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Nebraska Man Pleads Not Guilty in Wife’s Slaying

 Phillip Privett
Phillip Privett

CENTER, Neb. (AP) — A March trial has been scheduled for a northeast Nebraska man accused of killing his wife.

66-year-old Phillip Privett on Monday pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and use of a weapon. He’s accused of shooting to death his wife, 66-year-old Linda Privett, at their home in Verdigre (VUR’-dih-gree). His trial is scheduled to begin March 2.

Court documents say deputies who were called to the Privetts’ home on Oct. 20 found Linda Privett dead. Deputies say Phillip Privett also was in the home, visibly shaken and telling officers that he shot his wife in the face.

Powerball Winner Again Donates to Omaha Homeless Shelter

good-deedsOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Hundreds of people staying at an Omaha homeless shelter were surprised Monday with an opportunity to do some Christmas shopping.

One of the eight former co-workers who shared a 2006 Powerball jackpot donated $25,000 to the Siena Francis House this year. Alain Maboussou has made similar donations in the past.

The shelter used the money to buy 600 $40 Walmart gift cards. People staying at the shelter were bused to the store Monday to spend their gift cards.

Mike Saklar, the shelter’s executive director, says everyone was excited to receive the gift cards.

One of the recipients, Brooke Vacanti, says the gift card will allow her to get her son something for his birthday, so she was overjoyed.

Lincoln School Administrators Discuss Grief

highschoolLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln Public Schools administrators are working with students on grieving properly at school.

The Lincoln East high school principal encouraged band instructors planning an end-of-semester concert not to include a written or audial tribute for a member who died.

Lincoln police have classified the student’s death in November as a suicide but are continuing to investigate.

Principal Sue Cassata says school administrators must treat all student deaths equally. She says administrators worried that the concert could have been changed into a memorial.

Cassata offered to talk to students and parents about the situation but said no one took her up on the offer.

Nebraska Nuclear Plant Back Online After Short Outage

fort-calhoun-dryOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant is back online less than a week after its main generator unexpectedly shut down as a precaution.

The Omaha Public Power District that owns the plant about 20 miles north of Omaha says it resumed generating electricity early Monday.

The plant shut down last Wednesday after a generator lockout.

OPPD says it believes the shutdown happened because moisture invaded a transformer control cabinet at the plant, but the incident is still being investigated.

While the plant was offline, workers performed some minor maintenance.

Fort Calhoun was shut down from April 2011 until December 2013. It initially shut down for routine maintenance, but significant flooding in 2011, a small fire and a series of safety violations forced it to remain closed for an extended period.

Kansas Says New Virus Found After Residents Death

tickTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Health officials say a new virus has been discovered following the death of a southeast Kansas resident this summer and they believe it is carried by ticks or other insects.

The state Department of Health and Environment said Monday that testing by the federal Centers for Disease Control confirmed the presence of what’s now called the Bourbon virus. It’s named for Bourbon County, where the victim lived.

KDHE spokeswoman Aimee Rosenow said it’s the only confirmed case of the virus.

Rosenow said it’s not clear exactly how the virus contributed to the patient’s death. The department declined to identify the Kansas resident who died, saying it wanted to protect the patient and family members.

The department said the patient’s symptoms resembled those from other tick-carried diseases.

14 Malnourished Horses Rescued from Northeast Nebraska Farm

nebhumanePETERSBURG, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Humane Society is looking for donations to help care for 14 malnourished horses rescued from a northeast Nebraska farm.

The horses were removed from a farm west of Petersburg in Boone County from an owner previously charged with animal cruelty.

Jim Majerus pleaded no contest to charges from 2012 and he was sentenced in August to probation for two years and three separate one-month jail sentences. He served his first 30 days in August.

Human Society spokesman Mark Langan says the organization will ask a judge to impose a 15-year ownership restriction allowed by Nebraska state law.

He says the horses, extremely malnourished, will be taken to Omaha where they will receive medical treatment.

A number listed for Majerus has been disconnected.

Scribner Man Fatally Injured in Fall

ambulance-lightsWEST POINT, Neb. (AP) — A Scribner man has died after a fall at a construction site in northeast Nebraska.

The accident occurred last week in southwest Cuming County. Sheriff Brad Boyum says 52-year-old Loren Wegner was working on the installation of an overhead door when he fell from a raised pallet.

Woman Suspected of Starting Fire at Lincoln Home

arsonLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities suspect a Lincoln woman set fire to the home of her estranged husband.

Police say the woman and her husband are divorcing. She was arrested after her husband reported to police that she broke in through a window and started a fire in a bedroom. The fire was reported about 5 a.m. Saturday.

Police say the 59-year-old woman likely will face charges of arson and attempted murder. Online court records don’t yet show that she’s been charged.

Nebraskan Imprisoned for Cattle Sales Scheme

Rebecca Robbins
Rebecca Robbins

NELIGH, Neb. (AP) — A 23-year-old northeast Nebraska woman has been sent to prison for selling cattle that didn’t belong to her.

Online court records say Rebecca Robbins, of Lyons, was sentenced last week to 40 to 120 months in prison. She’d pleaded no contest to three felony charges after making a deal with prosecutors.

Authorities say Robbins and 27-year-old Benjamin Johnson, of St. Edward, earlier this year sold about $75,000 worth of cattle to a couple from Columbus after showing the couple a herd in a field near Neligh (NEE’-lee). But the cattle actually belonged to Wilbur Rakow, who didn’t know anything about the impending deal.

Johnson pleaded no contest to one felony charge after two others were dismissed. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 28.

1 Man Fatally Wounded, 2 Others Shot in Omaha

omaha-policeOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say one man has died after he and two other men were shot in northeast Omaha.

Omaha police say in a news release that officers were dispatched to the neighborhood a little after 5 p.m. Sunday. They found the three wounded men, who soon were sent to hospitals.

One of the men died later. He was identified as 27-year-old Derek Johnson. The two others were identified as 28-year-old Jermaine Richey and 24-year-old Demetrion Washington.

No arrests have been reported.

 

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