LINCOLN – Today, Governor Peter Ricketts announced that Thayer and Fillmore counties have become the newest counties in the state to become designated as Livestock Friendly Counties (LFC) through a program administered by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA).

“The Livestock Friendly County program showcases the dedication of our citizens to Grow Nebraska through the livestock industry that is so vital to our state,” said Gov. Ricketts. “Officials and residents of Thayer and Fillmore counties have taken all the extra steps necessary to assure prospective investors that they welcome the opportunity to expand the industry in their areas.”

Created in 2003 by the Nebraska Legislature, the LFC program is designed to recognize counties in the state that support the expansion of the livestock industry. In 2014, livestock receipts in the state comprised over half of the $24 billion of Nebraska’s total on-farm receipts. The LFC designation gives counties an extra promotional tool to encourage expansion of current livestock operations and attract new businesses that spur local economies.

“Expanding the livestock industry has a very positive multiplier effect to the economies of these counties,” said NDA Director Greg Ibach, “The demand for feed grains, supplies, and retail purchases all increase as livestock operations begin or expand.”

With the addition of Thayer and Fillmore Counties, there are now 32 counties designated as Livestock Friendly through the state program.

Counties wishing to apply for the LFC designation must hold a public hearing and the county board must pass a resolution to apply for the designation. Then a completed application must be submitted to NDA. Local producers or groups can encourage county officials to apply.

Additional information about the Livestock Friendly County program is available on the NDA website at www.nda.nebraska.gov or by calling 800-422-6692.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge has ordered the city of Lincoln to pay more than $259,000 to a woman who accused the city and a local Crime Stopper’s organization of libel and slander.

City officials must also issue a retraction. The judge’s ruling Wednesday comes after a jury awarded $75,000 to 26-year-old Shayla Funk in her case against Crime Stoppers.

Funk sued after her image appeared on the Crime Stopper’s website and television segments, with incorrect claims that she was a “crook” who made fake ATM deposits and withdrawals with a stolen credit card. Her image was used after the bank sent the wrong video to police.

Funk’s attorney, Vince Powers, says the ruling was an important step to restoring his client’s reputation.

 

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska authorities say a Missouri woman was cited for assault after using a stun gun on the driver of the vehicle in which they were traveling.

41-year-old Jolie Hoefling (HOH’-fling) was treated for minor injuries after the incident.

It’s unclear whether Hoefling has an attorney who could comment on her behalf.

Otoe County Sheriff James Gress told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Hoefling and 46-year-old Miles Sprague, also of Lexington, Missouri, were arguing on July 18 as they drove west on the Nebraska-Iowa Highway 2 bridge. Reports say Hoefling then pulled out a stun gun and shot Sprague. The SUV struck a concrete barrier and eventually rolled over into a ditch on the Nebraska side.

Gress says Sprague refused to be hospitalized.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nearly three months after a deadly Nebraska prison riot, corrections officers and caseworkers are still working mandatory 12-hour emergency shifts.

The situation prompted a state labor union to file a complaint against the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. The union says administrators violated their contract by refusing to negotiate the longer shifts at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution.

Two inmates died in the May 10 riot, and two guards and four inmates were injured. The prison has been requiring officers to work four, 12-hour shifts a week.

The complaint says Mike Marvin of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees emailed and met with corrections director Scott Frakes to discuss the shifts. Marvin sent a proposal to Frakes last month regarding their continued use, but the complaint says it was refused.

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — A Fremont woman has been given 12 months of probation for helping to supply booze that contributed to the death of her teenage brother.

19-year-old Yesenia “Izzy” Valdez was sentenced on Tuesday. She’d pleaded no contest and was convicted of a misdemeanor: procuring alcohol for a minor. The charge was reduced from a felony and an unrelated shoplifting case was dismissed in exchange for Valdez’s plea.

Police say Valdez helped 21-year-old Dakota McDonald provide alcohol to Valdez’s 16-year-old brother, Jaime (HEYE’-may) Valdez. Jaime Valdez was found outside the morning of Nov. 16, when, according to the National Weather Service, Fremont’s temperature was 2 degrees, with a wind chill of minus 16.

McDonald has been sentenced to 30 months of probation.

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — A Colorado contractor has been sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution for agreeing to erect a steel building in Nebraska’s Platte County but skipping town with the $18,000 down payment.

Daniel Miller, of Double Diamond Construction, based in Erie, Colorado, had pleaded no contest and was convicted of theft by deception. He was sentenced last week.

Miller was given 30 months of probation and 120 days in jail, to be served in 30-day increments in 2016 and 2017 unless waived by the court.

Court records say Miller also was told to repay the $18,000 to his victim, Garry Greving, of Wild Wood Inc.

The records say Miller contracted in 2010 to erect a 60-by-120-foot building for Wild Wood. It was never built.

 

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — Officials say nearly 300 Columbus jobs will be lost with the closing of the Apogee Retail call center.

The company announced the closing on Tuesday, after workers were informed. The closing is planned for Oct. 4.

Apogee is a subsidiary of Savers LLC and operates more than 330 thrift stores in the U.S., Canada and Australia. The Columbus operation employs 176 full-time and 120 part-time workers. The employees solicit used goods on behalf of charities, which receive payment for the donated items that are sold at the for-profit thrift stores.

Savers spokeswoman Sara Gaugl says the decision to close the Columbus location is part of a move to centralize the company’s call center operations. Apogee also has call centers in Minnesota and Texas.

The Nebraska State Patrol, in conjunction with the Falls City Police Department and the Richardson County Sheriff’s Office, are searching for a suspect involved in an early morning shooting at a residence in Falls City.

Just before 1:00 a.m., the Falls City Police Department responded to a call of a shooting at 1418 Morton Street in Falls City.  Joseph Debella Jr., 31, of Falls City, suffered a gunshot wound. Debella was flown to Bryan Trauma Center West with critical injuries.

Investigators have identified a suspect and have issued an arrest warrant for Desiderio C. Hernandez, 34, Falls City. Hernandez is described as a Hispanic male, brown hair, brown eyes, 5’9”, and 175 lbs. He was last seen wearing a brown plaid shirt and brown shorts.

Law enforcement is searching for Hernandez who is believed to be on foot in the Falls City area.  He is not believed to be armed, but should be considered dangerous.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Desiderio C. Hernandez should call 911, or their local law enforcement agency.

The investigation into the shooting continues.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two U.S. agencies say more than 380 people in 26 states have been diagnosed with a stomach illness tied to Mexican cilantro contaminated by human waste.

It’s the fourth consecutive summer in which the intestinal infection has been reported in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration are investigating the cause of the latest outbreak, which appears to have begun after May 1.

The FDA says preliminary results show cases in Texas and Wisconsin can be traced to cilantro from a region of Mexico. A partial ban on cilantro exports was enacted last week because investigators found unclean field conditions. The CDC says additional clusters of the illness have been identified in Georgia but declined to name the other affected states.