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Police Arrest Man in Connection with Shooting Death of Omaha Woman

handcuffsOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police say they have arrested a man in the shooting death of a woman whose body was found in a northeast Omaha home.

Capt. Kerry Neumann says Wednesday that police arrested 31-year-old Reginald Briggs on Tuesday on suspicion of numerous charges, including first-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

The charges stem from the discovery Friday of the body of 31-year-old Teresa Longo.

Neumann told the Omaha World-Herald (https://bit.ly/1JTiAgq) that Longo was “the victim of a very brutal murder.”

On Wednesday, police recruits and firefighters were searching for a weapon near a park.

It wasn’t clear if Briggs has a lawyer who can answer question about the charges.

Sister Files Complaint Against Brother in Omaha

omaha-policeOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A sibling spat between an Omaha woman and her brother has now become a police matter.

Police say the 39-year-old woman has filed a harassment complaint accusing her brother of placing her cellphone number on an adult website.

The woman told police on Monday that her brother’s actions caused “numerous unknown men to text her obscene messages,” beginning about noon Sunday. A police report says the 37-year-old brother, who lives in another state, is angry with his sister because she informed two women that he was dating them both at the same time.

There’s no word on what action, if any, police might take in the matter.

Ideas Crop Up for Soon-to-Be-Vacant Creighton Medical Center

creighton-medical-centerOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Ideas about what to do with soon-to-be-vacant Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha are emerging as a real estate marketer is looking to sell the property.

James Maenner with CB Richard Ellis/Mega Real Estate says no new use for the facility is too far-fetched, including vertical farming. The firm has listed the 795,000-square-foot medical center and parking stalls.

The facility will be vacated in 2017, after the teaching hospital and trauma center move to the Bergan Mercy Medical Center complex.

Creighton vice president for administration John Wilhelm says the university prefers that the facility be repurposed and not demolished. He says they’re open to different concepts and haven’t set a price.

Possible uses for the facility include a data center, housing, offices and research space.

Man Charged in Fatal Omaha Hit-and-Run Crash Pleads Guilty to Homicide

Justin Ayers
Justin Ayers

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man charged in a fatal hit-and-run crash earlier this year has pleaded guilty to felony motor vehicle homicide.

36-year-old Justin Ayers entered the plea on Sept. 29. In exchange, prosecutors dropped other charges. Ayers now faces up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced on Dec. 2.

Police say Ayers was drunk when he rear-ended 63-year-old Kathleen Benes, of Valparaiso, on March 29 on West Maple Road. She died at the scene.

Ayers drove away from the crash, but was followed by a witness, who informed police where he was.

Wyoming Woman Dies of Rabies After Being Bitten by Bat

northern-long-eared-batRIVERTON, Wyo. (AP) — Officials say a Fremont County woman has died after contracting what is believed to be Wyoming’s first confirmed human rabies case.

77-year-old Lander resident contracted the disease in August after she was bitten by a bat. She began showing symptoms weeks later and was treated at a Lander hospital. She was recently transferred to a Salt Lake City-area hospital, where officials say she died Saturday.

Public health officials have administered vaccinations as a precaution to two of the woman’s relatives and a Utah hospital worker.

The woman hasn’t been identified.

Symptoms of rabies often include weakness, paralysis or behavioral changes. A state health official says there are only one or two human cases in the United States each year.

2 People Injured, 1 Critically, in Omaha House Fire

OMAHA-FIRE-AND-RESCUE-BADGEOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Firefighter say two people have been injured, one critically, in an apartment house fire in south Omaha.

The fire was reported around 3 a.m. Wednesday.

Firefighters arrived to find the two-story apartment house in flames. While it only took minutes to bring the fire under control, firefighters say nine people had to first get out of the burning home. The injured people — a man and a woman — had scrambling onto the home’s roof and were then rescued by a neighbor with a ladder.

No one else was hurt, but two cats died in the fire. A family dog survived.

Firefighters are investigating the cause of the blaze, which battalion fire chief Troy Brannen says started on the second floor.

Man Gets Life in Prison in Beating Death of Ex-Girlfriend

Anthony Burries
Anthony Burries

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 43-year-old man convicted of first-degree murder in the beating death of his ex-girlfriend in Omaha has been sentenced to life in prison.

Anthony Burries was sentenced Tuesday in the May 2014 death of 38-year-old Tina Hoult. He had been found guilty last month.

Prosecutors say Burries entered Hoult’s apartment and beat her with a sharp object that he later threw off of a bridge.

Authorities also say Burries tried to destroy other evidence and fled to Missouri, where he was later arrested.

Yellowstone Sets Record with 3.8 Million Visits This Year

yellowstone-national-parkBOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Yellowstone National Park has set a record this year with more than 3.8 million visits at the end of September, and is on track to top 4 million visits by the year’s end.

According to park statistics, the number of recreational visits this year has surpassed a 2010 record of more than 3.6 million by nearly 5 percent.

Visitation has been following an upward trend all year, as each month topped its 2014 total. This year’s numbers have already outpaced 2014’s end of year visitation count by 300,000.

Yellowstone spokeswoman Amy Bartlett says the increase in visitors can be attributed to the “Find Your Park” campaign, lower gas prices and the upcoming National Parks Service centennial, which takes place next year.

13 Animals Killed in Northeast Omaha House Fire

fire-graphicOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A house fire in northeast Omaha’s Ponca Hills has killed more a dozen family pets.

The fire was reported around 7 p.m. near North 60th and McKinley streets.

No one was home when the fire started Tuesday night.

Fourteen animals, all cats and dogs, where inside the home at the time. All but one cat died.

Witnesses say the fire started in the kitchen and was contained there, but the smoke proved deadly to the animals.

Ponca Hills Fire Chief Joel Sacks says the animals were scattered throughout the house, and it took firefighters a while to find them all.

The Red Cross went to the home along with several neighbors to tend to the couple who live in the home.

Lawyer: Proposed Regulations Could Prevent Nebraska Wind Project

windmillLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An attorney representing an energy company planning a wind farm in Lancaster and Gage counties said proposed regulations may prevent the project from happening.

Lincoln attorney David Levy, who’s representing Volkswind USA, says regulations proposed in each county would make them “effectively off-limits” for wind energy developments. The regulations go beyond protecting residents’ safety and welfare.

The proposed regulations would set limits on turbine noise and minimum distances from nearby properties. Lancaster County Board will discuss regulations during an Oct. 20 meeting, while the Gage County proposals are still in the drafting stage.

Volkswind has said it plans to put up more than 50 turbines in the two counties. Levy declined to say whether the company would continue with its project if regulations are approved.

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