WOODWARD, Okla. (AP) — The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says two Nebraskans were killed in a single-vehicle crash in northwestern Oklahoma.
The OHP says 27-year-old Javier Salas Adame of Crete and 23-year-old Mariano Torrero Ortiz of Lincoln died Saturday in the crash on Highway 34 north of Woodward.
An OHP report says the two were in a pickup truck driven by Adame and towing a vehicle on a dolly when the dolly began to swerve. The report says the pickup then went out of control and rolled twice, throwing both Adame and Ortiz from the truck.
Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. A third man in the truck was treated and released at a hospital.
The report says the weather was clear and the road was dry at the time of the crash.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Lincoln fire officials say a person has been hurt jumping from an upstairs window of a burning home.
Firefighters responded to reports of the fire in north Lincoln before 1 p.m. Friday. Officials say the fire was in one of the home’s bedrooms and was under control within 15 minutes.
When firefighters arrived, they found a person on the home’s lawn. That person was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln’s Parks and Recreation Department is now accepting applications for 27 part-time Youth on the Move AmeriCorps members to help students in kindergarten through 12th grade in Lincoln Public Schools.
Members will provide academic support in literacy, science, technology, engineering, art, math and physical fitness. They will also help lead educational field trips and provide service learning opportunities, both during and outside of regular school hours.
Half-time AmeriCorps members must be 19 years or older and have a high school diploma or GED. They are required to complete 900 hours during a 10-month contract. Members receive a $300 living allowance every two weeks and an education award of $2,865 upon successful completion.
Those interested in apply may contact Program Coordinator Deb Buckman at [email protected] or 402-441-4907.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police say a number of telephone scams in which people are threatened with arrest have been reported recently in the city.
The calls are generated from an area code outside of Nebraska.
Police say the callers identify themselves as a special agent from the Internal Revenue Service, and even sometimes give a badge number. The callers will claim that the IRS has issued an arrest warrant for the person and the matter can be settled with a wire transfer payment of thousands of dollars.
Police say local, state and federal agencies will always interact in person, not just over the phone. Residents are urged to never give out their bank information over the phone or wire money to an unknown account.
BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — The first home in Beatrice built by Nebraska inmates is in its final stages.
Nine inmates at the Community Corrections Center in Lincoln have been working on the home since March. The energy efficient and low maintenance home is expected to be finished by November.
The project is the result of a partnership between Prairie Gold Homes and the Nebraska Department of Corrections, and its goal is two-fold: Teach inmates vocational skills and provide affordable housing in communities that need it.
Construction-related experience isn’t required in order to be accepted into the program, but it helps. The inmates listed facets of construction they’re experienced in, including flooring, framing, and roofing.
Only the electricity, plumbing, and heating and air conditioning will be contracted out.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert has revived the city’s Citizen Complaint Review Board, appointing new members after all its previous members quit in April.
Those board members had cited a lack of support from the mayor’s office.
On Thursday, Stothert said she had adopted a few suggestions from the outgoing members. That includes setting up a post office box for complaints to go directly to the board. She also set up quarterly, rather than monthly, meetings of the board. The board will also be allowed to hold community forums and other outreach programs to educate residents on how to file a complaint.
Stothert established the Citizen Complaint Review Board in 2014 to review complaints against police when an internal investigation has found no wrongdoing.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says he wants the state to review its regulation of amusement rides following a 10-year-old boy’s death at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas.
Brownback told reporters Friday that he’s hoping state legislators spend significant time examining the state’s law on amusement parks.
He said, “I think that all needs to be looked at now in light of this tragedy.”
Kansas requires operators of permanent rides to “self-inspect” their rides at least once a year and maintain records. The state Department of Labor randomly audits those records, but Schlitterbahn’s documents hadn’t been audited for four years.
Caleb Thomas Schwab died Sunday while riding what is billed as the world’s tallest waterslide. He was the son of state Rep. Scott Schwab.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A district judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the city of Lincoln against Lancaster County seeking to cover medical expenses stemming from a friendly punch between officers nearly three years ago.
The order said that a sheriff’s deputy hit a Lincoln police officer working light duty on the left shoulder as he greeted her. The deputy didn’t know she had recently had rotator cuff surgery.
Nebraska’s Workers Compensation Court then ruled the city owed the officer more than $63,000 for medical expenses and restitution.
The city sued the county in May 2015, saying the deputy was negligent and failed to recognize that physical contact might hurt the officer.
Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson ruled Tuesday the deputy’s punch constituted battery not negligence under state tort law.
The Nebraska State Patrol has identified the man and woman arrested following a Thursday afternoon pursuit which ended in Cass County.
The male driver of the vehicle has been identified as Donnell Johnson, 30, Sunrise, Florida. He has been lodged in the Cass County Jail on charges to include, felony flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, no operator’s license, attempted theft by unlawful taking and possession of a financial transaction device.
The female passenger in the vehicle has been identified as Brijeth Garcia, 22, Orlando, Florida. She has been lodged in the Cass County jail on charges to include accessory to a felony, and possession of a financial transaction device.
Johnson and Garcia, were taken into custody Thursday, August 11, just south of Plattsmouth following the pursuit which started in Kansas.
The Nebraska State Patrol continues to investigate the incident in conjunction with Kansas authorities.
A pursuit that started in Kansas ends in Nebraska after the vehicle driver and passenger are taken into custody near Plattsmouth.
Just before 2:30 p.m., Thursday, August 11, the Nebraska State Patrol was notified by the Kansas Highway Patrol that it was in pursuit of a white Hyundai SUV and the vehicle was headed into Nebraska on Highway 75. The Nebraska State Patrol attempted a traffic stop of the vehicle on Highway 75 in Richardson County. The vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit ensued.
Troopers pursued the vehicle north on Highway 75 before terminating the pursuit just south of Auburn. The pursuit lasted approximately nine minutes and reached speed of more than 100 mph.
The vehicle continued north on Highway 75 and was followed in the air by the Kansas Highway Patrol Helicopter which was joined by the Nebraska State Patrol fixed wing aircraft near Nebraska City.
Spike strips were successful in flattening the vehicles tires just south of Plattsmouth on Highway 75. The vehicle came to a stop at the intersection of Osage Ranch Boulevard and US 34/75 Junction.
The male driver and a female passenger both fled the vehicle on foot. The male driver, attempted to enter several vehicles on a nearby car lot before being taken into custody inside the dealership. The female, ran into a field near where the vehicle stopped and was taken into custody.
The male driver and female passenger are not being identified at this time.
The Nebraska State Patrol continues to investigate the incident in conjunction with Kansas Authorities.
The suspects once identified will be lodged in the Cass County Jail on charges to include felony flight to avoid arrest, attempted theft and accessory to a felony.
WOODWARD, Okla. (AP) — The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says two Nebraskans were killed in a single-vehicle crash in northwestern Oklahoma.
