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Nebraska Counsel for Discipline to Retire

Dennis Carlson
Dennis Carlson

(AP) — Dennis Carlson, who heads the Nebraska Office of the Counsel for Discipline, has announced his plan to retire.

Carlson has served as counsel for discipline of the Nebraska Supreme Court since 1981. Prior to that, Carlson was a public defender in Lancaster County for seven years.

The office investigates and prosecutes attorneys who violate the rules of professional conduct as adopted by the Nebraska Supreme Court. The goal of the disciplinary system is to protect the public, the profession and justice system from unethical attorneys.

Chief Justice Michael Heavican says Carlson shaped the office into “an effective and efficient disciplinary body during the last 30 years.”

Omaha Man, 29, Dies in Shooting Outside Bar

crime-scene-police-shoot(AP) — Police are investing a fatal shooting that happened outside a northeast Omaha bar.

Shots were fired near 30th Street and Bedford Avenue around 1:45 a.m. Sunday.

When officers arrived, they found 29-year-old David Taplett with a gunshot wound outside the Stage II Lounge. Taplett died at the scene of the shooting.

Police did not immediately release other details of the shooting.

California Mom Tells Police She Stabbed Infant Son

police-lights-red(AP) — Police say a woman admitted that she stabbed her 7-month-old son to death in a popular Northern California park.

Chief Timothy Anderson of the East Bay Regional Parks District Police Department said Sunday in a statement that the 23-year-old mother from San Jose had a history of depression and appeared to have self-inflicted knife wounds on her wrist.

Police were called Saturday on reports of a damaged Honda sedan in the Del Valle Regional Park east of San Francisco. They found the car abandoned with the engine running and an empty child’s seat.

Anderson says they were about to tow the car when the woman approached them holding her lifeless baby.

Investigators said they found a knife in the area.

The woman remains in jail on suspicion of murder.

Nebraska Fire Weather Class Open to the Public

fire(AP) — Another Nebraska Wildland Fire Academy at Fort Robinson State Park in the Nebraska Panhandle is being held to train firefighters on how to respond to wildfires — and this year, the public is invited.

A Fire Weather Class on May 1 will be open to the public. The class will include a discussion of weather conditions that affect fire ignition, behavior and suppression.

Also, an incident management workshop and tabletop exercise on Tuesday scheduled for local emergency personnel will be open to anyone.

This year’s Nebraska Wildland Fire Academy continues through May 4.

Omaha Police, Others to Observe Law Enforcement Memorial Week

ne-law-enforcement-memorial(AP) — The Omaha Police Department and others will observe National Law Enforcement Memorial Week next month with a number of events.

The memorial week is observed May 11-17. Nebraska observances include a police vehicle display at the Omaha Storm Chasers baseball game on May 10, a vigil walk by Omaha police in downtown Omaha on May 13, and a Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony at Omaha Police Central Headquarters on May 15.

On May 12, dignitaries, Grand Island city officials, and honor guards from around the state will conduct services at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial, near the entrance to Fonner Park in Grand Island.

A flag lowering ceremony will also be held on Offutt Air Force Base on May 16 to honor fallen police, military police and security officers.

West Point Works to Boost Female Cadet Numbers

west-point(AP) — Less than one in five cadets at West Point is a woman, and the academy’s new superintendent wants to change that.

With the Pentagon lifting restrictions for women in combat jobs, Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen Jr. has set a goal of boosting the number of women above 20 percent for the new class reporting this summer.

Women have been a presence at the nation’s military academies since 1976. But they remain in the minority, just as they do in the broader military.

Caslen became superintendent last year. He says an increased number of female cadets at the storied academy will do more than serve the Army when thousands of combat positions are slated to open to both sexes by 2016. He says it will help integrate women at the academy.

Lancaster Co. Deputies Seize $23,000 in Traffic STop

lancaster-county-sheriff(AP) — Authorities in eastern Nebraska say $23,000 has been seized following a traffic stop.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy stopped a vehicle Thursday morning on Interstate 80 near Lincoln. The deputy was suspicious of the vehicle for allegedly driving too close to another vehicle.

Deputies found the money bundled in a suitcase in the car truck. A K-9 also found remnants of cocaine in a shaving cream container.

The driver, 28-year-old Jason Hacker, and a passenger, 33-year-old Dustin Mack, were arrested. Hack faces aiding and abetting charges and Mack faces possession of cocaine charges.

Court records do not list attorneys for the men.

Drug Maker Developing Abuse-Deterrent Painkiller

zohydro(AP) — The San Diego company that makes the powerful new prescription painkiller Zohydro is selling off its migraine therapy business to focus on developing abuse-resistant forms of Zohydro.

Zogenix Chief Executive Officer Roger Hawley said the sale will help the company focus on the launch of Zohydro ER while providing capital “to continue the development of two abuse-deterrent formulations” of the opioid.

The company announced in November it would pursue an abuse-deterrent form of the drug.

Health officials around the country worry addicts will crush Zohydro capsules and then snort or inject the drug to get high.

Citing such worries, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick tried to ban the drug, but a federal court blocked the state from enforcing the ban. Patrick has since announced new restrictions on the drug.

Omaha Zoo Announces African Grasslands Project

henry-doorly-zoo(AP) — Officials plan to begin public fundraising soon for the new African Grasslands project at the zoo in Omaha.

Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium officials said in a news release Friday that the $70 million project is the largest in the zoo’s history. It will span 28 acres at the zoo, which sits on the southeast side of Omaha.

Construction on the first phase is expected to begin this summer and be completed and opened by the early summer of 2016. The second phase is expected to finished and opened within another year.

Officials say $30 million is still needed from the public, so the Raise Wild campaign will begin next month.

Missouri Man to Lead Grand Island College Campus

Dr. Thomas Walker Jr.
Dr. Thomas Walker Jr.

(AP) — A Missouri educator has been named the Grand Island campus president for Central Community College in Nebraska.

Dr. Thomas Walker Jr. will take over on July 7 for Alan Hartley, who’s been interim campus president since August. Walker also will serve as college vice president of student enrollment services.

Walker is vice president for student affairs at St. Louis Community College in Forest Park, Mo. Previous positions include dean of administrative services at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Mo., and dean of student services and enrollment management at Davidson County Community College in North Carolina.

Walker earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master of public administration degree and a doctoral degree in higher education administration from the University of Memphis.

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