NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) – Prosecutors say it’s not likely that a man suspected in the disappearance of a Peru State freshman will be linked to a 2009 death in northeast Nebraska.  Joshua Keadle, from Swansea S.C., is facing criminal charges in Nemaha and Dodge counties.  Pierce County Attorney Verlyn Leubbe said Tuesday that investigators looked into whether Keadle could be linked to the death of 19-year-old Lacey Anderson, but Keadle’s name hasn’t come up in several months.
Anderson’s body was found in Pierce County by hunters.  She was from Madison County.  In Nemaha County, Keadle has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in the Halloween rape of a fellow Peru State student.  The charges were filed after his arrest in the disappearance of Tyler “Ty” Thomas, who was last seen Dec. 3.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The Defense Department says a 29-year-old Omaha man has been killed in Afghanistan.  Officials said Tuesday that Marine Sgt. Joshua Robinson died Sunday while on combat operations in Helmand Province.  He was shot twice in the left side of his chest while on patrol.  Robinson was on his first deployment to Afghanistan but had been deployed to Iraq twice before.  He enlisted in the Marines in 2003.  Robinson earned a Purple Heart and Combat Action Ribbon during his service.  Robinson was an infantryman assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, which is based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.  Robinson’s wife and two sons, ages 4 and 5, moved back to Bennington, Neb. earlier this year to be close to family while he was deployed.  The number of service members with Nebraska connections killed in Afghanistan or Iraq since September 11, 2001 continues to grow.  The latest U.S. military casualties in Afghanistan bring the total of deaths with Nebraska ties to 70.  The Defense Department said Tuesday that Marine Sgt. Joshua Robinson from Omaha was killed Sunday in Afghanistan during combat operations.  Family members say two other soldiers from Nebraska died Saturday when a military helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan.  Twenty-six-year-old Navy SEAL John Douangdara and 30-year-old Nebraska National Guard Sgt. Patrick Hamburger were among the 30 American troops killed in the crash.  Douangdara is from South Sioux City. Hamburger is a Lincoln native who lived in Grand Island.

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) – A 17-year-old Columbus youth convicted as an adult for a gang-related shooting last year has been given 11-to-22 years in prison.  Court records say Anthony Ramirez was sentenced last week for four felonies: using a firearm to commit a felony, intentional discharge of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm and possessing a short rifle.  Investigators say Ramirez fired the sawed-off rifle at a pursuing vehicle after firing at a house on Oct. 31.  Rival gang members were partying at the house. Ramirez was 16 at the time.  No injuries were reported.  The Columbus Telegram reports that Ramirez had received probation four times for juvenile offenses.  Prosecutor Demi Herman says Ramirez is a dedicated gang member who wanted to raise his gang standing on the night of the shooting.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) – A construction worker has been impaled in an accident at a Grand Island job site. Authorities say the upper thigh of one of Dennis Schwarz’s legs was impaled when he fell Monday morning at the Success Academy construction site. He landed on some concrete reinforcement bar.  The Grand Island Independent reports that Schwarz was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover from his injury.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska has launched a website that links students who want internships with the businesses that will provide them.  Gov. Dave Heineman says the Nebraska Internship Program “is an important component of Nebraska’s strategic economic plan.”  The program provides $1.5 million a year in job training funds and adds it to matching funds from businesses to encourage more internship opportunities.  So far, 79 businesses have applied for the internship funding.  Students can search for the paid internships at http://InternNE.com.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Lincoln police say two teenagers have been arrested for robbing a real estate agent during an open house.  Police say the agent was holding an open house Sunday afternoon when the teens came in and demanded her purse and car keys.  Officials say one of the teens threatened the woman with a homemade knife, then punched her and took her purse.  When they left, the woman yelled for help and the teens ran off.  Police caught the young men several blocks away and arrested them for armed robbery.  Authorities say one had escaped from a youth treatment center in Kearney, while the other was a runaway from Papillion.

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) – The sister of a U.S. Navy SEAL from South Sioux City says he was among the 30 American troops killed when a military helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan
Chan Follen told KCAU-TV in Sioux City that her brother, John Douangdara, was aboard a Chinook helicopter that the military says was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade.  Follen says the family was notified of his death on Saturday.  Douangdara, who graduated from South Sioux City High School in 2003, was a lead dog handler for the elite unit.  At least two troops from Nebraska were killed in the helicopter crash. The Nebraska National Guard says Sgt. Patrick Hamburger, of Grand Island, was also among the dead. He was a flight engineer.