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Omaha Jewelry Store Where Owner Was Shot Reopens

Milton B. Dortch
Milton B. Dortch

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha jewelry store that was the scene of a fatal shooting last week has reopened for business.

JR’s Jewelry re-opened its doors on Saturday.

On Sept. 17, 71-year-old James Minshall was shot and killed in what police say was a botched robbery.

An 18-year-old Omaha man, Milton Dortch, has been charged with first-degree murder and a weapons county in Minshall’s shooting death. Prosecutors say Dortch also robbed a bank in west Omaha on Sept. 13.

On Saturday, yellow sticky notes holding written condolences and memories of Minshall covered part of the storefront window.

Tracey Bland, Minshall’s daughter says her father would have wanted the business to get back to normal sooner.

Iowa Teen Dies 2 Days After Fight at School

Dakota Escritt
Dakota Escritt (Facebook)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors may file additional charges because a western Iowa teen died two days after suffering a head injury during a fight at school.

The Pottawattamie County Attorney will review the circumstances of 17-year-old Dakota Escritt’s death on Monday.

Authorities said Escritt was knocked unconscious during the fight when his head hit the tile floor. Escritt died Saturday evening at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha.

Authorities charged a 16-year-old with assault after the fight Thursday morning at Abraham Lincoln High School. More charges could be added.

Escritt’s friends say he enjoyed hanging out and looking at Japanese animation and comics, but some students teased him because of his hobbies. Authorities have not said what led to Thursday’s fight.

Thousands Attend Anti-Oil Pipeline in Nebraska

willie-nelsonNELIGH, Neb. (AP) — Roughly 8,000 people filled a northeast Nebraska farm Saturday to hear Willie Nelson and Neil Young perform at a concert organized by opponents of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

Politicians and activists spoke to the crowd on Art and Helen Tanderup’s farm about the pipeline project between performances.

Young said before the concert that he thinks it’s important for America to use more renewable energy, and he supports people who are trying to offer solutions.

The proposed TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline would carry oil from Canada south to the Gulf Coast.

Pipeline critics worry it could contribute to pollution and contaminate groundwater.

TransCanada says the pipeline would have advanced safety features. The southern leg of the pipeline between Oklahoma and Texas is already operational.

Police: Ferguson Officer Shot, 2 Suspects Sought

crime-scene-police-shootFERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis County police say a Ferguson officer was shot after encountering two suspects at a community center who fired at him during a foot chase.

County Police Chief Jon Belmar says the officer was shot in the arm and is expected to survive. Belmar did not identify the officer or give further details about his condition.

He says that the officer fired shots in return but that police have no indication that either suspect was shot.

A search was underway for the suspects early Sunday.

Belmar says he does not think the shooting was related to two separate protests that were going on Saturday night around the same time.

The city has been the scene of unrest since the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed, black 18-year-old, by a white police officer.

Norfolk Man Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting Woman

sex-offendersMADISON, Neb. (AP) — A Norfolk man who walked into a police station last winter to report he had sexually assaulted a woman has been sentenced to prison for the crime.

25-year-old Leonardo Rivas was sentenced in Madison County District Court on Thursday to eight to 12 years in prison for first-degree sexual assault.

On Jan. 29, Rivas went to the Norfolk Police station and told an officer he had assaulted the woman in her home. When police contacted the woman, she confirmed the assault.

The woman testified at Rivas’ trial that she was raped in a bedroom in front of her newborn daughter and while her two other children were across the hall.

Bus Crash Kills 4 Members of Oklahoma College Softball Team

fatal-accident(AP)–The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has released the names of the four members of a North Texas community college women’s softball team who died when a tractor trailer collided with their bus.

The crash occurred Friday night on Interstate 35 south of Davis, Oklahoma, which is about 70 miles south of Oklahoma City. According to the report released Saturday, three women remain hospitalized in Oklahoma City and Norman. Eight other team members and the coach driving the bus were treated and released.

The victims are: 19-year-old Meagan Richardson, 20-year-old Brooke Deckard, 18-year-old Katelynn Woodlee and 20-year-old Jaiden Pelton.

The report says a northbound tractor-trailer crossed the center median and collided with the women’s southbound bus.

Police: Crash Severs Omaha Woman’s Leg

omaha-policeOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say a woman who was standing outside of her car on the side of an Omaha street had her leg severed when she and a friend were hit by another car.

30-year-old Diera Crisman and a 33-year-old man were standing behind their vehicle on a south Omaha street around 1:15 a.m. Saturday, trying to make repairs to a speaker in the trunk, when they were hit by another car.

The force of the crash severed one of the Crisman’s legs. Police say a passer-by applied a tourniquet to the Crisman’s leg, saving her life. Her friend suffered cuts and bruises, but refused medical treatment.

The driver of the car was taken into police custody, and police say charges are pending.

Council Bluffs Student Hospitalized After School Fight

highschoolCOUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A 17-year-old western Iowa high school student has been hospitalized in critical condition following a fight with another student at Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs.

The fight occurred at the school Thursday morning before classes began.

The other student, a 16-year-old, has been arrested on suspicion of assault. School officials say that student has also been suspended.

Police say the hospitalized student fell to the ground during the fight and hit his head on a tiled floor, knocking him unconscious.

The injured student was first taken to a local hospital, then transferred to Children’s Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, due to the serious nature of his injuries.

Lincoln Police Say Inmate’s Map Leads Them to Gun

Danny Tucker
Danny Tucker

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police say a map sent by a prisoner awaiting trial in a fatal shooting earlier this summer led police to what could be the murder weapon.

Police believe Danny Tucker Jr., charged with first-degree murder for the June 20 shooting death of Earl Richardson III, sent a card from jail to a friend that included a map of the grounds of a Lincoln apartment complex.

Police took the map, followed its instructions and found a .357-caliber handgun buried under a tree. Ballistics tests had shown that such a gun was among those that could have been used to carry out Richardson’s shooting.

Police are awaiting test results from the recovered gun to see if it matches bullet fragments from the shooting scene.

Larry the Cable Guy Gives $250,000 to Horse Group

still-watersHICKMAN, Neb. (AP) — Comedian Larry the Cable Guy has donated $250,000 to help build a barn to support equine therapy southeast of Lincoln.

The donation will help The Still Waters Equestrian Academy expand its horseback riding therapy program. The barn near Hickman will house an indoor arena.

Larry the Cable Guy, whose real name is Dan Whitney, says he and his wife both like horses and wanted to support the program.

Char Cole with the equestrian group says the donation will help her organization serve more individuals with disabilities and their families.

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