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Nebraska man charged in wife’s shooting death to stand trial

DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A man accused of shooting and killing his wife outside a northeast Nebraska police station is now slated to stand trial in the first-degree murder case.

41-year-old Bei Sheng Chen, of South Sioux City, appeared in a Dakota County Court on Tuesday, where he waived his right to a preliminary hearing. The case has been bound over to district court for trial.

A judge refused his request on Tuesday to lower his $1.25 million bail.

His next court appearance is set for Nov. 3.

Police say he shot 33-year-old Mei Huang on Sept. 6 in the parking lot of the South Sioux City police station. She died hours later at a Sioux City, Iowa, hospital.

Nebraska city sees uptick in unlicensed youths driving

SCHUYLER, Neb. (AP) — An eastern Nebraska county is seeing more juveniles driving without a proper driver’s license or permit.

Colfax County Attorney Denise Kracl says there have been 10 to 15 such cases so far this year. One involved a 14-year-old who crashed into a tree in Schuyler with three other minors in the vehicle.

Nebraska has three types of permits that allow a 14-year-old to drive while accompanied by a licensed driver who’s at least 21 years old. A fourth permit allows a juvenile to drive from home to school.

Kracl says the biggest issue is parents allowing their children to drive without a license or a permit.

She says first-time offending minors can be ticketed and considered for a youth diversion program. Parents could also be charged.

Police: 2 donkeys found wandering in western Omaha roadway

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say two donkeys were found wandering through a western Omaha roadway.

A driver spotted the animals around 5 a.m. Monday and called emergency services, say one of the donkeys appeared to be injured.

Omaha police officers and the Nebraska Humane Society responded and remained at the scene for about an hour until the donkeys’ owner arrived.

The owners told police the donkeys were rescue animals named “Stormy” and “Zippy” and had arrived Sunday. Police say the owners lived in the area where the donkeys were found.

A Humane Society veterinarian checked the injured donkey before both were taken away.

Nebraska city on the verge of regulating drone flights

Don McCullough from Santa Rosa, CA, USA (commons.wikimedia.org)

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska city is on the verge of regulating drone flights within its borders.

South Sioux City is in the process of adopting a new drone ordinance. The city council passed a first reading last Monday.

The city’s resolution is based on regulations put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration last year. The proposal will require drones to remain within 400 feet of the ground and within the operator’s eyesight. They’ll only be allowed to fly during daylight hours and only over property where owners have granted permission. Drone flying would be banned near airports, electric facilities and wires, and water intake facilities. Violations carry a $500 fine.

City Administrator Lance Hedquist says the rules are intended to protect citizens’ privacy and safety.

Injured bald eagle released in southeast Nebraska

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The wild bald eagle that had skin graft surgery at an Omaha zoo this summer received a celebrity send-off when it was released into the wild.

The eagle was released Monday near Nebraska City by Mannheim Steamroller founder Chip Davis, who has supported local raptor recovery groups.

The eagle was spotted near Syracuse in May by fisherman with no feathers on its head. Doctors later determined that the scab on the eagle’s head was from an electrical burn.

The eagle recovered sooner than expected at the Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery. Spokeswoman Molly Mullen says the eagle is healthy and strong.

Omaha teen health summit set for next week at MCC campus

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A teen health summit in Omaha next week will focus on suicide prevention, school success and self-esteem.

The summit, hosted by the North Omaha Community Care Council, will be held Sept. 23 on the Fort Omaha campus of Metro Community College.

The summit will feature keynote speaker Felicia Webster, a local spoken-word artist and author known for her dramatic presentations.

The event is free and open to all metro-area youths ages 13-19. A hot breakfast, a complimentary lunch buffet and snacks will be provided.

Youths must bring their school ID to the event.

Registration can be made online at https://bit.ly/2vYFEvO . Free transportation to and from the summit will be provided for teens who indicate they need it on their registration forms.

Authorities: 93-year-old man in coma following Lincoln fire

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 93-year-old man pulled from a Lincoln house fire earlier this week remains in critical condition at a hospital Friday.

Officials say Pierre Pettinger remains in a coma.

Police say he was found in a first-floor room after 6:30 a.m. Thursday, after firefighters had been called to the house for a fire. Pettinger was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Another person also was in the home at the time of the fire and suffered less serious injuries.

Fire Investigator Damon Robbins says a power strip overheated and items on top of it caught fire. He says smoke and heat damage will likely render the two-story house a total loss.

Robbins says the home’s only smoke detector wasn’t working.

Waverly city clerk fired, charged with theft from other town

WAVERLY, Neb. (AP) — Waverly officials have fired the city clerk after prosecutors in Cass County say she embezzled thousands of dollars from the village of Alvo, where she’s also the village clerk.

Ginger Neuhart was fired Wednesday.

Cass County Attorney Nathan Cox has charged the 60-year-old Neuhart with felony theft.

Investigators began looking into Neuhart’s handling of Alvo’s finances last month after the village chairman discovered a $90,000 discrepancy between the village’s actual account balance and what she had reported the previous board meeting. Investigators say Neuhart altered her $700 paychecks, sometimes adding up to $2,000 after they’d been signed.

A woman who answered the phone Saturday at a phone listing for Neuhart hung up before an Associated Press reporter could ask for comment on the allegations.

Colorado family of 4 ID’d as victims of fatal plane crash

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado family of four has been identified as the victims of a fatal small airplane crash.

Relatives on Sunday said in a statement that 47-year-old Jeff Makepeace, his 45-year-old wife, Jennifer, and their twin 10-year-old children, Addison and Benjamin, died in the crash late Friday.

The family from the city of Fort Collins was flying from a Fort Collins-area airport to Moab, Utah, when their single-engine plane crashed about in mountainous terrain near Glenwood Springs, Colorado about 170 miles (275 kilometers) west of Denver.

Federal authorities are investigating the cause of the crash of the Cirrus SR22. It’s a single-engine plane that can seat up to five passengers.

The statement says details of funeral services for the family are pending.

Ex-city attorney pleads not guilty in Omaha to drug charge

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former assistant city attorney in Council Bluffs, Iowa, has pleaded not guilty to a federal drug charge in Omaha.

Online court records say Don Bauermeister, of Omaha, entered the plea Wednesday to conspiracy to distribute marijuana. No trial date has been set.

The allegation covers a period from November 2016 to Jan. 9, 2017. Bauermeister faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Bauermeister had been a city employee since February 2003. He resigned in mid-June.

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