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Man Gets Life Term for Killing Dad, Burying Him Under Porch

jailBRIDGETON, N.J. (AP) — A southern New Jersey man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his father and burying him under the back porch of their home.

Dreu Ferguson Jr. was convicted of aggravated manslaughter in March by a Cumberland County jury that also acquitted him of murder. The 39-year-old Millville man was also found guilty of tampering with evidence and desecrating or concealing human remains.

Authorities have said Ferguson killed his 58-year-old father, Dreu Ferguson Sr., in May 2009 after they argued over the lid of a teapot.

Prosecutors argued at trial that Ferguson buried his father in lime and fertilizer under their back porch. But a forensic pathologist testifying for the defense said the man may have died of natural causes.

Nebraska Town Slowly Recovering from Last Year’s Tornado

Beaver Crossing Tornado CleanupBEAVER CROSSING, Neb. (AP) — A year after tornadoes caused significant damage to Beaver Crossing, residents say the eastern Nebraska town is still recovering.

Village Clerk Shannon Chesnut said he’s still finding glass and nails in his yard even after five clean-up efforts.

Pastor Tamara Holtz of Beaver Crossing United Methodist Church says the Seward County town has mostly started to feel like itself.

The town of about 400 people lost 30 buildings in the storm last Mother’s Day, but fewer than 10 families left. About 20 of the homes that were lost have been or are being rebuilt.

Most homes in town now have new roofs and windows. Chesnut says Beaver Crossing is working to help anyone who is short on money for repairs.

The Latest on Severe Weather: Tornado Hits South Dakota Town

severe-weather1:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued tornado watches in several Midwest and Great Plains states through Sunday evening.

Watches have been issued for central and North Texas, central Oklahoma, western Arkansas, western Iowa, eastern Nebraska, central Missouri and parts of Minnesota and South Dakota.

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1:25 p.m.

A spokeswoman for a South Dakota hospital says that three people who were injured in the Delmont tornado are in good condition at Avera St. Benedict Health Center in Parkston.

Avera spokeswoman Lindsey Meyers said all three people either drove themselves or were driven.

It wasn’t known how many more people were injured in the tornado, which hit about 10:45 a.m. Sunday.

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12:35 p.m.

Delmont fire chief Elmer Goehring says there “have been some injuries” from the tornado in Delmont, South Dakota, but told The Associated Press that he was too busy to provide details.

Delmont resident Anita Mathews says a Lutheran church and the city’s new fire hall were both heavily damaged in the tornado, which hit about 10:45 a.m. Sunday.

Mathews also says power is out in the town, which is about 90 miles southwest of Sioux Falls.

No deaths have been reported.

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12:15 p.m.

South Dakota Department of Public Safety spokesman Tony Mangan says there have been no reports of injuries after a tornado hit the small town of Delmont.

Mangan said local authorities asked for help from the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management.

The National Weather Service said a tornado hit Delmont about 10:45 a.m. Sunday. No deaths have been reported.

Delmont is about 90 miles southwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

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11:15 a.m.

The National Weather Service has received reports of a tornado hitting a small southern South Dakota town.

Meteorologist Philip Schumacher at the service’s Sioux Falls office says law enforcement officials said a tornado hit Delmont about 10:45 a.m. Sunday.

Delmont has about 200 residents and is about 90 miles southwest of Sioux Falls.

Schumacher said no deaths have been reported and it wasn’t known whether there were injuries. He said a couple buildings have been damaged.

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11 a.m.

The National Weather Service has issued tornado watches in several Midwest and Great Plains states, running until 9 p.m. Sunday in many places.

Watches have been issued for north and central Texas, eastern Oklahoma, western Arkansas, western Iowa, eastern Nebraska and parts of Minnesota and South Dakota.

Omaha Police Investigate Stabbing of 31-Year-Old Man

stabbingOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police are investigating the stabbing death of a 31-year-old man.

Police Officer Michael Pecha says police were called to the southeast Omaha neighborhood around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

Officers found David Silva-Avalos lying near the home’s garage door. He died at the scene.

Anyone with information about Silva-Avalos’ death is encouraged to contact police.

The fatal stabbing is the fourth homicide in Omaha in the past six days.

Lincoln Water Bottling Equipment Maker Expands Beer Canning

norland-internationalLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln-based bottled water equipment maker says its entry into the craft beer business two years ago has paid off and the company is planning a $2 million expansion.

Norland International says a craft beer boom in the United States and internationally is the reason the company is launching construction of an expansion in a few weeks that will add manufacturing capacity to its plant.

Norland manufactures water treatment and bottling and canning systems.

Company President Mike McFarland said sales are up 60 percent and he’s increased workers from 48 to 80 in the past year.

Some growth has come from water business but most has been in the beer equipment division.

He says the company expects to ship 150 full brew-house systems this year.

Blair Mayor Charged with Drunken Driving

blair-policeBLAIR, Neb. (AP) — The mayor of Blair, Nebraska, has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and traffic violations.

Police say 72-year-old Jim Realph failed a field sobriety test after he was stopped by officers at 11:30 p.m. Thursday. Police allege he was speeding and driving left of the center of the road. A blood test was submitted to determine his blood-alcohol level.

Realph says in a statement he is saddened that his actions brought grief to his family, the citizens of Blair, the city council, city administration and the police.

He says officers handled the situation professionally and he acknowledged he made a mistake and says he will accept the consequences.

Realph told the television station he considered resigning but he’s chosen to remain in office.

2nd Arrest Made in Slaying of Nebraska Mother

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha authorities say they’ve made a second arrest in the death of a woman whose 11-month-old was discovered alive in a trash container and whose 5-year-old son is missing.

Omaha police say 24-year-old Gabriela Guevara is charged with accessory to homicide.

Police say Guevara is the girlfriend of Roberto Martinez-Marinero, who was charged with first-degree murder. Police say Martinez-Marinero told the Douglas County Department of Corrections staff on Thursday he played a role in the death of his mother, 45-year-old Jesus Ismenia Marinero.

The woman’s body was found Wednesday night hours after her youngest child, an 11-month-old boy, was found in a trash container near a suburban Omaha apartment complex.

Investigators believe Marinero’s 5-year-old son, Josue Ramirez-Marinero, was thrown into the Elkhorn River.

Lincoln Mom Gets Jail Time After Police Find Baby in Filth

Elizabeth Roberts
Elizabeth Roberts

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln mother has been sentenced to jail on a child neglect charge after police say they found her 8-month-old daughter with roach eggs on her feet.

30-year-old Elizabeth Roberts was sentenced Friday to 120 days in jail and fined her $1,000. She pleaded no contest to child neglect and a drug charge, meaning she admitted not guilt for the crimes but opted not to take the case to trial.

Police say they went to Roberts’ home in March 2014 on a tip that meth was sold there. When officers arrived, they found her daughter lying face down on a blanket covered in vomit with the bottoms of her feet coated in roach eggs.

Roberts has since relinquished parental rights to the girl.

Omaha Man Convicted of Manslaughter Gets 7 to 10 Years

John Gomez
John Gomez

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man convicted of manslaughter in the fatal attack of a 76-year-old woman has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

A judge on Friday sentenced 54-year-old John Gomez to seven to 10 years in prison in the death of Mary McAndrews. He pleaded no contest in February.

Police say Gomez pushed and struck McAndrews on Sept. 18 after she confronted him about rent he owed her and items taken from her house. She died at an Omaha hospital on Oct. 15.

Under state law, manslaughter denotes the death of another during a sudden argument.

Gomez’s attorney read a written statement from her client during the sentencing hearing Friday, in which he apologized for McAndrews’ death and said he was “ashamed.”

Lincoln Police Searching for Missing Woman

Anwesha Dey
Anwesha Dey

Lincoln Police are currently searching for a missing 30-year-old female.

Anwesha Dey was last seen on Sunday, May 3, 2015, at 7 p.m. Police say she left a friend’s house, near N. 23rd & S Streets, on foot, and headed toward downtown.

Friends and family have not been able to reach her at home or by phone, which is extremely out of character. Anwesha is a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. University Police have been notified.

Anwesha, a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is an Indian female, 5’9”, 110 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen dressed in an orange hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, carrying an orange and grey backpack. She does not have a vehicle.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Lincoln Police Department at 402.441.6000.

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