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Contaminated Groundwater Gone from Grand Island

city-of-grand-islandGRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Groundwater contaminated with unsafe levels of chemical compounds used for explosives has been removed from beneath Grand Island city limits.

The contaminated groundwater was discovered in 1981 underneath the former Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant west of Grand Island.

The plant made bombs during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Testing showed that the polluted water spread to properties in northwest Grand Island.

A project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers in Omaha says its cleanup has been successful for areas in Grand Island, which Hall County Supervisor Pam Lancaster says is great news.

Lancaster says the contaminated groundwater is now contained beneath the ammunition plant where cleanup is ongoing.

Man Sentenced for Transporting Drugs in Nebraska

jailLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A New Mexico man arrested with 180 pounds of marijuana in his truck has been sentenced to three years in a Nebraska prison.

32-year-old Gabriel Maldonado was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to possessing marijuana with intent to deliver. A Nebraska trooper stopped Maldonado in January 2013 for failure to stay in his lane. The trooper found bales of the drug after Maldonado said he could search the truck.

Maldonado’s defense attorney says his client started hauling marijuana because of a gambling problem.

Nebraska Dentist Pleads No Contest to Theft

Randall Toothaker, DDS
Randall Toothaker, DDS

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Iowa dentist has pleaded no contest to stealing precious metals and dental equipment while working at the Omaha Veteran Affairs Medical Center.

Fifty-eight-year-old Randall Toothaker entered the plea on Thursday without a deal from prosecutors. He originally pleaded not guilty after he was arrested in July.

Investigators say he stole more than $16,000 in dental gold and other equipment from a locked cabinet in 2013. An officer stopped Toothaker while he was leaving the property.

The Omaha World-Herald reports Toothaker’s attorney says his client wants to put the case behind him. He says Toothaker now practices in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Toothaker faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced in March. The newspaper reports neither state dental board has documented disciplinary action against him.

Baby Orangutan Born at Omaha Zoo Now on Display

henry-doorly-zooOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Bornean orangutan born last month at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo in now on display.

The baby primate is believed to be female and was born Nov. 19 to its mother, Sepilok, and father, Chip.

The baby is Sepilok’s first. The mother was born in Hong Kong in 2001 and came to Omaha in 2003. Chip is the oldest of the zoo’s eight orangutans. He was born in Rochester, New York, in 1993 and came to Omaha in 1998.

Zoo officials say orangutans live only about 40 years, so females may only give birth to four or five infants in a lifetime.

The zoo has not yet revealed a name for its youngest orangutan.

Police: Omaha Woman Overdoses Before Son’s Death

omaha-police-cruiserOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police say a woman overdosed on medication before she was found unconscious and her son was found dead at their home.

55-year-old Kathryn Sledge was being treated at the Nebraska Medical Center on Wednesday. A hospital representative says Sledge or a family member asked the hospital not to release her condition.

Sledge and her son, 25-year-old Phillip Sledge, were found by her daughter on Dec. 4. Police say it’s unclear if her overdose was intentional. They say Phillip Sledge committed suicide but haven’t released his cause of death.

Bellevue City Council Reject Public Comment Proposal

city-of-bellevueBELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — The Bellevue City Council has defeated a proposal that would have changed public comments by setting up new filtering procedures.

Under the proposal, residents would have to submit a form online or in person with a description of what they wanted to say before addressing the council.

The state’s open meetings law aims to keep government meetings open to the public with ample notice of what’s being discussed. Bellevue interprets that law as meaning city officials can’t respond to matters not on an agenda, which keeps council members from addressing residents during a public comment period.

A former council president says the public comment period breeds negativity and inaccuracies.

Former TierOne Chairman Pleads Not Guilty to Fraud

tierone-bankLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The former chairman and CEO of TierOne Bank has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and fraud allegations connected to the Lincoln-based bank’s collapse.

73-year-old Gilbert Lundstrom entered the pleas to 15 counts on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln. Authorities say Lundstrom conspired with other bank officers to hide the bank’s troubled finances from regulators and shareholders.

Former TierOne President James Laphen on Monday pleaded guilty to mail and wire fraud. In September TierOne’s former chief credit officer, Don Langford, pleaded guilty to similar charges.

Regulators took over TierOne in 2010, saying the bank had too many bad loans on its books and lacked sufficient capital to cushion losses. The bank’s assets were sold to South Dakota-based Great Western Bank.

Official: Lincoln Boy Recovering After Accident

ambulance-lightsLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Hospital officials say a 15-year-old Lincoln boy injured in a hit-and-run accident at a McDonald’s has been upgraded from critical to serious condition.

Bryan West Campus officials announced the upgrade Wednesday night. He suffered a fractured pelvis and significant internal injuries when the car pinned him against the side of the restaurant on Tuesday.

Police say a 16-year-old girl was distracted when she drove into the boy. Officers say her 17-year-old passenger switched spots with the car driver and drove them away from the scene.

The younger girl was arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of an injury. The other girl was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting a felony.

Their identities haven’t been released.

Paroled Nebraska Killer Accused of Sexually Assaulting 10-Year-Old Girl

Laddie Dittrich
Laddie Dittrich

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man paroled after serving 41 years for murder has been charged with sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.

69-year-old Laddie Dittrich was arrested on Nov. 23, accused of groping the girl at a rural home in southeast Nebraska’s Otoe County. County Attorney David Partsch says he’s charged Dittrich with felony sexual assault of a child. Jail records say Dittrich remained in custody on Thursday. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call from The Associated Press.

Dittrich was one of three men convicted in 1973 of the slaying of an Omaha trucking company official. The Nebraska Pardons Board commuted Dittrich’s sentence of life without parole in April last year, which made him eligible for parole.

Police: Mom, 3 Kids Found Sleeping in Car in Omaha

omaha-policeOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A woman has been cited after police say she and her three young children were found sleeping inside a car in Omaha.

Omaha police say the family was found Tuesday night after a report was called in about possible child neglect. The car was turned off and parked in an alley.

The 32-year-old woman told officers that she and her children, all under the age of five, did not have a place to stay.

The woman was cited on suspicion of child neglect and marijuana possession, after police say marijuana was found in an e-cigarette inside the car.

The children have been taken to a child protection center in Omaha.

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