A traffic stop on Interstate 80 near the Lincoln Airport exit in Lancaster County landed a Wisconsin man in jail after a trooper seized nearly 18 lbs. of marijuana from the pickup he was driving.

Just before 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 19, a trooper stopped an eastbound 2010 Ford F150 extended cab pickup for speeding 80 mph in a 65 mph zone, near the Lincoln Airport exit. An NSP canine indicated to the odor of drugs coming from the pickup. A search of the pickup led to the seizure of 17.8 lbs. of marijuana. The marijuana was located in three duffel bags in the rear passenger side of the vehicle.

The driver and lone occupant of the vehicle, Nicholas Pacocha,28, Cedarburg, Wis., was lodged in the Lancaster County Corrections on a charge of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver.

(AP) — A woman will receive a traffic ticket in connection to a car collision last month that injured an Omaha police officer.

Omaha City Prosecutor David Smalheiser said Wednesday that a traffic citation for careless driving will be issued to 39-year-old Michele Eshelman.

Police say Eshelman was driving an SUV on the southwest side of the city on Feb. 20 when it rear-ended the patrol car of Officer Lou Tomsu. He had been investigating another crash at the time.

Tomsu suffered serious injuries, including a cut to the back of the head and rib injuries. Eshelman was not injured.

(AP) — A man accused of killing four people in Omaha last summer wants a judge to decide his case.

Records shows 27-year-old Nikko Jenkins recently requested to waive a jury trial. He wants Douglas County Judge Peter Batallion to set a date for a bench trial. A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for Tuesday.

Jenkins is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the August deaths of Juan Uribe-Pena, Jorge Cajiga-Ruiz, Curtis Bradford and Andrea Kruger. He has pleaded not guilty, and claims he didn’t receive proper mental health treatment while previously in prison.

On Friday, Batallion granted Jenkins’ request to act as his own attorney in the case, though a public defender will provide him advice.

(AP) — A proposal to expand health care coverage to low-income Nebraskans won’t make it out of the Legislature this year.

Lawmakers lacked enough support to bring the measure to a vote after eight hours of debate. The bill will not be taken up again in this legislative session.

The “Wellness in Nebraska Act” laid out a plan to help cover health care costs for about 54,000 residents through a combination of Medicaid and subsidized private health insurance. It would have cost an estimated $62 million between July of this year and June 2020.

Supporters argued the proposal would have helped rural hospitals and working Nebraskans. But opponents who successfully blocked further consideration said it would have diverted money away from other priorities, such as education.

(AP) — A state trooper will receive a traffic ticket in connection to a vehicle collision that Omaha police say happened after he ran a red light.

Omaha City Prosecutor David Smalheiser said Wednesday that 43-year-old Jason Morris will get a citation for violating a traffic signal.

Police say Morris was driving when he ran a red light in the early morning hours of Feb. 23. He collided with another vehicle. Two adults and three children went to the hospital but were not seriously hurt. Morris was not injured.

An investigation of the crash remains ongoing. Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins says an internal review or investigation will not be public information because it is a personnel issue.

(AP) — A civil liberties group is warning officials in a small northeast Nebraska city against censuring a resident who has been critical of their actions.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska has sent a letter to Creighton City Attorney Andrew Marshall after city officials in November ordered Mike Nutting to stop writing letters to the editor of a local newspaper criticizing them. The City Council also instructed Nutting to submit a written apology.

When Nutting refused and wrote yet another letter critical of city officials, the City Council began the process of considering legal action against him.

The ACLU says that violates Nutting’s First Amendment right to criticize the government. The ACLU also warned that if the city presses charges against Nutting, it will defend him in court.

(AP) — A 41-year-old Norfolk man has died after his pickup rammed a tree in northeast Nebraska.

Madison County authorities say deputies and paramedics were dispatched around 6:30 p.m. Monday to the accident site near Yellowbanks Wildlife Management Area, about three miles northwest of Battle Creek.

Chief Deputy Sheriff Michael Prather (PRAY’-thur) says Kevin Haase was pronounced dead at the scene. Haase’s truck was moving at a high rate of speed when it hit the tree.

The accident is being investigated.

(AP) — A former Iowa felon on trial for illegally voting says she believed her voting rights had been restored when she cast a ballot last November.

Kelli Jo Griffin testified Wednesday that her lawyer advised her when she was convicted of a drug charge in 2008, that she would regain her rights to vote and hold public office when she left probation.

Griffin says she was unaware that Gov. Terry Branstad changed that policy in 2011 so that former offenders have to apply to him to get their voting rights back.

The trial highlights Iowa’s position as one of four states which has such a policy.

Griffin says she voted in the municipal election in Montrose to set an example for her children, who had come with her.