to pay more attention to her.

24-Year-Old Stabbed to Death in South Omaha

crimeAuthorities have released the name of a 24-year-old man who was fatal stabbed in south Omaha.

Police identified the victim as Ryan O’Donnell. Officers say he was stabbed shortly after 12 a.m. Friday. O’Donnell was pronounced dead later at Creighton University Medical Center.

Police say 23-year-old Anthony Utterback is in custody and is being held in Douglas County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. Online court records don’t list the name of his attorney.

 

California Man Arrested in Lancaster County on Drug Charges

ne-state-patrol-logoA 41-year-old man wanted on a California warrant has been arrested in Nebraska, accused of possessing drugs.

The Nebraska State Patrol says a state trooper pulled over a pickup on a traffic violation just before 2:30 a.m. Friday along Interstate 80 in Lincoln.

The patrol says a check of the man’s driver’s license showed that he was wanted on a warrant alleging drug possession in Sonoma County, Calif., so the man was arrested. The patrol says an inventory of his truck turned up a bottle of hydrocodone tablets and 40 packages of pot that weighed more than 88 pounds.

The man was identified as Shane Barrett, of Willits, Calif. A Lancaster County jailer said Barrett remains in custody. Online court records don’t list the name of his lawyer.

Look Out! Asteroid Set to Buzz by Earth Friday Afternoon

asteroid-buzz-byA 150-foot asteroid is almost here.

The asteroid will make the closest known flyby for an object of its size Friday afternoon. NASA promises it will miss Earth by 17,150 miles. But that’s closer than many communication and weather satellites.

The asteroid will be too faint to see with the naked eye. The best viewing locations, with binoculars and telescopes, will be in Asia, Australia and Eastern Europe.

As asteroids go, this is a shrimp. The one that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was 6 miles across. But this rock could still pack a wallop, wiping out 750 square miles if it struck.

Scientists are certain it won’t impact Earth. And chances are extremely remote it will run into any of the satellites orbiting 22,300 miles up.

Bruning Warns of Tax Season Scams

Jon-BruningNebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning has issued a warning for residents to be aware of tax season scams.

Bruning says consumers should be wary of companies promising tax debt reduction or elimination — especially those charging upfront fees.

Bruning says that regardless of what tax-relief companies may promise, total federal tax debt forgiveness is rare. In very limited circumstances, the IRS may offer a reduction, or abatement, for penalties.

Bruning says the Federal Trade Commission recently announced a settlement with American Tax Relief of Beverly Hills, Calif., accused of bilking consumers out of more than $100 million. The commission also has issued a consumer warning about tax relief companies making unauthorized withdrawals from clients’ bank or credit accounts for additional, undisclosed fees.

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