FAIRBURY, Neb. (AP) — Authorities in Jefferson County say a veteran K-9 has died.
Jefferson County Sheriff Nels Sorensen says the German Shepherd named Ringo died Wednesday morning following an unspecified medical condition.
Ringo joined the sheriff’s office in 2007, before a stint at the Fairbury Police Department in 2009 and 2010. The dog returned to the sheriff’s office in 2011.
Sorensen said that Ringo was a great asset to Jefferson County.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha woman says she used a handgun to keep a burglar under control until police arrived.
52-year-old Barbara Haley awoke early Tuesday to a loud noise. She says she noticed hands coming out of her bedroom closet and grabbed a gun.
Haley threatened the intruder to stay in the closet or she would shoot. She called 911.
Police say 24-year-old Jody Kudlacz was arrested and charged with one felony count of burglary. Court records do not list an attorney.
Haley says her husband gave her a quick lesson on how to use the gun before he went out of town. Officer Kevin Wiese, a police spokesman, says residents should be trained on how to properly use firearms.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — La Vista officials have rejected a proposal to allow people to care for feral cats without taking ownership of them.
The La Vista City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to kill the proposed ordinance, which would’ve established a permit for feral cat colony caretakers. Residents aren’t currently allowed to take care of the cats without being considered the owner.
The proposed ordinance would’ve prohibited the relocation of feral cats and the feeding of cats if they become a nuisance to others. Some people said the proposal was too restrictive, while others said it violates a city law that requires cats to be confined.
Mayor Doug Kindig told both sides of the dispute that they should try to reach an agreement before the matter is brought before the council again.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against three companies that were accused of negligence after a western Nebraska crash that killed a family, including a woman who was pregnant.
The lawsuit was filed by relatives and estates of Christopher and Diana Schmidt. The Gaithersburg, Md., couple died along with their two young children and unborn son on Interstate 80 in September 2012.
The Schmidts were in separate cars in standstill traffic after a crash that involved two trucks in Cheyenne County. Christopher Slezak’s car was then struck by another trucker, and the impact pushed his car into the car with his wife and children.
U.S. Magistrate Judge F.A. Gossett dismissed the lawsuit against the trucking and semi-trailer companies that were involved in the initial crash. The family’s relatives are appealing.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a custody case involving a 10-year-old girl should be moved from Tennessee to Nebraska.
Judge Andy Jackson ruled last week to move the case out of Dickson County, Tennessee, since Sonya McCaul currently resides in Nebraska with her biological father.
A Middle Tennessee couple who raised the girl for eight years before she was returned to her birth father filed a petition seeking to terminate the parental rights of the father and adopt the girl.
The case has drawn national attention in part because of the circumstances that allowed McCaul to remain in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services for close to nine years.
Jackson said Nebraska courts must agree to take the case before it is formally transferred.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a 17-year-old boy who was killed by a train on the west side of Omaha.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday identified the boy as Dylan Johnson, who lived in Omaha’s Elkhorn area. The incident was reported about 2:25 a.m. Wednesday.
The Sheriff’s Office says a witness saw the boy walk in front of the westbound Union Pacific train before being struck. The incident occurred near Ta-Ha-Zouka Park.
An autopsy has been scheduled as part of the investigation.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska authorities have arrested two Oregon men who they say had marijuana and nearly $48,000 in their car.
The 20- and 25-year-old men were arrested last weekend after a traffic stop.
Authorities say they found 20 grams of marijuana and $48,000 in cash in the car. They say the men delivered marijuana to Wisconsin and were taking the money back to Oregon.
A Lancaster County deputy says one of the men admitted to having marijuana in the vehicle.
The men were taken to jail on suspicion of possessing drug money. It’s unclear if they’ve been charged.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln police say one man has died and two other people have been injured in a three-vehicle crash.
Police say the 53-year-old man was killed Tuesday afternoon after the crash in Lincoln. They say two cars collided in an intersection, causing one to crash into a FedEx truck.
The man was hospitalized and later died from his injuries. Two others were taken to area hospitals. Their conditions are unknown.
Police have not released their identities or said who was driving which vehicle.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Metropolitan Community College will present a lecturer on wind energy as part the Sustainability Leadership Presentation Series.
The speaker will be Nebraska Wind and Solar Conference co-chairman Dan McGuire. He is scheduled to speak from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Thursday at the Fort Omaha Campus, Building 10, Room 110. The event is free and open to the public.
McGuire will discuss how Nebraska can use its wind resource for energy as well as discuss the economic benefits, development opportunities and environmental impacts of wind energy.
The lecture will launch the 2014-15 Sustainability Leadership Presentation Series, a partnership between Metropolitan and Central Community College. The series seeks to bring sustainability perspectives to Nebraska and foster discussion on topics related to sustainability, energy and the environment.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Delta Air Lines will begin offering a new direct flight from Lincoln to Atlanta on Wednesday.
The Lincoln Airport Authority’s David Harring says he expects the flights to the major hub of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to be popular.
Flights to Atlanta will leave each day at 7 a.m. The return flight will leave Atlanta at 7:15 p.m. Eastern and arrive in Lincoln at 8:40 p.m. Central.
The airport received a $750,000 federal grant to provide a revenue guarantee to Delta on the Atlanta flights, but if the flights are profitable the grant funds will be returned.
