Attorney General Jon Bruning issued the following comment regarding the Nebraska Supreme Court decision to uphold the sentence of death row inmate Marco Torres.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ flexible approach to water releases out of the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System during December and January has created an additional 500,000 acre-feet of flood control storage available for the 2012  runoff season.

One of the two suspects to lead law enforcement on a high speed chase, followed by a search after they wrecked and abandoned the vehicle they had allegeldly stolen was apprehended yesterday. A report came in to the Fremont County Sheriff's office that a subject was running south on the West Nishnabotna levee. Deputies responded and apprehended Sean Christopher Schmidt, 37, of St. Joseph, Mo.

Nebraska’s congressional delegation announced this year’s schedule for the Nebraska Breakfast, the gathering held each Wednesday Congress is in session for Nebraskans to meet with members of the delegation.

While the mild winter has caused overuse on an Omaha golf course, the Wildwood Golf Course at Nebraska City is reporting good conditions heading into the spring season.

The Johnny Goodman Golf Course on 99th Street in Omaha is closing temporarily due to overuse.

The closure is due in part to high traffic as golfers taken advantage of the warm December and January weather.

Jon Casey, manager of the Nebraska City course, encouraged people to keep playing this winter said the course is set up for a good spring.

NE Rain, the Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network, is reporting zero precipitation in some places of southeast Nebraska for January and a high of .04 inches near Nebraska City.

The average January precipitation at Lincoln over the past 30 years is .67 inches. January and February are traditionally the region's driest months.

Precipitation from October through January is 4.87 inches, compared to a normal over the four months of 5.53 inches.

Average retail gasoline prices in Nebraska have risen 1.6 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.28/g yesterday. This compares with the national average that has increased 4.5 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.39/g, according to gasoline price website NebraskaGasPrices.com.

With Federal Emergency Management Agency approval, work to restore Riverview Marina State Recreation Area at Nebraska City is poised to begin.

Randy Fox, park superintendent, said bids have been received for dirt work and tree removal and now await FEMA approval for payment.

The work includes removing dozens of trees that fell or leaned when flooding left the entire park underwater for four months.

Fox said the remaining trees will be watched closely this spring, but he expects some to survive.

An Oregon driver is jailed after troopers seized 103.5 pounds of marijuana from his sports utility vehicle.

Just after 8 a.m. on Friday, a trooper stopped an eastbound 2011 Mitsubishi Endeavor for speeding on Interstate-80 near the Pleasant Dale exit in Seward County.

An NSP canine indicated the odor of drugs coming from the rear of the SUV. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 103.5 lbs. of marijuana.

A Nebraska City man who pelleted his wife with a shotgun blast as she mowed the lawn last summer received a five-year probation sentence Thursday.

District Judge Daniel Bryan sentenced James T. Booth, 47, to probation and ordered his guns returned to the family.

Police were alerted to the incident on June 3 on a report of a man shooting a gun at 1314 13th Corso.

Officers found Booth outside holding a shotgun and tasered him after he refused to put the weapon down.

Today, Gov. Dave Heineman offered support for LB970 before the state Legislature's Revenue Committee today saying his $327 million tax cut proposal is needed to provide relief to middle class taxpayers.

“Nebraska has made significant progress in terms of taxes, but Nebraskans are still taxed too highly,” said Gov. Heineman. “Nebraskans deserve to keep more of the money they make instead of handing it over to government to spend. Nebraska is in the top half of highest taxed states and we can, and must, do better.”

The governor's office says  LB 970 will provide individual income tax relief  by lowering rates and expanding brackets. Heineman reports that 77 percent of the relief will go to Nebraskans with combined household incomes up to $150,000 annually.

Twelve hunting-related incidents were reported to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in 2011. Two of those incidents each resulted in the death of one person.

Neal Niedfeldt, Beatrice city administrator since 2008, announced Monday he will be president and CEO of the Grand Island based Southern Power effective March 1.

Niedfeldt, who was also manager of Beatrice's Board of Public Works, previously worked for Norris Public Power. He earned $143,000 per year at Beatrice.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has selected Chris Henderson as the new resident inspector at the Cooper Nuclear plant located 23 miles south of Nebraska City.

“Chris Henderson’s background and experience will assist the NRC in carrying out its mission of protecting people and the environment and ensuring the safe operation of nuclear power plants,” said NRC Region IV Administrator Elmo E. Collins.

Henderson joined the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in February 2010 as a Reactor Operations Engineer in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. He worked in the Division of Inspection Regional Support where he qualified as Reactor Oversight Process Engineer.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Nebraska formally announced today its plans to host the first Republican Senate debate for the 2012 election cycle. The debate, which will be held at the Ramada Convention Center in Kearney, on Saturday, February 11, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., will be open to the public.

January 25th marks the tenth anniversary of a tragic drunk driving crash that killed four Nebraska residents and changed the face of drunk driving forever. The work done by those left behind has brought ignition interlock technology to states across our nation and has made our roads safer for future generations.

The chairman of the Otoe County Board of Commissioners said Tuesday that Gov. Dave Heineman's proposal to eliminate the inheritance tax would dramatically impact county services.

“This is a serious issue for county government and we want people to understand there could be dramatic changes in county government and how it does its job,” Tim Nelsen said.

Nelsen said the $700,000 collected by Otoe County last year represents up to 15 percent of the county's income.

If you exclude expenditures that are state mandated and expenditures that are paid for by outside sources, Nelsen said, there remains a 30 percent section of the budget for cuts.

Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson announced that Nebraska Supreme Court Justice John M. Gerrard was confirmed this evening to be U.S. district judge for the District of Nebraska by an strong bipartisan vote of 74-to-16.

Iowa landowners from among the worst flooded areas along the Missouri River this summer selected levee and drainage district trustees in an election held Saturday at Percival.

Voters selected two of three trustees for the Benton-Washington Levee District, which is expected to assist the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers obtain easements for the repair and improvements to the flood levee.

Results from the Fremont County auditor's office indicate 32 votes for incumbent Pat Sheldon and 37 votes for Wayne Clark.

 Boaters should be aware of a new legal requirement that became effective Jan. 1, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.