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Nebraskan Retires From NASA

nasaNebraska native Clayton Anderson says plans for his future are up in the air after his retirement from NASA.

Anderson, of Ashland, on Wednesday confirmed to the Hastings Tribune what he’d posted on his Twitter account: that he’s leaving the national space agency after a 30-year career.

The 53-year-old says he and his family will remain in Houston for now but could move back to Nebraska.

NASA says Anderson is a veteran of two space flights and five months aboard the International Space Station.

He was born in Omaha, graduated from a high school in Ashland and earned a bachelor’s degree at Hastings College. He earned a master’s in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University in 1983.

Two Men Sentenced In I-80 Marijuana Delivery Arrest

weedbagA Washington man and one from Missouri have been imprisoned in a Nebraska marijuana case.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that 27-year-old Aaron Hilts, of Lacey, Wash., was given two to three years in prison for attempted delivery of the 22 pounds of pot. Twenty-six-year-old Mazeyar Attaran, of Ellisville, Mo., was given 44 to 96 months in prison for trying to avoid arrest and for aiding and abetting the attempted delivery of drugs.

The Nebraska State Patrol says a trooper noticed two vehicles traveling together on Interstate 80 in Lincoln on March 9 last year.

The trooper pulled over one of them, which was driven by Hilts, and the marijuana was found inside.

The vehicle driven by Attaran was forced into a ditch after a chase by another trooper.

Combat Jobs Open To Women- Must Meet Equal Standards

gavelIraq veteran Alma Felix hopes the U.S. military’s new rules to open hundreds of thousands of combat jobs to women will lead society to recognize that female troops can be courageous warriors.

The 27-year-old Army veteran says that women have proven themselves over the past decade in Iraq and Afghanistan and have come home with the feeling that few know of their contributions.

She says female soldiers tend to disappear into the background.

Across the country, members of the military of both sexes said they accept the new policy so long as women will have to meet the same standards as their male colleagues.

Others believe the public may not be ready to handle seeing more female troops come home in body bags or with lost limbs.

Alleged Anonymous Spokesman Facing Charges

Gavel_booksThe criminal charges continue to mount against a Texas man who had described himself as a spokesman for the hacker-activist group Anonymous.

A two-count federal indictment returned Thursday in Dallas charges Barrett Brown with concealing evidence by hiding two laptop computers from authorities.

The 31-year-old defendant was a de facto spokesman for Anonymous, willing to speak for a movement that prides itself on anonymity.

The latest indictment alleges that he concealed the laptops from authorities at the home of an associated identified only as “KM.” The indictment doesn’t detail what was on the laptops. He already is accused of stealing data from the Austin-based private intelligence firm Stratfor and threatening an FBI agent on the Internet.

Brown’s attorney, Doug Morris, declined to comment on the new charges.

NE Mother Who Prostituted Young Daughters Gets 80 Years in Prison

Michelle-RandallAn Upland mother who sold her two young daughters into prostitution on Craigslist has been sentenced to a minimum of 80 years in prison.

Michelle Randall, 36, was sentenced in Buffalo County District Court Wednesday to a minimum of 50 years in prison for one count of sexual assault of a child — a Class 2 felony — and 15 to 20 years for each of two counts of possession of child pornography — Class 3 felonies.

Her sentences will run consecutively. Judge John Icenogle gave her credit for the 272 days she has already served.

Randall was convicted of the three felony charges last November after initially pleading ‘no contest.’

Last May, Randall placed a personal ad on Craigslist offering female companionship in the Kearney area, then offered the sexual services of her 14-year-old daughter to an undercover officer posing as a man answering the ad. She also arranged for multiple men to have sex with her 7-year-old daughter in exchange for cash on several occasions.

That’s something Buffalo County Attorney Shawn Eatherton says he can’t imagine a parent doing to the one person they’re supposed to protect.

“We do not put them in harms way, we do not expose them to sexual abuse, we do not expose them to people that may harm them,” he said, “and when somebody does that, it’s an aberration, and those people need to be held accountable to the highest standard. We should really not hand out mercy to the people that prey on our children or who assist those who prey on our children.”

Randall was convicted of nine similar felony counts — including five counts of visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct by a minor, two counts of human trafficking and two counts of child abuse — last November in Franklin County after making a plea deal.

Randall’s attorney said the plea deal was the best possible option for her client to avoid possible federal charges and additional charges in four other counties where the crimes occurred.

“The reason really that she decided to enter into this agreement is that it resolved all of those [possible charges] all in one fell swoop essentially, rather than potentially having trials in five different counties, as well as federal court,” attorney Tana Fye said.

Five men are also charged in the case for allegedly having sex with the young girls.

Logan Roepke, 22, of McCook; Donald Grafe, 37, of Columbus; Shad Chandler, 41, and Brian McCarthy, 33, both of Lincoln; and 28–year–old Alex Rahe, of Omaha, are each charged with first–degree sexual assault of a child.

Roepke and Chandler were both convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a child in separate courtrooms Tuesday, after entering ‘no contest’ and ‘guilty’ pleas, respectively. Chandler initially pleaded ‘not guilty,’ but changed his plea Tuesday.

Roepke will be sentenced in Buffalo County District Court Feb. 28. Chandler’s sentencing is set for April 2 in Lancaster County District Court.

As for Randall, the mother of four has had three of her children taken away from her and placed in protective custody.

“Her children have been placed in foster care, and so they’re in foster homes here in Nebraska right now,” Fye said.

Randall will be eligible for parole in approximately 38 years, at the age of 74.

She will be sentenced in Furnas and Franklin Counties next month.

Philly Drug Dealer Charged in Son’s Accidental Shooting Death

accidental-shootingA Philadelphia drug dealer whose young son fatally shot himself with a gun that had been hidden in a sofa has been sentenced to nine to 18 years in prison.

Twenty-six-year-old Javier Merle apologized to his family and in-laws at his sentencing on Thursday.

Prosecutors say Merle had stashed heroin and a loaded 9mm pistol in the couch at his Kensington home. Four-year-old Javier Merle Jr. found the gun in July 2011 after his father went outside during a dispute with neighbors.

Merle pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and drug charges in August.

Merle’s attorney says the boy’s death has torn the family apart. But the judge reprimanded relatives for tolerating Merle’s drug-dealing.

 

NE Lawmakers Consider Heart Screenings for Newborns

NE-State-CapitolDoctors who treat newborns are urging Nebraska lawmakers to support a bill that would require congenital heart screenings as a way to help spot potential health threats.

Dr. Robert Spicer told lawmakers Thursday that the screenings would help physicians identify children who need more rigorous testing.

Spicer says 8 out of every 1,000 children born in the U.S. have a form of congenital heart disease. In many cases the disease doesn’t create a serious health risk, but 1.2 of every 1,000 children suffer from a life-threatening form of the disease.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Jim Smith, of Papillion. The Health and Human Services Committee will decide whether to advance the bill for legislative debate.

Unveiled Documents Accuse 14 Priests Of Sex Abuse

gavelProsecutors will review internal priest personnel files kept by the Los Angeles Roman Catholic archdiocese that show retired Cardinal Roger Mahony and other top church officials worked to shield molester priests.

District attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said in an emailed statement Tuesday that the office will “evaluate all documents as they become available to us.”

Thousands of pages of confidential records from the files of 14 priests accused of sex abuse were made public Monday.

The documents show how the church handled abuse allegations for decades and provide the strongest evidence to date that Mahony and a top aide consulted about how to handle molester priests and protect the archdiocese from scandal.

Mahony issued an apology Monday.

Dozens more priest files will soon become public under a 2007 settlement agreement.

School Shooting At Texas College

police-lights-redA law enforcement official says Texas authorities have at least one person in custody in connection to the Lone Star College campus shooting in Houston, and local authorities think there could potentially be a second shooter.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss an ongoing case. The official says multiple injuries have been reported.

The Houston-area community college is on lockdown amid reports of a shooter on campus. Lone Star College System issued an alert on its website telling students and faculty to take immediate shelter or avoid the campus.

Keystone XL Pipeline Route Approved By Gov. Dave Hineman

GovGov. Dave Heineman today approved the route reviewed in the final evaluation report, which avoids the environmentally-sensitive Sand Hills region of Nebraska. Gov. Heineman sent the following letter to President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton, notifying them of the accepted Nebraska route.

In the letter of approval signed by Gov. Heineman, the findings are listed from the evaluation by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality of the proposed route.

NDEQEvaluation

What are your thoughts on the approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline?

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