FREMONT, Neb. (AP) – The Fremont school district has banned the wearing of a necklace that looks like a rosary because they say it’s also being worn by gang members. Fremont Superintendent Steve Sexton says the policy is for student safety. He says school officials have received information from police that the rosary is being used as a symbol of gang affiliation.
Omaha Catholic Archdiocese Chancellor Rev. Joseph Taphorn says that’s disheartening and that Christians shouldn’t have to give up a symbol of their faith because others want to misuse it. Twelve-year-old Elizabeth Carey says she was told by her principal she couldn’t wear her necklace. Her parents say they are upset that their daughter was not being allowed to express her religious beliefs.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) – A Nebraska man who admitted being part of a violent Grand Island gang received a stern sentence for shoving a Buffalo County jail guard last fall. 24-year-old Eddy Cervantes was sentenced to 18-20 years in prison for the second-degree assault. Prosecutors say Cervantes pushed Sgt. Rosario Perez Nov. 26 while she was escorting another inmate. Perez hurt her back and bicep in the incident. Deputy Buffalo County Attorney Mike Mefferd argued for the tough sentence at Wednesday’s hearing because of Cervantes’ extensive criminal history that includes 40 entries on his adult record. Cervantes acknowledged being part of the East Side Locos gang in Grand Island that was the subject of a major federal raid last November.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A Nebraska man has been sentenced to five years’ probation for threatening federal officials overseeing his home mortgage. U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg says Matt McDermott was sentenced Wednesday for one count of intimidating government employees. Prosecutors say the 38-year-old Kearney man became frustrated with the way his FHA loan was being serviced by a private company in 2008. McDermott tried contacting the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s national service center, but became frustrated with the response there. So McDermott sent two emails to HUD employees in October 2008 that included threats. McDermott told investigators he hopes the threats would help get his loan complaints resolved. As part of his probation, McDermott won’t be allowed to contact HUD officials directly unless his probation officer approves.

MITCHELL, Neb. (AP) – Funeral services for a slain 8-year-old Nebraska girl whose body was found last week is scheduled for Thursday.  Funeral services for Kerra Wilson are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the Scotts Bluff County Event Center in Mitchell. Burial will follow in the Mitchell cemetery. The third-grader’s body was found Sept. 22 in a rugged area of remote ranchland in Sioux County, north of Mitchell. She was reported missing by her mother the day before. The girl’s stepfather, 32-year-old Salvador Lopez, is charged with first-degree murder in her death and is being held without bond. Autopsy results have not been released.

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) – Midland University in Fremont will soon guarantee a four-year path to graduation, starting with the 2012 freshman class. The guarantee comes with certain conditions, including that students declare a major by the start of their sophomore year. They must also maintain a typical course load as a full-time student and earn passing credit. If a student meeting the conditions doesn’t graduate in four years, Midland will cover tuition and fees for as long as it takes the student to complete the degree. The initiative is intended to combat a trend of declining four-year degree-completion rates in the U.S. Midland is not the first to address the trend. A handful of U.S. colleges have begun offering three-year programs, the norm for undergraduate degrees in Europe.

MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) – The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded SEMA Construction of Centennial, Colo., a $15.3 million contract to repair and modify Red Willow Dam in southwest Nebraska.  The bureau discovered tension cracks in the dam’s embankment and a sinkhole on the downstream side of the dam in October 2009. Water in Hugh Butler Lake was drained to ensure downstream safety. The dam sits about 10 miles northwest of McCook. Red Willow Dam is an earthfill embankment that is 126 feet tall. The reservoir lake can hold more than 86,600 acre-feet of water. An acre-foot is almost 326,000 gallons of water, or enough to cover an acre of ground with a foot of water.

GERING, Neb. (AP) – The Gering City Council has rejected efforts to cut in half the number of days fireworks can be shot off in the Panhandle city around the July 4th holiday. A motion to cut the number to five days from 10 died for lack of a second at Monday night’s meeting. Supporters of keeping it at 10 days say cutting it to five days would cost fireworks vendors money, compress noise problems into fewer days, raise enforcement problems for police and violate a person’s right to use fireworks.
Those wanting to reduce the number of days to five say fireworks cause problems for shift workers, veterans and animals.