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Lincoln man injured when four-wheeler collides with SUV

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man has been hospitalized after his all-terrain vehicle collided with a sport utility vehicle.

The accident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Monday, about 7 miles (12 kilometers) east-southeast of Lincoln. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office says the southbound ATV was turning east onto Old Cheney Road when it struck the passenger side of the westbound SUV.

The man was flown to a Lincoln hospital for treatment of head and chest injuries. His name hasn’t been released. The SUV driver was not injured.

Authorities: Girl hurt in 60-foot fall at Iowa state park

DUNDEE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say an 8-year-old girl has been injured after falling 60 feet (18 meters) at a state park in eastern Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said in a news release that the girl was hiking with friends and family Sunday afternoon at Backbone State Park when she fell. Department spokesman Alex Murphy said Monday that the girl may have been jumping from rock to rock and then slipped, plunging down a steep embankment. He could not confirm the girl’s name.

The girl’s companions called 911 for help, and she was flown to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. Her condition has not been released.

The park sits about 2 miles (3 kilometers) north of Dundee, which is 160 miles (260 kilometers) northeast of Des Moines.

Man died after being pulled from apartment pool, police say

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say a man has died after being pulled from an apartment pool in northwest Omaha.

Medics were sent to the Camelot Village Apartments around 7 p.m. Sunday. They took over efforts to revive the man, who was soon taken to an Omaha hospital. Police said Monday morning that he died there.

Police identified the man as 23-year-old Jerry Adjiwandou.

Damage estimated at $100K in Lincoln food plant fire

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A fire official has estimated that a fire at Lincoln food plant has caused nearly $100,000 in damage.

Officials say no one was injured in the fire, which started around 1 p.m. Saturday at the Smithfield Foods plant. Battalion Chief Leo Benes said the blaze occurred in a grease building between an industrial oven and the ceiling. Benes says it took firefighters around 45 minutes to control the fire.

Evacuated workers were allowed back in the plant after nearly two hours.

Fire inspector Ken Hilger says the damage estimate includes damaged food and equipment and lost employee production.

Pavement work expected to hamper Blaine County traffic

BREWSTER, Neb. (AP) — Repair work on Nebraska Highway 7 is expected to hamper traffic in north-central Nebraska’s Blaine County.

The work is scheduled to begin Tuesday at a spot 18 miles (29 kilometers) north of Brewster and extend 6 miles (10 kilometers) north.

The Nebraska Department of Roads says the work will include milling, asphalt overlay, bridge and guardrail repairs and rumble strips.

There will be a 10-foot width restriction at the Calamus River Bridge beginning Wednesday, and the restriction is expected to remain in place until June 9.

There also will be lane closures as the work continues. Traffic flow will be maintained by flaggers and a pilot car.

The project is planned for completion in late August.

Nebraska conservation officers to conduct special patrols

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Conservation officers, state troopers and sheriff’s deputies will be out this summer in Nebraska’s recreational areas in an effort to crack down on alcohol-related accidents.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says officers will be out in state parks and managed areas in Lancaster County from June through August.

The special patrols, mostly on weekends, will focus on Branched Oak, Pawnee, Bluestem, Wagon Train and Stagecoach state recreational areas and Wildwood Wildlife Management Area.

Visitors to those areas are reminded that alcohol consumption on park and wildlife areas is prohibited on all roadways, designated swimming areas and parking areas.

A $10,800 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety is helping fund the special enforcement effort.

$10,000 bill for getting car stuck in newly poured concrete

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A driver could be facing a $10,000 bill after he plowed into newly poured concrete in Lincoln, Nebraska, and became stuck.

The accident occurred Wednesday on a portion of a road repair project in the state capital. Police spokeswoman Angela Sands said Friday that police won’t cite the driver, 19-year-old Shadrach Yasiah. A police incident report says it wasn’t obvious that the concrete wasn’t dry and that Yasiah drove into it through a 24-foot (7-meter) gap between traffic control cones.

Attempts by The Associated Press to contact Yasiah were not successful.

City engineer Thomas Shafer says the driver is responsible for the repairs. He says the contactor estimated it will cost more than $10,000 to pay for removing the car, scraping out the ruined slurry, repouring more and finishing it.

Pedestrian bridge in southeast Nebraska to close for repairs

SOUTH BEND, Neb. (AP) — State officials have announced that a popular pedestrian bridge that spans the Platte River in southeast Nebraska will close for repairs at the end of this month.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says the Lied Platte River Bridge at South Bend will close May 31 for pavement and abutment repairs.

Construction is expected to last about a month.

Officials say there will still be limited access to the Cass County side. The Lied Platte River Bridge was initially used by the Rock Island Railroad. After the railroad abandoned the bridge, it was converted for use by pedestrians and bicyclists. It is part of a trail system that connects Lincoln and Omaha.

Driver of truck discovered on tracks died while driving

WOOD RIVER, Neb. (AP) — Officials say sheriff’s deputies checking on a dump truck stopped on railroads tracks in central Nebraska found the driver dead inside the cab.

The discovery was made about 6:25 a.m. Friday. Officials say 64-year-old Gary Rouse, of Gibbon, died of a medical condition while driving a Mack dump truck in Wood River.

Investigators say Rouse was eastbound on Highway 30 when he had a medical issue that caused him to leave the roadway and come to rest on the railroad tracks.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

No other vehicles were involved.

Lincoln man accused of fleeing stop with officer in car

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 43-year-old Lincoln man has been jailed after authorities say he fled a traffic stop with a Lincoln police officer in his car.

Lepreece Wilkinson was stopped Thursday morning on suspicion of running a red light. Officer Briana Gaston says in court records that she could smell marijuana and air freshener as she approached Wilkinson’s car and called for backup.

Gaston says during the stop, Wilkinson got back in his car. When she reached in to turn his car off, he hit the gas and drove for “about 100 feet with me on his lap.”

The car hit a curb, knocking Gaston out of the car and injuring her. Police say Gaston ran but was soon captured.

He’s charged with assaulting an officer and a drug count. His public defender could not be reached for comment Saturday.

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