LINCOLN-&nbsp;Today,&nbsp;Secretary of State Evnen announced the roll out his new website, in time for the New Year. “The website has an updated design and is user friendly,” stated Secretary Evnen. The home page displays a photo of Chimney Rock together with a well-placed voter registration button. Users will find easy access to business searches and other business services, elections, international resources, rules and regulations, records, forms and filings. “The new look says Nebraska proud,” Evnen said. To view go to&nbsp;<a href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);">https://sos.nebraska.gov</a>

NE  Secretary Of State rolls out new website

DECEMBER 13, 2019 (LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Throughout the holiday season, Nebraska State Troopers will be working hard to keep motorists cheerful by maintaining safe roads. For the final few weeks of 2019, the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) will join law enforcement agencies across the country in a campaign focused on impaired driving enforcement.The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” effort will run from Friday, December 13 through Wednesday, January 1. Throughout the campaign, troopers and dispatchers will be working overtime to remove alcohol or drug-impaired drivers from the road.“The holiday season is often filled with gatherings and celebrations,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “If those gatherings include alcohol, it is imperative for people to be responsible. If you’re planning to drink, plan ahead to have a sober driver take you home.”During a similar enforcement in December 2018, troopers arrested 64 motorists for impaired driving. Throughout 2018 in Nebraska, nearly one-third of all fatality crashes involved alcohol.The “Drive Sober of Get Pulled Over” campaign is made possible thanks in part to a grant for $28,000 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.&nbsp;

Neb. state troopers: "Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over"

LINCOLN –&nbsp;Today, Governor Pete Ricketts issued a statement on Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) Articles of Impeachment against President Donald J. Trump.&nbsp;“Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats have wasted countless hours and millions of taxpayer dollars trying to remove a duly elected President.&nbsp;Their sham articles of impeachment have come at the expense of the American people’s priorities, such as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement which has been delayed for over a year.&nbsp;Should House Democrats vote to impeach, I expect President Trump to be fully exonerated by the Senate.”

Gov. Ricketts issues impeachment statement

Nebraska grows the food that feeds the world.&nbsp;Generations of Nebraskans have worked to develop markets for our high-quality ag products, creating opportunities for our farm and ranch families.&nbsp;Our recent struggles with low commodity prices illustrate the continued importance of trade for Nebraska.&nbsp;To this end, I’ve been leading trade missions around the world, lobbying for the passage of new trade deals, and working to diversify our markets.&nbsp;&nbsp;This year, three international trade missions led us to four strategic trade partners: Mexico, Vietnam, Japan, and Germany.&nbsp;In Vietnam, we promoted Nebraska beef and urged officials to approve American biotech applications for soybeans, corn, and alfalfa.&nbsp;Nebraska beef exports to Vietnam grew 127 percent last year, and we want to sell even more.&nbsp;Vietnam’s rapidly growing economy will aid our efforts in the years to come.&nbsp;Our conversations with the Prime Minister of Vietnam and his cabinet officials led to approval of five biotech traits that had been stuck in red tape.&nbsp;Our face-to-face conversations helped highlight the importance of these applications.&nbsp;During our mission to Germany, Chapman-based Preferred Popcorn signed a deal to grow its relationship with Germany-based Haase Food.&nbsp;We also promoted Nebraska beef, which is set for significant growth thanks to a new deal between President Trump and the European Union (EU) to more than double American beef exports to the EU.&nbsp;These trade missions lay the groundwork for Nebraska’s future international growth.&nbsp;No company invests in a generic place called Nebraska.&nbsp;They choose to do business with specific leaders whom they respect and trust because they have a personal relationship with them.&nbsp;&nbsp;While we can build the relationships, free trade agreements open the door for Nebraska’s ag products.&nbsp;That’s why the Trump Administration’s work to secure new trade agreements for the U.S. has been so important.&nbsp;Last week, Japan’s parliament approved a trade deal negotiated earlier this year by President Trump and Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.&nbsp;The agreement is a big win for Nebraska farmers and ranchers and for Japanese consumers.&nbsp;Starting on January 1, 2020 the deal reduces Japan’s tariffs on U.S. beef from 38.5 percent to 26.6 percent.&nbsp;Eventually, the tariff will fall to nine percent.&nbsp;Tariffs on pork, corn, wheat, and other Nebraska-grown crops will also significantly decrease.&nbsp;Breaking down these barriers will grow the longstanding friendship between our two countries and give our Japanese customers even greater access to our high-quality food.&nbsp;The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is another trade deal that will help grow Nebraska.&nbsp;Sadly, Democrats in Congress have stalled USMCA and are preventing Nebraskans from enjoying its benefits.&nbsp;Last Wednesday, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse delivered a compelling speech on the Senate floor, urging Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to stop blocking a vote on the deal.&nbsp;We will continue to work with our federal delegation to end her senseless delay of USMCA.&nbsp;By actively pursuing new markets and pushing for new trade deals, we helped increase Nebraska’s total exports by $667 million (7 percent) from 2017 to 2018.&nbsp;Growth in ag exports represented one-third of this increase ($226 million).&nbsp;&nbsp;These are important accomplishments at a time when our ag producers have faced significant headwinds in the Chinese market.&nbsp;While the media likes to put the focus on President Trump, Nebraska’s trade relationship with China has been in flux for many years.&nbsp;From 1996 to 2003, Chinese demand for U.S. beef grew exponentially.&nbsp;Then, in late 2003, China suddenly shut its market to U.S. beef after the discovery of a case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).&nbsp;U.S. ranchers effectively had no access to China’s beef market for over 13 years until President Trump helped reopen it in 2017.&nbsp;Exports of other ag products to China have also varied greatly from year to year.&nbsp;China’s imports of our state’s corn collapsed from $119 million in 2013 to $11 million in 2014 and have remained near 2014 levels since then.&nbsp;In 2014, Nebraska exported a record $284 million of hides and skins to China.&nbsp;Just two years later, that amount had fallen more than 40 percent.&nbsp;These numbers show how China has been an inconsistent trade partner.&nbsp;Unpredictability in our trade relationship with the world’s largest country makes our strategic efforts to diversify our markets all the more important.&nbsp;In addition to the trade missions led throughout the year, we have been hosting international delegations here in Nebraska from the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, and other countries.&nbsp;The trade delegation from Taiwan agreed to purchase $2.1 billion in new U.S. ag products.&nbsp;And this week, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan visited to formalize an agreement with Valmont to purchase Nebraska center pivots to help Kazakh farmers become more productive.&nbsp;As Nebraska’s ag producers face ongoing uncertainty headed into 2020, I will continue to work to develop markets for Nebraska’s agricultural products around the world.&nbsp;If you want to share promising opportunities, please email me at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov</a>&nbsp;or call 402-471-2244.&nbsp;Together, let’s spread the word about what the Cornhusker State has to offer the world.

Gov. Ricketts weekly column

Even though School has been in session for over 3 months, it's still a good idea to remember to always stop for a School Bus that is loading and unloading in a School Zone. If the lights are flashing and the stop sign arm is extended, you must stop. A Nebraska school district is asking drivers to obey state traffic laws after getting reports that some drivers aren't stopping for school buses with their stop sign arms extended. The Hastings Tribune reports that Hastings Public Schools officials have gotten reports of motorists putting student safety at risk by disregarding the stop sign arms. David Essink, the district's human resources and operations director, says most people ignoring the stop sign are going in the opposite direction. <img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/08/06/21/43/bus-878697_960_720.jpg" alt="Bus, School, Transportation, Education, Yellow, Stop">

STOP for School buses

<img src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/8mq5sOlMTWDQhSVtZuSqCPh-ww9OmIFtD6b4vAWx4okhixi-f1YZqvVjvcEtJzRlyaFntkD0g_YlJwTXjeJ3HSvAMbF_axrcQI-rzfr50h03SbbfQTShz57y7G_nYfWvoRFZbER3SHwztTNYbK25njjUoNij4lPxpic=s0-d-e1-ft#https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/NEGPC/2019/01/2342803/dark-divide_original.jpg" alt="news from the nebraska game and parks"> Deer harvest during the 2019 November firearm season in Nebraska is 2% ahead last year’s pace. During the nine-day season, there were 43,346 deer taken, compared to 42,466 in 2018. Mule deer buck harvest decreased 9%, with 7,172 taken, compared to 7,925 in 2018. The average age of mule deer bucks is very good, with 50% of bucks at age 3 or older; the all-time high was 52% in 2018. Only 11% percent of the bucks were yearling bucks, which is an all-time low. Whitetail buck harvest is up almost 8%, with 24,273 adult whitetail bucks harvested, compared to 22,562 in 2018. The average age of whitetail bucks also increased, with 40% of whitetail bucks estimated at age 3 or older, up from 37% in 2018. Biologists also collected lymph nodes for chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing from more than 1,500 deer in Panhandle and northeast management units. Results should be available within the next two weeks. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will only notify a hunter if his or her deer tested positive for CWD.Archery and muzzleloader seasons close Dec. 31. The late antlerless season ends Jan. 15. Hunters are reminded that mule deer does are protected in many management units and public lands across the state. Refer to the 2019 Big Game Guide for details. Hunters who wish to donate venison can use the Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH) and Deer Exchange programs. As of Dec. 4, Oakland Meat Processing in Oakland and Kelley’s Custom Pack in North Platte have limited processing abilities, so hunters should call ahead. Go to&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAxOTEyMDUuMTM4OTc4OTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vb3V0ZG9vcm5lYnJhc2thLmdvdi8ifQ.JpZXfGxjU40PXVW3UvrVZlq7SfO6nbHf3ZrLwq24qOM/br/72359247531-l" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);">OutdoorNebraska.org</a>&nbsp;for more details and to make cash donations to HHH. Also, the Antlerless Hunter Database is a new online tool that connects hunters who wish to harvest antlerless deer with landowners who are experiencing damage from deer on their property. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAxOTEyMDUuMTM4OTc4OTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vb3V0ZG9vcm5lYnJhc2thLmdvdi9BbnRsZXJsZXNzSHVudGVyRGF0YWJhc2UvIn0.Yps1-hlC3x-r63ae34lJFeoIS06K0I-H7eYS6RfZJRQ/br/72359247531-l" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);">OutdoorNebraska.gov/AntlerlessHunterDatabase</a>&nbsp;for more information

Firearm deer harvest numbers up slightly from last year

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The number of Wyoming hunting and fishing licenses sold to women has seen a marked increase over the past decade, while men are buying slightly fewer licenses, state officials said. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department said 30% more women are hunting in Wyoming compared to 10 years ago, KGAB-AM&nbsp;<a href="https://kgab.com/big-increase-in-female-hunters-seen-in-wyoming-men-down-slightly/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">report</a>&nbsp;ed. Female anglers increased by 14% over that time. Meanwhile, the number of men participating in both activities is down by about 5%. Game and Fish Hunter and Angler Participation Coordinator Kathryn Boswell said the agency has been reaching out to women to get them more involved in not only hunting and fishing but also things like canoeing, photography, shooting sports and archery. “I think women are starting to see hunting as an activity that is accessible to them,” Boswell said in a statement by the agency. “And, it comes with a certain pride in putting healthy food on the table and knowing exactly how it got there — something I think all hunters regardless of gender can relate to.” Boswell also said the decline in male hunters and anglers in the state is not a concern. ''The demographics are changing. Our baby boomers are getting older and at the same time, women are seeing hunting and fishing as options for their food and recreation choices,” she said.

Big increase in female hunters seen in Wyoming

An oil field explosion in Wyoming has injured three workers. Fire officials say the workers were hospitalized after the blast late Thursday. Their identities and conditions weren't available Friday. The explosion happened near a small community southeast of the capital of Cheyenne. ﻿Companies have drilled dozens of deep oil wells in a wide area east and south of Cheyenne over the past decade.

Wyoming oil field explosion, fire injure 3 workers

A Lincoln man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for cyberstalking. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that 20-year-old Alec Eiland was sentenced Thursday in Lincoln’s federal court. Eiland had earlier pleaded guilty. Prosecutors say Eiland sent an Instagram message last year threatening to rape one woman if she didn't kill herself. Officials say he also posted her photo and contact information online and invited solicitations for sex. ﻿ Prosecutors say a second woman accused Eiland of sending her demands for nude photos or he would rape her significant other or put a car bomb on her vehicle.

Man gets 2 years in federal prison for cyberstalking

AP - A pair from Minnesota face felony drugs charges after a traffic stop in Nebraska turned up more than 2 pounds (0.91 kilograms) of marijuana, several packages of THC concentrate wax, vape pen cartridges and concentrated marijuana edibles. The Nebraska State Patrol says a woman in the car told them all the drugs were bought in Colorado as a 21st birthday present to her. The Kearney Hub says the drugs were found Sunday when the couple’s vehicle was stopped for speeding Sunday on Interstate 80 just west of Kearney. ﻿ A 32-year-old man and the 21-year-old woman, both of Mankato, Minnesota, were arrested.

Drugs found in Nebraska traffic were birthday gift

CORAL GABLES, FL-(AP) The FBI says four people, including a UPS driver, were killed after robbers stole the driver’s truck and led police on a chase that ended in gunfire at a busy South Florida intersection during rush hour. An FBI official says both robbers were shot and killed, and the fourth victim was in a nearby vehicle when shots rang out at a crowded intersection in Miramar on Thursday. The incident began about 20 miles south during a robbery at a Coral Gables jewelry store. It was not immediately clear who fired the shots that killed the UPS driver or the bystander.&nbsp;

Chase with stolen UPS truck ends with shootout, 4 dead

LINCOLN&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP), working with the Seward and York County Sheriff’s Offices, arrested a Wisconsin man following a pursuit Thursday. At approximately 2:40 p.m., NSP was informed that the Seward County Sheriff’s Office was in pursuit of a white Infiniti traveling westbound on Interstate 80 near Utica. Multiple troopers responded from the York area. Troopers joined the pursuit as the vehicle had exited I-80 and began traveling westbound on Highway 34 near Waco. The vehicle then turned south on Highway 81 and re-entered I-80 traveling eastbound at the York interchange, near mile marker 353. During the pursuit, the suspect vehicle reached speeds of up to 147 miles per hour. The driver then lost control near mile marker 372 and was stopped by troopers and sheriff’s deputies. The driver, Samuel Spencer, 22, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, was immediately taken into custody. A passenger was also apprehended, but later released. The entire pursuit lasted approximately 25 minutes. Spencer were transported to the Seward County Jail. Charges are pending with the Seward County Sheriff’s Office.

Troopers, deputies arrest man following multi-county pursuit

AP - Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals is planning a $57 million expansion on its Lincoln campus and expects to begin construction in the spring. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the project is a planned three-story, 112,000-square-foot patient wing that will also add 59 new rooms to replace ones that were built in the early 1970s. Madonna currently has 120 patient rooms, about half of which were upgraded and modernized in 2000.&nbsp; The wing will be added to the southwest of the existing 460,000-square-foot hospital in east Lincoln. Construction will develop in phases and is expected to be completed by January 2023.

Hospital announces $57 million expansion of Lincoln campus

<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575561581715.jpeg" width="374" style="">Photo courtesy: <a href="www.canstockphoto.com " target="_blank">www.canstockphoto.com </a> WASHINGTON —(AP)&nbsp;Hundreds of thousands of Americans who rely on the federal food stamp program will lose their benefits under a new Trump administration rule that will tighten work requirements for recipients. The rule announced Wednesday will limit the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment in order to receive benefits. ﻿USDA officials say the rule would save roughly $5.5 billion over five years and cut benefits for about 688,000 recipients. Congressional Democrats and advocates for the poor were quick to condemn the administration's actions.&nbsp;

668,000 will lose food stamp benefits under new work rules

<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574787918392.jpeg">-Photo courtesy: <a href="www.canstockphoto.com " target="_blank">www.canstockphoto.com </a> SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Gov. Kristi Noem on Tuesday offered her budget proposals for the next year while acknowledging that money is tight and instructing state agencies to reduce spending. While delivering her budget address in Pierre, the Republican governor told legislators to brace for slower economic growth amid disaster recovery from storms, uncertainty amid the 2020 election and lower farm spending during a trade war with China. In just a few weeks, legislators will be in session to take up her proposals and hear from state agencies as they craft a final budget for the fiscal year that starts in July. Noem said that 2019 has been a “difficult year” with tornadoes, blizzards and floods hitting the state. She called them the “the largest natural disasters in our state’s history.” State revenue is running nearly $6 million behind projections this fiscal year. The state will also lose about $20 million in revenue when an internet tax comes to an end next year. The governor proposed reductions in spending for state agencies and withholding a pay increase that would match inflation for state employees. Eric Ollila, the executive director of the South Dakota State Employees Organization, called the proposal “disappointing,” but welcomed some of the governor’s other proposals like fully funding health plans and enhancing the family leave policy for state employees. Sen. Reynold Nesiba, a Democrat from Sioux Falls who sits on the Appropriations Committee, said he would be working to find money to give state employees the pay increase. Noem also proposed loans to counties for disaster recovery so they would not have to wait for federal funding to be processed before rebuilding roads and other infrastructure. She said that some rural counties are especially cash-strapped. While providing popcorn for legislators during her address, the governor said she remains optimistic about South Dakota’s prospects, telling them that the constraints “will drive us to do better with the resources that we have.” Noem’s budget recommendations prioritize projects that she said are important for the long-term success of the state. The governor proposed three projects that would each cost about $5 million: funding initiatives for broadband internet across the state, a new School of Health Sciences at University of South Dakota and upgrading the state’s emergency response dispatch system. Noem also asked for $3.7 million to address increasing rates of meth addiction. Sen. John Wiik, R-Big Stone City, is a co-chair of the Appropriations Committee, and said he was not surprised by the low revenue reports. He called the proposals “very responsible” considering the lean year the state had but said the legislator would continue to keep an eye on revenue reports before making cuts and passing a final budget.“This is the governor’s presentation,” he said. “It is the legislature’s budget.”

Noem: South Dakota needs to brace for slow economic growth

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Four people have been arrested in the August death of a man whose body was found in an Omaha apartment, police said. The case began on Aug. 6, when officers were called to an apartment complex in the Radial Hills neighborhood north of midtown Omaha. There, officers found Kelly Barges, 55, dead and declared the death suspicion. Police have now determined his death was a homicide. Police have not released details on how Barges died. On Wednesday, 36-year-old Louis French and 49-year-old Coletta Cornett each were arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and a weapons count in Barges' death. Also arrested were 62-year-old Joel Jensen and 31-year-old Autumn Jones on suspicion of felony accessory.

Police say 4 arrested in August death now deemed a homicide

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A southeastern Nebraska man has been charged under a new law that makes it a crime to post pornographic images of others without their permission or to use the images for blackmail. Hayden Butcher, 19, of Waverly, was in Lancaster County Court on Wednesday after being charged under Nebraska's "revenge porn" law, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. The law was enacted earlier this year. Butcher turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday and appeared in court Wednesday, where his bond was set at $20,000. A woman reported to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office in July that a video of her had been posted to a porn-sharing website. The woman told investigators that she had consensually engaged in video chats with Butcher last year, but had not given him consent to record or permission to share them with anyone. The email used to set up the account to share videos of the woman was traced back to Butcher, investigators said. Butcher faces up to 20 years in prison if he's convicted of the unlawful intrusion count. Butcher's attorney, Brad Sipp, told the Journal Star that he thinks law enforcement "jumped the gun" in charging Butcher and believes his client will be exonerated.

Waverly man charged under Nebraska's new `revenge porn' law

A 40-year-old woman already on parole for fraud in Colorado has been arrested on suspicion of embezzling from a Lincoln chiropractic business where she worked. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Ann Crall appeared in Lancaster County Court on Tuesday on a felony charge of theft by deception. Her bond was set at $10,000. Police say they were alerted by the office manager of Movement Chiropractic, who reported suspicious activity on a business credit card that started three days after Crall began working there. ﻿Crall was previous sentenced in Colorado to 11 years in prison for theft and charitable fraud for taking almost $60,000 from donors under the pretense that she had cancer.&nbsp;

Convicted Colorado felon accused of embezzlement in Nebraska

A North Carolina man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for driving to Nebraska to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex. Federal prosecutors for Nebraska said in a news release that 27-year-old Alexander Kingston, of Monroe, North Carolina, was sentenced Tuesday in Lincoln's federal court after earlier pleading guilty to enticement of a minor. ﻿Investigators say Kingston had met the girl through social media and told her he would drive to Lincoln to meet her and a friend of the girl’s. Prosecutors say the mother of the girl alerted police in March after finding sexually explicit messages Kingston had exchanged with the girl.

Man gets prison for enticing Nebraska girl

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A Wyoming tribe is considering hemp and medical marijuana as possible opportunities to bolster its economy and treat illnesses. The Casper Star-Tribune&nbsp;<a href="https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming-tribe-considering-hemp-and-medical-marijuana-to-diversify-reservation/article_321c2007-08b4-59c9-903c-4c53eed4ca6c.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">reported</a>&nbsp;the Eastern Shoshone Tribe’s General Council approved a group’s study of the benefits of legalizing medical marijuana and producing hemp. The group whose Shoshone name So-go-Beah Naht-Su’ translates to Mother Earth and Medicine in English says it has no plans to push for legalizing recreational marijuana. The group is expected to present research and a proposal at the next general council meeting, possibly in January.Advocates say the measures could help diversify the Wind River Reservation economy while offering an additional option to treat some medical conditions. The group says some older tribal citizens have expressed hesitance, with support coming from many younger tribal members.

Wyoming tribe considers hemp, medical marijuana for economy

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Sturgis man who planned and helped with the kidnapping, murder and burial of his ex-girlfriend went to great lengths to cover up the crime. Thirty-year-old Jonathan Klinetobe appeared in state court in Rapid City Monday for the first day of his sentencing hearing. He could be sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting first-degree manslaughter in the death of 22-year-old Jessica Rehfeld. <a href="https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/prosecutors-ex-boyfriend-went-to-great-lengths-to-plan-and/article_b224f3f5-7e47-5fb7-962a-c723d116d7c0.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">The Rapid City Journal</a>&nbsp;reports Pennington County prosecutor Lara Roetzel called Klinetobe a master of lies and deception who recruited others and crafted complex stories to avoid being caught. Rehfeld was fatally stabbed in May 2015 after she ended a relationship with Klinetobe.

Prosecutor: Sturgis man who planned murder is master of lies

NEW YORK (AP) — As health officials scrutinize marijuana vaping, it’s increasingly on law enforcement’s radar, too.From New York City to Nebraska farm country to California, authorities have seized at least 510,000 marijuana vape cartridges and arrested more than 120 people in the past two years, according to an Associated Press tally derived from interviews, court records, news accounts and official releases. A Wisconsin mother, her two adult sons and five other people were charged this fall in what investigators describe as a black-market&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1ee89361e5384d29baff2055e631de72" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">manufacturing operation that churned out thousands of cartridges a day</a>&nbsp;packed with THC, the cannabis chemical that causes a high. In neighboring Minnesota, authorities said they found nearly 77,000 illicit pot cartridges in a man’s suburban Minneapolis home and car in September. An Alabama prosecutor has seen a spurt in pot vape cases in juvenile court. And in New York City, drug authorities say they’ve seized about 200,000 illegal cartridges just since this summer, often while investigating groups suspected of trafficking in traditional-form marijuana or other drugs. “We’re putting a lot more resources in pursuing these organizations,” said Ray Donovan, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York office. “This is where the market is going ... These criminal organizations are going to jump on whatever the business model is and try to take advantage and exploit that.”Fueled recently by alarm over a deadly lung illness that health officials have linked to illicit THC vaping, the pursuit of pot cartridges has added a new layer to drug enforcement while authorities are grappling with the opioid crisis and other drug issues. In states with and without legal marijuana markets, drug investigators, highway patrols and local police departments have been adjusting to searching for a form of marijuana that comes in small packages, doesn’t smell like pot and might look like legal nicotine vapes — or require discerning what’s legal and not in states that allow marijuana use.California officials seized 7,200 cartridges in October from a Los Angeles warehouse tied to a state-licensed company that made Kushy Punch-brand vapes. The state later revoked the company’s license. Kushy Punch has said the cartridges were old, unusable and not meant for distribution. The brand says it’s looking for new manufacturing partners. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Bureau may soon start tallying vape seizures when busting allegedly illegal pot dispensaries, Capt. Holly Francisco said. Vaping rapidly gained ground in the past few years among marijuana users as a fast-acting and discreet alternative to smoking the drug. Thirty-three states have legalized marijuana at least for medicinal use, but bootleg vape “carts” — short for cartridges — have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/5817cb09f1b941878013e19e27990fc2" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">cropped up</a>&nbsp;there and elsewhere, selling for roughly $20 to $50 apiece. The illicit marijuana vape market nationwide is estimated at as much as $2.5 billion this year — roughly equivalent to the market for legal pot cartridges, according to cannabis market researchers BDS Analytics and Arcview Market Research. The lung-illness outbreak raised alarms about vaping as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/8f8f14011ec24c3288bcfef07b3695ff" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">over 2,200 people fell ill and at least 47 died</a>&nbsp;in the past nine months. Health officials have urged people to avoid vaping, particularly black-market products containing THC, which many of the sick said they had used. Health officials announced last month that vitamin E acetate, sometimes used to thicken vaping fluid, is a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/80fe373103cf4096b4567cf5717380cf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">“very strong culprit” as a cause of the illness</a>. To marijuana legalization advocates, the increased focus on black-market marijuana cartridges is an argument for legalizing and regulating the drug nationally in the name of safety. “The solution to decreasing the risk associated with THC vapor products lies in continuing towards a legalized and regulated market, not increased criminalization and arrests,” said NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri. While the lung ailment has turned up the urgency around policing illegal pot vaping, it was already on some law enforcement leaders’ minds. As a mom of teenagers, Ashley Rich knew several years ago that flavored-nicotine vaping had caught fire with youngsters. (Federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/23cd6c85396849e1acbb7d468d239d8c/Calling-teen-vaping-%27epidemic,%27-officials-weigh-flavor-ban" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">health officials consider it</a>&nbsp;an epidemic.) As a prosecutor, she dreaded that illegal-drug vapes would surge next. “And that’s exactly the trend that we’re seeing,” said Rich, the district attorney in Mobile County, Alabama, where marijuana remains broadly illegal. Juvenile court pot vape possession cases have increased roughly threefold in the county in about a year, Rich said. Meanwhile, she’s prosecuting two people charged in September with marijuana trafficking after a seizure of 1,971 THC vapes shipped from California. Rich said they were labeled with such flavors as banana, tangelo and Girl Scout cookie. In Minnesota, authorities have noted a sizeable rise in illicit THC cartridges over the last three or four years, according to Brian Marquart of the state Department of Public Safety. “It’s been a challenge of training officers what to look for, what to do in their investigations, as well as educating the public as to what they may be purchasing if they’re purchasing on the street,” he said. Minnesota allows medical marijuana sales, but like many states restricts them to registered patients and approved dispensaries. Officers and prosecutors have had to ponder how criminal laws designed for plant-form marijuana apply to the small but concentrated cartridges, and how to sample as many as 77,000 of them for testing, Marquart said. That seizure, in the Twin Cities suburb of Coon Rapids, included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/b2b0409df7784c419958aaeaaf4ac541" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">“Dank” vapes</a>, an underworld brand of sorts that has come up in the vaping illness investigation.While some big busts stem from investigations and stings, others arise simply from traffic stops. The Utah State Patrol has rolled up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ffae762c3ac54769a687cc1f2374a080" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">more than 39,000 THC cartridges</a>&nbsp;this year. Indiana troopers said they netted 50,000 vapes, plus about 250 pounds (113 kilograms) of plant-form marijuana, in March after pulling over a truck near Indianapolis for a traffic infraction. Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Matt Ames said THC cartridges have proliferated over the past year as neighboring Michigan and Illinois have agreed to legalize recreational weed. “People are under the assumption now that marijuana is an accepted drug,” Ames said, but “we are going to enforce the law of Indiana.” In New York City, a detective on a DEA-managed task force was staking out a Manhattan storage facility in July when he saw three men unload boxes from a truck, according to a court complaint. A search of the truck and a storage unit yielded 24,000 THC vapes and about 230 pounds (104 kg) of pot, according to the complaint and the DEA. The men pleaded guilty this fall to felony marijuana possession and were sentenced to three years’ probation. One of their lawyers, Tony Mirvis, called it “a fair and equitable resolution” for his client. The DEA’s Donovan expects pot vapes will remain a priority for black-market suppliers and the authorities who pursue them. “That’s not going to go away,” he said.

Over 500K pot vapes seized in 2 years as busts rise in US

BENNET, Neb. (AP) - A Bennet volunteer firefighter is recovering after being injured while responding to a car fire east of Lincoln. Bennet Rural Fire Department Chief Tim Norris tells station KLKN that an explosion from the car Sunday night injured 19-year-old Chad Peterson. The force of the explosion knocked Peterson back and caused a mild concussion and bruises. He was treated at a Lincoln hospital. The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office says the explosion came from a 12-pack of club soda the car's driver had placed on the gas pedal in an effort to free the car, which had become stuck in mud. The fire started when the driver got out of the car to push it, and inadvertently locked herself out of the car.

Bennet volunteer firefighter injured fighting car fire

By JEFF AMY Associated Press American students may not be reading any better, but they’re moving up in rankings of educational achievement worldwide because many of their peers in other countries are performing worse. And while their math performance may not be declining, 15-year-olds in the United States still lag the scores of their peers in dozens of other countries. Overall, the latest global snapshot of achievement shows American students scoring above average in reading and science, but below average in math. The 2018 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, shows several Asian school systems at the top. The best-performing across all three measures was a group of four Chinese provinces — Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. PISA seeks to test not only what students know, but whether they can apply that knowledge to solve problems. About 600,000 15-year-old students in nearly 80 nations and educational systems took part in the two-hour computer-based test last year. The test is based on a 1,000-point scale. Among the findings: — In reading, the U.S. average score was 505, above the international average of 487. — In math, the U.S. average score was 478, below the international average of 489. — In science, the U.S. average score was 502, above the international average of 489. Average U.S. scores didn’t change significantly in any of those subjects since 2015. Average U.S. scores are also basically unchanged since when the test was first given in 2000 for reading and in 2003 for math. American science scores are up since 2006, thanks to improvements in earlier years. Across the globe, American students were significantly outperformed by their counterparts in eight jurisdictions in reading, by 30 jurisdictions in math and by 11 jurisdictions in math. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a statement that students need “the freedom to pursue different options and a more personalized educational experience.” She has been promoting proposals for federal tax credits for donations made to groups offering scholarships for private schools, apprenticeships, school vouchers and greater reliance on privately run charter schools. “The bottom line is there has not been a single study that shows American education is improving enough,” DeVos said. “Scores have flatlined for a decade. Worse yet, scores for our most vulnerable students continue to decline.” Peggy Carr, the associate commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics, told reporters Monday that the U.S., by holding steady in reading scores, rose in comparison with other countries. “It’s not exactly the way you want to improve your ranking, but nevertheless our ranking is improved,” Carr said. However, she noted the U.S. is “clearly struggling” in math. Like recent results on another major nationwide test — the National Assessment of Educational Progress — U.S. results showed the highest performing students were doing better in reading and math, while lower-performing students didn’t improve. “It’s another red flag that this is something to think about,” Carr said. Tom Loveless, an educational researcher near Sacramento, California, said the Chinese provinces that were tested saw a substantial increase in their scores. It’s not clear that that group of students is representative of China at large, with Carr repeatedly telling reporters Monday that the four large cities are more affluent than China as a whole. The Chinese region displaced the 2015 frontrunner, the Asian city-state of Singapore. “It’s the only country where they allow the national government to select the provinces that are tested,” Loveless said. “It still makes it very difficult to interpret the Chinese scores.” Loveless describes the United States’ overall performance as mediocre. “The U.S. is basically doing what it’s done since PISA started, which is hanging around the middle of the pack,” Loveless said. Others, though, are deeply concerned about U.S. scores, especially in math. Marc Tucker, the founder of the National Center on Education and the Economy, said the United States must improve if it is to remain economically competitive with China. “China is now poised to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy. It is hard to see how the United States can compete with a far larger country that has a much better educated workforce that charges much less than we do for labor,” Tucker said. A mixture of multiple-choice and open-ended questions, the test is coordinated every three years by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. Schools in each country are randomly selected, and OECD says the selection of schools is kept as inclusive as possible so that student samples are drawn from a broad range of backgrounds and abilities.

US scores above average in math, science, still lags in math

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man has pleaded no contest to motor vehicle homicide charges stemming from a 2018 crash that killed a member of the Cornhusker Marching Band. Waltrivelish Watson pleaded no contest to the charge Monday and faces up to three years in prison at his sentencing next month in Lancaster District Court. Prosecutors say the 30-year-old Watson was driving a car the night of Oct. 26 that collided with another vehicle. From an airbag control module in Watson’s car, investigators determined it was traveling 92 mph three seconds before the crash. The crash killed Tyler Butterfield, a 20-year-old junior and trumpet player in the marching band. Butterfield was a passenger in a car that had just left a pep band performance the night before a Nebraska football game.

Man pleads no contest in crash that killed UNL band member

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new course at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will focus on the world’s religions and will ask students to use their new-found knowledge to propose a common worship space on campus. The&nbsp;<a href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/new-unl-religion-course-embraces-diversity-looks-to-propose-common/article_25abcc74-3487-5be0-8945-a13e7044134e.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">Lincoln Journal Star</a>&nbsp;reports the course called “When the World’s Religions Came to Lincoln” will start in spring 2020. Max Mueller, an assistant professor of classics and religious studies, says only 4% of Nebraska residents identify as non-Christians but that more immigrants and refugees in Lincoln have created greater religious diversity. Mueller says despite that increase, other religious communities don’t have a space on or near campus to worship, leaving them to pray together in libraries or even hallways. As students learn about religions, they will research and propose a space to university stakeholders that could serve various religions.

New religion course at UNL includes proposing worship space

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) - Eight full-time employees at the Nebraska State Fair have lost their jobs. The Grand Island Independent reports the workers were fired last week as fair officials restructure the organization amid financial problems. State Fair Executive Director Lori Cox says the restructuring will save about $520,000 in personnel costs. Before the firings, the fair employed 17 full-time workers and one part-timer. Cox says the smaller full-time payroll reflects that the fair is an "11-day operation" rather than a year-round operation. The State Fair Board approved a budget at a Nov. 22 meeting where members learned the 2019 fair lost a projected $1.4 million. Patrick Kopke, the fair's chief of finance and administration, resigned at that meeting after telling the board that changes were needed to avoid bankruptcy.

8 Nebraska State Fair workers lose jobs amid restructuring

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police are investigating a fatal shooting. KETV reports that officers responded to a call of shots fired around 12:30 a.m. Saturday near 24th and Vane streets. The arriving officers saw an SUV driving away from the scene, then found a man inside a building with critical injuries. The man was taken to University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he died. The victim’s name has not been released. Police have not released any further details about the shooting.

Man killed in Omaha shooting

BELLEVILLE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say four children have been killed in a Thanksgiving Day crash. Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TrooperBenKHP/status/1200186532314931200/photo/1" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">said</a>&nbsp;in a tweet that the crash happened around 11:30 a.m. when a vehicle went off the side of a road and into a pond in Republic County, near the state’s border with Nebraska. Gardner initially tweeted that the children were 8 and younger, but said it now appears two of them may be older. Their names weren’t immediately released. The patrol says the mother of the children was taken to a hospital, and an adult male in the vehicle is being interviewed. The man wasn’t seriously injured, and his relationship to the family wasn’t immediately known. None of the victims are believed to be from Kansas. The investigation is ongoing.

4 children killed in Thanksgiving Day crash near NE, KS  border

<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1575049119793.jpeg" width="543">-Photo courtesy: Wyoming State Patrol facebook page CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Authorities say a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper rescued a person from a burning vehicle near Wheatland. Lt. Kyle McKay&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/wyoming-highway-patrol-trooper-saves-person-from-burning-vehicle/article_dde75c79-fb6e-5ecc-a283-e743bb275473.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">tells the Wyoming Tribune Eagle</a>&nbsp;that a pickup truck lost control on an icy stretch of Interstate 25 early Tuesday and went down an embankment. McKay says Trooper Samuel Szott arrived to find the front end of the truck engulfed in flames and a person slumped over the wheel. Another person pulled over to help. McKay says Szott opened the door and pulled the unresponsive driver out of the vehicle. The driver, who was not identified, was transported to a hospital in Wheatland. His condition and the extent of his injuries were not clear.

Wyoming trooper rescues driver from burning truck

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A Rapid City police officer was attacked with a knife and suffered a cut to the hand after a fiery car chase. Authorities say he is recovering. The incident happened early Thursday. The&nbsp;<a href="https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/officer-injured-in-knife-attack-after-fiery-car-chase/article_d4240026-8f47-55c4-bb9a-3714c8e73c69.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">Rapid City Journal</a>&nbsp;reports that officers tried to stop a car that was driving the wrong way when the driver fled. The car caught on fire after it was damaged while crossing a median.Police say the car was engulfed in flames and the male driver, female passenger and a dog fled on foot. As the driver was approached, he allegedly cut one of the officers. Authorities used a stun gun on the driver and arrested him on multiple counts. Police say the female was arrested on outstanding warrants. The dog was taken to an animal shelter.

Rapid City officer attacked with knife after fiery car chase

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man accused of possessing and sharing child pornography has been imprisoned.Prosecutors say 60-year-old Jeffrey Ehlers was given seven years behind bars at his sentencing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln. He also is required to serve 12 years of supervised release after leaving custody and register as a sex offender. Authorities say Ehlers came to their attention when a group home leader told Bellevue police that an underage girl was having an inappropriate relationship with a man. Investigators eventually gained access to Ehlers’ desktop and laptop computers and found more than 600 image files containing the porn. There also was data that showed Ehlers had been sharing porn with other people on social media.

Nebraska man gets 7 years for child porn possession

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The mad scramble between Thanksgiving and Christmas just got six days shorter. Black Friday once again kicks off the start of the holiday shopping season. But with six fewer days than last year, it will be the shortest season since 2013 because Thanksgiving fell on the fourth Thursday in November — the latest possible date it could be. That means customers will have less time to shop and retailers will have less time to woo them. Adobe Analytics predicts a loss of $1 billion in online revenue from a shortened season. Still, it expects online sales will reach $143.7 billion, up 14.1% from last year's holiday season The National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, baked the shorter season into its forecast, but it says the real drivers will be the job market. It forecasts that holiday sales will rise between 3.8% and 4.2%, an increase from the disappointing 2.1% growth seen in the November and December 2018 period that came well short of the group’s prediction. Last year’s holiday sales were hurt by turmoil over the White House trade policy with China and a delay in data collection by nearly a month because of a government shutdown. This year’s holiday forecast is above the average holiday sales growth of 3.7% over the previous five years. NRF expects online and other non-store sales, which are included in the total, to increase between 11% and 14%, for the holiday period. Black Friday is expected to once again be the largest shopping day of the season, followed by the last Saturday before Christmas, according to MasterCard SpendingPulse, which tracks spending across all types of payments including cash and check. Thanksgiving Day isn’t even on the top 10 holiday shopping days, according to MasterCard. The 2019 holiday season will be a good measure of the U.S. economy’s health. Many retail CEOs describe their customers has financially healthy, citing moderate wage growth and an unemployment rate hovering near a 50-year low. “The overall picture is positive,” said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail consultancy. “People are spending out of positive cash flow as opposed to borrowing.” Economic growth has moderated since earlier this year, with growth at just 1.9% in the July-September quarter, down from 3.1% in the first three months of the year. Analysts blame at least part of that on the U.S.-China trade war, which has forced many companies to delay plans to invest and expand. That’s left consumers as the main drivers. So far, Americans have kept up their spending, allaying fears of a recession. With more holiday deals happening earlier to compensate for the late start, many have already started to shop. More than half of consumers have already started their holiday shopping and nearly a quarter of purchases have already been made, according to the annual survey released by the NRF and Prosper Insights &amp; Analytics. The survey of 7,917 adult consumers was conducted Oct. 31 through Nov. 6. “This is further evidence that the holiday season has grown far beyond the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of NRF, in a statement.

Shorter shopping season means a more intense scramble

WAHOO, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man was fatally injured when he was knocked off the top of a viaduct in eastern Nebraska. Saunders County Sheriff Kevin Stukenholtz said in a news release Friday that several vehicles were involved in pileup around 6:20 p.m. Thursday on the U.S. Highway 77 viaduct on the west side of Wahoo. The release says one man had left his vehicle to check on another driver when a northbound semitrailer went out of control on the icy pavement and struck the viaduct. The man who was knocked off it was taken to Saunders Medical Center in Wahoo and then to a Lincoln hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name hasn’t been released. The sheriff says no other injuries were reported by people in the other vehicles.

Man fatally injured when knocked off top of viaduct

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Two inmates who assaulted a prison captain at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln have been given more time behind bars. The&nbsp;<a href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/inmates-sentenced-on-murder-charges-get-more-time-for-assault/article_5f2d5937-5fbb-5094-804d-f6637ab526af.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">Lincoln Journal Star reports</a>&nbsp;that 24-year-old Ary Soto was sentenced Monday and 29-year-old Evan Swenson was sentenced last week. Prosecutors say the two inmates were armed Oct. 5, 2016, with padlocks attached to cotton belts that they could swing as weapons. They came up behind some investigators and then focused on the captain, battering his head and hands. He suffered a concussion, cuts and a fractured hand. Court records say Soto pleaded no contest and was given 10 to 16 years. He’s already serving time for second-degree murder in Douglas County. The records say Swenson also pleaded no contest and was given eight to 16 years. He’s serving time for attempted murder in Buffalo County.

Two inmates get more time for assault on prison captain

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A storm packing heavy, blinding snow and fierce winds that wreaked havoc as it whipped through Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska marched into the upper Midwest on Wednesday as anxious Thanksgiving travelers buckled up and barreled headlong into a busy, if not perilous, holiday week. The wintry storm that left at least one person dead was expected to push eastward into South Dakota, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, while a “bomb cyclone” weather phenomenon was expected to simultaneously topple trees, knock out power and dump snow as it rolled into California and Oregon. The one-two punch made for a double whammy of early wintry weather that threatened to scramble plans for millions of people nationwide during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. Those who left early were confronted with icy and snow-covered roads that made it difficult — if not impossible — to navigate and prompted law enforcement in many places not to even try. “Stay put,” Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Tod Hileman urged drivers in a tweet, even as a stretch of Interstate 70 on the state’s western border with Colorado reopened after temporarily closing Tuesday at the height of the storm. Many travelers headed his warning, filling hotels in the area and the National Weather Service said that Dell Rapids had already received 6 inches of snow while many areas around Sioux Falls had about 4 inches. Meanwhile, children from South Dakota to Wisconsin got an early start on their holiday weekend, waking up to the news that dozens of school districts canceled classes. Minnesotans prepared Wednesday for a winter-like blast that’s expected to deliver heavy snow and powerful winds that had officials warning drivers to stay off the roads at least until the winds died down a bit. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus canceled classes starting late Tuesday and was not expected to resume operations until Thursday. St. Paul Public Schools and the University of St. Thomas also canceled classes as travel conditions deteriorated. National Weather Service meteorologist Brent Hewett in Chanhassen, Minnesota, said the storm could dump 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow in central and southern Minnesota, while some areas could see a foot (30.5 centimeters) or more snow. Western and northern Wisconsin could be buried beneath 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30.5 centimeters) and as much as 20 inches (508 millimeters) in the far northern area of the state with 12 to 15 inches (30.5 to 38 centimeters) of lake-effect snow near Lake Superior. To the south, in the Milwaukee area where the temperature reached 50 degrees, the storm brought rain and thunder. raw, blustery day is forecast Wednesday, with winds up to 35 mph (56 kph). Forecasters said another storm could arrive this weekend, just as people are returning from Thanksgiving. "It's one of those things, you couldn't make it up if you tried," Hewett said of back-to-back storms falling around the holiday. On Tuesday, weather-related damage was widespread nationwide. Authorities on both sides of the California-Oregon border reported numerous crashes and closed roads. The National Weather Service urged people to wait to travel for the holiday until the weather improved. At Denver International Airport, about 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow mixed with winds that limited visibility prompted the cancellation of about 30% of the airport’s average daily 1,600 flights. The storm dumped nearly 3 feet (1 meter) of snow in parts of northern Colorado and closed long stretches of highways there and in Wyoming. One person was killed, and two others were injured when a tractor-trailer jackknifed and was hit by two other trucks on Interstate 70 near the Colorado ski town of Vail. Southwest Airlines canceled about 200 flights. Spokesman Brad Hawkins said it would take "a couple of days" to get stranded passengers on other flights because there are few during the pre-Thanksgiving travel crush. That makes it hard for airlines to rebook passengers. About 1,100 people spent the night at the airport, including many cadets from the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs who either missed flights or wanted to get to the airport before road conditions deteriorated, airport spokeswoman Alex Renteria said. Among them was cadet Sadie Luhman, whose trip to the airport took three hours — twice the normal driving time. She got to the airport at 1 a.m., 10 hours before her scheduled flight to Chicago for Thanksgiving. “I just wanted to beat the storm. We kind of left in the middle of it so it kind of didn’t work, but we got here,” she told Denver news station KCNC-TV. Airport workers handed out blankets, diapers, baby formula, toothbrushes and toothpaste to passengers who camped out on floors and in chairs. Many government offices closed in the Denver area and Cheyenne, Wyoming, along with colleges and schools not already on holiday break. In Nebraska, several school districts canceled classes Wednesday, and the southwestern city of Sidney had received about 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow. Blizzard and wintry weather warnings extended into the Great Lakes states with the storm bringing high winds and snow to Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin and a chance of snow over the weekend for parts of New England, said Alex Lamers, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “That could be a coast-to-coast storm,” he said. The storm was expected to dump snow on the airport in Minneapolis, where Delta Air Lines is the major carrier, but most was expected to fall overnight when few flights were scheduled. Delta prepared by filling de-icing tanks, calling in extra flight dispatchers and operations employees, and having some of its 20 in-house meteorologists focus on the Minneapolis forecast. "The timing is very helpful," said Erik Snell, a Delta senior vice president who oversees operations. "It gives the airport time to clear the runways, although we'll have to watch the residual snowfall in the morning." The storm system could mean disappointment for fans of the larger-than-life balloons flown at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. Organizers were preparing for the possibility of grounding the iconic balloon characters because of 40-50 mph (64-81 kph) gusts in the forecast. Rules put in place after several people were injured by a balloon years ago require lower altitudes or full removal if sustained winds exceed 23 mph (37 kph) and gusts exceed 34 mph (54 kph). The decision will be made on parade day. The second storm began hitting the West Coast of the U.S., bringing snow to the mountains and wind and rain along the coasts of California and Oregon. Multiple roads were closed in southern Oregon due to downed trees and power lines and blizzard-like driving conditions and others were reduced to a single lane, the Oregon Department of Transportation said. The bomb cyclone — a rapid drop in air pressure — could bring waves of up to 35 feet (11 meters), wind gusts of up to 75 mph (120 kph) and heavy snow in the mountains. Snow temporarily shut down part of Interstate 80 north of Lake Tahoe, near the Nevada-California line. Angela Smith said the Oceanfront Lodge, a hotel she manages in Crescent City, in far Northern California, lost power briefly during rain and strong winds. She said the hotel is ready to withstand heavy downpours. “It’s blowing pretty good outside but because we’re right on the coast, everything was built to ensure the safety of people,” Smith said. Forecasters warned of “difficult to impossible travel conditions” across much of northern Arizona later this week as that storm dumps about 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow. The approaching storm accelerated the annual winter closure of the highway leading to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon by five days.

US travelers brace for snowy Thanksgiving, ‘bomb cyclone’

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have dropped a child abuse charge that was leveled against a city councilman in the Omaha suburb of Papillion. Jason Gaines had already&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/a2bdc7d535674dc0a5b638790e468c21" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">pleaded not guilty</a>&nbsp;Nov. 1 to a misdemeanor count of negligent child abuse. Gaines was cited in early October after being accused of causing "finger mark bruising" on the arm of his girlfriend's 5-year-old son. Sarpy County prosecutor Bonnie Moore said in a news release Tuesday that video evidence subsequently provided by Gaines corroborated his account of what happened, so the charge was dropped.

Child abuse charge against city councilman dropped

OREGON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio woman trying to get help for her mother during a domestic violence dispute called police pretending to order a pizza. Oregon police arrested and charged 56-year-old Simon Lopez earlier this month after a woman called 911 to discretely report Lopez for domestic violence. Dispatcher Tim Teneyck was connected to the call on Nov. 13 and at first, he thought the woman had dialed the emergency line by mistake but soon realized she was trying to get authorities to help her mother. In the 911 recording, Teneyck can be heard following along with the woman’s plan until officers are dispatched to the house. Lopez faces a misdemeanor domestic violence charge and remains in Lucas County jail on a $50,000 bond. Police records show Lopez denies the allegations.

Woman’s call to 911 for pizza was signal for domestic abuse

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa farmers are set to receive the most government payments to offset damage from the U.S.’s ongoing trade war with China. The Des Moines Register reports Iowa farmers will receive $767 million in payments from President Donald Trump’s $16 billion trade assistance program this year. The Agriculture Department announced a second round of payments under the program earlier this month. The USDA shows that the other states getting the most federal assistance in this year’s program are Illinois, at $707 million; Minnesota, at $519 million; Texas, at $497 million; Kansas, at $474 million; and Nebraska at $466 million. Iowa Soybean Association board president Tim Bardole said the additional payments will help but won’t solve all the problems farmers are having this year. "I don't know of any farmers who aren't short of money right now," said Bardole, who farms near Rippey, Iowa. "It's definitely helpful, but it's not a cure for the issues at hand." The ongoing trade disputes have largely cut off U.S. farmers from the Chinese market, which has dramatically reduced exports especially for soybeans. Last year, U.S. farmers received about $8.6 billion in assistance during the first year of the trade war as part of a $12 billion aid package. Iowa farmers received $987.7 million in last year’s agriculture bailout, second only to Illinois growers, who received $1.1 billion.

Iowa farmers to receive $767 million in trade aid payments

<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574786628110.jpeg" width="473" style="">-Photo courtesy: <a href="www.canstockphoto.com" target="_blank">www.canstockphoto.com</a> RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — The last living worker who helped construct Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota’s Black Hills has died. Donald "Nick" Clifford of Keystone, South Dakota, was 98. His wife, Carolyn Clifford, says he died Saturday at a hospice in Rapid City. At 17, Nick Clifford was the youngest worker hired to work at Mount Rushmore. He operated a winch that carried workers up and down the mountain where the faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were carved, and he drilled holes for dynamite. Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln, decided in 1938 to field a baseball team and hired Clifford, who already was a veteran pitcher and right fielder, the&nbsp;<a href="https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/last-mount-rushmore-carver-dies/article_ffbde4ed-cd83-5181-bba2-a9477dae7de2.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">Rapid City Journal</a>&nbsp;reported. Clifford worked on Mount Rushmore from 1938-40, earning 55 cents an hour. Between 1927 and 1941, nearly 400 men and a few women worked on the memorial, which is now visited by nearly 3 million people annually. In 2004, Clifford and his wife wrote his story in a book, “Mount Rushmore Q&amp;A”. He would sign copies at the memorial's gift shop. “I feel like Mount Rushmore was the greatest thing with which I was ever involved,” Clifford said in a 2016 interview. “It tells a story that will never go away — the story of how America was made and the men who helped make it what it is today.”

Last living Mount Rushmore construction worker dies at 98

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge who disagreed with an arbitration board’s decision that a fired train engineer should be reinstated has upheld the board’s ruling. Union Pacific had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/43ab7550f1914b3ab6b7251624793857" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">sued</a>&nbsp;the employee union to overturn the board’s order to put Matthew Lebsack back on the job. The lawsuit says Lebsack walked past the locomotive cab bathroom on Nov. 20, 2016, when the train was stopped. It says he left the locomotive and defecated on the metal knuckle that connected the locomotive to a rail car. The&nbsp;<a href="https://journalstar.com/business/local/court-orders-up-to-reinstate-engineer-who-defecated-on-train/article_38f08a06-d096-5399-a273-c89f92b9f799.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">Lincoln Journal Star reports</a>&nbsp;that U.S. District Court Judge Brian Buescher said in his Thursday ruling that he didn’t understand why the board didn’t think Lebsack’s conduct was worthy of upholding his termination. But Buescher also said the law doesn’t let him consider the merits of the arbitration board's decision, but only whether that decision fell within its discretion under the provisions of railroad-union contract. He says Union Pacific presented no evidence showing the board’s decision was not within its discretion. Officials say the railroad hasn’t decided whether to appeal.

Judge upholds reinstatement of fired train engineer

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A Rapid City man accused in a conspiracy to move large quantities of methamphetamine from Colorado to South Dakota has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison. Authorities say 29-year-old Sebastian Hoff was one of several distributors in the ring led by Dana Faulkner, also known as Diablo. Faulkner is accused of transporting up to 99 pounds (45 kilograms) of meth to be sold in the Rapid City area in the summer of 2017. Hoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 17 years and five months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised released. The 41-year-old Faulkner, of Aurora, Colorado was sentenced last month to 25 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and branding a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

Rapid City man sentenced for his role in massive meth ring

LINCOLN&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) have arrested three people and seized 244 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 in Seward County. Saturday afternoon, at approximately 5:00 p.m., a trooper observed an eastbound Ford Explorer speeding at mile marker 373 near Goehner. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Troopers searched the vehicle and found 244 pounds of marijuana inside the cargo area of the vehicle. The driver, Peter Sychamp, 52, of Sacramento, California, and passengers Pisa Phanthavong, 57, of Sacramento, and Marich Poomchat, 22, of Thailand, were arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. All three men were lodged in Seward County Jail.

Troopers find 244 LBs of marijuana in traffic stop

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts says he’ll try to persuade Charles Schwab to maintain a presence in Omaha following news that the online brokerage is buying rival TD Ameritrade and moving the combined company’s headquarters to Texas. Ricketts said Monday that the announcement “creates significant uncertainty” for thousands of Nebraskans who have worked for TD Ameritrade for years. Ricketts is the son of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts and a former chief operating officer within the company.He says he’s anxious to see what the decision means for the people of Nebraska. He says the state can help Schwab succeed with its competitive cost of doing business and its strong workforce. Losing TD Ameritrade is potentially a major blow for Omaha. Another major employer, Conagra Foods, left the city in 2016.

Ricketts says he’ll try to keep TD Ameritrade jobs in Omaha

HOLDREGE, Neb. (AP) — Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a Phelps County sheriff’s deputy on suspicion of third-degree assault and child abuse for an altercation that left a 15-year-old girl with a black eye. The patrol announced in a news release that 37-year-old Deputy Jamie Tilson was arrested Friday and booked into the Phelps County Jail. The patrol says the arrest came after it was asked by the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office to investigate a report of a Sept. 3 assault in Holdrege. An arrest affidavit says Tilson attempted to slap the teen in the mouth during an argument, and instead hit her in the eye when she flinched. Tilson could not be reached by phone on Saturday, and no attorney yet appeared for him in online court records.

Nebraska State Patrol says Phelps County deputy arrested

PONCA, Neb. (AP) — A northeast Nebraska man has been given four years in prison for locking two of his children in a bedroom and denying them food. Dixon County District Court records say 55-year-old Patrick Henderson, of Wakefield, also was sentenced Friday to a year of post-release supervision after he leaves prison. He’d&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/20224c7d3ace4aef8b3b1f70daa1bbcb" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(28, 167, 218);">pleaded guilty</a>&nbsp;to two counts of child abuse — one a felony and the other a misdemeanor. His wife, 43-year-old Angel Henderson, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of intentional child abuse resulting in injury. Prosecutors say the Hendersons fed their 14-year-old boy and his 9-year-old sister only once a day and not at all if they failed to finish their schoolwork. The boy also told officials his mother would choke, kick and hit them.

Man who locked kids in bedroom gets 4-year prison term

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — The finance director of the Nebraska State Fair has resigned, saying the state fair may be on the verge of bankruptcy. Patrick Kopke resigned Friday at a meeting of the fair board, telling members that his concerns about excessive spending had not been addressed. NTV reported that Kopke told the board the State Fair, which has been held in Grand Island since 2010, has lost money the last two years. He projected the fair to be nearly $1.7 million in the red for 2019 and could be forced to file for bankruptcy next year. Former Grand Island mayor Jeremy Jensen, who is chairman of the fair board’s finance committee, tells the Lincoln Journal Star that Kopke's projection was premature. Following Kopke’s resignation, the board approved a new budget that will require cutting as much as half of the fair's staff of about 20. Jensen estimated the savings from the new budget will be about $600,000.

Nebraska State Fair finance head quits, citing losses

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — New safety standards aimed at limiting suicide risks have led to overhauls inside hospitals around the country, with psychiatric facilities and wards removing bathroom doors, stripping artwork from walls and requiring patients to wear paper gowns instead of their own clothes. The changes have forced costly renovations and caused a backlash, with some critics contending they’ve made hospital rooms feel more like jail cells. Regulators say the new guidelines leave room to protect patient dignity and privacy, but many hospital officials tasked with updating facilities and their procedures say they’ve gone too far. “I think we are moving toward a very prison-like system,” said Patricia Rehmer, president of the Behavioral Health Network for Hartford HealthCare, which operates Hartford Hospital. “We try and make it comfortable, we try and have as many things available as we can, but it’s not easy.” New suicide prevention requirements took effect on July 1 on orders of The Joint Commission, an agency that works with the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services and accredits the vast majority of the country’s psychiatric hospitals. A 2018 report by The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety found an estimated 49 to 65 hospital suicides happen annually. The report was described as the first data-driven estimate of inpatient suicides per year in hospitals. In general, now pictures cannot be hung on walls, doors on bathrooms are either removed or replaced with polystyrene foam doors, and remotes are removed for televisions that are now secured behind plastic glass. Ceiling tiles and door handles must be replaced with risk-resistant ones along with special types of beds and sheets. “We’re buying the same furniture and plumbing fixtures as prisons and jails,” said Dr. Bruce Schwartz, president of the American Psychiatric Association, adding that the requirements are creating harsher environments in psychiatric facilities. Several organizations with the Michigan Health and Hospital Association have struggled to comply with the new requirements in the timeframe expected by The Joint Commission, said Laura Appel, the association’s senior vice president and chief innovation officer. She said empty rooms may be safer but they’re also significantly less comfortable. “The lack of doors means an insult to patient privacy,” she said. Mental health advocates have raised concerns that less comfortable environments for patients could be less healthy. Michaela Fissel, executive director of Advocacy Unlimited, said hospitals could make the settings more homelike and comfortable by adding yoga or music and letting patients wear their own clothes instead of a paper garment. One patient, Cheyenne Wilson, said she felt as though she were in solitary confinement when she was admitted to Hartford Hospital’s psychiatric unit for half a day when she was experiencing suicidal ideation. She said she had her belongings taken and searched and was told to get dressed in a paper garment. “They took my clothes away and made me get dressed behind a curtain, not even in another room,” she said. Her father, Beresford Wilson, co-chairs the Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council. He raised his daughter’s experience at a September meeting and said it had too much of a punitive feeling. “I think to make the experience as normal as possible when the person is under that distress, what they are looking for is normalcy as much as possible, not restriction or confinement,” he said. After her experience in the emergency unit, he said his daughter was given a therapy referral and has been taking classes to become a certified nurse assistant. Dr. Charles Herrick, chair of psychiatry for the Western Connecticut Health Network, said the changes can make patients feel more depressed and can demoralize them. “If you perceive the environment as a prison — and prisons are a place of punishment — then you can’t help but think you are being punished, whether consciously or unconsciously,” he said. In response to criticism of the new guidelines, Joint Commission officials say they believe hospitals should be able to protect patient dignity and privacy while meeting safety standards. “Balancing privacy and safety is always an important factor when caring for patients at-risk,” the agency said in a prepared statement. “It is vital for organizations to develop procedures to ensure that individuals are regularly reassessed so the level of security/monitoring implemented is appropriate for the assessed level of risk.” The cost of renovating spaces and buying new equipment is another reason some hospitals have objected to the new requirements. Partly citing such costs, two hospitals in Ohio and Wyoming closed their psychiatric units within the past couple of years. Officials from both hospitals declined to comment. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia had to remove bathroom doors in two-person rooms in its psychiatric ward, according to Dr. Kenneth Certa, a professor of psychiatry at the university’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College. He said that meant removing one person from the room for privacy concerns __ and that decreases the number of people who can be helped at a given time. Certa also said the hospital also had to purchase safety sensors for about 48 doors, costing $785,600 in total. On average, the length of stay for psychiatric patients at a psychiatric facility is seven to 10 days, according to the American Psychiatric Association. A movement away from institutionalization over the last half century has led to community-based mental health services replacing long stays in psychiatric hospitals. That same trend has also coincided with larger numbers of mentally ill people becoming homeless or incarcerated, where they receive little treatment — or none at all.

Hospital psychiatric wards now feel like prisons, some say

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is temporarily lifting weight restrictions on trucks carrying propane to address a shortage of heating fuels. State officials have suspended the 90,000-pound gross weight limit for motor carriers hauling critically needed heating fuels through Dec. 15. Lt. Gov. Mike Foley issued the order Thursday on behalf of Gov. Pete Ricketts, who is out of the state. Officials say drivers exceeding the normal weight limits must carry a copy of the executive order to document that they are providing direct support to the state. The order doesn’t apply to the interstate system. State officials say the shortage isn’t serious but they’re monitoring it. They say more extreme shortages in surrounding states have increased the need to transport through Nebraska.

Nebraska eases restrictions to address propane shortage

LINCOLN, Neb. – A woman was severely injured in an incident with a mule deer buck on a farm near Guide Rock on Tuesday, Nov. 19. The woman was doing chores alone when she apparently was attacked by the deer. She was discovered some time later and transported to a Lincoln hospital. “This was a tragic encounter, and my sympathy is with the injured woman and her family,” said Alicia Hardin, wildlife administrator for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “Deer attacks on people are extremely rare, and we are investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident.” The time of the incident is unknown, but a 911 call was made Tuesday evening, and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the incident. A responding conservation officer, who later shot and killed the deer, said the animal showed no fear of him. Deer, which are extremely strong and unpredictable, normally do not approach humans. The deer was transported to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Veterinary Diagnostic Center for a necropsy, where it tested negative for rabies. Although uncommon, rabies can infect deer. Deer attacks on humans can occur for a variety of reasons. While rutting, bucks become more aggressive. Disease, domestication, injury and protection of young also could lead to encounters with humans. While the Commission still is investigating the circumstances of this incident, it receives several reports of individuals feeding or domesticating wildlife each year. Domestication typically occurs when animals are either raised from a young age or repeatedly exposed to humans through feeding or other nonthreatening encounters. Domestication results in wild animals losing their natural fear of humans, causing the potential for more conflicts between wildlife and humans.