LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Volunteers have reunited a yellow Labrador retriever with his family after the dog ran away from the scene of a car crash.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office says the 5-year-old Labrador named Jack was on his way to go duck hunting on Saturday when a pickup crossed the center line near Bennet and collided head-on with the SUV he was in.

Three family members and Jack were thrown from the vehicle. Family friend Tom Keller says the dog stayed with the family but was scared off by police sirens. Two family members remained hospitalized on Monday and one has been released.

Keller announced the dog was missing over the weekend and volunteers found Jack on Monday. He says Jack made a female friend on his adventure and will likely soon become a father.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska at Omaha has been named the top university for veterans by the Military Times publication.

UNO was praised for the programs it offers to help veterans succeed and for its detailed data on how veterans fare when they do return to school.

Mike Connolly, who leads UNO’s office of military and veteran services says the ranking is an honor for the school.

UNO’s support for veterans include Connolly’s one-stop office for help, an online bachelor’s degree, a fee waiver for active-duty soldiers and a student organization for veterans.

The rankings for 2015 are available online at https://bit.ly/1u31PMZ .

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Omaha Archdiocese has announced that a priest has died in a traffic accident while vacationing in Branson, Missouri.

The archdiocese chancellor, Tim McNeil, says the Rev. Francis “Frank” Partusch was struck by a car and killed. A Branson police news release says the accident occurred a little before 5 p.m. Monday on Missouri Highway 76 on the west side of Branson. The accident cause is being investigated.

Archbishop George Lucas says Partusch’s death “is a tragic loss for his family, parishioners and his brother priests.”

The 68-year-old Partusch had been pastor of St. Bridget-St. Rose Parish in south Omaha. He’d previously served at other Omaha parishes and at St. Michael’s in South Sioux City.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Organizers have canceled Grand Island’s Veterans Day Parade due to expected freezing temperatures.

Officials from the Grand Island Veterans Home and Grand Island Senior High said Monday that the Tuesday afternoon event has been called off. A school spokesman says it will be too cold for students, staff and veterans to be outside.

Temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-20s.

More than 2,000 students typically participate in the annual event. A group of student leaders will instead hold a presentation indoors.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A tuition increase that only University of Nebraska-Lincoln business and engineering students pay hasn’t swayed students from choosing those majors.

The $50-per-credit hour increase, known as differential tuition, has generated millions in revenue that’s helped employ additional faculty, renovate facilities and expand student services at the school.

The schools’ College of Business Administration and College of Engineering are continuing to expand.

Students enrolled in either program pay an extra $3,000 over their time at the university. However, those students also usually graduate and are employed at jobs with higher earning potential than students in other programs.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An appeals court has upheld the firing of a woman who failed to immediately report suspected abuse at the Beatrice State Developmental Center.

Raynette Essman, of Beatice, lost her job in 2012 even though the abuse she heard about from another employee turned out to be false.

Officials say Essman’s failure to report what she heard until two days later violated the zero-tolerance policy adopted after past problems with abuse at the center for developmentally disabled adults.

Essman says she delayed reporting what she heard because she wasn’t sure it was true and wanted to report it to her supervisor.

The Nebraska Court of Appeals ruled Monday Essman did violate the policy requiring immediate reporting. The court said firing was an appropriate response even though Essman had a clean record.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Officials say October boardings rose 7 percent over last year to hit a record for the Grand Island airport.

More than 5,300 passengers flew out of Central Nebraska Regional Airport last month, compared with just under 5,000 in October 2013.

Allegiant added three extra flights to Phoenix/Mesa, Arizona, in October, which boosted the boardings.

Boardings are up 7 percent so far this year and on a pace to exceed 60,000 for 2014.

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — A 58-year-old Fremont man has been arrested for calling 911 to falsely report he’d been shot at.

The incident occurred around 2 a.m. Saturday.

Officers say the man appeared to be intoxicated and was yelling profanities at a business across the street. He later acknowledged the false report and said he’d lied so he could get a quick police response.

He was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and false reporting. Online court records don’t show that he’s been charged yet.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 19-year-old University of Nebraska-Lincoln student was hospitalized over the weekend after drinking alcohol on a party bus.

Lincoln police say rescue workers took the heavily intoxicated woman to a hospital Friday night. She survived.

Officer Katie Flood says a member of UNL’s Delta Upsilon fraternity chapter has been cited on suspicion of procuring alcohol for a minor. He is accused of renting the bus.

UNL spokesman Steve Smith said Delta Upsilon and the fraternity member could face disciplinary action from the school.

The incident occurred less than a month after several members of the FarmHouse Fraternity chapter were arrested in connection to the alcohol-related death of a freshman found in his room in September. The school suspended the fraternity chapter indefinitely.