LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy has filed paperwork to run for governor in the May 2014 Republican primary.
The lieutenant governor formed the Sheehy for Governor political committee in a filing with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission.
The commission’s website says Sheehy filed the statement of organization last week. State law requires candidates to file if they raise, receive or spend more than $5,000. The filing says Sheehy cleared that threshold on Nov. 28.
Sheehy was sworn in as lieutenant governor in January 2005. The former Hastings mayor confirmed in July that he was running, and has since won an endorsement from Gov. Dave Heineman.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) – Sensing a political opening, congressional Republicans are moving toward a high-stakes showdown with President Barack Obama over a plan to link fast-tracked approval of an oil pipeline to a measure renewing a payroll tax cut.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the proposed Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas will help the president achieve his top priority – creating jobs – without costing a dime of taxpayer money.
“There is no reason this legislation shouldn’t have the president’s enthusiastic support,” McConnell said Monday on the Senate floor. “The only reason for Democrats to oppose this job-creating bill would be to gain some political advantage at a time when every one of them says job creation is a top priority.”
The State Department said last month it was postponing a decision on the pipeline until after next year’s election.
Officials said the delay is needed to study routes that avoid environmentally sensitive areas of Nebraska.
The GOP language would require approval of the pipeline within two months unless Obama declares it is not in the national interest.
The State Department warned Monday the congressional interference in the approval process would likely lead to a rejection of the pipeline. The State Department has authority over the project because it crosses an international border. “Should Congress impose an arbitrary deadline for the permit decision, its actions would not only compromise the process, it would prohibit the department from acting consistently with National Environmental Policy Act requirements by not allowing sufficient time” for the project to be considered, the State Department said in a statement.
In that case, “the department would be unable to make a determination to issue a permit for this project,” the statement added.
McConnell and other Republicans dismiss such procedural objections. “The only thing arbitrary about this decision is the decision by the president to say, ‘Well, let’s wait until after the next election,”‘ said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Boehner and other Republicans say many Democrats support the pipeline, noting that 47 House Democrats voted in a favor a bill this summer to speed up the permitting process. GOP lawmakers say the White House opposes the pipeline provision in the tax bill so Democrats can gain political advantage by blaming Republicans for defeating the popular payroll tax cut. The tax bill is expected on the House floor Tuesday.
The two parties generally agree on the bill’s fundamentals:  preventing the Jan. 1 expiration of payroll tax cuts and extending coverage for the long-term unemployed. Obama has said he will reject the overall bill if it includes language speeding up approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from western Canada to refineries in Texas.
Obama’s threat has increased conservative support for the overall measure, with Republicans hoping to use Obama’s opposition to portray him as favoring environmentalists over jobs.
Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., called the Keystone XL project crucial to getting thousands of people back to work. “This is an important jobs and energy security bill which just makes plain sense,” said Terry, author of the pipeline provision. “The American people want us to stop buying Venezuelan oil. The
Keystone pipeline is a key component to making that happen.”
Environmental groups, who celebrated the administration’s announcement of a delay in the Keystone project last month, accused Republicans of forcing a premature judgment on the pipeline in order to curry favor with the oil industry. “To get their way, House Republicans – with some support in the Senate – are even willing to block the much-needed extension of the middle-class tax cut,” said Suzanne Struglinski of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group.
Struglinski called the pipeline push a “fool’s errand” because of Obama’s threat to reject the measure, and said its likely inclusion in the House bill showed that House leaders have embraced the “extreme agenda” pushed by the tea party.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said last week that House leaders were wasting time, because the Keystone provision will not pass the Democratic-controlled Senate. The State Department decided last month to delay the project until 2013, to allow the project’s developer to figure out a way around Nebraska’s Sandhills, an ecologically sensitive region that includes an aquifer that supplies water to eight states.

 

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) – Police say a disabled man was scalded in a shower at a care center in Bellevue.
Police say 22-year-old Donzell Harden suffered burns on his lower body Friday at the Hands of the Heartland group home.
According to the police report, a caregiver placed Harden in a shower chair, turned on the water to let it warm up and moved the shower head before stepping away to help a co-worker on a computer.
When the caregiver returned, the shower head was pointed toward Harden.
Harden was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Harden’s guardian, Sherry Becker, says Harden shouldn’t have been left alone.
Home spokeswoman Courtney Kline-Hays says safety measures have been put in place to prevent the situation from happening again.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (North Platte Post)- Three people were killed in two separate crashes as wintry weather pushed across the state on Thursday.

A car-pickup crash on Highway 30 near Silver Creek in Merrick County claimed the life of two Madison teens. Just after 3:00 p.m., on Thursday, Dec. 8, the driver of a 2008 Dodge Avenger lost control of the car. The car slid sideways into the westbound lane where it was struck broadside by a 2012 Dodge Ram pickup.

The front seat passenger, David Romero, 17, and a backseat passenger, Juan Manuel, 18, were killed in the crash. The driver of the car, Trae Deeder, 17, and backseat passenger Juan Raynaga, 18, were transported to a Columbus hospital with non-life threatening injuries. All of the vehicle’s occupants were from Madison. The driver of the pickup, Luis Lasso, 43, of Columbus was taken to a Central City hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Weather is believed to have played a role in the crash. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

67 year old Olin B. Kicklighter of Sacramento, CA was killed in a crash involving his SUV and two semi trailer trucks on Interstate 80 near the Kearney interchange.

Around 11:16 p.m., Thursday, a 2001 Ford Expedition pulling a trailer was eastbound on Interstate 80 when it was struck from behind by an eastbound semi. The impact caused the SUV to jackknife. The SUV was then struck on the driver’s side by a second semi.

The driver of the semi that rear-ended the SUV, Martin R. Feeney, 63 of Bloomington, IL was lodged in the Buffalo County Detention Center on a charge of vehicular homicide.

The Nebraska State Patrol reminds all motorists to exercise caution during winter driving months. Motorists are encouraged to allow plenty of following distance between their vehicle and those around them, never drive faster than conditions allow and always wear your seat belt. Setting aside additional travel time is also advised during inclement weather.

Motorists can check the latest condition report by utilizing 511 the state’s Advanced Traveler Information System. The number is operational 24/7. The system can also be accessed via the internet at < www.511.nebraska.gov >. Travelers outside of Nebraska wanting to check weather and road conditions in our state can dial 1-800-906-9069.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A federal appeals court agreed Wednesday
to take another look at whether a St. Louis suburb can enforce a
funeral protest ordinance drafted in response to the picketing of
an anti-gay Kansas church – a move that could push the issue closer
to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis will
meet Jan. 9 to reconsider a three-judge panel’s October ruling in
favor of members of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. In the
now-vacated ruling, the panel upheld a district court ruling,
saying peaceful protests near funerals are protected by the First
Amendment’s right to free speech.

Tony Rothert, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties
Union, which represented Westboro members Shirley and Megan
Phelps-Roper, said the decision to rehear the case wasn’t
surprising given that the circuit courts have been divided over the
constitutionality of the funeral protest laws that have been
cropping up since Westboro members began protesting at military
funerals. The members often hold signs containing such messages as,
“Thank God for dead soldiers” and “Thank God for 9/11.” Church
members claim the deaths are God’s punishment for American
immorality and tolerance of homosexuality and abortion.

Last year, a federal judge in Kansas City, Mo., struck down
Missouri’s funeral protest statute as unconstitutional and an
appeal has been filed to the 8th Circuit. A ruling in the 6th
Circuit in Ohio favored the protest laws.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of
Westboro Baptist Church in a lawsuit filed by Albert Snyder, the
father of a fallen Marine who sued the church for the emotional
pain they caused by showing up at his son Matthew’s funeral.
However, the Supreme Court didn’t specifically address the funeral
protest laws.

The suburb of Manchester adopted its ordinance banning peaceful
funeral protests in 2007. The 8th Circuit panel’s October ruling
meant Manchester could no longer enforce the ordinance and stalled
a Nebraska funeral-picketing law. The 8th Circuit panel found a
district court should have blocked the Nebraska funeral picketing
law from being enforced.

Unless the full 8th Circuit reaches a different conclusion than
the three-judge panel and sides with the 6th Circuit, the issue
could be headed back to the Supreme Court, Rothert said. He said
the Supreme Court rehears cases when there are splits in circuits
or questions of exceptional importance.

“This revolves around the First Amendment, so both sides argue
that this is a case of exceptional importance,” he said.

The Lincoln Journal Star reported that
Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning hailed Wednesday’s
announcement that the federal appeals court will review the
Missouri case.

“We continue to believe the families of fallen soldiers should
be protected from the hateful protests of Westboro Baptist Church
members – they deserve to grieve in peace,” he said.

PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. (AP) – A cow that has been roaming free near the eastern Nebraska city of Plattsmouth since September has been captured.
The roughly 1,500-pound cow was captured Wednesday afternoon.
She was loaded onto a trailer and taken to a farm near Louisville.
A trio of cowboys on horseback finally corralled the cow on Wednesday. Terry Grell of Louisville, Neil Johnson of Nehawka, and Greg Eisenbarth of Plattsmouth, succeeded where many others had failed.
The cow had been dubbed the “ninja cow” for her ability to appear and vanish like the elusive Japanese assassins. She was captured briefly on Tuesday before slipping away again.  It’s believed she originally fell off a cattle truck and began wandering around Plattsmouth, hiding in the woods on the north side of town.

 

A convicted felon decided to mug an MMA fighter on the Southwest Side of Chicago, police say, and ended up paying a steep price.

Police did not release the victim’s name but said he was able to ward off Anthony Miranda, 24, who ended up with two black eyes and a gunshot wound to the ankle after a tussle.

The victim was sitting in his parked car near 55th St. and Kenneth when Anthony Miranda, 24, walked up to the car asking for a lighter.

When the victim did not have one, Miranda pulled out a handgun and demanded money, police officials said. He then demanded the victim get out of the car.

At some point, the victim was able to grab control of the gun while Miranda’s attention was diverted. The two men wrestled on the ground and during the fight, Miranda accidentally discharged his gun, shooting himself in the ankle, police said.

The victim was able to pin down Miranda until police arrived and later told officials he was a martial arts expert and ultimate fighting champion.

Miranda was taken to Holy Cross Hospital with a face full of cuts and two black eyes, police said. He has been charged with armed robbery and aggravated discharge of a firearm, a class X felony.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman says he already has the best job in America, but the Republican is evading questions about whether he would reconsider running for U.S. Senate next year against Democratic incumbent Ben Nelson.
Heineman was asked about the Senate race Tuesday because national Republican leaders have been calling him about running even though he said previously he wouldn’t run.
Heineman says he listens when people like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell call, but he thinks the focus should be on the candidates already in the race.
Heineman says any of the Republicans running would do a better job than Nelson, who angered many Nebraska conservatives by providing the 60th vote needed in December 2009 to advance President Barack Obama’s health care reform measure to the full Senate.

 

LINCOLN, Neb.(North Platte Post)- A Saturday, Dec. 3, crash on Interstate 80 near the Waverly Interchange (mm 409), in Lancaster County has claimed the life of a two-year-old Bellevue boy.

Just before 5:00 p.m., on Saturday, an eastbound 2006 Toyota Camry was struck from behind by an eastbound semi trailer truck. The impact crushed the rear of the car. The two-year-old and his father who was driving had to be extricated. They were both transported to BryanLGH-West in Lincoln.

Robert A. Curry, 2, Bellevue died at the hospital. His father, Robert J. Curry, 35, Bellevue was treated and released. The boy’s mother and one-year-old sister were also transported to the hospital. They were both treated and released. Everyone in the car was properly restrained. Both children were in car seats and the parents were wearing seat belts.

The driver of the semi, Leamond Pierce, 52, Claymont, DE was uninjured. A co-driver in the semi, James Fryer, 24, Chester, PA was transported to a BryanLGH-East in Lincoln, where he was treated and released.

The weather is believed to have played a role in the crash. The accident remains under investigation.