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66-Year-Old Man Dies After Being Pulled from Lincoln Pool

lincoln-policeLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 66-year-old man has died after being pulled from a Lincoln pool.

Police say a lifeguard and other swimmers found the Lincoln man unresponsive Tuesday morning in the Cooper YMCA pool.

He was pulled from the water and lifesaving measures were performed until first responders arrived and took over.

The man was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Authorities will not release his name until family has been notified.

The Lancaster County Attorney has ordered an autopsy in order to determine an exact cause of death.

The Cooper YMCA is located near Southwest High School.

Nebraska Dance Instructor Accused of Sex Assaults on Girls

Vinson Jenkins
Vinson Jenkins

WILBER, Neb. (AP) — A 27-year-old dance instructor has been accused of sexually assaulting two teenage girls in southeast Nebraska.

Vinson Jenkins was arrested last week and was charged Monday in Saline County Court with two counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of felony enticement by electronic communication device. Records say Jenkins remained in custody Tuesday. Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could speak on Jenkins’ behalf.

Authorities say one of the 14-year-olds said Jenkins sexually assaulted her April 25 in the basement of his Crete home. The other girl told a Crete officer that Jenkins repeatedly sexually assaulted her from August through December last year at the Dynamic Dance Company studio, which he and his wife co-own.

Lincoln City Council Considers Exception to Electric Fence Ban

lincoln-nebraskaLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Lincoln City Council is considering a proposed ordinance that would make an exception to a ban on electric fences within city limits.

Electric fences have been restricted in Lincoln since 1963, but a South Carolina company wants an exception to that ban for businesses.

Under the proposed ordinance, electric fences would be allowed around businesses with special permits if they are inside a separate perimeter fence and are marked with signs.

The City Council is delaying a decision for two months while city administrators evaluate the consequences of the ordinance.

The Building and Safety Department director says there are potential safety concerns, particularly with children, the elderly and those with heart conditions.

Electric fences would still be banned in residential areas.

Sex Education Foes Try to Delay Omaha Schools’ New Materials

omaha-psOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Sex education opponents have made a last-ditch effort to delay the Omaha school board’s rollout of textbooks and materials that will appear in health and sex education classes in the fall.

Omaha Public Schools staff presented their choices for curriculum materials that will teach students about puberty, birth control, healthy relationships and more. The board is scheduled to vote on the curriculum purchase May 16.

During public comment Monday, opponents said the district had already waited 30 years to change the curriculum, which hasn’t been updated since 1986. They argued that the board should take more time to review options to make sure the curriculum is age-appropriate.

Others recommended the district adopt an opt-in policy for each family to actively grant permission for its child to take such classes.

Preliminary Hearing Set for Pair of Salina Killing

gavel-and-scaleSALINA, Kan. (AP) — A preliminary hearing is set for next week for two people charged in the killing of a Nebraska man in a Salina motel parking lot.

21-year-old DiAntre Lemmie and 24-year-old Amber Craig appeared Monday in Saline County District Court. They are scheduled to return to court May 10. They are charged with first-degree murder in the death last week of 21-year-old Adonis Loudermilk, of Lincoln, Nebraska. Both also are charged with aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery. Lemmie faces additional charges of fleeing and eluding and criminal possession of a firearm.

Lemmie’s attorney, Jeff Adam, declined to comment. Craig’s attorney, Julie Effenbeck, didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Douglas County Will Appeal State Order to Change Tax Values

taxesOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Douglas County will appeal a state order to adjust tax values roughly 100,000 residential properties.

The Nebraska Tax Equalization and Review Commission says tax values are too low for 78,000 homes in central and west Omaha while values are too high for 20,000 homes in northeast Omaha.

Douglas County officials disagree and have asked the state to reconsider. If that fails, the county will appeal in the courts.

State law requires residential property to be assessed at a value that falls between 92 percent and 100 percent of its market value.

The state board ordered the county to impose a 7 percent increase in the undervalued neighborhood and cut values by 8 percent in northeast Omaha.

Lincoln Recycling Ordinance Would Ban Paper in Landfills

recyclable-wasteLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — City officials are considering a three-year plan to reduce landfill trash and encourage recycling in Lincoln.

The proposed ordinance, which is still in the draft stage, would allow consumers to either take their recycling material to one of nearly 30 free recycling sites or pay their waste haulers to take their recycling and garbage at the curb.

Tentatively, the draft says cardboard will be banned from the Lincoln landfill in April 2017. Newsprint would be banned a year later in 2018, and then recyclable paper would be banned in April 2019.

The Public Works and Utilities Department’s deputy director says recycling all paper would cut the landfill’s waste by 28 percent.

The ban will not include materials such as Styrofoam, glass and plastics.

Tiny Nebraska Town Says No to 1,100 Jobs, Citing Way of Life

Nickerson-NebraskaNICKERSON, Neb. (AP) — Economic development officials thought the tiny Nebraska town of Nickerson was the perfect spot for a poultry processing plant offering 1,100 jobs, but residents were furious when they learned of the plans.

They packed a fire hall and argued the roads couldn’t handle the traffic for the proposed $300 million plant, the plant would have a horrible stench and that immigrants and out-of-towners would rush in, overwhelming schools and changing the town’s character.

The village board unanimously voted against the proposal, and weeks later the company said it would look elsewhere for a plant location.

Chris Young, executive director of the American Association of Meat Processors, says despite calls for investments in rural, agricultural communities around the U.S., more people “don’t want the inconveniences that go with them.”

Omaha Police Announce Arrest in Woman’s Shooting Death

Michael Goynes
Michael Goynes

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say they’ve made an arrest in the case of a woman found fatally shot in an Omaha neighborhood west of Fontenelle Park.

Authorities say 22-year-old Michael E. Goynes was taken into custody around 12:20 p.m. Saturday. Goynes was booked at the Douglas County jail on a first-degree murder charge for the death of 45-year-old Barbara Williams.

Officers who responded to an initial report of shots fired Monday afternoon found the woman outside an apartment in the neighborhood. Another shooting was reported just east of the park around the same time. Officers found a wounded man there who soon was taken to a hospital. He was identified as 31-year-old Johnny Marion.

Police say they’re still investigating the case and are encouraging anyone with information to call the department’s homicide unit.

Ashfall Fossil Beds Opening 25th Season Tuesday

Image: en.wikipedia.org
Image: en.wikipedia.org

ROYAL, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Game and Parks Commission officials say Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park will open Tuesday for its 25th anniversary season.

The 360-acre park in northeast Nebraska is home to the fossilized skeletons of prehistoric animals, including birds, rhinos, camels and three-toed horses, preserved by nature where volcanic ash killed them 12 million years ago.

Visitors can watch as paleontologists uncover new fossils in the 17,500-square-foot Hubbard Rhino Barn. There are museum exhibits in the visitor center.

The park sits two miles west and six miles north of Royal. Admission is $5, with children 2 and under are admitted free. Valid Nebraska State Park permits are required for vehicles and can be purchased there.

Call 402-893-2000 or visit http://www.ashfall.unl.edu for more information.

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