Officials are confirming that Omaha's 9-1-1 system was flooded with fireworks-related calls on July 4th. Omaha City Councilman Ron Hug says 500 fireworks-related calls came in during a single hour after 11:00 p.m. on Saturday. Hug says the high volume caused some callers to be unable to get through, and 9-1-1 operators returned calls to 180 people whose calls were not answered on the first attempt.
A fire at an Omaha recycling center is under investigation. The blaze broke out at Downtown Recycling near 14th and Grace streets yesterday afternoon. No injuries have been reported.
Details are released surrounding the firing on a Douglas County deputy. Twenty-three-year-old Nolan Dudik was fired May 5th following an internal investigation that revealed policy violations. The investigation started after a cyber tip linked Dudik's iCloud account to images of potential child sexual abuse material. Other allegations against Dudik include threatening to kill any law enforcement officer that arrived at his residence in response to an ongoing disturbance and taking photos of on-duty female deputies and using AI to generate nude images.
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen is announcing the start of a new Workforce Pell Grant program. Pillen visited Metropolitan Community College in Omaha yesterday to announce the new federal initiative. The program is designed to help students pay for tuition and other costs for short-term career training in high-demand areas.
Omaha's Inland Port Authority is revealing plans for an innovation district. The district would establish new businesses and new jobs in the area of 30th and Ames. Officials say the district would be designed to attract startups, institutions and other employers in an underserved part of the city. Phase one on the six-acre site calls for the creation of an innovation space.
A former University of Nebraska wrestler is under arrest. A.J. Ferrari was arrested yesterday by Douglas County authorities on a Lancaster County warrant for assault by strangulation of a pregnant woman, domestic violence assault, and false imprisonment. Ferrari was also arrested last month in Lincoln County on suspicion of flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving and obstructing the police.
The River City Transfer recycling drop off site in Omaha is closed. Omaha Public Works officials are asking residents to use the southeast Omaha drop-off site at 72nd and Farnam streets. The southwest drop-off site near 102nd and I streets is also available to residents.