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Portion of Wahoo Library Ceiling Collapses

Wahoo,-ne(AP) — A portion of the Wahoo Public Library ceiling has collapsed under the weight of accumulated water.

A frozen line for the fire suppression system had burst Tuesday, allowing water to pool until it overcame the ceiling material and taped joints.

Library workers had spotted water leaking from the ceiling in the children’s area and called the fire department. Firefighters found the bulging ceiling threatening to burst, so firefighters and city workers raced to cover bookshelves with plastic tarps before the ceiling finally gave way.

Workers will take some water-damaged books in plastic-lined boxes to a nearby meat locker, where they will be freeze-dried to prevent mold. Most of the library’s 32,000 volumes will be removed so workers can repair the ceiling and replace carpeting.

Snapchat Rolls Out Update After Breach, Apologizes

snapchat(AP) — Snapchat has released an update to its disappearing-photo app following a security breach last week that exposed the phone numbers of millions of users.

And for the first time since the New Year’s breach, the company said it’s sorry.

Snapchat had promised a more secure version of its app following the breach, which allowed hackers to collect the usernames and phone numbers of 4.6 million of its users.

The Los Angeles startup on Thursday released an update to its Android and iPhone apps that it says “improves Find Friends functionality.” The feature, which suggests Snapchat connections based on a user’s phone contacts, was at the heart of the breach. Users can now also avoid linking their usernames with phone numbers.

Deep Freeze May Have Cost Economy $5 Billion

economy(AP) — Hunkering down at home rather than going to work, canceling thousands of flights and repairing burst pipes from the Midwest to the Southeast has its price.

One estimate from business weather intelligence company Planalytics puts the cost of the polar vortex that gripped much of the country during the past week at $5 billion.

But experts say those impacts aren’t as bad as they sound when compared against the overall economy. Planalytics’ Evan Gold notes $5 billion pales in comparison with an annual gross domestic product of about $15 trillion. It works out to maybe one-seventh to one-eighth of one day’s production for the entire country.

And, Gold says, there were bottom lines that benefited, including those of on-demand cable TV and restaurant delivery services.

Bill Would Neb. Child-Care Tax Credit

Sen. Kate Bolz
Sen. Kate Bolz

(AP) — Families with children or dependents could qualify for a slightly larger tax credit under a bill introduced in the Legislature.

Sen. Kate Bolz proposed legislation Wednesday that would increase the credit for families who have an adjusted gross income of $29,000 or more per year.

The proposal would allow them to claim up to 28 percent of their child care expenses, up from the current 25 percent. The credit is nonrefundable, so it couldn’t reduce a family’s tax liability to less than zero.

Bolz says she introduced the bill because of increases in the cost of child care. Families making less than $29,000 receive larger tax credits for child care expenses, depending on their income.

Study: Thinking Positive Helps Migraine Medicine Work

science-translational-medicine(AP) — A quirky new study suggests patients’ expectations can make a big difference in how they feel after treatment for a migraine.

Boston researchers recruited 66 patients, and gave them either a real medication to use when migraines struck or a dummy pill. Sometimes they knew what they were taking; sometimes researchers secretly switched the pills.

The study found that it’s important for doctors to give a positive message along with a medication: Patients reported more pain relief when they accurately believed they were taking the real drug than when they were told, falsely, that it was a fake. But even the placebo offered some pain relief, more when patients thought it was the real thing.

The study was published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Lincoln Police Won’t Be Using Drones Anytime Soon

chris-beutler
Mayor Chris Beutler

(AP) — Lincoln’s mayor has made it clear to residents and police: No drones here.

A general order issued last month by Mayor Chris Beutler included the ban. Other cities across the country have begun using the remote-controlled eyes in the sky to help catch crooks and aid in other public safety incidents.

Beutler says city officials must understand the emerging technology of drones before police buy any and employ them.

Omaha Police Say Teen Set Himself On Fire

omaha-police(AP) — Authorities say a 16-year-old boy has been hospitalized after setting himself on fire outside an Omaha home.

The Omaha Police Department says it received a report Tuesday night about a teen who doused himself with an accelerant and set himself on fire.

A police report indicates the boy set himself on fire outside his ex-girlfriend’s home. Witnesses told police they saw the boy and girl first arguing at another location.

Police say the boy, whose name has not been released, was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were life-threatening. Additional information about his condition is not available.

Feb. 12 Competency Hearing Set in Omaha Slayings

Nikko Jenkins
Nikko Jenkins

(AP) — A judge has set a Feb. 12 hearing to rule on whether a man accused of four Omaha slayings is competent to stand trial.

Twenty-seven-year-old Nikko Jenkins is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Juan Uribe-Pena, Jorge Cajiga-Ruiz, Curtis Bradford and Andrea Kruger. The four were killed within three weeks of Jenkins’ release from prison on July 30.

A state Ombudsman’s Office report released Tuesday said prison officials should have done more to get treatment for Jenkins.

Jenkins has pleaded not guilty but has said he wants to change his plea to guilty. The judge has said he won’t consider a plea change until he determines whether Jenkins in competent for trial.

A psychiatrist working for prosecutors says Jenkins is competent. A defense psychiatrist says Jenkins is not.

Omaha Catholic School Plans Student Drug Tests

creighton-prep(AP) — A Catholic high school in Omaha has plans to require random drug and alcohol testing for all students.

Creighton Preparatory School said Wednesday that the testing will begin in the 2014-2015 school year. The school already requires tests for performance-enhancing drugs on its student athletes.

Starting in August 2014, hair samples will be taken and tested for binge drinking, marijuana, PCPs, amphetamines, cocaine and opiates.

Students who test positive will be enrolled in an evaluation and support program with additional testing 90 days later. A second positive test will result in a review for disciplinary action. A student will be dismissed from school for a third positive test.

Public schools can require such tests only for students participating in extracurricular activities.

Nebraskan Gets 5 Years for Child Pornography

dept.-of-justice(AP) — A 51-year-old southeast Nebraska man has been sentenced to federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography.

The office of U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg says Christopher Bohlen, of Douglas, was given five years for receiving child pornography and a year and a day for possessing child pornography. The sentences are to be served at the same time.

Bohlen must serve five years of supervised release after he leaves prison.

Bohlen was identified as a child pornography suspect after the U.S. Postal Inspection Service noted correspondence to Bohlen from a website offering images of children.

Investigators say they found about 47,000 image files of child pornography on Bohlen’s computers. The images included some of children ranging from 2 to 12 years of age involved in sexual and sadomasochistic conduct.

 

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