OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The Cooper Nuclear Station in southeast
Nebraska is operating as normal despite flooding along the Missouri
River.
Nebraska Public Power District spokesman Mark Becker says
workers continue to monitor flood barricades and the protections
are holding up well.
The Columbus-based utility on Sunday issued a “notification of
unusual event” for the plant. Such a declaration is required when
the Missouri River rises to 42.5 feet, or 899 feet above sea level.
Cooper is at 903 feet elevation, and the river would have to climb
to 902 feet before officials would shutter the plant.
Becker says the river is projected to crest there at a little
over 900 feet. At such a level, officials would need to barricade
internal doorways at the plant to protect equipment.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – State officials are asking those affected
by flooding in Nebraska to submit information regarding damages and
losses.
The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency says the information
will be used to determine whether areas of Nebraska meet federal
thresholds for assistance.
The agency is in the early stages of collecting information for
a damage assessment. Those who have evacuated homes, have sustained
damages to a business and those whose jobs have been affected by
flooding are encouraged to contact the agency.
NEMA is seeking the information from those affected by current
flooding along the Missouri, Platte or North Platte rivers. Those
people are asked to call NEMA’s public toll-free lines at either
855-211-2453 or 855-211-2454. The lines are staffed daily from 8
a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Omaha has scaled back its sandbagging efforts
after a huge volunteer effort churned out almost 100,000 sandbags.
Melinda Pearson in the city’s parks department says the city
opened a second sandbagging station Wednesday afternoon but it
won’t reopen unless there’s a huge need for sandbags. She says
volunteers filled 12,000 sandbags at that site in just a few hours,
depleting the entire sand supply there.
At the first station, Pearson says, volunteers have almost met
Omaha’s goal of 100,000 sandbags to protect against the swollen
Missouri River. She says efforts will continue there but will be
scaled back. For example, this weekend the station will run two
four-hour shifts instead of three.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Airport officials in Lincoln are working on
a contingency plan just in case the airport in Omaha is flooded by
the Missouri River.
Lincoln Airport Executive Director John Wood told the Lincoln
Journal Star on Thursday that the airport is working on a
worst-case scenario in case Eppley Airfield in Omaha has to close.
Wood says if that happens, flights will likely be diverted to
Lincoln and Des Moines, Iowa.
Omaha Airport Authority Director Steve Coufal says the airport
is not considering closing.
Eppley is surrounded on three sides by the Missouri River and is
protected by levees tall enough to withstand a flood stage of up to
42 feet. The river is expected to crest in Omaha at 36 feet and
stay above flood stage for months.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A 45-year-old man has been arrested on
suspicion of killing his wife at their west Omaha home.
Omaha police say Sean Barrett remains in custody.
Barrett is accused of shooting to death 40-year-old Rochelle
Barrett. Police say she was found dead by officers who were sent to
the home around 3 a.m. Thursday.
Other details about the homicide have not been released.
Online court records don’t yet list the case. It’s unclear
whether he has an attorney.

NORTH PLATTE – According to Gary Thayer at the Nebraska Department of Roads, U.S. Hwy 30 between North Platte and Maxwell is currently dry. Thayer says that his department has been working with Union Pacific Railroad to increase the amount of protection against high levels along the North Platte River for both the highway and rail lines that run parallel. The work is nearing completion and Thayer says that the highway should reopen next week, possibly as early as Monday.

NORTH PLATTE – The results are in for Miss Rodeo Nebraska. Sierra Peterson, a 21 year old contestant from Ashland, Nebraska, was crowned last night at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo. Dayna Olson from North Platte finished first runner up. Dakota Clough from Ogallala was named Miss Teen Rodeo Nebraska. First runner up was Nicole Nickerson from Brady.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Lincoln police says no charges have been
filed against a woman who dropped her three children off at a
hospital, saying someone needed to take them from her or she would
kill them.
The Lincoln Journal Star says Wednesday the children were taken
to Child Protective Services. Police say the woman took them to the
hospital on Sunday. According to court records, she planned to
drive her car into a lake, with the children inside the vehicle.
Officer Katie Flood says the mother was admitted to a hospital
for treatment.
Nebraska approved a “safe haven” law in 2008 to protect
newborns from being abandoned. It didn’t include an age limit and
led to a rash of older children being left at hospitals. The
Legislature then added a 30-day age limit.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is
planning to tour flooded areas in Iowa and Nebraska along the
Missouri River this week.
U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said Wednesday in a telephone
conference with reporters that Vilsack, a former Iowa governor,
plans to tour the area on Friday.
Nelson says he hoped to be able to make the tour with Vilsack,
if the Senate schedule allows.
Nelson says Vilsack has assured him that the USDA considers
flooding along the Missouri to be natural disasters, meaning crop
insurance will cover damages.
Vilsack says that for areas to get disaster designations for
additional aid, flooding must result in at least a 30 percent
production loss in a county, and a written request must come from
the governor.