Officials have confirmed a tornado has briefly touched down in northwest Omaha.
National Weather Service meteorologist David Pearson says a tornado touched down several times Wednesday afternoon but only briefly. Officials continue to monitor the system as it remains in the area.
Pearson says no major damage has been reported in the suburban area, but there have been reports of flying debris.
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — One of two suspects in a Salina homicide has been arrested after a police pursuit.
Police Capt. Chris Trocheck says the chase began Tuesday morning after 21-year-old Adonis Loudermilk, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was found fatally shot in a Salina motel parking lot.
Trocheck says a passing train forced the suspect to turn around west of Salina. The truck then headed back into town, where the suspect hoped a curb and traveled about 200 yards in a railroad right-of-way. With two tires busted, the suspect and his passenger bailed and were arrested after a short foot chase.
The driver and a woman are jailed on suspicion of felony murder and robbery, and the passenger on suspicion of obstruction. The woman was taken from the homicide scene for questioning and later arrested.
DESHLER, Neb. (AP) — Heavy rainfall from a night of storms has caused flooding in two southern Nebraska cities, forced the evacuation of a nursing home and led officials to cancel some school classes.
Thayer County Emergency Manager Bill McPherson says Hebron and Deshler both saw minor flooding in streets, but no property damage was reported. Around 45 patients and residents from Parkview Haven Nursing Home and Meadowlark Heights Assisted Living in Deshler spent the night at Deshler High School because of flooding concerns but returned Wednesday morning.
Classes at Deshler Public Schools were canceled because of some road flooding.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jerilyn Billings Wright says a radar-estimated 6 to 8 inches fell Tuesday and overnight to the west of Deshler. Flooding forced closure of U.S. Highway 136, but it’s been reopened.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 34-year-old man has been charged with vehicular homicide for the crash death of a motorcyclist in Omaha.
The Douglas County attorney’s office said in a news release Wednesday that Joseph Madej also is charged with driving under the influence. Madej remains in Douglas County Jail. Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Police say the accident occurred a little before 7 p.m. Monday when Madej’s westbound pickup didn’t halt at a stop sign and collided with the northbound motorcycle. The impact knocked the motorcycle into another pickup that was parked nearby, and both caught fire.
Police say 48-year-old Daniel McDonald, of Omaha, was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife was riding with him, and she was hospitalized.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Lincoln Board of Education has updated its policy on handling controversial issues, saying that the purpose of having conversations on such topics is to develop critical thinkers.
The portion of the policy that says teachers will notify parents in advance so they can opt out of topics they find distasteful was essentially unaltered, except to specify that such notice be made with ample time to arrange alternative activities.
The amended policy also clarifies that teachers can continue with a conversation about a controversial topic without notifying parents if it spontaneously comes up during class discussion.
District critic Lee Todd says he wanted the policy to be altered to include all sex education topics.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Lancaster County corrections administrator has been suspended with pay for two weeks.
The Board of Commissioners’ chief administrative officer, Kerry Eagen, said the suspension of Mike Thurber was effective Tuesday but declined to comment further. County Attorney Joe Kelly also declined to say anything.
Thurber’s wife, Pamela Thurber, said Wednesday that she and her husband would not comment.
Mike Thurber has run county corrections for more than a dozen years.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A California fire chief has been picked to lead Lincoln Fire and Rescue.
Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler announced Tuesday that Micheal Despain has been chosen as the city’s new fire chief.
Despain will begin his new role on July 18 if he is confirmed by the City Council. He will succeed Chief John Huff who retired in June. Interim Fire Chief Tim Linke did not apply for a permanent position.
Despain has been the fire chief in Clovis, California for about four years and was chosen among three finalists.
He has been a firefighter for 31 years and has spent much of that time working in Clovis and nearby Fresno fire departments. He will oversee a staff of about 300 firefighters in Lincoln.
HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — The National Weather Service says portions of south-central Nebraska have been hit with tennis-ball-sized hail.
Meteorologist Shawn Rossi says the hail was reported near the town of Deshler, about 10 miles north of the Kansas border, but it’s not clear whether it caused any damage. Funnel clouds were reported in the area, but Rossi says there haven’t been any confirmed tornadoes on the ground.
Seven central Nebraska counties were under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Tuesday: Howard, Merrick, Nance, Polk, York, Hall and Hamilton.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — State investigators say homemade explosives caused the fire in which a Grand Island business owner died.
The Nebraska fire marshal’s office said in a news release Tuesday that “this incident was the result of manufacturing of homemade explosives by the deceased.” The release says no other information about the blasts is yet available.
Authorities say 65-year-old Mike Winfrey’s body was found early Monday morning inside the building that housed his Winfrey Plumbing and Heating operation. His father, Doyle Winfrey, owned the structure, which the office says is probably a total loss.
Firetrucks were dispatched after several people reported hearing explosions around 10:45 p.m. Sunday. An estimated 40 firefighters battled the flames. Two injured people were treated at a Grand Island hospital and released. Their names haven’t been released.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AP) — Military officials say 4,000 feet of mold-infested ductwork has been removed from the U.S. Strategic Command’s new headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base.
The Omaha World-Herald (http://bit.ly/1YRTNCN ) reports that earlier construction glitches and the mold problems have extended the $1.2 billion project by 11 months and potentially “tens of millions” of dollars.
Col. John Henderson, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District, says the building is scheduled for occupancy in October 2017. It was originally expected to be ready at the end of 2016.
Last September, the corps’ quality-assurance inspectors found the mold in the insulation lining some ducts and temporarily paused installing parts of the heating and cooling system. Engineers determined mold was located in about 7 percent of the building’s ductwork.
