OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will change its approach to managing the Missouri River following a summer of record flooding that damaged or destroyed nearly 400 homes, led to millions of dollars in road repairs and forced communities to scramble to build temporary levees. The corps announced Monday that it will make the changes in the coming winter and spring. Those changes include getting as much water out of the river basin’s reservoir system as possible this fall and winter, as well as analyzing how much more reservoir space might be reserved to ease the flooding. The corps says the change came in response to concerns voiced by residents during eight public meetings held recently in Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana and North Dakota.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – An Iowa man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty in a prostitution case in Nebraska. The U.S. attorney’s office in Omaha says 45-year-old Richard Costanzo, of Carter Lake, was sentenced last week after pleaded guilty to several crimes that happened between 1997 and 2009. They stemmed from the operation of an escort service in Omaha. Costanzo also was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to witness tampering in a related case. That sentence is to run at the same time as his sentence for the prostitution and other convictions.

An Essex woman who had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide in connection with the deaths of two Cumberland boys was sentenced today (Monday) to serve two 10-year prison terms. 19-year old Karli Jo Brown,  will serve the sentences concurrently (at the same time).  She also was ordered to pay a yet-undetermined amount of restitution. Brown was the driver of a car that passed other vehicles in a no-passing zone on a hill and collided head-on with another vehicle, on November 28th, 2010. She driving almost 25-miles over the posted speed limit and texting her boyfriend when the crash occurred.

Two children in the other vehicle driven, by Nina McNeese, of Cumberland, died.  Five-year old Maliki and 4-year old Alex McNeese were properly buckled in, but died at the scene of the crash on Highway 48.  Brown and Nina McNeese were injured in the crash.

In April, Brown was charged with two counts of motor vehicle homicide and one count of causing serious injury by motor vehicle. In return for a guilty plea, prosecutors later dropped the charge of causing serious injury by motor vehicle. The county attorney says the deal allowed Nina McNeese, to avoid the pain of a trial.