Nebraska
Judge rejects plea to drop charges against former History Nebraska director | Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — A Lancaster County judge has rejected a request by former History Nebraska Director Trevor Jones to dismiss the felony theft charge he faces.
District Judge Susan Strong, in an eight-page decision released Monday, ruled that the State of Nebraska had provided enough evidence to show that the case against Jones should proceed to trial.
Jones, through his attorney, John Ball of Lincoln, had contested a recent decision to bind his case over from county court for a trial, prompting a hearing before Strong a month ago.
The judge ruled that state prosecutors had met their burden of providing “probable cause” that a crime had been committed.
Jones, 51, faces up to 20 years in prison for felony theft by deception, a charge that was spawned by a critical state audit in 2022 — an audit first reported by the Examiner.
Jones, who resigned shortly before that audit came out, is accused of redirecting about $270,000 in funds provided by the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation to cover financial losses caused by COVID-19.
Instead of depositing the fund with the state treasurer, as required, Jones deposited the funds into a private foundation he had helped create, to bolster its accounts.
Money never used for intended purpose
Investigators also testified that the funds were never used for their intended purpose — to cover lost revenue due to the pandemic.
Jones, according to court files, has maintained that he was directed to deposit the funds into the newly created History Nebraska Foundation by the executive committee of the History Nebraska Board of Trustees.
The former director also argued that he had full discretion on how to spend the money, a contention disputed by the donor of the funds, which were provided, at Jones’ request, for the purpose of covering financial losses caused by the closing of history museums during the pandemic.
Corey O’Brien, a chief prosecutor in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, has maintained that Jones either lied about his intended use of the money or failed to correct a false impression in order to get the $270,000 donated.
Enough evidence to bind over for a trial
Judge Strong, in her ruling, said that “the evidence supports the inference that defendant knowingly, intentionally, and unlawfully obtained the funds by deception.”
“This evidence is sufficient to establish probable cause to believe that the Defendant committed the crime of theft by deception,” she added.
Jones’ stint at History Nebraska director covered six years and was marked by efforts to modernize the agency’s collections, but also by employees’ complaints about unnecessary and heavy-handed supervision of their work.
He also spatted with the long-established Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation, a spat that prompted him eventually to establish a new replacement to raise funds, the History Nebraska Foundation.
A bill is pending in the Nebraska Legislature to end History Nebraska’s status as an independent state agency and put it under the governor’s director. Debate on Legislative Bill 1169 has not yet been scheduled.
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Nebraska
Sidney graduate Karsyn Leeling earns Gatorade Nebraska Girls Track and Field Player of the Year
SIDNEY, Neb. (KNOP) – Karsyn Leeling was named 2023-2024 Gatorade Nebraska Girls Track and Field Player of the Year. The Sidney High School athlete had a senior season to remember in track and field. In May she wrapped up her high school career with three Class B state championships claiming titles in the long jump, triple jump and the high jump. She would also break a state record in the high jump back in April.
Leeling went on to win a national title in the high jump at Nike Outdoor Nationals clearing six feet even to earn All-American honors.
She maintained a 3.66 PGA in the classroom and will continue her track and field career at the University of Nebraska this coming fall.
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Copyright 2024 KNOP. All rights reserved.
LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen took the next step in securing a special session in the state’s legislature this summer.
Gov. Pillen on Tuesday sent a letter to Speaker John Arch, officially announcing his plans to call senators back to Lincoln on July 25. The purpose of the session is to make more headway on addressing property taxes in Nebraska.
“In my sine die address in April, I stated that I would call a special session this summer to facilitate another opportunity for us to meet Nebraskans’ demand that their elected leaders fix this crisis now,” read the Governor’s letter, in part. “I have traveled extensively across the state since the Legislature adjourned and have heard from a wide range of people. Their message is clear: stop this massive overall tax increase by fixing property taxes.”
Gov. Pillen has been hosting town halls across the state over the past two months since the legislative session ended, working to educate Nebraskans on what he calls a “tax crisis.”
He still has several of those meetings planned:
Wednesday, June 26
1:30 p.m. (CT) Columbus: Columbus Chamber of Commerce, 753 33rd Ave, Columbus
Thursday, June 27
10:00 a.m. (CT) Valentine: Mid Plains Community College, 715 E Hwy 20, Valentine
1:00 p.m. (MT) Chadron: Chadron State College, Student Center – Lakota Room, 1000 Main Street, Chadron
4:30 p.m. (MT) Alliance: Westside Events Center, 2472 County Road 62, Alliance
Friday, June 28
8:30 a.m. (MT) Ogallala: Petrified Wood Gallery, 418 East 1st Street, Ogallala
1:00 p.m. (CT) McCook: Coppermill Steakhouse, 202 Coppermill St., McCook
4:00 p.m. (CT) Lexington: Central Community College – The Opportunity Center, 1501 Plum Creek Pkwy, Lexington
Along with slashing property taxes, Gov. Pillen also wants to ensure that the legislature knows he will call a special session regarding other “unfinished business” leftover from the 2024 legislative session, which could include Nebraska’s move to a “winner-take-all” state during elections.
Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Nebraska’s unemployment rate in May was unchanged at a seasonally adjusted rate of 2.5%. That rate is unchanged from September 2023 and up 0.4% from May 2023.
Nebraska’s rate is the fourth lowest in the nation. The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2024 is 4.0 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from the April 2024 rate of 3.9 percent and up 0.3 percentage points from the May 2023 rate of 3.7 percent.
“Nebraska’s total nonfarm employment has been on an upward trajectory since February and reached an all-time high in May at 1,077,200,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. “Omaha’s leisure and hospitality industry saw a large gain over the month, with all the metro areas reaching record highs in total nonfarm employment.”
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