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Police: Mom, 3 Kids Found Sleeping in Car in Omaha

omaha-policeOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A woman has been cited after police say she and her three young children were found sleeping inside a car in Omaha.

Omaha police say the family was found Tuesday night after a report was called in about possible child neglect. The car was turned off and parked in an alley.

The 32-year-old woman told officers that she and her children, all under the age of five, did not have a place to stay.

The woman was cited on suspicion of child neglect and marijuana possession, after police say marijuana was found in an e-cigarette inside the car.

The children have been taken to a child protection center in Omaha.

Washington Baby Tips Scale at 15 Pounds

storkABERDEEN, Wash. (AP) — A hospital in Washington says a woman gave birth this month a baby weighing nearly 15 pounds.

Grays Harbor Community Hospital says the average newborn weighs about 7 ½ pounds at birth. Yessica Ortiz Delgado delivered a boy named Francisco Leon Ortiz who weighed 14 pounds and 11 ounces.

Delgado’s two other children were about 12 pounds each at birth but the mother didn’t expect her newest to be so large.

Both mother and son are doing well.

Woman Convicted in Fatal 2013 Nebraska Crash

gavel-and-scaleSEWARD, Neb. (AP) — A 21-year-old has been convicted of misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide in connection to a fatal 2013 rollover crash in Nebraska.

21-year-old Jessica Percival, of Seward, was convicted Tuesday. She will be sentenced on Jan. 26 in Seward County District Court.

Percival was driving in June 2013 near Seward when she lost control of the vehicle and it rolled. Her two passengers were thrown from the car.

Twenty-two-year-old Austin Krivda died at the scene and Michael Johnson was seriously injured.

The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office says Percival had methamphetamine and marijuana in her system prior to the crash.

Iowa Man Convicted in Northeast Nebraska Murder

Raymond Gonzales, Jr.
Raymond Gonzales, Jr.

DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A 23-year-old Iowa man has been convicted of killing a northeast Nebraska woman almost a year ago.

The six-day trial ended Tuesday evening when the Dakota County District Court jury found Raymond Gonzales Jr. guilty of first-degree murder and a weapons charge. Authorities say 28-year-old Bonnie Baker was shot 16 times in her South Sioux City home on Dec. 15.

Closing arguments were made earlier Tuesday, and jurors deliberated for about two hours.

Gonzales, of Sioux City, Iowa, faces life in prison when he’s sentenced on Feb. 5. Gonzales’ attorney says he’ll probably appeal after the sentencing.

Officials Say 1 Dead After Apartment Fire in Crete

fatal-fireCRETE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have recovered a body following a fire at an apartment complex in southeast Nebraska that displaced 11 families.

Saline County Attorney Tad Eickman says 56-year-old Thomas J. Luzum was found in a garden-level apartment unit at the complex in Crete. Autopsy results are pending.

The fire at the 16-unit apartment complex was reported Tuesday night. Firefighters contained the blaze within minutes, though other departments were called in after flames flared up in a wall.

Authorities say the garden-level apartment unit sustained the most damage. Officials estimate there’s about $100,000 in total damages.

A local church and the American Red Cross are assisting affected residents.

McDonald’s to Trim Menu, Examine Ingredients

mccdonaldsNEW YORK (AP) — McDonald’s is planning to simplify its menu and maybe even the number of ingredients it uses in its food as it fights to hold onto customers.

CEO Don Thompson sought to reassure investors Wednesday that changes will help strengthen the chain’s appeal.

The discussion in Oak Brook, Illinois, came after the company earlier this week reported yet another monthly decline in U.S. sales at established locations. In November, the company said the figure fell 4.6 percent.

Thompson has conceded McDonald’s Corp. has failed to keep up with changing tastes, with people increasingly moving toward foods they feel are fresh or wholesome.

Executives said eight menu items and five Extra Value Meals could disappear, but did not specify which.

NSP Seizes 135 Pounds of Pot from Rental Truck

state-patrol-logoA traffic stop of a rental truck on Interstate 80 near Lincoln led to the seizure of 135 lbs. of marijuana and two arrests.

Just before 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 9, a trooper stopped an eastbound rental truck for following too close and improper lane change just west of the Northwest 48th Street Exit in Lincoln.  An NSP Police Service Dog (PSD) indicated to the odor of drugs coming from the cargo area of the truck. A search led to the seizure of 135 lbs. of marijuana. The marijuana was concealed in furniture in the truck.

Contact was also made just off of the NW. 48th Street exit, with a 2013 Hyundai Elantra, believed to be traveling with the rental truck. Upon approaching the driver, the trooper smelled a strong odor of marijuana and a probable cause search was conducted.  The search led to the seizure of 1.5 grams of cocaine, a small amount of personal use marijuana and paraphernalia. A rental agreement for the truck was also found in the car.

The driver of the rental truck, Janice Badheart Bullshaw, 54, of Huntington Beach, Calif., was lodged in the Lancaster County Corrections on a charge of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver. The driver of the car, Andy Q. Le, 26, Garden Grove, Calif., was lodged in the Lancaster County Corrections on charges of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver and Possession of Cocaine.

Lincoln Police: Teen Critically Injured by Car, 2 Teens Arrested

lincoln-policeLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln police have arrested a pair of teenage girls after a 15-year-old boy was critically injured in a hit-and-run.

Officers say the car driven by a 16-year-old girl jumped the curb in a McDonald’s parking lot Tuesday night and pinned the boy against the restaurant. They say the driver and her 17-year-old passenger fled on foot and were captured hours later. The boy was taken to an area hospital.

Police say inexperience and inattention caused the accident.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of a felony. The passenger was jailed on suspicion of aiding and abetting a felony.

Their identities haven’t been released.

Wayne State President Retiring Next Year

wayne-state-collegeWAYNE, Neb. (AP) — The president of Wayne State College in northeast Nebraska intends to retire at the end of June next year.

Curt Frye was appointed to the post in June 2011 after spending a year as interim president, following the departure of his predecessor, Rick Collins, for a job in North Carolina. Frye had retired from Wayne State in June 2009 but returned to serve as interim president. He began working at Wayne State in 1985.

System Chancellor Stan Carpenter will consult with the Nebraska State College System board of trustees to establish a timetable and protocol.

The school has about 3,500 students enrolled this fall.

Nebraska Woman Convicted of Robbing Bank in July

dept.-of-justiceRALSTON, Neb. (AP) — A 23-year-old woman has been convicted of robbing a bank in Ralston earlier this year.

A jury found Shantoria Valentine-Deguenon, of Omaha, guilty on Tuesday of bank robbery. She faces up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced at a later date.

Authorities say Valentine-Deguenon walked into a Wells Fargo branch in Ralston in July. She is accused of giving a note to two tellers indicating she had a bomb.

The tellers say Valentine-Deguenon yelled that she had a bomb and demanded money from them. She was given money and fled the bank.

Valentine-Deguenon was later arrested in possession of more than $1,200.

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