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Lincoln Man Files Claim Over Seized Cash, Property

lawsuit-settlementLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man has filed a $2.7 million claim against the city of Lincoln and Lancaster County, saying law enforcement wrongly seized cash and property from his home after his brother was arrested in a drug raid.

59-year-old David Tarrence filed the claim Wednesday.

Tarrence says law enforcement seized $224,000, firearms, a coin collection and silver and gold bullion from his home last April. The claim says a drug informant told officials that Tarrence’s brother, Gary Tarrence, had a large amount of marijuana and cash that he kept at his brother’s house.

Gary Tarrence faces federal drug charges. David Tarrence has not been charged with a crime. He says the money and property seized amounted to his life savings.

Grand Island Animal Shelter Seeks Purpose for Unwanted Dogs

central-nebraska-humane-socGRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Humane Society employees at Grand Island are looking for untapped potential among the shelters’ unwanted dogs to give them purpose and help out humans.

Central Nebraska Humane Society staffers have undergone training in California conducted by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. At that workshop last month, employees learned how to look for skills needed in search and rescue dogs.

The Grand Island facility also works with a program called Heads Up Hounds, which provides diabetic alert dogs from Denver to Boston.

The shelter also participates in the Second Chance Pups program at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, in which inmates are given a dog with behavioral problems and spend nine weeks training the dogs to make them suitable for adoption.

Volunteer Firefighter in Northeast Nebraska Dies on the Job

firedptDAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A Dakota City Fire and Rescue volunteer collapsed and died as he prepared to leave the scene of a fire.

Officials tell the Sioux City Journal (https://bit.ly/1G5WkUA ) that 42-year-old Andrew “Andy” Zalme died Thursday evening after responding to a fire on Highway 35.

Officials say emergency responders on the scene tried to revive Zalme without success. Officials say Zalme’s cause of death isn’t known and will require tests to determine.

Zalme was a longtime member of the department. The Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters Association said in a statement that Zalme was a dedicated volunteer member.

Zalme is survived by his wife, Bobbi, and three children.

Judge Rejects Request for New Venue in Omaha Killings Case

Anthony Garcia
Anthony Garcia

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has rejected a request for a change of venue and sequestered jury for a former doctor accused of killing four people with ties to an Omaha medical school.

Douglas County District Judge Duane Dougherty said in his order Friday that news coverage of the case has been biased or inflammatory toward Antony Garcia.

Garcia is charged with first-degree murder in the 2008 deaths of Thomas Hunter, the 11-year-old son of Creighton University pathologist William Hunter, and Shirlee Sherman, the family’s housekeeper, as well as the May 2013 deaths of Creighton pathologist Roger Brumback and his wife, Mary.

Authorities say Garcia was motivated by revenge for being fired from Creighton’s pathology department in 2001.

Garcia’s trial is set for Sept. 14

Construction Workers Accidentally Turn Omaha Creek Red

ndeqOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Construction workers cleaning out tubs filled with concrete say they accidentally turned a nearby Omaha creek red.

Greg Armstrong, owner of Swain Construction, says his employees were cleaning the tubs Friday afternoon about 70 feet from the Little Papio Creek in Omaha. Armstrong says three to four gallons of the dye leaked into the creek in the process, but the water has since been cleared.

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Equality and county officials were called to test the water.

A supervisor with the state agency says officials are aware of the issue, but had no further information.

Armstrong says the dye isn’t harmful to fish or other wildlife.

Patient Suspected of Selling Meth from Hospital Bed

methVANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say a woman is suspected of dealing drugs from her Vancouver, Washington, hospital bed.

Sgt. David Chaney of the Camas Police Department says detectives learned that 47-year-old Karin Cole was dealing methamphetamine out of her room at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.

A Clark County judge approved a search warrant, and Chaney says detectives on Thursday seized 6 ½ grams of meth, a digital scale and drug packaging materials.

Chaney says Cole wasn’t arrested at the time of the search warrant because of medical concerns. He says the case is being referred to a prosecutor with the request she be charged with methamphetamine possession with intent to deliver.

Cole was arrested in January on suspicious of dealing meth out of her Washougal home, and she’s awaiting trial in that case.

Unruly Man Sentenced in Case of Jet Diverted to Nebraska

dept.-of-justiceOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man removed from a California-bound Southwest Airlines flight diverted to Omaha has been sentenced.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nebraska says 24-year-old Joshua Carl Lee Suggs, of Oswego, Illinois, was sentenced Friday to three years of supervised released and ordered to pay $4,400 in restitution to Southwest Airlines. He already served nearly seven months in federal prison.

Suggs was charged in April 2014 with interfering with the crew of the Chicago-to-Sacramento flight. The plane had to land in Omaha so Suggs could be removed.

Authorities say Suggs refused to return to his seat, as instructed, before trying to open a door. The incident occurred about an hour into the flight.

An attorney for Suggs was unavailable to comment on his behalf Friday.

Opt-Out Movement Accelerates Amid Common Core Testing

testingATLANTA (AP) — Thousands of students are opting out of new standardized tests aligned to the Common Core standards, defying the latest attempt by states to improve academic performance.

This opt-out movement remains scattered but is growing fast in some parts of the country. Some superintendents in New York are reporting that 60 percent or even 70 percent of their students are refusing to sit for the exams. Some lawmakers, sensing a tipping point, are backing the parents and teachers who complain about standardized testing.

Resistance could be costly: If fewer than 95 percent of a district’s students participate in tests aligned with Common Core standards, federal money could be withheld, although the U.S. Department of Education said that hasn’t happened.

24 New HIV Cases Reported in Indiana, 130 Total

indiana-state-department-ofAUSTIN, Ind. (AP) — Indiana health officials say there are two dozen new HIV cases in southeastern Indiana, bringing the outbreak’s total cases to 130.

The Indiana State Department of Health said Friday there are now 120 confirmed HIV cases and 10 preliminary positive cases. That’s up from 106 last week.

Those infected either live in Scott County or have ties to the area. The outbreak among intravenous drug users is centered in the city of Austin.

State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams called the new numbers a “significant increase.” Scott County typically sees only about five new HIV cases a year.

Gov. Mike Pence temporarily waived Indiana’s ban on needle-exchange programs for only Scott County. Officials say so far 5,322 clean syringes have been provided to 86 participants. That’s twice the number previously reported.

1 Killed, 2 Hurt in Iowa Crash Involving Tractor

iowa-state-patrolCOUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man was killed and his passenger critically injured following a crash between a pickup truck and a John Deere tractor northeast of Council Bluffs.

The Iowa State Patrol says 42-year-old Kurt Sulzman, of Polk City, died in the collision Thursday.

24-year-old Caleb Deist, of Grimes, was taken to Audubon County Memorial Hospital and transferred to Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. His condition hasn’t been released.

Troopers say the driver of the tractor, 45-year-old Cory Handlos, of Audubon, was taken to the Audubon hospital. The extent of his injuries wasn’t immediately available.

Authorities say Sulzman was northbound on U.S. Highway 71 when the collision occurred at an intersection. The pickup, tractor and seed planter it was pulling ended up in a ditch.

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