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Omaha man crushed to death while working on tractor

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PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — Authorities in eastern Nebraska say a man was crushed to death by a tractor he was working on.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that the incident happened Thursday, while 64-year-old Michael Hannon, of Omaha, was making repairs on the tractor at the Papillion business where he worked. Investigators say the tractor lurched forward, causing a large rear wheel of the vehicle to crush Hannon.

Officials say Hannon had been alone when the accident happened. A coworker found him.

Paramedics pronounced Hannon dead at the scene. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Papillion police are investigating.

Omaha man was crushed to death Thursday by the wheel of a tractor after the vehicle lurched forward while he was working on it.

Man accused of interfering with flight attendant is indicted 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A federal grand jury in Nebraska has indicted a Massachusetts man on allegations that he interfered with a flight attendant, causing the plane’s pilot to make an unscheduled landing in Omaha.

U.S. District Court records say Timothy Columbare is charged with interference with flight crew members. An Omaha court hearing for him is scheduled for May 16. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for Columbare, who lives in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

The records say Columbare interfered with the attendant on a Southwest Airlines flight that had taken off March 19, 2017, from St. Louis and was headed to Seattle. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Omaha, Mike Norris, declined Friday to provide specifics on what Columbare is alleged to have done.

1 worker killed, 1 injured in fall at future chicken plant

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say one person was killed and another injured when they fell while working on a future chicken processing plant in Fremont.

First responders were called around 9:40 a.m. Thursday to the Costco site. Fremont police say the two men fell about 40 feet from a basket in which they were working. A 56-year-old man died and a 26-year-old man was flown to an Omaha hospital. Their names haven’t been released.

Fremont Fire Capt. Jamie Meyer says the younger man was pinned 30 feet above the ground and was rescued by firefighters.

Company authorities say the two men were employees of contractors working on the site.

The plant is expected to process up to 2 million birds a week after it goes into full operation.

Police: 4th arrest made in shooting death of Lincoln woman

Ira Morrow

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police in Lincoln say a fourth arrest has been made in the shooting death last year of a Lincoln woman.

Police say in a news release that 33-year-old Ira Morrow was arrested Thursday on suspicion of a federal count of conspiracy to commit robbery.

Three other men also have been charged in the July 31 shooting of 36-year-old Jessica Brandon at the Lincoln home she shared with her fiance. Police say surveillance cameras caught several men casing the house and later forcing their way into the home and firing several shots in a drug-related robbery.

Police say Morrow was identified as being among the men in the video.

Earlier this year, a grand jury indicted Tawhyne Patterson Sr. and brothers Damon Williams and Dante Williams each on a count of using a firearm resulting in murder and a robbery count.

‘Trip Set’ gang members arrested on Federal warrants in Omaha

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced today that members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Omaha Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service conducted an early morning operation in Omaha, armed with arrest warrants for six individuals on federal and state charges for firearms and narcotics violations.  During this investigation, the ATF and the Omaha Police Department seized 41 firearms, ten of which were stolen.  In addition to the stolen firearms, approximately 31 ounces of marijuana were seized.

This investigation focused on the TRIP SET gang that relied on violent crime and narcotics sales to make money for the gang.  Their crimes included armed robberies, home invasions, burglaries and credit card fraud.   Between June and October 2018, this gang was responsible for six felony assaults.  This group became prevalent in the Omaha area over the past three years and has approximately 154 documented gang members and associates in Omaha.  Omaha Police also confirmed additional TRIP SET gang members in Iowa, Minnesota, Texas, Tennessee, Washington, South Dakota, and Utah.

“This operation involving the Omaha Police Department, ATF, and the U.S. Marshals Service removed some very dangerous individuals from our community,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly, “We are very pleased with the determination, coordination and cooperation among these agencies, as well as the Douglas County Attorney’s Office, in this very successful investigation.”

“In partnership with the Omaha Police Department, ATF will continue to identify and bring to justice, those who use or illicitly supply firearms to be used in violence,” said Acting ATF Special Agent in Charge Fred Winston.

“The operation is impactful to public safety as it addressed active gang members procuring firearms illegally.  I want to thank our federal partners and all the Omaha investigators that worked tirelessly for the public on this.” said Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer.

In addition to today’s arrest warrants, six other individuals were already in custody and charged federally prior to the operation.  Attached are the names and charges of individuals arrested in this investigation.  One individual remains at large.  Attached is the list of those in custody.

TRIP SET INVESTIGATION

Targets and their indicted offenses

  1. Jal CHUAR

            Count 1: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

            Count 2: Possession of Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense (18 USC 924(c))

            Count 3: Felon in Possession of a Firearm (18 USC 922(g)(1))

  1. Kuiny GACH

            Count 1: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

            Count 2: Possession of Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense (18 USC 924(c))

            Count 3: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

            Count 4: Possession of Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense (18 USC 924(c))

  1. Ammanuel JIEL

            Count 1: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

            Count 2: Possession of Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense (18 USC 924(c))

            Count 3: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

            Count 4: Possession of Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense (18 USC 924(c))

  1. Emmanuel JOHN

            Count 1: Felon in Possession of a Firearm (18 USC 922(g)(1))

            Count 2: Felon in Possession of a Firearm (18 USC 922(g)(1))

            Count 3: Felon in Possession of a Firearm (18 USC 922(g)(1))

            Count 4: Felon in Possession of a Firearm (18 USC 922(g)(1))

  1. Kandaru JOHN

            Count 1: Felon in Possession of a Firearm (18 USC 922(g)(1))

            Count 2: Felon in Possession of a Firearm (18 USC 922(g)(1))

  1. Gatroul PUOL

            Count 1: Conspiracy – Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (21 USC 846)

            Count 2: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

            Count 3: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

            Count 4: Possession of Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense (18 USC 924(c))

            Count 5: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

            Count 6: Possession of Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense (18 USC 924(c))

            Count 7: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

  1. Giel RIAK

            Count 1: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

            Count 2: Possession of Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense (18 USC 924(c))

            Count 3: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

            Count 4: Possession of Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense (18 USC 924(c))

  1. Reuben ROWE

            Count 1: Distribution Marijuana (21 USC 841)

            Count 2: Possession of Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense (18 USC 924(c))

  1. Dajuan SHARRON

            Count 1: Robbery of Personal Property of the United States (18 USC 2112)

  1. Kan TAP

            Count 1: Felon in Possession of a Firearm (18 USC 922(g)(1))

            Count 2: Distribution Methamphetamine (21 USC 841)

            Count 3: Possession of Firearm During Drug Trafficking Offense (18 USC 924(c))

            Count 4: Felon in Possession of a Firearm (18 USC 922(g)(1))

            Count 5: Felon in Possession of a Firearm (18 USC 922(g)(1))

  1. Loing YAR

            Count 1: Distribution Methamphetamine (21 USC 841)

Young woman ‘infatuated’ with Columbine is found dead

Sol Pais (Photo: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) — A young Florida woman who traveled to Colorado and bought a shotgun for what authorities feared would be a Columbine-inspired attack just days ahead of the 20th anniversary was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide after a nearly 24-hour manhunt.

Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said 18-year-old Sol Pais was discovered by the FBI with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The manhunt had led to the closing of Denver-area schools as a precaution.

During the manhunt, the FBI said Pais was “infatuated” with Columbine and made threats ahead of Saturday’s anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people at Columbine High School in 1999. The FBI described her “extremely dangerous.”

The Miami Beach high school student flew to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, authorities said.

“We deal with a lot of threats at Columbine,” John McDonald, executive director of security for the Jefferson County school system, said when the manhunt was over. “This one felt different. It was different. It certainly got our attention.”

Agents had focused the search around the base of Mount Evans, a popular recreational area about 60 miles southwest of Denver.

All classes and extracurricular activities for about a half-million students were canceled as a precaution, though sheriff’s spokesman Mike Taplin said the young woman’s threats were general and not specific to any school.

Authorities said Pais was last seen not far from Columbine — in the Jefferson County foothills outside Denver — in a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots. Police were instructed to detain her for a mental health evaluation.

In Pais’ hometown of Surfside, Florida, Police Chief Julio Yero asked that the family be given “privacy and a little time to grieve.”

“This family contributed greatly to this investigation from the very onset. They provided valuable information that led us to Colorado and a lot of things that assisted in preventing maybe more loss of life,” he said.

Pais’ parents last saw her on Sunday and reported her missing to Florida authorities on Monday night, Surfside police said.

Because of the threats, Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver locked their doors for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon, and some canceled evening activities or moved them inside.

Adam Charni, a Miami Beach High School senior, said Pais dressed in black and kept mostly to herself. He said he was “baffled” to learn she was the person authorities in Colorado were searching for.

Two teenage gunmen attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives.

Group takes state step toward recall of Omaha mayor

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Some critics of Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert have taken a step toward mounting a recall drive.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that a group called the Coalition to Recall Stothert filed paperwork earlier this month to raise funds for a possible recall petition drive. Organizers would have to gather the signatures of nearly 35,000 Omaha voters to force a recall election.

Spokeswoman Heather Aliano said the group is recruiting volunteers and getting support from people angry about potholes , city trash contract changes and Stothert’s interactions with critics.

Stothert declined to comment about the group or its efforts. The Republican was first elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2017.

Driver arrested following pursuit in Lincoln

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol, with the assistance of the Lincoln Police Department, have arrested a man following a pursuit in Lincoln during the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 17.

At approximately 3:30 a.m., a trooper observed a Chevy Silverado failing to stay in its lane and hitting a curb while traveling westbound on Old Cheney near 70th street. The trooper attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled into a residential neighborhood near 70th and Glynoaks. The Silverado continued through the neighborhood, at times driving onto the curb to avoid being stopped.

After exiting the neighborhood, the truck began traveling southbound on 84th street at speeds over 90 miles per hour. For public safety reasons, the trooper terminated the pursuit. Minutes later, officers with the Lincoln Police Department reported a suspect in custody at the address where the Silverado was registered, near 91st and Pine Lake Road.

The trooper involved in the pursuit arrived at the location and confirmed that the truck and driver were those involved in the pursuit. The driver, Dustin Miller, 30, of Lincoln, was arrested for willful reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, driving with a revoked license, open alcohol container, refusal to submit to a preliminary breath test, and numerous traffic violations. Miller was lodged in Lancaster County Jail.

Hearing to focus on preventing more Missouri River flooding

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — This spring’s massive flooding along the Missouri River unearthed bitter criticism of the federal agency that manages the river while devastating communities and causing more than $3 billion in damage.The flooding and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ actions will be the focus of a U.S. Senate hearing in western Iowa on Wednesday and critics will demand the agency make flood control its top priority. But Congress would have to act to change the Corps’ priorities.

“The current river management policy needs fixing, and recent flooding makes that more urgent than ever,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican.

That sentiment is appealing in Midwestern states that have endured flooding along rivers the Corps of Engineers is charged with managing, but it may not be as popular with supporters of the Corps’ other priorities such as protecting endangered species.

Congress ordered the Corps to treat all eight of its priorities equally, meaning flood control and prevention takes no precedence over protecting endangered species.

Corps officials say they work to balance all the priorities and maximize the benefit to several when possible.

The Corps has also said that much of the water that caused the flooding in March came from rain and melting snow that flowed into the Missouri River downstream of all the dams it controls. At the same time, massive amounts of water were filling the reservoirs and some had to be released.

Mike Peluso, a longtime professional fisherman who runs an outdoors and guide service in North Dakota, said he doesn’t want to see management of the river “swayed one way or the other” for political reasons.

“They are more populated down south, I get that,” he said. “But it’s the same river regardless of whether or not you’ve got a million people or 100,000 people. It needs to be managed from the top down.”

He added, “I have a hard time believing with all the technology and brainpower we have we can’t find a balance there” between flood protection and other interests like recreation.

Greg Power, fisheries division chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said he believes the Corps does “a pretty good job” of managing the Missouri River system.

“Flood control is still a high priority within the Corps, I know that,” Power said. “Some of these water years are pretty incredible themselves and I would hate to be a Corps person, to be honest.”

Rep. Sam Graves, whose district includes the northwestern Missouri area ravaged by flooding in March, introduced a bill this month that would remove fish and wildlife as an authorized management priority on the Missouri River and make flood control the highest priority. The bill would require revision of the Missouri River Master Manuel within 90 days of enactment.

“Time and again, we continue to see fish and birds take precedence over people and property when it comes to managing the Missouri River,” Graves, a Republican, said in a statement. “This latest round of flooding has devastated communities up and down the river. We already know that the management practices are contributing to it.”

After touring flood damage last month in northwestern Missouri, Sen. Roy Blunt said the Corps “should be prioritizing flood control, navigation, and drinking water.

“Environmental concerns are a part of that discussion, but the priority should always be on protecting people and property,” said Blunt, a Republican also from Missouri.

Lawmakers say residents are telling them the same thing. At a meeting last week with mid-Missouri farmers and levee district officials, Rep. Vicky Hartzler, another Missouri Republican, was told repeatedly that flood control needs to be the Corps’ top river priority.

Robert Criss, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who has been studying flooding for more than two decades, said there may be a more important factor than how the Corps’ priorities are ranked.

The Missouri River has been made narrower over the years, Criss said, and the Corps has worked to maintain a defined channel for barge traffic even though few barges ever cross the river near Iowa and Nebraska.

“We’re having this problem because we messed with the rivers too much,” Criss said.

The Missouri River used to be a wide waterway with wetlands and numerous channels running alongside each other. That allowed floodwaters to spread out and cause fewer problems. Criss said the modern river forces the floodwater into a narrow channel restricted by levees that speeds up the flow and increases damage.

“The only way to make this river stop behaving so badly is to widen it out,” Criss said.

City administrator quits after less than 2 months on the job

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — The Grand Island city administrator has quit after less than two months on the job.

A city news release says Brent Clark and Mayor Roger Steele mutually agreed to end Clark’s employment. The release says Clark has “chosen to explore other opportunities.”

Clark declined to comment when reached by phone on Tuesday. Steele says he can’t talk about the situation because it’s a personnel matter. But he told The Grand Island Independent that “we both agreed there was a difference in management priorities and styles.”

Steele intends to have City Attorney Jerry Janulewicz serve as interim city administrator.

Clark was city administrator in Broken Bow before joining Grand Island to replace Marlan Ferguson when he retired.

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