OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A member of Nebraska’s Omaha Tribe who leads traditional songs is receiving a national honor.

The National Endowment for the Arts says Rufus White has been named a 2014 National Heritage Fellow. He will be recognized at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17.

White learned traditional songs and drumming techniques from his father and grandfather, who were both spiritual leaders.

Today, White is a resource for songs of the Omaha Tribe and he teaches about related customs and stories. He also teaches about the tribe’s cultural traditions and language.

White lives in Walthill.

 

ST. LOUIS (AP) — After weeks of community protests, the family of Michael Brown is asking for silence and peace as they lay him to rest.

The funeral Monday will be a chance for people to focus on mourning the 18-year-old who liked computer games and had been eager to start college.

Brown’s great uncle, a pastor, will deliver the eulogy. The Rev. Al Sharpton is also expected to speak. Sharpton says the day should be about Brown’s legacy and people’s memories.

Brown, who is black, was unarmed when he was shot Aug. 9 by a white officer.

Protesters have taken to the streets of Ferguson, calling for change and drawing national attention to issues surrounding race and policing.

A grand jury is considering evidence in the case. A federal investigation is also underway.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln Police are trying to determine why a 27-year-old man climbed out the sunroof of a sport-utility vehicle and died.

Police say the incident happened around 12:30 a.m. Sunday in southeast Lincoln.

Lincoln Police Capt. Michon Morrow says the man who was a passenger in the SUV climbed out of the sunroof and fell to the street.

The man died at the scene. Police did not immediately release his name Sunday.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A central Nebraska jail is now offering email service because inmates complained about the cost of in-state phone calls.

The Hall County jail added email after it started housing 80 to 100 inmates for the state this summer.

Making phone calls from the jail can add up quickly if an inmate isn’t calling in the Grand Island area. A local call costs $3.75 for 15 minutes, but a 15-minute call to Omaha costs $14.30 because the jail’s carrier charges $3.95 plus 69 cents per minute.

Calls to numbers outside the state cost only 25 cents a minute, so calling California also costs only $3.75.

County Corrections Director Fred Ruiz says the new email service costs $2 a week and it has been popular.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Participating in the ice bucket challenge to raise funds to fight Lou Gehrig’s disease landed a 20-year-old Omaha man in jail.

Police arrested Jesean Morris Friday after he posted a video of himself taking the challenge online.

Officer Kevin Wiese says a tipster who knew Morris had an outstanding warrant called police after seeing the video. The person reporting the tip was able to identify the house where Morris shot the video.

Morris was paroled in March while serving a 2010 sentence for attempted assault. Police say when they approached Morris Friday, he gave a false name and spit in an officer’s face.

The ALS Association says it’s raised more than $53 million as participants drench themselves with a bucket of ice water.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Veterans will have a chance to give feedback the Department of Veterans Affairs services at a town hall in Lincoln on Tuesday.

The VA planned the 9 a.m. event at its clinic at 600 S. 70th Street in Lincoln to hear from veterans in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

VA hospitals and clinics have been under scrutiny since May because of a nationwide scandal over falsifying records on how long veterans wait to get care.

After the town hall meeting, VA representatives will be available to help get veterans enrolled in the health care system.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The owner of an adult website is suing Nebraska and Lincoln officials after his application for a nightclub liquor license was denied.

Shane Harrington alleges in the federal lawsuit that the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission wrongfully denied him a license that would have allowed him to open Club Smooth, a nightclub planned for downtown Lincoln. Harrington is seeking $25 million in damages.

Much of the testimony during the 2011 commission hearing focused on Harrington’s ownership of pornographic websites. Lincoln city officials told commissioners that the sites depicted public nudity in Lincoln, and they expressed doubts that Harrington would follow state liquor laws.

Harrington says he was harassed by local officials in Lincoln, and his license application was unrelated to his website.

 

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — Hastings College in central Nebraska is reporting another enrollment record with its incoming class.

The school has 429 incoming students, which brings the total student population to around 1,200.

The previous record, set a year ago, was 401 students. It’s a major jump since 2012, when the college only had 270 students.

School officials say the campus residence halls and apartments are at capacity. During the summer, the college completed several renovation projects in the dorms. Hastings College President Don Jackson says the school has been working to attract more students.