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Man Faces 1st Degree Murder Charge in Omaha Death

Jaquez-Clifton
Jaquez Clifton

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Prosecutors have charged another man with first-degree murder in the shooting death of an Omaha man.

19-year-old Jaquez Clifton has been charged with first-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. He was ordered held without bail Monday.

An assistant prosecutor with the Douglas County Attorney’s Office says Clifton shot and killed 59-year-old Frank Sanders at his home on July 20.

Another man, 24-year-old Absalom Scott, also faces a first-degree murder charge in the case. Twenty-nine-year-old Rico Larry has been charged with being an accessory to felony murder.

Preliminary hearings for all three men are scheduled for Aug. 25. It is unclear if they have attorneys.

More Federal Aid Given to Nebraska for June Storms

femaLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Additional federal aid is being made available to Nebraska for areas affected by recent severe weather.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a news release Monday that the money will supplement state and local recovery efforts for areas affected in early June by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding. Federal aid was made available to other areas of the state earlier this month.

Federal funding is available to state and local governments, as well as certain private nonprofit organizations, for emergency work in Burt, Butler, Cass, Hamilton, Holt, Nemaha, Pawnee, Polk, Rock, Thurston, Valley, and Washington counties.

Lincoln Man Gets Prison Time for Beating Young Son

Anthony Joseph Souza
Anthony Joseph Souza

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man has been given prison time for severely beating his infant son last year.

A district judge on Friday gave 23-year-old Anthony Souza four to five years in prison on a child abuse charge.

Police say Souza threw his six-month-old son into a bedroom in December, hitting him against a door frame and closet. The infant was found limp and unresponsive and spent several days in the hospital. The boy suffered several injuries including broken bones and skull fractures.

Souza pleaded no contest in May as part of a deal with prosecutors.

FAA Proposes Fining Southwest Airlines $12M

faaWASHINGTON (AP) — The government is proposing a $12 million civil fine against Southwest Airlines for failing to comply in three separate cases with safety regulations related to repairs on Boeing 737 jetliners.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that beginning in 2006 Southwest made “extreme makeover” alterations to eliminate potential cracking of the aluminum skin on 44 jetliners.

The FAA said an investigation determined that Southwest’s contractor, Aviation Technical Services Inc. of Everett, Washington, failed to follow proper procedures for replacing the fuselage as well as other work on the planes. The agency said all of the work was done under the supervision of Southwest Airlines.

The statement said Southwest returned the planes to service when they were not in compliance with regulations.

Southwest has 30 days to reply to the proposed fine.

19-Year-Old Dies After Shooting in West Omaha

omahapopoOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 19-year-old man has died after being shot in west Omaha.

Police say officers sent to check a report about a shooting a little before 9 p.m. Sunday found Joseph Morolla, who had been wounded. Police spokesman Michael Pecha (PEH’-kuh) says Morolla died overnight.

Pecha says it’s too early in the investigation to know whether Morolla’s death was a homicide.

Douglas County Deputy Fires at Vehicle

douglas-county-sheriffOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Three people have been taken into custody after a car chase that began with gunshots from a deputy.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says the three were arrested after their vehicle was stopped early Monday morning on U.S. Highway 275 just inside Dodge County.

The Sheriff’s Office says in a news release that a deputy responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle northwest of Omaha spotted a car and stopped it just after 1:30 a.m. The office says that as the deputy approached the car, the driver turned it around and accelerated toward the deputy, who opened fire.

State troopers and other officers joined the chase, which continued up U.S. Highway 275 before ending southeast of Fremont.

No one in the car was injured. Neither was the deputy.

Old Columbus Train Depot to Be Demolished

Union-PacificCOLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific intends to tear down its old depot in Columbus early next year, ending its more than 100 years of service to the public and the Omaha-based railroad.

The railroad had talked to the city about acquiring and moving the building, which U.P. spokesman Mark Davis says is only 12 feet from the rails — too close for public safety. It had to be moved at least 35 feet from the tracks.

City officials looked into moving the depot but determined the estimated $750,000 cost would have been too high.

Union Pacific is erecting another building to house offices and locate equipment for a signal team.

Tornado-Stricken Nebraska Town Gets Some Iowa Help

pilger-tornado-3SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Sioux City school district is donating excess desks, tables and shelving units to help out some northeast Nebraska students whose middle school in Pilger (PIHL’-gur) was heavily damaged by a tornado.

The items will be delivered on Monday to a makeshift middle school of three modular buildings on the grounds of an elementary school in Wisner, Nebraska. Wisner sits about 12 miles east-southeast of Pilger.

About two-thirds of Pilger was destroyed or heavily damaged by an EF4 tornado on June 16. The school was too damaged to save and was razed earlier this month.

Sioux City schools superintendent Paul Gausman says he began his teaching career in Pilger as a band director and had spent time in the Pilger school building.

US Cities Clean Up After Powerful Storms

severe-weatherNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Communities across the U.S. are cleaning up after strong storms destroyed homes, knocked out power for thousands of people and toppled power lines and trees.

Authorities in East Tennessee say there were no reports of any deaths or injuries from Sunday’s storms, though at least 10 homes were destroyed.

Claiborne County emergency management spokeswoman Gina Breeding told The Associated Press it wasn’t clear whether the destruction was the result of a tornado, but noted there were strong winds, lightning and heavy thunderstorms.

In Kentucky, National Weather Service forecaster Tony Edwards says some areas got softball-sized hail Sunday.

Massive hail also was reported in Michigan, where winds toppled trees and ripped the roofs off buildings. And in Ohio, some roads had been blocked by flash flooding.

Virus Drugmaker Fights Pediatricians’ New Advice

Medical-ChartCHICAGO (AP) — A drugmaker is clashing with pediatricians over new recommendations to limit use of a costly medicine for preventing serious lung problems in preemies and other high-risk children.

The dispute involves new American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines that say medical evidence shows the drug has limited benefits. The influential group says the drug is best suited for only very young preemies.

The drug is sold by MedImmune under the brand name Synagis (SIN’-uh-jis). MedImmune is fighting back with full-page newspaper ads that say the updated policy threatens the most vulnerable babies.

The drug is used to prevent problems linked with a common germ called RSV or respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH’-uhl) virus. Most kids get it but only mild cases with cold-like symptoms.

The new policy was published online Monday in Pediatrics.

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