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Omaha Police Say Trooper Ran Red Light Before Crash

omaha-police(AP) — Police say a state trooper ran a red light before a collision that injured five people in Omaha.

Two adults and three children went to a hospital after the accident, which occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday. None of the five was seriously hurt. The trooper was not injured. He was identified as 43-year-old Jason Morris.

The driver hurt in the crash, 21-year-old Blanca Encinas, says Morris was apologetic when he went to her vehicle to check on its occupants. She says Morris told her he was just beginning to chase another vehicle when the accident occurred.

The accident is being investigated.

McDonald’s Eyes Longer Breakfast Hours

mccdonalds(AP) — McDonald’s is in the early stages of looking at whether it can extend its breakfast hours.

Fans of the Egg McMuffin have long wanted the option to get breakfast at McDonald’s after 10:30 a.m. But offering both breakfast and lunch was considered logistically impossible give the limited space in kitchens.

Still, it’s an option the chain is eyeing more seriously as people’s eating habits change, particularly for people in their 20s and 30s.

“We know, as an example, that breakfast on the weekend cut off at 10:30 doesn’t go very well,” Jeff Stratton, head of McDonald’s USA, said in an interview.

Stratton declined to provide details on how McDonald’s would serve breakfast later in the day, saying, “We’re just beginning.”

State Sued Over Fatal Crash Involving Neb. Inmate

Jeremy Dobbe (NE Dept. of Corrections Photo)
Jeremy Dobbe (NE Dept. of Corrections Photo)

(AP) — Relatives have sued the state over a fatal Lincoln collision that involved a state-owned van driven by a Nebraska inmate.

The lawsuit was filed last week against the state and the inmate driver, 36-year-old Jeremy Dobbe. He has pleaded not guilty to a manslaughter charge and awaits trial.

Joyce Meeks’ husband, Leonard, and son, Martell Buchanan, say in the lawsuit that the state was negligent for letting Dobbe behind the wheel of the van that hit Joyce Meeks’ vehicle on June 25 last year.

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services has since ended the prison-driver program, which allowed inmates to transport other prisoners to and from work-release sites.

Columbus Man Gets Prison for Graveyard Thefts

grave-site(AP) — A 41-year-old Columbus man who stole ornamental vases and military veterans nameplates from graves has been given up to eight years in prison.

Steven Bequette was sentenced last week in Platte County District Court.

Online court records say Bequette had pleaded no contest to drug possession and to attempted theft. He was given 20 to 60 months on the theft charge and 18 to 36 months for the drugs. The sentences are to be served consecutively.

A prosecutor says at least 40 families were victimized by the graveyard thefts. Police say a scrap metal yard worker reported that the yard bought more than 200 pounds of brass from Bequette last summer.

Creighton University President to Retire Next Year

creighton-univ(AP) — Creighton University President Timothy Lannon has announced his intention to leave his post in June 2015.

Lannon returned to Creighton in 2011 as Creighton’s 24th president. He said in an announcement Monday that when he returned he wanted “to give back to what the institution gave to me.”

Lannon says there’s another role ahead for him, one “that will be even more pastoral and less administrative.”

He says his announcement gives the Creighton University board of trustees more than a year to find and confirm his successor.

Obama to Act on Keystone Pipeline ‘In a Couple Months’

keystone-xl-pipeline(AP) — Governors are quoting President Barack Obama as saying he expects to decide on the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline in the next couple of months.

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican who supports the pipeline, said Obama was asked about Keystone Monday at a White House meeting with about 40 governors. Heineman and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said Obama told governors he expects a decision “in the next couple of months,” but didn’t offer a specific timetable. Fallin, a Republican who chairs the National Governors Association, also supports Keystone.

A White House spokesman said he would not provide details of a private discussion with governors, and said review of the Canada-to-Texas pipeline remains at the State Department.

A Nebraska judge struck down the route through that state last week.

Pa. Dad Charged in Daughter’s First-Date Death

ne-supreme-court-gavel(AP) — Authorities say a 12-year-old Pittsburgh girl who got out of her father’s SUV to pose for photos with a boy after her first date was struck and killed by the vehicle.

Police say that Shamera Harris’ parents were getting out of the vehicle to take the picture when it rolled backward around 8 p.m. Sunday. They say 53-year-old Richard Benton was charged with DUI after refusing a breath test following the accident.

He was arraigned Monday. Court records didn’t list his attorney and his home phone was continually busy.

Police say Benton told them he thought the vehicle was in park before he got out.

Authorities say the SUV dragged the girl about 50 feet before striking a tree. Police say that Benton smelled of alcohol and slurred his words.

Attorney: Teen Will Be Tried as Adult in Omaha Killing

Christopher Spears
Christopher Spears

(AP) — A county attorney says an Omaha teenager will be charged as an adult in the killing of another teen.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine announced Monday that 17-year-old Christopher Spears would be prosecuted as an adult. He’s charged with second-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

Spears, a student at Northwest High School in Omaha, was arrested after the killing of 17-year-old Dominique Hollie.

Kleine says the shooting happened after Spears made sexual comments about Hollie’s sister, prompting Hollie to go to his bedroom and grab a sawed-off shotgun that he later returned to his room.

Kleine alleges that after an argument, Spears went to Hollie’s room, returned with the shotgun and shot Hollie in the face.

Police arrested Spears a few blocks away.

Neb. Medicaid Bill Sent to Legislature for Vote

medicaid(AP) — A bill to expand Medicaid in Nebraska as part of the federal health care law has been sent to the full Legislature for debate.

The Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee voted on Monday to advance the “Wellness in Nebraska Act,” a new version of a Medicaid-expansion proposal.

The new bill was introduced after a Medicaid expansion bill stalled in the Legislature last year. The rewritten proposal makes use of private insurance, cost-sharing and wellness incentives.

Committee members voted 5-1 to advance the bill. Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse voted against it, and Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha did not register a vote.

Gov. Dave Heineman and a group of conservative state senators say they’re still opposed to expanded Medicaid.

Psychology Internship Program Clears 1st Neb. Vote

ne-legislature-13(AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have given initial approval to a psychology internship program that would provide specialists in under-served parts of the state.

The proposal would offer funding for five doctoral-level psychology internships. The number would increase to 10 in the program’s third year. Lawmakers advanced the bill on Monday with a 30-0 vote.

Interns would be placed in under-served areas and rural communities where behavioral-health services are needed.

Sen. Amanda McGill of Lincoln says her bill seeks to fill a gap in mental health services. Most professionals are based in Omaha and Lincoln, and even some parts of those cities are considered under-served.

The program would cost an estimated $548,000 in its third year.

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