NEW MAYOR-BROKEN BOW
Broken Bow council president takes over for recalled mayor
BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP) — The president of the Broken Bow City Council has taken over as mayor following the recall of his predecessor, who’s awaiting a criminal trial. Rod Sonnichsen was sworn in Friday to replace Jonathon Berghorst, who voters removed from office last week. The recall petitions said Berghorst had created a hostile work environment for city employees and showed no respect for the employees or members of the city’s volunteer boards. He denied the accusations. He’s awaiting trial on allegations that he threatened the job of a police officer investigating a fight outside a bar for which the mayor also has been charged.
LINCOLN WOMAN KILLED
Death penalty hearing set for man in Lincoln woman’s slaying
WILBER, Neb. (AP) — A June hearing has been scheduled for a three-judge panel to consider whether a man’s crime qualifies for the death penalty or whether he should be sentenced to life in a Nebraska prison. Aubrey Trail and his girlfriend, Bailey Boswell, were both charged in the 2017 slaying of Sydney Loofe. Boswell also is charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting trial in March. It’s been moved to Lexington. The three judges will consider evidence to decide whether prosecutors can prove an aggravating factor necessary for capital punishment.
NEBRASKA CAPITOL FOCUS
Nebraska could tax escort services to hit human traffickers
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A state lawmaker who has fought for years to restrict human trafficking in Nebraska is now trying to hit traffickers in the wallet with a proposed sales tax on dating and escort services. The bill introduced would eliminate a sales tax exemption for the services, which include legitimate dating websites as well as businesses that act as a front for prostitution and human trafficking. Money generated from the tax would go into an existing state fund to help pay for services for human trafficking survivors. Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, of Lincoln, says she was shocked that escort services receive the tax break, given the Legislature’s multi-year push to fight human trafficking.
LAKE MCCONAUGHY RESTRICTIONS
Lake McConaughy restrictions delayed after public outcry
OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is delaying action on a set of restrictions that would drastically limit overnight campers and beachgoers at Nebraska’s largest reservoir, Lake McConaughy in western Nebraska. Commission Director Jim Douglas said Saturday that additional time is needed to consider the suggestions offered by hundreds of people who showed up for a hearing on the proposed rules. Most people at Thursday’s meeting said they wanted more law enforcement and greater attention to checkpoints, not limits on access to the lake. The proposed restrictions were developed following complaints about overcrowding and rowdy behavior last Fourth of July.
WINTER WEATHER
Winter storm brings heavy snow, ice to Midwest, Northeast
CHICAGO (AP) — A winter storm that dumped snow and sleet on the Midwest and Plains is creating travel headaches after airlines canceled flights and officials shut down major roads. The storm system began moving through the Plains and Midwest on Friday, leading to trouble at airports in Chicago and Kansas City. It’s expected to spread to the Northeast through Saturday evening. Blizzard conditions with powerful winds have been reported in some areas. Officials in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa say blowing snow is making it nearly impossible to see in some areas. Stretches of highway in the Dakotas and Wyoming have been shut down.
OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING
Nebraska man in Kansas officer-involved shooting arrested
LARNED, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says a Nebraska man involved in a fight with a sheriff’s deputy who fired shots at him has been arrested. Authorities say the shooting happened early Saturday following a traffic stop near the west-central Kansas town of Larned. A KBI news release says a Pawnee County sheriff’s deputy shot at a passenger in the vehicle following an altercation. The passenger then fled on foot. The KBI says the passenger, identified as 21-year-old Alejandro Alvarado, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was later found at Pawnee Rock, Kansas, and arrested. He had not been shot.