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Thompson Square Headline Act at College World Series Concert

Thompson_Square_bandOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Country act Thompson Square will be the featured band at the concert next to TD Ameritrade Park the night before the start of the College World Series.

The Road to Omaha Jam will be held in Lot B south of the ballpark beginning at 6 p.m. on June 12. The Railers will be the opening act.

The concert highlights the Opening Celebration Day that begins at 10 a.m. with team practices and autograph sessions. The CWS Fan Fest also will be held, with free baseball interactive games, prizes and other entertainment.

The day ends with Opening Ceremonies inside the stadium. There will be Olympic-style team introductions, the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team and a fireworks show.

Nebraska Firm Loses Round But Insurance Fight Continues

ne-supreme-courtOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has ordered a defunct Nebraska insurance company to pay Florida regulators at least $2.2 million, but this week’s ruling isn’t likely to settle the case that began in 1998.

The Nebraska Supreme Court has already ruled on aspects of the case four times, and it may get another chance.

The case centers on the relationship between David Fulkerson’s former company, Countrywide Insurance Agency, and an insolvent insurance company Florida regulators took control of in 1997.

Bob Craig, who represents Florida, said Wednesday he’s pleased with the ruling, but more appeals are likely given the case’s history.

Attorney William Gast, who represents the Fulkerson family and Countrywide, says he’ll appeal because a procedural issue should have killed the case several years ago and because he disagrees with the judge.

Nebraska Worker Flown to Hospital After Stomach Was Cut with Saw

ambulance-lights

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 62-year-old construction worker has been flown to a hospital after his stomach was cut with a saw.

Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner says the accident occurred about 8:15 a.m. Wednesday on the west side of Lincoln, where a bridge is being built. The man was working with a circular saw when it caught his clothing and sliced his lower abdomen.

Chief Deputy Jeff Bliemeister says the man was awake and talking with deputies before doctors took him into surgery.

The man’s name hasn’t been released. He works for United Contractors.

 

Hearse with Flag-Draped Coffin Left in Dunkin Doughnuts Parking Lot

hearse-dunkin-doughnuts
Photo by Rob Carpenter

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. (AP) — Two Florida hearse drivers have been fired after they stopped at a doughnut shop with a flag-draped coffin in the vehicle on the way to a funeral and an outraged man sent a video to a local veterans group.

Multiple news outlets report Rob Carpenter spotted the hearse in the parking lot of a New Port Richey Dunkin’ Donuts on Tuesday with its curtains open and the coffin visible.

In the coffin was the body of 84-year-old Lt. Col. Jesse Coleman, a decorated soldier who served in Korea and Vietnam. The hearse was transporting him from Veterans Funeral Care to his funeral.

Carpenter confronted the driver and sent images to VeteranWarriors. The group posted the images to Facebook.

Funeral home director Jim Rudolph says he has fired the men.

15,000 Toy Police Cars Recalled Due to Choking Hazard

Courtesy cpsc.gov
Courtesy cpsc.gov

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 15,000 toy police cars are being recalled because they can come apart and pose a possible choking risk to kids.

The Police Press & Go toy car is a white and blue plastic car with the head of a police officer coming out of the roof. When the head is pressed down, the car moves forward on its own. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it received one report of the blue hat on the police officer’s head coming off. No injuries were reported.

The car is made by toy company Schylling, which is based in Rowley, Massachusetts. Schylling is offering owners of the car a refund if they contact the company through its website, schylling.com, or call 800-767-8697.

The car was sold at toy and gift stores for $5 since April 2010. About 13,200 of the toy cars are in the U.S., and about 2,100 are in Canada, the CPSC said.

Omaha Man Accused of Killing Mom, Brother Denied Bond

Roberto Martinez-Marinero
Roberto Martinez-Marinero

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has denied bond for a 25-year-old Omaha man accused of killing his mother and 5-year-old half brother and leaving his infant half brother in a dumpster.

Roberto Martinez-Marinero appeared in a jailhouse courtroom Tuesday for a bond hearing and communicated through a Spanish interpreter. Authorities say he surrendered to police Thursday and said he’d killed his mother, 45-year-old Jesus Ismenia Marinero and had thrown Josue Ramirez-Marinero in the Elkhorn River. Officials say he also admitted to putting 11-month-old Angel Ramirez-Marinero, who suffered only bruises, in the dumpster.

The judge ordered Martinez-Marinero’s girlfriend, 24-year-old Gabriela Guevara, held on $1 million bail. She is charged as an accessory.

Preliminary hearings for both Martinez-Marinero and Guevara have been set for June 5.

Gas Prices Still Look Low for Summer Even After Spring Surge

gas-cardNEW YORK (AP) — Drivers who have seen a steady rise in the price of gasoline can relax: They will almost certainly be paying far less for gas this summer than they have in at least six years.

The Energy Department said Tuesday that it expects the price of gasoline to average $2.55 between April and September, which would be the lowest since 2009. Over the course of the year, a typical U.S household could save $675 in gasoline prices compared to last year.

The coming summer of cheap gas was set up by a collapse in oil prices that ended in mid-March at $43 a barrel. That took gasoline prices down to $2.03 a gallon, a level the nation hadn’t seen since it was deep in recession in March of 2009.

First Nebraska Cases of Bird Flu Confirmed in Flock of 1.7M

USDAOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The ongoing bird flu outbreak has spread into northeast Nebraska, and officials are planning to kill 1.7 million chickens on a farm where the disease has been confirmed.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said Tuesday that the presence of the illness on an egg farm in Dixon County is the first one in Nebraska.

But bird flu is already widespread in neighboring Iowa where more than 26 million chickens have been lost. Officials routinely destroy the entire flock when the disease is found to limit its spread.

The Agriculture Department says the bird flu doesn’t represent a significant health risk to humans, and no human infections have been found.

Man Arrested in Connection with Fire at Omaha Apartment

omaha-policeOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 30-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a fire at an Omaha apartment.

Robert Camacho III was arrested Monday night on suspicion of first-degree arson following reports of a fire an apartment attached to a neighborhood bar. He is accused of and setting the building on fire.

The Omaha Fire Department says the blaze caused about $50,000 in damage. Flames extensively damaged the entryway and kitchen of a main-level apartment and the exterior of a second-floor apartment, while smoke damaged the connected Brick Street Tavern.

Omaha Police Officer Michael Pecha says Camacho fled on foot but was quickly taken into custody.

Camacho was being held at the Douglas County Corrections Center as of Tuesday.

Nebraska Woman Accused of Keeping Endangered Apes as Pets

wikipedia.org (File Image)
wikipedia.org (File Image)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A rural Nebraska woman who reported her gibbons were stolen is now being charged with keeping the endangered apes as pets.

Nancy Stephens, of Doniphan, was charged Monday in U.S. District Court in Omaha with violating the Endangered Species Act, which prohibits the transportation, shipment or receipt of endangered species.

Court documents allege Stephens violated the act in February 2011. She reported the theft of her primates, Caylee and Cody, in September 2013.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Florida says deputies found Stephens’ gibbons during a traffic stop. The apes were placed in a Florida sanctuary, and their whereabouts are now unknown.

A plea hearing for Stephens is scheduled for May 26 in Lincoln. She couldn’t be reached for comment on the charges Monday.

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