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Nebraska high school launches student-run coffee shop

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — An eastern Nebraska high school will soon welcome a new coffee shop on campus, created and run by students.

An entrepreneurship class will be bringing Deja Brew to Fremont High School this fall, the Fremont Tribune reported. The class is offered by the high school and Metropolitan Community College, but it’s the first time the business incubator has created a student-run and student-managed business.

“We came to these students with the idea, or the premise, and we let them take it and run with it,” said Matt Burg, a business teacher at Fremont High School. “They’ve done a great job with coming up with all of the ideas. They named it, created the logo, marketing concept, business prospectus; every element has been done by the students.”

The class conducted a market survey of about 400 classmates for their business plan.

“We asked if they drink coffee, their favorite kind, how often they would get coffee if it was available and a bunch of other stuff,” said student Avery Gossett.

Deja Brew will serve students and faculty before classes and during a study-hall period every day.

LaRue Coffee will provide the equipment and coffee to the student-run shop.

The high school is using an annual Career and Technical Education grant to help make Deja Brew a reality.

“We set aside $9,000 to $10,000 and we are only going to use around half of that,” Burg said. “That was the great deal with LaRue, because if we buy and sell their product they let us use some of their machines for free.”

The coffee shop will give students hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, said Dan Smith, a Metropolitan Community College instructor.

“This class is about students who are interested in running their own business, and learning about what all that entails, and what that process is like,” he said. “So to have them actually create their own business is huge.”

Nebraska teen who shot at deputies to remain juvenile case

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court says the case of a boy who shot at Douglas County deputies will remain in juvenile court.

Tyler Pitzl was initially charged as an adult with five felonies, including attempted murder, after the Sept. 3 incident. He is now 18 but was 17 at the time police say he shot at two deputies at his parent’s home. One deputy was shot in the hand and forearm.

The Omaha World-Herald reports Douglas County District Judge Marlon Polk ruled in November that Pitzl would be better rehabilitated in juvenile court. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine appealed and law enforcement unions opposed moving the case to juvenile court.

Pitzl’s attorney contended he suffered a brain injury at a football game the night before the shooting and was drunk at the time.

NSP seizes $11K in counterfeit money in traffic stop

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol found more than $11,000 in counterfeit U.S. currency during a traffic stop in Cedar County.

The traffic stop occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m. Thursday, May 10, when a trooper clocked a 2014 Chrysler minivan traveling at 99 miles per hour in a 60 miles per hour zone on Highway 20 near the Cedar/Dixon county line.

Upon stopping the vehicle, the trooper discovered that the driver, Robert Nixon, 42, of Cleveland, Ohio, was driving under suspension. Nixon was arrested and troopers conducted a search of the vehicle. The search uncovered $11,450 in cash, which was determined by the United States Secret Service to be counterfeit. The Dixon County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in this effort.

Nixon has been lodged in Cedar County Jail and the investigation is ongoing.

Restaurants accused of not paying minimum wage, overtime

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A chain of Mexican restaurants has been accused of not paying employees minimum wage and overtime.

Court records say the U.S. Labor Department filed a complaint in federal court Wednesday naming the El Potrero restaurants in Lincoln and Kearney and the El Toro Mexican Restaurant locations in Hastings and Grand Island.

Alejandro Rodriguez is listed as their owner. Attempts to reach him Thursday were unsuccessful.

The civil lawsuit says that since at least May 1, 2015, the businesses have violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay employees at least $7.25 per hour and any overtime. The lawsuit also says the restaurants didn’t keep adequate hour and pay records.

The department wants the businesses ordered to find any employees or former employees involved and pay them their back pay.

Husband, wife killed when minivan collides with semitrailer

TAYLOR, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an 85-year-old woman and her husband died after their minivan collided with a semitrailer in central Nebraska.

The accident occurred around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday near Taylor in Loup County. The Nebraska State Patrol says the northbound truck on U.S. Highway 183 struck the minivan as it attempted to turn south off Nebraska Highway 91.

The minivan was driven by 87-year-old Alphis Casteel. He and his wife, Norma, were pronounced dead at the scene. They lived in Sargent.

The truck driver was taken to an Ord hospital for treatment. He’s been identified as 62-year-old Michael Mooney. He lives in Broken Bow.

Officers catch inmate who’d fled southeast Nebraska jail

HEBRON, Neb. (AP) — The Thayer County sheriff and a deputy have captured an inmate who escaped from the county jail in Hebron.

Authorities say 29-year-old Lance Powers fled custody Monday while being escorted from his cell to another location in the jail. He ran out the front door of the Sheriff’s Office, which sits next to the courthouse, with Sheriff David Lee in pursuit.

Several people helped Lee by pointing out Powers’ path through town. Lee and Deputy Marty Rose caught him near the city swimming pool.

Powers had been jailed awaiting action on accusations of nonpayment of child support, failure to appear and driving under suspension.

Authorities: Groundskeeper finds body of man near Hastings

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — Authorities are investigating after the body of a man was found just outside of Hastings.

The Hastings Tribune reports that the body — believed to be that of a middle-aged man — was found around noon Monday by a groundskeeper who was mowing at the Motorsport Park Hastings.

Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy Gary Reed says officials are looking into whether the remains belong to a man who was reported missing in October. Reed says an autopsy will be conducted Wednesday in Omaha.

Reed says there are no obvious signs of foul play, but investigators aren’t ruling anything out and are collecting evidence for possible use later.

Authorities say man accidentally electrocuted on farm

BATTLE CREEK, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man who died on a northeast Nebraska farm was accidentally electrocuted.

The accident Friday near Battle Creek killed 54-year-old Greg Weidner, who lived in Madison.

Madison County Attorney Joe Smith told the Norfolk Daily News that Weidner was injured while working on an irrigation pivot well. No autopsy was ordered.

I-80 closed after 5 deaths in several crashes

MILFORD, Neb. (AP) — At least five people died in three crashes close together on Interstate 80 in eastern Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Patrol closed 13 miles of eastbound I-80 near Milford, Nebraska, for several hours after the crashes on Sunday morning.

One semitrailer truck caught fire, and the Nebraska State Patrol helicopter landed on the interstate to assist.

Seward County Sheriff Joe Yocum says the first crash happened after a westbound vehicle crossed the median and struck an eastbound vehicle.

Four people in the westbound vehicle died, and the driver of the eastbound vehicle was taken to the hospital.

One other person died in one of the subsequent crashes that followed the initial one.

The names of the crash victims were not immediately released on Sunday afternoon.

Suspect arrested in 2008 Omaha barbershop slaying

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say they’ve arrested a suspect in the 2008 fatal shooting of a man at a north Omaha barbershop.

The Omaha Police Department cold case squad arrested 31-year-old Richodd Mackins on a warrant charging him with first-degree murder. He was booked Monday into Douglas County Jail. Court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him.

Police say 23-year-old Marcus Johnson was shot the morning of Sept. 25, 2008. He left the barbershop and flagged down some help, but he died later at a hospital.

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