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Nebraska Economic Council Foresees Modest Growth

CASH_MONEY(AP) — Nebraska economic forecasters see modest state growth ahead as income declines for Nebraska farmers.

The Nebraska Business Forecast Council’s latest report says the state’s farm income is expected to stabilize at about $5.1 billion this year, a drop of about 7.3 percent from last year and well below the record $7.5 billion in 2011.

The council cites the predicted drop in ag income in saying that the rest of the state’s economy will grow modestly over the next three years, trailing growth in the rest of the country.

The council expects a 1.1 percent increase in the number of Nebraska jobs this year.

Man Found Underdressed Outside in Frigid Omaha

douglas-county-sheriff(AP) — A 77-year-old man has been hospitalized after being found outside in frigid Omaha, wearing little more than pajama bottoms.

The man was found around 4 a.m. Tuesday, clad in slippers, a fleece top and the pajama bottoms.

The National Weather Service says the air temperature at the time was around minus 2, with a wind chill of minus 18. Authorities weren’t sure how long the man had been outside.

Douglas County dispatchers say the man was taken in serious condition to the Nebraska Medical Center. Rescue workers described the man as cold to the touch.

State Victories Create Dilemma for Abortion Foes

anti-abortion-protest(AP) — Opponents who have chipped away at abortion with state-level restrictions are facing a dilemma in some of the places where they have been most successful.

Do they continue with that approach or seek more dramatic policies that risk court rulings that could undo previous gains?

For the last several decades, anti-abortion groups have focused on putting relatively small limits on the procedure in politically conservative states. Those efforts intensified after Republicans made major gains in the 2011 elections.

But as groups on both sides of the debate mark Wednesday’s anniversary of the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, anti-abortion leaders and lawmakers are under pressure to take bigger steps.

Jennifer Mason represents Personhood USA, a Colorado-based anti-abortion group. She says many of her peers are frustrated with the incremental approach.

Man, 2 Children Found Dead at Fort Hood Residence

ft.-hood(AP) — A man and two children have been found dead in a home at Fort Hood.

A statement from the Texas Army post says the bodies were found about 7:15 a.m. Tuesday.

The post released few details about the deaths. It did say all three are military dependents, meaning they’re related to a soldier. However, officials haven’t said if they’re related to each other.

Agents of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command are investigating but are withholding any details until relatives can be notified. Also, agents aren’t commenting on the deployment status of the soldier in the household.

However, the statement says there is no further threat to the community.

2nd Body Recovered from Omaha Plant That Collapsed

omaha-police(AP) — Authorities have identified the second worker killed in a Nebraska industrial plant accident as 47-year-old David Ball, of Omaha.

Police said Ball’s relatives were notified Tuesday, shortly after his body was retrieved from the International Nutrition building that collapsed the day before. Interim Fire Chief Bernard Kanger says authorities believe no other people are in the building.

The accident killed two and injured 17.

Kanger says the men killed were found on the second floor of the south Omaha plant, but the bodies were not near each other.

Authorities say they recovered the body of 53-year-old Keith Everett, of Omaha, Monday night.

Thirty-eight people were in the animal feed and supplement plant when it collapsed. Authorities are still trying to determine a cause.

Police: 2 Omaha Sisters Found Safe After Missing for Days

Zianne-Sysel-and-Lakeisha-Sysel(AP) — Authorities say they have located two Omaha sisters who were missing for several days.

Omaha police said in a news release Tuesday that 12-year-old Zianne Sysel and 10-year-old Lakeisha Sysel are safe.

Additional information was not released.

The girls were reported missing after they were last seen Friday night at their home in north Omaha.

Investigation Into Omaha Plant Collapse Begins

OSHA(AP) — Federal investigators have begun the task of determining what caused an Omaha industrial accident Monday that killed two and injured 17.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration spokesman Scott Allen said OSHA investigators were on the scene of the accident Tuesday morning to look into the cause of the accident. Allen says it is too early to speculate on what may have caused part of the three-level International Nutrition building to collapse.

But OSHA records show the plant has been cited before for safety violations, including for the 2002 death of a 45-year-old worker who died when he fell into a moving mixer he was cleaning.

Other records show that the plant, which makes nutritional products that are added to livestock and poultry feed, was cited for six violations in 2012.

Domina Launches Campaign for Neb. US Senate Seat

david-domina(AP) — Nebraska’s U.S. Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Mike Johanns officially has a Democratic candidate.

David Domina, a lawyer, launched his campaign with a speech in the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday. After the event, Domina spoke about his views on the Keystone XL pipeline, gun control and health care.

Domina represents landowners challenging a state law that has allowed TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline to proceed. Domina says TransCanada should not have eminent domain power.

On gun control, Domina says there are reasonable restrictions on every constitutional right and that applies to the Second Amendment as well. He says citizens should not be armed in the same way as the military.

Domina also says the federal health care law should be fixed, not thrown out.

Rollover Crash Kills Northeast Neb. Woman

dakota-county-sheriff(AP) — A passenger has died in the rollover crash of a vehicle on a county road four miles west of Homer in northeast Nebraska.

The Dakota County sheriff’s office says the accident occurred a little before 3 a.m. Sunday. The office says 28-year-old Tiffany Schmitt, of Homer, died after being ejected. The office says the driver, 39-year-old Russell Roberts, also of Homer, and two other passengers were hospitalized.

The crash is being investigated.

Iowan Dies, Another Injured in Omaha Accident

fatal-crash(AP) — An Iowa man has been killed and an Iowa woman has been injured in an accident along Interstate 80 in eastern Nebraska.

Omaha police say the accident occurred a little after 6 a.m. Monday where I-80 merges with Interstate 480 and U.S. Highway 75.

Police say 28-year-old Brian Pete, of Des Moines, Iowa, had stopped and parked his car on the painted median of I-80. Police say it was hit by a westbound sport utility vehicle driven by 26-year-old Sara Barker, of Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Pete was pronounced dead at the scene. Barker was taken to an Omaha hospital.

The accident is being investigated.

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