OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police have released the names of a teenager who was fatally wounded and a young woman who also was shot in northeast Omaha.

The dead girl was identified as 16-year-old Eriana Carr. The other victim was identified as 20-year-old Nakia Johnson. Police say Johnson remained in stable condition Wednesday at Nebraska Medical Center.

Officers who were sent to reports of a shooting about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday found the two victims.

No arrests have been reported. The investigation is continuing.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Valero Energy has again stopped production at its ethanol plant in Albion in eastern Nebraska.

Company spokesman Bill Day says the plant was idled recently because low margins mean it can’t make ethanol profitably right now.

The company originally shut the plant down in June because of high corn prices. It restarted the plant in mid-September after corn prices fell from all-time highs. Corn prices are about the same right now, but Day says margins haven’t improved. Falling gasoline prices and falling demand could also be a factor.

Day says Valero plans to restart the Albion plant when margins improve.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s U.S. Senate race that once appeared headed for a blowout has gotten newfound attention with a frenzy of spending on political ads and some polls showing the race could be tightening.

With less than a week to go before Election Day, Republican Deb Fischer is banking on her association with the state’s most popular Republicans. She also has tried to tie opponent Bob Kerrey to President Barack Obama and other national Democrats in the deeply conservative state.

Kerrey is fighting back with a nod to Nebraska history of electing conservative-leaning Democrats by reaching out to Republican and independent voters.

And between the two candidates is a new rush of ads funded by hundreds of thousands of dollars by outside groups.

Today is the first National Bison Day…created by a coalition made up of the Colorado-based National Bison Association, the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society and the South Dakota-based Intertribal Buffalo Council.

The coalition agreed earlier this year to designate the first Thursday of each November as National Bison Day as part of their Vote Bison campaign to convince Congress to designate the bison as the National Mammal of the United States.

Lawmakers from 8 states….Nebraska,Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Rhode Island…have given support to a bill that would make the designation official.

The National Mammal designation would not give the bison any extra protection, but the coalition says it would give the species…the largest land mammal in the United States…a higher profile and let it join the bald eagle as a symbol of the United States.

The Vote Bison campaign says the bison…or the more common, but incorrect buffalo…helped shape the Great Plains and the lifestyle of the Native Americans who lived there, and are now found in all 50 states.

The coalition has its own website…votebison.org…with more information about the campaign and about contacting members of Congress to sign onto the National Bison Legacy Act today.

The Act has bipartisan support in Congress, with the Senate version introduced by Wyoming Republican Mike Enzi and South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson.

The House version began with Nebraska Republican Jeff Fortenberry and Missouri Democrat William Lacy Clay, who were then joined by South Dakota Republican Kristi Noem and New York Democrat Jose Serrano

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials say the latest draft of Nebraska’s revised social students standards contains more detail on what the state expects of its school districts, teachers and students.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the revision released Monday was more specific than a draft released in May, reflecting changes based on public input and evaluations from outside experts.

State officials want the standards focused on broad concepts, leaving details to districts around the state. The lack of detail had been criticized, however, after the May draft was released.

The standards have four content areas: history, economics, geography and civics. They are separated into various grade levels.

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Public Power District says it’s dispatching 16 line technicians to help restore electricity in some areas left powerless by superstorm Sandy.

The utility says the workers will leave Wednesday morning and head to West Virginia. They’ll be helping workers for Appalachian Power Co., which is a division of American Electric Power. More than 150,000 Appalachian Power customers were reported to be without power because of blizzard conditions and heavy snow spawned by from the superstorm.

The Nebraska workers crews are expected to remain in West Virginia through Nov. 7, but could remain longer if needed by Appalachian Power.

 

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man accused of attacking another man with a machete has pleaded guilty to second-degree assault.

The Lincoln Journal Star says 40-year-old Juan Cruz entered the plea on Monday in Lancaster County District Court. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced Dec. 4.

Lincoln police says Cruz broke into an apartment and attacked the other man on Jan 1. Police say the other man used a hammer to fight back and chased Cruz out of the apartment. The man was treated for cuts on his head and hands.

Authorities say the fight was over a woman.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A FedEx jet has landed safely at Eppley Airfield in Omaha after reporting possible problems with its landing gear.

The cockpit crew had reported that an indicator light raised the concern after the plane took off from Omaha on Tuesday morning.

The pilot declared an emergency and turned the jet back toward the airport.

The plane landed without incident around 8:45 a.m. as fire and rescue crews stood ready with their equipment.