Attorney Bill Gallup on Monday told a judge in Otoe County Court that his client, Sebastien Hall, would waive his preliminary hearing and proceed to district court. Hall is charged with second-degree murder in the July 19 stabbing death of 21-year-old Jacob Adams. Hall’s next scheduled court date is Sept. 8.
Prosecutors say Adams was fighting with Hall and another man, 22-year-old Dylan Boyle, when Adams was stabbed in the chest and throat. Boyle has pleaded not guilty to an assault charge.
Gov. Pete Ricketts on Tuesday named Nicole Fox of Omaha to replace former state Sen. Jeremy Nordquist. Nordquist resigned to take a job in Washington as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford, D-2nd District.
Fox, a registered Republican, was one of eight who applied for the seat. She will stand for election in 2016 in a heavily Democratic southern Omaha district.
Among the eight who applied was former state Sen. John Synowiecki, who held the seat before Nordquist. Omaha school board member Anthony Vargas also applied. The remaining five are Vince Emmanuel, Darren Garrean, Kyle Reppert, Bill Steckis and Zachary Wyatt-Gomez.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Heavy rain from overnight storms has stranded some motorists and knocked out power in some parts of Omaha and the surrounding communities.
Leaks at Westside High School forced cancellation of school on Tuesday, and Omaha police officers blocked off some flooded streets. The National Weather Service says more than 2.6 inches of rain was recorded in the past 24 hours at Omaha’s Eppley Airfield.
No injuries have been reported.
As of 9:15 Tuesday, Omaha Public Power District reported that nearly 860 customers had no power.
Elsewhere in Nebraska, the Lincoln Airport reported nearly 1.5 inches of rain and nearly an inch fell in Ainsworth.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A jogger who blamed Lincoln officials after falling on an uneven sidewalk has lost her lawsuit against the city.
Lancaster County District Judge Andrew Jacobsen dismissed the lawsuit Dawn Amory filed.
Amory had been seeking more than $19,000 for medical expenses she incurred after falling and breaking her pelvis four years ago. She argued the city should have found and fixed the sidewalk tile that was raised about an inch sooner.
Jacobsen says Amory didn’t show the city was neglecting the more than 1,500 miles of sidewalk it maintains.
And no one had complained about the problem beforehand. Amory herself had run through the same area at least 20 times.
CHICAGO (AP) — A study at 10 Los Angeles high schools links e-cigarettes with later tobacco use.
University of Southern California researchers found that 14-year-olds who’d ever tried e-cigarettes were more likely than others to later try other tobacco products.
The study doesn’t prove that electronic cigarettes are a “gateway drug” but some doctors say it bolsters arguments that the devices need to be strictly regulated.
The government-funded study was published in Tuesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
National data show e-cigarettes have become more popular among teens than regular cigarettes.
The Food and Drug Administration has proposed rules that would ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and would add the devices to the list of tobacco products it regulates.
LEADVILLE, Colo. (AP) — An experienced cyclist is dead after participating in the grueling Leadville 100 mountain bike race in Colorado.
Fifty-five-year-old Scott Ellis died Saturday near the end of the 100-mile, high-altitude course.
His Peloton-Specialized team said he apparently suffered a heart attack.
Lake County coroner Shannon Dent said natural causes seem to be to blame but wouldn’t elaborate, referring questions to the race’s organizers, Life Time Fitness. A spokeswoman, Amy Henderson, said the company would not share details of Ellis’ death out of respect for him and his family.
The race is nicknamed the “Race Across the Sky” and draws about 1,500 riders a year. Past participants have included Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer.
Ellis was competing in his 19th Leadville 100. His death is the first in the race’s 32-year history.
DETROIT (AP) — The government is investigating reports of headlight failure in older Ford and Mercury sedans.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says Ford has received 3,092 complaints of headlight failure on Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis sedans from the 2003-2005 model years. The government has also received 605 complaints of headlight failure in those vehicles.
Fifteen crashes and one injury related to the problem have been reported to Ford and to the government. In one case, a driver reportedly struck a deer after the headlights went off without warning.
The government started investigating after receiving a petition from the North Carolina Consumers Council. NHTSA investigations often lead to recalls.
Ford says it’s cooperating with the investigation.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2014 fatal shooting of a jewelry store owner during a botched robbery.
Douglas County District Judge Marlon Polk issued a guilty verdict Monday in the bench trial for 19-year-old Milton Dortch Jr. The conviction carries a life in prison sentence.
Prosecutors say Dortch was 18 when he entered James Minshall Sr.’s Omaha jewelry store in September 2014 and attempted to rob it.
Dortch says he shot at Minshall because he saw the 71-year-old man attempt to retrieve a gun. Dortch testified during his short trial that he never intended to shoot his gun or kill anyone.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Spectators have gathered to watch tens of thousands of birds swirl like black leaves in the sky to roost in a row of ash trees in Omaha.
Each evening in late summer, numerous purple martins and a lesser number of grackles and starlings swirl around the trees located along a street at the Nebraska Medical Center to eventually settle for the night. Several dozens of people, including the Omaha Youth Birding Group, stood nearby to watch the swarm of birds on Saturday.
Tisha Johnson described the birds’ chatter like a rushing waterfall, calling the sound like “nothing else.”
An Omaha birder who monitors the roost estimated that 20,000 to 30,000 martins were at the roost Saturday night.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say one driver has been killed and another injured in a collision on the west side of Omaha.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says the accident occurred around 7 p.m. Sunday, when a westbound vehicle crossed a median and slammed into an eastbound vehicle.
The Sheriff’s Office says the driver of the westbound vehicle died at the scene. He was identified as 27-year-old Noah Peterson, of Valley. The other driver was flown to CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha. He was identified as 38-year-old Paul Howey, of Pierce.
The collision is being investigated.
