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Omaha man sentenced in 2017 shooting death outside school

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 51-year-old Omaha man has been sentenced to up to 40 years in prison for the May 2017 shooting death of a 21-year-old man during a robbery outside a north Omaha middle school.

Milton Felder was sentenced Tuesday to 36 to 40 years after earlier pleading no contest to manslaughter and a weapons count in the May 2017 shooting of Brandon White.

Prosecutors say Felder and three teens had planned to rob White and another man during a marijuana deal when the shooting happened outside McMillan Middle School.

Another adult, 19-year-old Allana Smith, has also pleaded no contest to manslaughter and a weapons count. Two other teens charged as adults have pleaded no contest to lesser felonies. All three await sentencing.

Mining firm says project won’t dump water in Missouri River

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The firm working to build a mine in southeast Nebraska to extract a rare heat-resistant element says the project won’t need to dump saltwater in the Missouri River.

NioCorp Developments said Tuesday the proposed niobium mine near Elk Creek won’t need an expensive water line to the river, and the project won’t need two federal permits.

The change is possible because NioCorp recently determined that the proposed mine will produce significantly less bedrock water.

NioCorp CEO Mark Smith says this change will reduce the environmental impact of the proposed mine.

The U.S. currently imports nearly all the niobium that’s used in this country to harden steel and make it more heat-resistant for industrial uses.

NioCorp is based in Centennial, Colorado.

Lawsuit: Nebraska mental hospital violated state rules

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A psychiatrist at Nebraska’s state psychiatric hospital is alleging that the state violated rules and regulations in diagnosing and treating mentally ill patients.

Dr. Farid Karimi of Lincoln Regional Center is suing the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and two former supervisors, Stacey Werth-Sweeney and Dr. Roger Donovick.

Karimi alleges that he reported procedural and medical violations several months after he started working at the center in February 2016. The lawsuit states that Werth-Sweeney and Donovick didn’t take any action to correct violations and instead retaliated against Karimi. The two employees left him out of meetings, made false accusations against him and negated his orders, according to the lawsuit.

Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Julie Naughton declined to comment on pending litigation, which is being handled by the Nebraska Attorney General’s office.

Werth-Sweeney, formerly the center’s chief operating officer, was fired in June and Donovick, the psychiatric director, left the center last year. Werth-Sweeney said Karimi has a troubling resume and history of service at the center. She said she expects “the evidence to disclose serious, persistent problems with Dr. Karimi’s practice, including his attendance at work and patient records.”

Patients may be sent to the facility by court order or by local mental health boards. The lawsuit lists alleged violations such as changing patient orders, following outdated policies, denying patient visitation rights and moving patients against court orders. Karimi also alleges that the facility failed to use passive restraints on patients who needed to be on highly restrictive status, which resulted in repeated assaults on staff.

Karimi seeks unspecified damages and the removal of all disciplinary actions from his record. He claims that the defendants damaged his reputation in the community and workplace.

MetLife intends hiring more than 150 for future Omaha office

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Insurer MetLife says it intends to hire more than 150 people for its future Omaha customer service center.

New York-based MetLife said Tuesday that it expects the center to open in downtown Omaha by the end of the year. The global financial services company provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management.

A unit of MetLife earlier this year said it would move its legal domicile to Nebraska. Insurance experts say companies can save money in Nebraska because of the state’s relatively low tax rate on insurance premiums.

The state requires companies moving their domiciles to Nebraska to maintain operating offices here, carrying out functions such as claims processing or customer relations services.

Police say 72-year-old died after altercation in Hastings

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 72-year-old man died after a physical altercation in Hastings.

Station KSNB reports that officers were sent to help an unresponsive man around 1 p.m. Tuesday. They and medics tried to revive him, but he died later at a Hastings hospital.

The man’s name hasn’t been released.

Police say officers arrested a 57-year-old man on suspicion of assault by mutual consent. Online court records don’t show that he’s been formally charged.

Woman suspected of arson in Beatrice fire that injured man

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities suspect a woman set a fire that damaged an apartment building in southeast Nebraska and injured a man.

Police arrested the woman Tuesday as firefighters put out the blaze at the brick, six-unit building that sits just east of the Gage County Courthouse in Beatrice.

The injured man was taken to Beatrice Community Hospital and then transferred to a Lincoln hospital. His name hasn’t been released.

The woman was arrested on suspicion of arson. Online court records don’t yet show that she’s been formally charged.

Man dies after Omaha motorcycle crash

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man died after his motorcycle crashed in Omaha.

The crash occurred around 6 a.m. Sunday. Police say the man lost control of his motorcycle after it struck a curb.

Police say the man was pronounced dead at Nebraska Medical Center. He’s been identified as 33-year-old Troy Minnifield, who lived in Omaha.

Couple dies after pickup hits tree near Seward college campus

SEWARD, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man and his wife died at hospitals after their pickup truck hit a tree in the eastern Nebraska city of Seward.

The crash occurred around 1:10 p.m. Friday near the Concordia College campus.

Seward police say it appears 80-year-old Richard Roth was driving when he had a medical problem before his pickup struck the tree.

Police say he and his 80-year-old wife, Eleanor, were taken to Seward Memorial Hospital. He was pronounced dead there. She died after being transferred to a Lincoln hospital.

The couple lived in Seward.

Man accused of shooting at officers gets 30 years in prison

William Stanfill III

SIDNEY, Iowa (AP) — A man who led officers on a chase from eastern Nebraska into western Iowa has been sentenced to 30 years in prison on several Iowa charges.

Fremont County District Court records show 28-year-old William Stanfill III pleaded guilty July 2 to two counts of assault on an officer, eluding, criminal mischief and two weapons charges. Prosecutors dropped two counts of attempted murder in exchange for Stanfill’s pleas.

Authorities say Stanfill fired at officers while he and 37-year-old Jacqueline Streich were being chased April 25 in connection with a road rage shooting the day before in Bellevue, Nebraska. The chase ended with a crash near the Iowa-Missouri state line.

Streich’s trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 17.

2 kayakers rescued from fast river water in eastern Nebraska

BATTLE CREEK, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say two kayakers were rescued from the high, fast water of the Elkhorn River in eastern Nebraska.

Personnel from the Battle Creek and Norfolk fire departments responded to a 911 call from one of the kayakers Sunday afternoon. Her companion had already tipped over and was hanging onto tree debris, and the caller couldn’t get her kayak away from the debris either.

The rescuers pulled the women to safety ashore before a rescue boat could be employed.

Their names haven’t been released.

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