COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — The body of a trucker has been found inside his semitrailer at a convenience store in Columbus.
Columbus police had been contacted by the Platte County Sheriff’s Office about finding the driver, who hadn’t been heard from.
The truck was found after 10 p.m. Sunday in the store’s parking lot. Officers broke into the cab and found the body.
They don’t suspect any crime was committed in the man’s death. His name hasn’t been released.
NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — Authorities in northeast Nebraska say an unattended propane turkey fryer ignited a fire that caused about $30,000 worth of damage to a garage.
The Norfolk Fire Division responded to the home on Sunday and found smoke billowing out of the windows and roof of the garage. Firefighters say there were several small propane tanks that were venting because of heat from the flames.
It took responders about 15 minutes to extinguish the blaze.
No injuries were reported.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Police say they’ve arrested three teenagers after a man was beaten to death with hammers in St. Louis.
Police say 32-year-old Zemir Begic was in his car about 1:15 a.m. Sunday when several young people approached and began damaging it. He suffered injuries to his head, abdomen, face and mouth, and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
A 17-year-old suspect turned himself in late Sunday, after 15- and 16-year-old suspects were taken into custody.
About 50 people briefly blocked an intersection Sunday night in the community to protest the killing. Begic, who was Bosnian, moved to St. Louis this year.
Police Chief Sam Dotson says there’s no indication Begic was targeted because he was Bosnian.
A motive in the killing hasn’t been released.
OAKLAND, Iowa (AP) — Two men have been thrown from a vehicle and killed in western Iowa.
The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office says the accident was reported about 5 a.m. Sunday about six miles east of Oakland. The Sheriff’s Office says the car was headed east on U.S. Highway 6 when it left the pavement, rammed through a fence and rolled several times, ejecting both men.
The two crash victims were identified as 30-year-old Eric Poole, of Atlantic; and 19-year-old Nathan Poole, of Omaha, Nebraska. It’s unclear whether they were brothers or otherwise related.
The crash is being investigated.
DETROIT (AP) — At least 36 people have died and 44 have been seriously injured in crashes involving General Motors cars with defective ignition switches.
Attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who was hired by GM to compensate victims, updated the totals Monday.
Feinberg says he has received 229 death claims and 1,986 injury claims since August.
The fund has made compensation offers to 57 of the 80 eligible claimants so far. Thirty-five have accepted; 20 have been paid.
GM knew about faulty ignition switches in Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars for more than a decade but didn’t recall them until February. The switches can slip out of the “on” position, which causes the cars to stall, knocks out power steering and turns off the air bags.
Feinberg will accept claims until Jan. 31.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 22-year-old man has been arrested after his car struck a police cruiser in southwest Omaha.
The incident occurred about 2:20 a.m. Monday. No injuries have been reported.
Police say the officer had parked his cruiser with its emergency lights flashing while he was diverting traffic from a downed overhead wire. The car struck the rear passenger side of the cruiser.
Police say the man then drove off, but he was stopped within a few blocks and taken into custody.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lancaster County and Lincoln police have started Operation Tipping Point, a program aimed at helping keep at-risk youth from joining gangs.
Lincoln Police Capt. Jon Sundermeier, who helps lead the program, says officials think gang crime is “on the uptick.” He said authorities became concerned that gang activity was increasing after the 2013 shooting death of a 20-year-old by a gang rival, who then fatally shot himself.
Community service providers and law enforcement meet monthly as a part of Operation Tipping Point to brainstorm ways to help youths stay away from gangs.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police say a woman has been critically injured after being shot and crashing her car.
Twenty-one-year-old Nicole Kydney of Omaha says she was sitting in her car on Sunday when a person got in and shot her. She says the suspect fled and that she tried to drive away.
Kydney crashed her car into a fence about 2 miles away. She was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. Police say the injuries aren’t believed to be life threatening.
No arrests have been reported.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man is recovering from hypothermia after his car fell into a Lincoln creek.
Lincoln Fire & Rescue took about 30 minutes to rescue the man on Sunday. Battalion Chief Jeanne Pashalek says the car was upright and the man was sitting in the water. She says the car had likely been in the creek for more than an hour.
He was taken to an area hospital in an unknown condition. His identity hasn’t been released.
The Lincoln Police Department is investigating.
NEW YORK (AP) — A surge in baby boomers is driving up the number of elderly people abusing drugs or alcohol, and a New York City nursing home is trying a new approach to addressing the problem.
Patients 60 and older who come in for medical rehab after heart surgery or a knee transplant are screened for addiction and offered a chance at recovery.
The program takes into consideration that the elderly often need powerful pain medications, which are easy to overuse. They also typically endure potential addiction triggers such as retirement or the death of a spouse. And dementia can mask or worsen the effects of drugs and alcohol.
The Bronx nursing home expects to eventually treat 480 patients a year.
