With Big Ten reversal, Trump aims to score in battlegrounds
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was quick to spike the ball in celebration when the Big Ten announced the return of fall football at colleges clustered in some of the Midwest battleground states critical to his reelection effort. But his efforts to reverse last month’s decision to postpone fall sports in the conference because of the novel coronavirus were far from the only factor that led officials to change course. The Big Ten was under enormous pressure to restart the season from athletes, parents, coaches and college towns that rely on football Saturdays to provide much needed tax revenue.
NEBRASKA PROTEST SHOOTING
New evidence key to charges in Nebraska protester’s death
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — This week’s decision to charge a white bar owner who fatally shot a Black man during a chaotic night of protests in downtown Omaha months after the shooting was deemed self-defense highlights how difficult it can be to sort out these cases. The key difference in the Omaha case is that the grand jury that reviewed the case had additional evidence about what happened before surveillance video showed Jake Gardner shooting 22-year-old James Scurlock on May 30 after the two scuffled. Legal experts say prosecutors face a difficult task because the case will hinge on what both men intended to do that night.
NEBRASKA PROTEST SHOOTING
Grand jury charges Nebraska bar owner in protester’s death
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A grand jury has decided that a white business owner who fatally shot a Black man during civil unrest in downtown Omaha this spring should be charged with manslaughter and other charges. Prosecutors initially declined to charge Jake Gardner in the May 30 shooting of 22-year-old James Scurlock, saying they believed he acted in self-defense. Special Prosecutor Frederick Franklin said Tuesday that a grand jury reviewed additional evidence, including Gardner’s text messages, Facebook profile and reports of his interactions with other people before the shooting, and decided that evidence undermines the self-defense theory. He declined to provide specifics about the new evidence.
BODY IN BURNING CAR
Police: Body found in burning car near Plattsmouth airport
PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. (AP) — Authorities found a person’s body inside a burning car near the airport in Plattsmouth, about 20 miles south of Omaha. The Omaha World-Herald reports that firefighters and Cass County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call just before 7 a.m. Monday of a report of a vehicle on fire along a county road. After extinguishing the fire, authorities found the body in the car’s back seat. Officials had not identified the body by midday Wednesday. The Nebraska Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.
OMAHA HOMICIDE
Police say man shot in north Omaha dies at hospital
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police are searching for suspects in the shooting death of a man in north Omaha. Police say the shooting happened around 8 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of 18th and Spencer streets. Officers responding to reports of the shooting found 31-year-old Tremayne Jennings in a car with gunshot wounds. Police say Jennings’ car had hit a parked car and a fence before stopping. Jennings was rushed to an Omaha hospital, where he died from his injuries. Police are asking the public for any information on the shooting and note that tips leading to an arrest are eligible for a $25,000 reward.
DISBARRED LAWYER SENTENCED
Disbarred Lincoln lawyer sentenced to prison for theft
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln lawyer disbarred last year by the Nebraska Supreme Court has been sentenced to prison for stealing from his clients. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that 44-year-old Craig Hoffman was sentenced earlier this month to two to four years in prison after pleading no contest this summer to theft of over $5,000. Police originally said Hoffman had kept $27,500 in insurance checks intended for two of his clients. The payments either were part of a settlement or intended to pay their medical bills. Police later learned of three other victims. Hoffman voluntarily surrendered his license to practice law in Nebraska and was disbarred last October.
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