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The New Face of Food Stamps: Working-Age Americans

food-stamps(AP) — In a first, working-age people now make up the majority in households that rely on food stamps.

That’s a switch from a few years ago, when children and the elderly were the main recipients.

Some of the change is due to demographics, like the trend toward people having fewer children. But the slow economic recovery is also playing a role, with high unemployment, stagnant wages and an increasing gulf between low-wage and high-skill jobs.

Government data shows that food stamp participation has grown fastest among workers with some college training. It’s a sign the safety net has stretched to cover what used to be the middle class.

The program now covers 1 in 7 Americans.

Lincoln Bar Reopens After Impaired Driver Smashes Windows

bobs-tavern(AP) — A Lincoln bar reopened with two of its windows boarded up after police said an impaired driver damaged seven parked cars outside Bob’s Tavern.

Lincoln Police arrested a 52-year-old Lincoln man late Friday on suspicion of driving under the influence and reckless driving after the accident.

Police say they believe the man was under the influence of drugs, not alcohol, at the time of the crash and hadn’t been at the bar.

Police say the man’s car struck seven parked vehicles in northeast Lincoln, and the impact pushed one of the vehicles into the bar’s windows.

No one was injured in the crash, but at least two of the vehicles sustained significant damage and were totaled.

Family: Brain Dead Woman Taken Off of Life Support

marlisa-munoz(AP) — The family of a brain-dead, pregnant Texas woman says she has been removed from life support following a judge’s ruling that a Fort Worth hospital was misapplying state law in the case.

A statement sent by lawyers for the husband of Marlisa Munoz on Sunday afternoon says she was disconnected from life support about 11:30 a.m.

It says her body was released to her husband, Erick Munoz, and that the family is now looking to lay her to rest.

A judge had given John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth hospital until 5 p.m. Monday to comply with his ruling to remove Marlisa Munoz from life support.

J.R. Labbe, a hospital spokeswoman, issued a statement earlier Sunday saying the hospital would follow the order.

RELATED CONTENT:

http://www.northplattepost.com/2014/01/25/hospital-ordered-to-remove-pregnant-woman-from-life-support/

Donor Gives Small Neb. Town $6.85 Million

milford-ne(AP) — Residents of a small Nebraska town about 15 miles west of Lincoln are dreaming about how to use $6.85 million an anonymous donor left them.

Milford recently learned of the donations to nine groups in town, including the school district, nine-hole golf course and city.

Mayor Dean Bruha says he feels like the town won the lottery. Bruha says the donations will allow the city to some tackle projects it had only dreamed of before.

The donation to the city is supposed to be used for enhancements, not tax relief. All the donations are supposed to be used to create endowments.

Bruha says the city is looking at building a recreational trail, repairing curbs and streets, improving handicapped access or adding infrastructure for housing.

Neb. High Court Reverses Order for New Trial

ne-supreme-court(AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has reversed a lower appeals court’s order for a new trial for a Grand Island man convicted of drug charges.

In June, the Nebraska Court of Appeals reversed Roger Dalland’s meth conviction and granted him a new trial. The appeals court found that an officer was wrong to search Dalland’s vehicle because he smelled marijuana on Dalland inside the Aurora Police Department.

The Nebraska Supreme Court reversed that ruling on Friday. The high court said the appeals court erred by not taking into account an officer’s statement that Dalland had told him about needles in the vehicle before the officer searched it.

The state Supreme Court directed the Court of Appeals to affirm Dalland’s conviction and sentence.

Nebraska to Pay Wrongfully-Convicted Man $250K

lawsuit-settlement(AP) — The state of Nebraska will pay $250,000 to a Grand Island man wrongfully convicted in 1969 of killing his wife.

Thomas Davis filed a claim against the state in 2009, as allowed by state law.

On Friday, attorney John Stevens Berry said the state has been ordered to pay him $250,000, plus costs.

Davis was convicted in 1969 of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Phyllis. The conviction was overturned in 1970 by the Nebraska Supreme Court, which cited improper admission of hearsay evidence, withholding of forensic evidence and prosecutorial misconduct.

Man Sentenced for Neb. Cemetery Vandalism

cemetery-flowers(AP) — A 19-year-old Clay County man has been sentenced to 180 days in jail and five years’ probation for vandalizing an old cemetery in south-central Nebraska.

Robert Kelly Jr., of Saronville, also was ordered Friday to perform 200 hours of community service and pay $10,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors say he vandalized Farmers’ Valley Cemetery in August. Nearly 50 gravestones were pushed over and some were damaged beyond repair.

The cemetery was established in 1876 along the banks of the Big Blue River south-southwest of Henderson in rural Hamilton County.

Gunman, 2 Employees Dead in Maryland Mall Skate Shop Shooting

police-lights-red(AP) — Police say they are still trying to determine the identity of a gunman who killed two employees of a store at a Maryland shopping mall. The gunman also died.

The attack took place at a skateboard shop called Zumiez on the upper level of the Mall in Columbia, a suburb of both Baltimore and Washington, according to Howard County Police Chief William J. McMahon.

McMahon said authorities ran into difficulty in identifying the gunman because of concerns that he might be carrying explosives.

The two victims were a man and a woman, both in their 20s. They were employees of the shop where the attack occurred. Their names were not released.

Five other people were injured, none seriously.

Neb. Man Arrested in Iowa for Attempted Murder

Jerry-Stilen(AP) — A Nebraska man has been charged in an arrest warrant with attempted murder after police say he threatened a woman and her teenage daughter with a circular saw last month.

34-year-old Jerry Stilen, of La Vista, Neb., was arrested Thursday at the Pottawattamie County Jail in Council Bluffs, where he was being held on other charges.

Police says Stilen broke into the Council Bluffs home of a 37-year-old ex-girlfriend on Dec. 23 and threatening her with a circular saw. Police say he choked the woman, and when her 15-year-old daughter fled, he chased her down and choked and threatened the girl, too. A neighbor called police to report the attack.

Stilen remains in the jail and could not be reached Saturday for comment.

Iowa Man Pleads Guilty to Arson

arson(AP) — A 53-year-old man has pleaded guilty to arson for the torching of southeastern Iowa house.

According to court records, 53-year-old Jonathan Beam, of Washington, Iowa, recently pleaded guilty to the charge.

Authorities say Beam set his home on fire on Oct. 1. The home sits across the street from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the county jail. No injuries were reported.

Beam was arrested in southeast Nebraska’s Thayer County that same week.

Police say receipts in Beam’s car showed he bought gas, flares and a torch the morning of the fire.

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