LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)-- The ringleader of killers who gunned down five people at a Norfolk bank eight years ago will remain on death row. In an opinion released Friday, the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Jose Sandoval. His legal team argued the trial court made 17 errors in Sandoval's case. The high court agreed one error was made - that a jury was instructed it could consider victims' mental anguish when deciding whether Sandoval should be sentenced to death. But the high court said the error was harmless. Prosecutors said Sandoval personally killed three people, including a bank customer, while partners fanned out and killed two employees at the bank.
NORFOLK, Neb. (AP)-- A northeast Nebraska railroad bridge that collapsed during this spring's flooding is being repaired, but it's not clear when it will be ready. The Nebraska Central Railroad bridge collapsed in June because of flooding along the Elkhorn River and killed a worker standing on the bridge. Earlier this week, both of the metal bridge spans were pulled out of the river. Railroad spokesman Chad Korth says the spans are damaged but should be salvageable. Now that the bridge spans are out of the river, the support system for the bridge can be rebuilt. The bridge provided Norfolk's only link to the main Union Pacific rail line, so several businesses have had to truck in supplies since the flooding.
NORFOLK-- Norfolk Police continue to look for a man who, along with another woman, robbed a female victim at gun point Thursday in central Norfolk. Norfolk Police say around 11:30 am the victm told officers that she had been robbed at gunpoint by a man and woman that she knew. The suspects took approximately $100 from her purse and fled the area. Officers located the vehicle near Woodhurst apartments at Riverside Boulevard and Benjamin Avenue. The male subject fled while the female, 23-year-old Sada Carr of Norfolk, stayed in the vehicle. Carr was arrested for robbery and transferred to the Madison County Jail. Police have issued a warrant and continue to search for the male suspect, identified as 23-year-old Joshua Taylor of Norfolk. Anyone having information about the robbery or the whereabouts of Joshua Taylor are asked to call Norfolk Police. Officials say no shots were fired and no one was injured in the incident.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)-- Nebraska Republicans are going into this weekend's GOP state convention in Fremont with a popular governor up for re-election and a full slate of well-funded candidates. That's a stark contrast to the anxious atmosphere around last week's Nebraska Democratic Party convention. Most of the Democratic candidates for statewide and federal seats lag woefully behind their Republican counterparts in fundraising. And delegates entered the convention in Columbus charged with nominating a replacement candidate for governor - with only three months to go until the general election. State GOP Chairman Mark Fahleson says that does not mean Nebraska Republicans are taking victory in November for granted. He says the message will be to keep working to get Republicans elected.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)-- Nebraska Gov Dave Heineman says he'll make a final decision on whether to allow drinking in state parks within the next month or so. Heineman was at Ogallala and nearby Lake McConaughy on Friday to get opinions on the matter. Nebraska has banned drinking since 1995, after alcohol fueled rowdy parties and violence at Lake McConaughy.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)-- Nebraska is reporting its first cases of West Nile virus this year. Health officials say a Scotts Bluff County man in his fifties and a Colfax County man in his forties tested positive for the illness. The Scotts Bluff County man was hospitalized for treatment but has since been released.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)-- About 300 Nebraska National Guard soldiers ship out this weekend for a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. A farewell ceremony will be held Saturday morning at Hawks Field in Lincoln for the members of the 1-134th Cavalry Squadron.
WAYNE, Neb. (AP)-- Lockable prescription drug containers will be handed out this week's Wayne County Fair to make it harder for the drugs to be abused. Wayne State College plans to hand out the secure drug containers to make it harder for teens and others to get access to prescription medicine. The college's Kathy Mohfeld says a 2009 federal report suggested that one out of five high school students in the United States had taken a prescription drug without a proper prescription. Mohfeld says locking up powerful painkillers and other drugs can help control the problem. A grant paid for the drug containers.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)-- Residents have one last chance to stand up and be counted in the 2010 census. Friday is the last day people who think they have not been counted in the census can call and complete questionnaires via phone interviews. The number is 1-866-872-6868. Preliminary figures released in the spring showed the return rate of census forms in Nebraska was 76 percent, compared to 72 percent nationally. In the fall, the Census Bureau will release final mail-return rates after census workers double-check the occupancy status of all households that didn't return a form.
NORFOLK-- By now, we've all heard of the video game "rock band". It gives you a chance to live out your dream of playing in a superstar band in front of a roaring crowd. For a large group of Norfolk teens, that dream became reality this week. Norfolk's Midwest Music Center hosted it's 5th annual Rock Band Camp, which is an opportunity for musicians ages 12 to 19 to learn more about forming a band and playing in front of a live audience. All week they were taught by professional musicians who instructed them on instrument techniques, concert promotions, recording, rehearsals, behind the scenes work and more. As a finale to the camp, the students held a concert in front of a live audience Thursday night where they played three songs. One of them was a "challenge" song in which they took a country song and arranged it in the style of rock 'n roll.
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