Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale says county election offices across the state are seeing an increase in early voting over years’ past.

The state’s three largest counties – Lancaster, Sarpy and Douglas – say this election’s early ballot requests have already exceeded those for the 2008 general election, with more people voting early in-person.

Sarpy County Election Commissioner Wayne Bena says more than 17,000 voters have requested early ballots, while nearly 20,000 have sought early ballots in Lancaster County.

In Douglas County, almost 4,000 people have voted in person so far with almost 55,000 asking for early ballots more than 20,000 of those already already returned.

County election offices in the Panhandle are also seeing plenty of interest in early voting.

Scotts Bluff County Clerk and election commissioner Vera Dulaney says she has had a steady stream of foot traffic that has her thinking this year should at least match the record 4,000 early ballots she handled 4 years ago.

Dawes County Clerk Cheryl Feist says her office has had a lot of contacts about the election, although more about just making sure the caller was properly registered than about early voting.

As for early voting, Feist says the Dawes County numbers are looking to be just about what they’ve been in the last few elections…with 443 ballots cast as of Thursday afternoon and about 600 expected by Election Day.

Registered voters have until the end of the month to request early voting ballots to be mailed to them, with November 5th…the day before the election…the dealine for early voting at county election offices.

Next Friday, October 26th, is the Nebraska deadline to register to vote for the November election, and all county election offices will be open to 6 pm local time that day.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska has awarded $2.7 million in grants to cities for local public works and water treatment projects.

Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy announced that eight cities will receive community development block grants. The federal grant money is administered by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.

The money will help pay for projects in Loup City, Sidney, South Sioux City, Taylor, Walthill, Crawford, Haigler and North Loup. Cities will use the money for sidewalk and street upgrades, new wastewater treatment plants and water storage facilities. The city of Walthill will receive a new fire station.

 

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say a juvenile has escaped custody while at a truck stop in Grand Island.

Hastings television station KHAS reports (https://bit.ly/SZUcDR) that Grand Island police say the boy was being taken from Madison in northeast Nebraska to Hall County in south-central Nebraska on Tuesday. While at the truck stop on East U.S. Highway 30, he asked to go to the bathroom. He soon escaped and headed toward a nearby railroad yard.

A Hall County dispatcher said early Wednesday that she had no information on whether the boy had been caught. Grand Island police didn’t answer a call to a nonemergency number.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A Lincoln-based postal contractor who misused a gas card given to him by the U.S. Postal Service has been given three years of probation.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports (https://bit.ly/Pu0WWf ) that 73-year-old Ervin Stepanek was sentenced on Tuesday.

Stepanek told the judge he was sorry and that he accepted full responsibility for his crime. Stepanek had pleaded guilty to theft of public money.

He’s already paid back $90,000. He must pay nearly $37,000 more.

Court records say Stepanek admitted that from May 2005 until early 2008 he stole gas by misusing the card. At the time, Stepanek’s company, Blue Falcon Mail Service, had contracted to carry mail between postal outlets.

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) – A Fremont man has won $1 million from the Nebraska Mega Millions lottery game.

The Nebraska Lottery says a ticket bought by Gerald Ritter at Tom’s Beverage Shop in Fremont matched five of the six numbers from Friday’s drawing: 6, 10, 24, 26 and 42. That won him $250,000, But he’d added the $1 Megaplier option, which multiplied the $250,000 by four.

Ritter says he and his wife, Robin Ritter, plan to pay bills and save the rest of the money for their future.

 

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) – A Sargent mother has been charged with two counts of felony child abuse for an Aug. 22 crash that killed one of her daughters and a friend.

Investigators say 28-year-old Amanda Wilder was south of Miller on U.S. Highway 183 when she lost control of the truck and it rolled, ejecting three of the four people in the truck.

Eleven-year-old Destani Wilder and 24-year-old Rebecca Veeder died at the scene. Amanda Wilder and 8-year-old Montannah Wilder were treated at a hospital.

The Kearney Hub reports (https://bit.ly/RC0hD0 ) that investigators believe Amanda Wilder was speeding, and that none of the truck’s occupants were wearing seat belts, as required by law.

A phone listing could not be found for Amanda Wilder. Online court records indicate she does not yet have an attorney.

BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP) – Developers expect to harvest enough power from a new central Nebraska wind farm to meet the needs of about 25,000 homes.

Government, utility and company officials gathered Tuesday near Broken Bow to dedicate the Broken Bow Wind project, which was developed and will be run by Edison Mission Energy, of Santa Ana, Calif.

The Grand Island Independent says (https://bit.ly/T0vnYq) a brisk wind blew at the ceremony, prompting Edison Mission Energy President Pedro Pizarro to remark that Nebraska is a “really good wind resource.”

The farm’s 50 turbines stand more than 262 feet high and stretch across about 14,000 acres of central Nebraska fields. Commercial operation is expected to begin within weeks.

WAHOO, Neb. (AP) – A 22-year-old Omaha man has been charged with manslaughter for the death of a woman in a boating accident near Fremont

Saunders County Attorney Scott Tingelhoff says Sean Salisbury is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 13.

Tingelhoff says Salisbury was driving a boat at Woodcliff Lakes south of Fremont when the accident occurred on July 9. The Saunders County Sheriff’s Office says Salisbury got too close to the docks, so he turned sharply. The tube he was towing swung into a boat that was on a lift at the docks.

Authorities say 21-year-old Kayla Linn, of Omaha, was on the tube. She was pronounced dead at a Fremont hospital.

A phone listing for Salisbury couldn’t be found. Online court records don’t list the name of his attorney.