We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Study Reveals Flaws in Gene Testing; Results Often Conflict

Medical-Chart(AP)–The first report from a big project to improve genetic testing shows it is not as rock solid as many people believe.

Many companies offer gene tests to gauge a person’s risk of developing various disorders. Several years ago, the government helped start a database to track the results. The study finds that labs often disagree on how harmful or benign certain gene variants are. That means some people are wrongly told to worry and others are wrongly told they can relax.

Researchers say consumers getting a gene test should choose a lab that is sharing its results with other scientists to help make testing more accurate for everyone.

The study was discussed Wednesday at a conference in Washington and published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Lincoln Man Accused of Accelerating Car to Strike Woman

lincoln-policeLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 32-year-old Lincoln man has been accused of accelerating his car to strike and injure a woman.

Bradley Lilleston is charged with domestic assault and use of a weapon. Online records don’t list an attorney who could be contacted to comment on behalf of Lilleston.

Court documents say Lilleston threw some photos in front of the car on Thursday morning and that he accelerated when the woman tried to retrieve them. The documents say she was thrown over the hood and windshield and suffered a cut on her forehead and swelling on her right shin.

The woman told police that she and Lilleston had been arguing for several days and that he had hit her in an eye the day before.

Nebraska Woman Killed, 4 Injured in Missouri Crash

fatal-accidentOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska mother has been killed and four other family members have been injured in a car crash in Rock Port, Missouri.

Police say the five were driving south on Interstate 29 on Tuesday afternoon when their vehicle ran off the pavement into the median and rolled several times. According to authorities, the woman was ejected from the passenger side.

30-year-old Cristyna Pace, of Columbus, Nebraska, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say 34-year-old Jason Pace was flown to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Two children suffered serious injuries and a third child had minor injuries. The children were taken to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

The crash is being investigated.

Nebraska, Iowa Schools Look to Attract Monarch Butterflies

commons.wikimedia.org
commons.wikimedia.org

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Students at schools in Nebraska and Iowa are joining others around the nation in planting milkweed plants to help attract monarch butterflies.

About 30 students and 10 adults last week planted milkweed, a plant that provides the only food for newly emerged butterfly larvae, behind St. Margaret Mary School in Omaha, Nebraska.

Another group of students and volunteers also recently dug and planted milkweed at St. Albert School in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The two schools were among 10 Catholic schools in the Midwest that received grants to start butterfly-friendly gardens from the National Catholic Education Association.

Columbus Man Accused of Injuring Girlfriend’s 4-Month-Old

child-abuseCOLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — A 22-year-old Columbus man has been accused of injuring his girlfriend’s 4-month-old child.

Francisco Villatoro was arrested on suspicion of child abuse resulting in serious injury. Officers and medics were sent to a Columbus residence on Saturday morning after Villatoro called 911 to report that the child was choking. The child was taken to Columbus Community Hospital and then transferred to Omaha Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha.

Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could be contacted to comment about the allegation on behalf of Villatoro.

Nebraska Pilot’s Remains Found in Germany, Pentagon Says

the-pentagon-2ELK CREEK, Neb. (AP) — The Pentagon says the remains of a Nebraska fighter pilot missing since World War II have been found in Germany.

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Friday that the remains of U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Alvin Beethe, of Elk Creek, will be laid to rest on June 8 in Arlington National Cemetery outside the nation’s capital.

Officials say Beethe was flying a P-38 Lightning during a mission on Nov. 26, 1944, when it crashed near Morschenich, Germany. He was reported as killed in action.

U.S. officials learned in 2008 that the crash site had been found. In June 2013 the site was excavated and human remains and aircraft wreckage were recovered.

Confirmation of Beethe’s remains included two forms of DNA analysis.

18-Year-Old Gets 25 Years for Grandparents’ Deaths in Fire

jailSTANFORD, Ky. (AP) — A central Kentucky teenager has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing her grandparents, who were found in their burned home.

Allison Deshae Wilson pleaded guilty but mentally ill to two counts of murder in April.

Her grandparents, 64-year-old Everett Garland and his 60-year-old wife, Linda Garland, were in their home near Eubank when the fire broke out in November 2013. Everett Garland died at the scene, and his wife died later at a hospital.

The couple had custody of Wilson, who was 16 at the time of the fire. Wilson, now 18, was sentenced in Lincoln County Circuit Court on Friday.

Investigators say the fire was intentionally set. Wilson also was originally charged with arson. But her guilty plea April 7 included only the murder charges.

Nebraska Students to Get Look at Transportation Careers

central-community-collegeGRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — The Central Community College-Grand Island has decided to use a grant from the Federal Highway Administration to introduce students to transportation careers.

The $40,000 National Summer Transportation Institute grant will be used to hold a camp this summer focusing on female, minority high school students. This demographic is considered to be underrepresented in transportation engineering careers.

Boys are also welcome to participate.

Charlie Gregory, associate dean of extended learning services at the Grand Island campus, says the camp from July 6-16 will focus on all aspects of engineering related to transportation.

Grand Island Community Education Coordinator Judy Weston says there will be no cost for a student to attend the camp.

Seminar on Novelist Cather to Be Held in 2 Nebraska Spots

Willa Cather
Willa Cather

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Organizers say the 15th International Cather Seminar will be held in two locations next month: Lincoln and Red Cloud.

The seminar celebrates the life and writing of Willa Cather, the renowned author of “My Antonia” and “O Pioneers,” who died in 1947.

Six of Cather’s novels contain references to Red Cloud, where she spent her early life, and she attended college and wrote for newspapers in Lincoln.

More than 70 scholars and students from several states and five countries will participate in the seminar, which is titled, “Cather and the Arts.” It will focus on Cather in interdisciplinary contexts, including theater, music and the visual arts. The seminar will be held June 5-12.

Call 866-731-7304 or go online at www.WillaCather.org or www.cather.unl.edu for more information.

Gunman, 1 Other Killed in North Dakota Walmart Shooting

police-lights-redGRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Police say the gunman is among the two people who died in a shooting at a Wal-Mart store in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Lt. Derik Zimmel says the shooter was the only person with a gun, and police do not believe there is any further safety risk to the general public.

Zimmel says one other person was injured and taken to a hospital. He says the injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Officers responded to reports of gunshots shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday. Zimmel says no police officers fired a weapon.

The names of the people involved were not immediately released. Grand Forks Air Force Base issued a statement saying an airman was one of the people involved but did not elaborate.

Zimmel says police are investigating.

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File