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Lincoln Remodeling Company Found in Violation of EPA Rules

epaLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln remodeling company has agreed to replace windows in homes it renovated after a federal agency said the business failed to comply with a safety rule.

The Midwest branch of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that a 2012 inspection at RDF Inc., doing business as Lincoln-based Paul Davis Restoration, violated a rule requiring specific training for contractors working on pre-1978 residences. The company agreed to pay more than $3,000 in a penalty and spend more than $27,300 to replace windows at former job sites.

The EPA said RDF failed to employ lead-safe work practices. The agency says certification and training ensures that common renovation and repair activities minimize the creation and dispersal of lead dust.

RDF offers emergency repairs for fire and water-damaged homes.

5 People Monitored for Ebola in Nebraska Remain Healthy

nebraska-medical-centerOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — All five American aid workers who are being monitored at a Nebraska hospital for Ebola exposure remain healthy.

Nebraska Medical Center spokesman Taylor Wilson said Thursday that one of the workers, who had been transferred to the hospital’s biocontainment unit on Sunday, has been released from the isolation unit.

Wilson said that person displayed some symptoms Sunday evening, but the symptoms cleared up Monday and all Ebola tests were negative.

All of the workers were exposed to Ebola in Sierra Leone when one of their colleagues became ill with the deadly virus. They are all staying on the Nebraska Medical Center’s campus while they are being monitored.

Their colleague with Ebola is being treated at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Nebraska Fracking Water Disposal Opponents Cannot Testify

oil-rigLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will not allow residents who live more than a half-mile radius from a proposed disposal site for a Sioux City injection well to testify at a public hearing.

About two dozen people and corporations qualify as interested parties, and will be allowed to testify before the three-member commission on March 24. Oil and Gas Director Bill Sydow said the commission is merely following the rules by blocking some people from testifying.

Terex Energy Corp. has an application before the commission to convert an unused oil well into an injection well to dispose of saltwater left over from hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking.

Opponents are concerned about the effects a spill could have on ground and surface water, as well as increased traffic on roads to the site that are near schools.

Man Gets 25-40 Years for Sex Assault of Nebraska Girl, 13

sex-offendersDORCHESTER, Neb. (AP) — A man convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old Nebraska girl has been sentenced to 25 to 40 years in prison.

35-year-old Raymundo Cruz was sentenced Wednesday. He must serve about 27 ½ years before he’s discharged and deported to Mexico. He’s already served nearly two years.

Cruz was convicted of first-degree sexual assault in November. The girl testified she was outside a fast-food restaurant in July 2013 when Cruz, who she said she knew from her church choir, grabbed her and put her in the backseat of his car. She says Cruz drove her to a lake near Crete, where she says he forced himself on her.

Cruz’s attorney said Wednesday that it was an isolated incident and requested a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence.

Lincoln Man Sentenced for Trying to Sell Stolen Copper

jailLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man has been sentenced to six to nine years in prison for trying to sell copper stolen from a construction site.

25-year-old Joey Delaney was sentenced Thursday after pleading to burglary and theft charges. Court records show Delaney was on probation for a previous burglary conviction when he was arrested July 18.

Authorities say they found Delaney and two others at Alter Metal Recycling in Lincoln trying to sell 65 spools of electrical wire stolen from a storage container at a construction site. The copper weighed 991 pounds.

In December 2013, a judge gave Delaney three years of probation and up to 180 days in jail. Delaney requested intensive supervised probation on the new charges, but instead got up to nine years.

Lincoln Teacher Accused of Enticing 14-Year-Old Student Into Sex

Jackson Hedrick
Jackson Hedrick

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A first-year Lincoln middle school teacher has been accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student.

Police say 22-year-old Jackson Hedrick was arrested Tuesday evening and charged Thursday with first-degree sexual assault of a minor and enticing by electronic device. His bond has been set at $20,000.

Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Steve Joel says school officials learned of Hedrick’s alleged relationship with a student on Monday.

Hedrick is a social studies teacher at Irving Middle School. He has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.

Colorado Woman Accused of Cutting Baby from Pregnant Woman’s Womb

ambulance-lightsLONGMONT, Colo. (AP) — Police in northern Colorado have arrested a 34-year-old woman accused of stabbing a pregnant woman in the stomach and removing her baby.

The baby didn’t survive.

Officers were called to a home Wednesday afternoon and found the pregnant woman stabbed and beaten. She underwent surgery at a hospital and is expected to recover.

Satur says the suspect arrived at the hospital with the baby and told staff she had suffered a miscarriage.

Investigators have not released the names of the suspect and the pregnant woman but say they did not know each other.

Satur didn’t say what charges the suspect might face.

Police were getting a search warrant for the suspect’s home Wednesday evening.

NSP Investigating Death of Yutan Woman

The Nebraska State Patrol in conjunction with the Saunders County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation.

Around 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, on March 18, the Saunders County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of a body found on the east side of the community of Yutan.

On their arrival, authorities discovered the body of a white female lying beneath a railroad bridge located just off of Highway 92.

The body has been identified as that of Nancy Cummins, 56, of Yutan.

“Upon initial investigation the death does not appear to be suspicious in nature,” said Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Robert Frank. “An autopsy will be conducted tomorrow to determine cause of death.”

Police: Omaha Garbage Man Hit by Vehicle in Critical Condition

omaha-policeOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an Omaha garbage man was critically injured after being struck by a car.

The incident occurred around 8 a.m. Wednesday in west Omaha. The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Police say the man was riding on the back of the garbage truck and had jumped off to grab more trash when he was hit by a teenager driving a silver Jeep.

The man’s name and updated condition have not been released.

Kansas City Area Principal Resigns After Bullying Case

bullyLIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — The principal of a suburban Kansas City middle school has resigned nearly a month after a student with Asperger’s syndrome was seriously hurt in a bullying incident.

Principal Dan Weakley of Liberty Middle School also will take a personal leave of absence for the remainder of the school year. The Liberty Board of Education on Monday accepted Weakley’s resignation and granted his request for leave.

Twelve-year-old Blake Kitchen suffered injuries including a cracked skull and a fractured jaw in the Feb. 19 attack in the school’s cafeteria. The sixth-grader spent several days at a hospital.

A 14-year-old eighth-grader at the school admitted to the assault and was placed in the custody of the Missouri Division of Youth Services.

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