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Police Investigating Death of Fremont Boy

fremont-policeFREMONT, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an autopsy will be done on the body of a 16-year-old Fremont boy who’d been found outdoors in bone-chilling cold.

Lt. Kurt Bottorff (BAHT’-orf) said Monday that 16-year-old Jaime Valdez was spotted a little before 7:30 a.m. Sunday by a city worker who was doing snow removal on the southwest side of the eastern Nebraska community. National Weather Service records say Fremont’s temperature then was 2 degrees, with a wind child of minus 16.

Bottorff says some relatives found the boy and took him to Fremont Health hospital before officers arrived at the scene. The boy was transferred to an Omaha hospital, where he was pronounced dead later Sunday.

Panel: Nebraska Prisons Need to Improve Data Tracking

ne-department-of-correctionsLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A legislative panel says Nebraska needs to do a better job tracking mental health data for inmates and the amounts of time that inmates spend in segregation.

The committee said in a report Monday that mental health information for specific inmates is not always up to date. The Performance Audit Committee also says it’s impossible to calculate how much total time some inmates have spent in segregation.

Sen. John Harms of Scottsbluff, the committee chairman, says the Department of Correctional Services should submit to an independent audit of its electronic data system.

The review was prompted by the case of Nikko Jenkins, an inmate who was released in 2013 despite begging for mental health treatment. Jenkins later killed four people in Omaha.

Ex-Nebraskan Builds Memorial for Polk Residents

good-deedsCENTRAL CITY, Neb. (AP) — A former Nebraska native has built a memorial to honor the contributions of three Polk residents.

Dan Tyler, who now lives in Australia, grew up in the Polk area and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before joining the Army to fly helicopters. He crossed paths with Norris Alfred and Jim and Alice Wilson before they died in the 1990s.

Alfred was the longtime editor of the local weekly newspaper Polk Progress. The Wilsons were known for their work preserving native grass seeds for pasture and erosion control.

Tyler, who visited Nebraska regularly after marrying and moving to Australia, said he got the idea in 2010 to build the memorial to honor their memories. The memorial features a hickory tree, bench and plaque.

Parents Focus Critical Eye on Lincoln Schools

lincoln-public-schoolsLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A group has formed to push for transparency and parental rights at Lincoln Public Schools.

The parents had shared concerns over gender identity handouts used during a teacher training session. The handouts suggested words to replace gendered terms like “girls” and “boys.” School officials have stressed that they were suggestions, not mandates.

Jon Cosby is president the group, which is called Citizens for Accountable and Responsible Education. Cosby says the group will seek school board candidates with similar values, and he says the group hopes to work with state legislators to establish a parental bill of rights.

District Superintendent Steve Joel says he’s is willing to have conversations with group members.

Surgeon with Ebola Dies at Nebraska Hospital

UNMCOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska hospital says an Ebola patient being treated in its biocontainment unit has died.

Nebraska Medical Center said in a news release Monday that Dr. Martin Salia died as a result of the disease.

Salia contracted Ebola while working as a surgeon in Sierra Leone. He arrived Saturday to be treated at the Omaha hospital, where two other Ebola patients have been successfully treated.

Ebola has killed more than 5,000 people in West Africa. Salia was a citizen of Sierra Leone.

Pot Treats May Face Colorado Scrutiny

pot-candyDENVER (AP) — Health authorities in Colorado say the government should decide which marijuana foods look too much like regular candy and snacks.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment plans to recommend that the state set up a commission to “grant pre-market approval” before edible forms of pot can be sold. The agency says it’s worried that pot-infused sweets are too appealing to kids.

The proposal comes a month after the Health Department abandoned a suggestion to ban the sale of most kinds of edible pot. A new law requires edible pot products to have a distinct look so that they can’t be confused with regular foods. But regulators have struggled to craft a solution.

Iowa Girl Critically Injured While Sledding Saturday Night

ambulance-lightsCOUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A 6-year-old girl was critically hurt this weekend when she sledded into a street in Council Bluffs and was hit by a truck.

The incident happened just before 1 p.m. Saturday.

Council Bluffs Police say Kailey Maloney was sledding down the driveway of her grandfather’s property. She was hit by a 2005 Chevrolet pickup truck after she slid into the street.

Maloney was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha for treatment of life-threatening injuries.

Companies to Be Hiring at Omaha Job Fair

workforceOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — More than four dozen companies will be hiring at a job fair being held in Omaha.

The fair will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Comfort Inn on Grover Street in south-central Omaha.

Organizers say a full range of fields will be represented at the fair, and some 50 employers are seeking full-time, part-time or seasonal workers.

Those looking to hire include AAA Nebraska, Century Link, Fed Ex, First Data, Omaha Steaks, Physicians Mutual and UMB Bank.

Participants are encouraged to bring resumes, be prepared for onsite interviews and to dress the part.

Court: Nebraska Native American Child Law Not Followed

gavel-and-scaleLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that a Lancaster County judge should have applied to a child custody case a federal law that seeks to prevent the removal of Native American children from their homes.

The high court’s ruling on Friday echoed the state Appeals Court ruling, which also said Judge Linda Porter had erred in deciding the Indian Child Welfare Act didn’t apply in the children’s case.

Porter had said the federal law didn’t apply because the children remained in their father’s home, despite being in the state’s custody. The case began in January 2013 when the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services took custody of the girls after their father’s girlfriend had slapped one of them.

Nebraska Court Says Omaha Man Should Get Hearing

ne-supreme-courtLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that a 34-year-old Omaha man convicted of first-degree sexual assault should get a hearing on his motion for postconviction relief.

Christopher Payne pleaded no contest in 2006 sexually assaulting a 6-year-old boy and was sentenced to 40 to 50 years in prison.

Motions for postconviction relief typically are filed once all other appeals have been exhausted, but Payne never directly appealed the conviction. That leaves his with one possible claim — that his trial attorney gave him bad legal advice by telling him to plead no contest.

Payne is also serving a 30-year sentence for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy in 2004 and was found guilty that year of trying to entice two Sarpy County children via the Internet.

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