BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — The first home in Beatrice built by Nebraska inmates is in its final stages.
Nine inmates at the Community Corrections Center in Lincoln have been working on the home since March. The energy efficient and low maintenance home is expected to be finished by November.
The project is the result of a partnership between Prairie Gold Homes and the Nebraska Department of Corrections, and its goal is two-fold: Teach inmates vocational skills and provide affordable housing in communities that need it.
Construction-related experience isn’t required in order to be accepted into the program, but it helps. The inmates listed facets of construction they’re experienced in, including flooring, framing, and roofing.
Only the electricity, plumbing, and heating and air conditioning will be contracted out.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert has revived the city’s Citizen Complaint Review Board, appointing new members after all its previous members quit in April.
Those board members had cited a lack of support from the mayor’s office.
On Thursday, Stothert said she had adopted a few suggestions from the outgoing members. That includes setting up a post office box for complaints to go directly to the board. She also set up quarterly, rather than monthly, meetings of the board. The board will also be allowed to hold community forums and other outreach programs to educate residents on how to file a complaint.
Stothert established the Citizen Complaint Review Board in 2014 to review complaints against police when an internal investigation has found no wrongdoing.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says he wants the state to review its regulation of amusement rides following a 10-year-old boy’s death at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas.
Brownback told reporters Friday that he’s hoping state legislators spend significant time examining the state’s law on amusement parks.
He said, “I think that all needs to be looked at now in light of this tragedy.”
Kansas requires operators of permanent rides to “self-inspect” their rides at least once a year and maintain records. The state Department of Labor randomly audits those records, but Schlitterbahn’s documents hadn’t been audited for four years.
Caleb Thomas Schwab died Sunday while riding what is billed as the world’s tallest waterslide. He was the son of state Rep. Scott Schwab.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A district judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the city of Lincoln against Lancaster County seeking to cover medical expenses stemming from a friendly punch between officers nearly three years ago.
The order said that a sheriff’s deputy hit a Lincoln police officer working light duty on the left shoulder as he greeted her. The deputy didn’t know she had recently had rotator cuff surgery.
Nebraska’s Workers Compensation Court then ruled the city owed the officer more than $63,000 for medical expenses and restitution.
The city sued the county in May 2015, saying the deputy was negligent and failed to recognize that physical contact might hurt the officer.
Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson ruled Tuesday the deputy’s punch constituted battery not negligence under state tort law.
The Nebraska State Patrol has identified the man and woman arrested following a Thursday afternoon pursuit which ended in Cass County.
The male driver of the vehicle has been identified as Donnell Johnson, 30, Sunrise, Florida. He has been lodged in the Cass County Jail on charges to include, felony flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, no operator’s license, attempted theft by unlawful taking and possession of a financial transaction device.
The female passenger in the vehicle has been identified as Brijeth Garcia, 22, Orlando, Florida. She has been lodged in the Cass County jail on charges to include accessory to a felony, and possession of a financial transaction device.
Johnson and Garcia, were taken into custody Thursday, August 11, just south of Plattsmouth following the pursuit which started in Kansas.
The Nebraska State Patrol continues to investigate the incident in conjunction with Kansas authorities.
A pursuit that started in Kansas ends in Nebraska after the vehicle driver and passenger are taken into custody near Plattsmouth.
Just before 2:30 p.m., Thursday, August 11, the Nebraska State Patrol was notified by the Kansas Highway Patrol that it was in pursuit of a white Hyundai SUV and the vehicle was headed into Nebraska on Highway 75. The Nebraska State Patrol attempted a traffic stop of the vehicle on Highway 75 in Richardson County. The vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit ensued.
Troopers pursued the vehicle north on Highway 75 before terminating the pursuit just south of Auburn. The pursuit lasted approximately nine minutes and reached speed of more than 100 mph.
The vehicle continued north on Highway 75 and was followed in the air by the Kansas Highway Patrol Helicopter which was joined by the Nebraska State Patrol fixed wing aircraft near Nebraska City.
Spike strips were successful in flattening the vehicles tires just south of Plattsmouth on Highway 75. The vehicle came to a stop at the intersection of Osage Ranch Boulevard and US 34/75 Junction.
The male driver and a female passenger both fled the vehicle on foot. The male driver, attempted to enter several vehicles on a nearby car lot before being taken into custody inside the dealership. The female, ran into a field near where the vehicle stopped and was taken into custody.
The male driver and female passenger are not being identified at this time.
The Nebraska State Patrol continues to investigate the incident in conjunction with Kansas Authorities.
The suspects once identified will be lodged in the Cass County Jail on charges to include felony flight to avoid arrest, attempted theft and accessory to a felony.
DENVER (AP) — A mix-up in paperwork by a prosecutor has once again postponed a hearing for a northern Colorado nurse charged with inappropriately touching six women under his care in Colorado and three more in Nebraska.
Thomas Moore was due in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing. The hearing is now scheduled for Aug. 22.
A public defender for Moore did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Moore faces eight felony and three misdemeanor counts of sexual misconduct.
It was another delay in a case after his public defender in June cited problems meeting with Moore.
The investigation raised questions about gaps in licensing and screening processes for those hired to work with vulnerable patients.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An investigative report from the State Fire Marshal’s Office says Metropolitan Utilities District workers didn’t mark the natural gas line that was breached and sparked a massive fire that destroyed a building in downtown Omaha.
The report is the basis of a June 23 letter notifying the district that the Marshal’s Office is preparing to conclude that the utility violated state pipeline-safety regulations.
The report says that the underground excavators who hit the pipe while drilling in the area couldn’t have known of its existence without the markings of nearby gas lines.
The district has previously said that it properly marked the lines.
The “notice of probable violation” letter is marked “draft.” Both the district and the Marshal’s Office say the investigation is continuing.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln police say an officer has been left with broken ribs after a fight with a suspect.
Police say the incident occurred Wednesday afternoon when officers responded to reports of a man lying on the ground outside a Lincoln apartment complex. Police say when the first officer arrived, the 27-year-old suspect ran inside the complex’s clubhouse, then punched and struggled with the 59-year-old officer, who called for backup.
The man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer, trespassing, resisting arrest and failing to comply with a police order.
The injured officer was taken to a Lincoln hospital, where doctors found he had two broken ribs.
STANTON, Neb. (AP) — A man sought in a Kentucky slaying has been found in northeast Nebraska.
Authorities say 34-year-old Maurice Candies, of St. Louis, was taken into custody around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday on a Warren County, Kentucky, arrest warrant. He was found hiding in a cabinet at a trailer home in Stanton, Nebraska, where he’d been staying.
He’s suspected in the shooting death of a man in Bowling Green, Kentucky, earlier this month. It’s unclear whether Candies has an attorney who could comment for him.
He’s being held in Madison County Jail, awaiting extradition.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln bank branch employee is suspected of stealing more than $74,000 from a customer’s account.
Online court records say 24-year-old Holliann Casey is charged with felony theft. On Thursday jail records said Casey remained in custody. Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could be contacted to comment for her. Casey’s next court hearing is set for Aug. 31.
Police say suspicious transactions prompted an audit of the customer’s account at the Pinnacle Bank branch. Police say the audit showed Casey withdrew $74,150 from the account between Oct. 27, 2014, and Aug. 1, 2016.
Authorities say the bank has reimbursed the customer.
BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — The first home in Beatrice built by Nebraska inmates is in its final stages.
