October 2012 – Page 25 – North Platte Post Archive

Meteor Shower October 21st, Thanks To Halley’s Comet

Posted on October 18, 2012

The night sky will show a beautiful scene of shooting stars and North Platte is a great place to be for something like this. Because light pollution levels are always low, the stars above are pretty visible on an clear sky night.

Every October, meteors from Halley’s Comet enter the earth’s atmosphere, creating a nice show everyone around the world can see. Shooting stars should be visible Saturday and Sunday night, the peak of the shower is predicted to be during the early morning Sunday, October 21s, at around 4am. The peak time should display dozens of meteors per hour.

NASA will be streaming the action that night in-case you don’t want to be outside in the cold. Orionid meteor showers have been very promising in the past with displays of 60 or more shooting stars an hour.

Grab your hubby and a few blankets, enjoy the gaze into the sky while making countless wishes that may actually never come true!

Maxwell Wildcat Sports Update – October 18

Posted on October 18, 2012

The Wildcats take the gridiron for Homecoming on Friday night against undefeated Hemingford. Hear head coach Ryan Jones talk about why he believes his team will have a great effort in store for their visitors. Also, the Lady Wildcats volleyball team is trying to pull out of a slump before subdistricts. Hear all about it on this week’s Maxwell Wildcat sports update!

Thursday Sports Day – Yankees Try to Keep Season Alive

Posted on October 18, 2012

Keeping their fingers crossed in the Motor City

UNDATED (AP) — The Tigers and Yankees are hoping for better weather today after rain washed out Game 4 of the American League Championship Series last night in Detroit.

The home team sends Max Scherzer to the mound in hopes of completing a four-game sweep. The Yanks hand the ball to ace left-hander CC Sabathia.

If Game 5 is necessary, they’ll play tomorrow in the Motor City, on what was to have been a travel day.

The Cardinals bring a 2-1 lead over the Giants into tonight’s Game 4 of the National League Championship Series in St. Louis.

The Redbirds beat San Francisco 3-1 last night in a game featuring a three and a-half hour rain delay.

The Giants are going with Tim Lincecum against the Cards’ Adam Wainwright.

Clash of co-leaders leads off Week 7

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Seahawks ride momentum from their come-from-behind victory over the Patriots into tonight’s NFL game in San Francisco. The 49ers are trying to put a disappointing loss to the New York Giants in their rear view mirror. Both teams are 4-2 and tied with Arizona for the NFC West lead, one game ahead of St. Louis.

The Niners and Seahawks both feature stellar defenses. San Francisco is No. 1 overall and Seattle is fourth.

Pac-12 battle in the Valley of the Sun

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Undefeated Oregon faces its first stiff test of the season after playing five home games and one in Seattle against Washington State. The second-ranked Ducks bring a 6-0 record to Tempe, to face a 5-1 Arizona State squad.

Oregon has won seven straight in this series and four in a row in Sun Devils Stadium.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
N-Y Yankees at Detroit 3:07 p.m.
San Francisco at St. Louis 7:07 p.m.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Seattle at San Francisco 7:20 p.m.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Detroit at Miami 6:30 p.m.
New Orleans at Atlanta 6:30 p.m.
Boston at Brooklyn 7:00 p.m.
Memphis vs Milwaukee 7:00 p.m., La Crosse Center

Boy Scouts Of America Releasing 20,000 Files Of Possible Abuse

Posted on October 18, 2012

Confidential files kept by the Boy Scouts of America on men they suspected of child sex abuse are set to be released after a two-year-long court battle.

The anticipated release of the files on Thursday by Portland attorney Kelly Clark will reveal 20,000 pages of documents the Scouts kept on men inside — and in some cases outside — the organization believed to have committed acts of abuse.

The court-ordered release of the so-called perversion files from 1965 to 1985 has prompted the organization to pledge that they will go back into the files and report any offenders who may have not been reported to the police when alleged abuse took place.

That could prompt a new round of criminal prosecutions for offenders who have so far escaped justice.

UP To Release Third-Quarter Earnings Report Thursday

Posted on October 18, 2012

Union Pacific railroad will release its third-quarter earnings report Thursday morning.

Investors will be looking closely at how much coal the Omaha-based railroad carried during the quarter. Two other major freight railroads, Norfolk Southern and CSX, have both reported continued weak coal demand because of the low natural gas prices and the mild winter.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet are expecting Union Pacific to report earnings per share of $2.18 on sales of $5.38 billion.

Railroad results are considered an indicator of the health of the economy. That’s because the carloads of products and raw materials railroads carry can tell investors how other businesses are doing.

Union Pacific operates 32,400 miles of track in 23 states from the Midwest to the West and Gulf coasts.

Three Sentenced For Fraudulent Nebraska Investment Scheme

Posted on October 18, 2012

Three people convicted in a fraudulent Nebraska investment scheme have been sentenced to prison and ordered to make restitution of more than $16.6 million.

The three were sentenced on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln.

Stella Levea and James Masat, both of Grand Island, were given eight years and a month in federal prison. Kenneth Motin, of St. Libory, was given five years. They must serve three years of supervised release after leaving prison.

Levea and Masat were the principals of First Americans Insurance Service, which had been under investigation since a 2009 bankruptcy filing. Motin worked for them.

Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning compared First Americans’ dealings to a Ponzi scheme in which investors are promised high returns and early investors are paid with money from later investors.

Wednesday Sports Wrap – Rain Impacts Baseball Playoffs

Posted on October 18, 2012

Cards take 2-1 series lead…Yanks-Tigers rained out in Detroit

UNDATED (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have taken a 2-1 lead in the NL Championship Series by outlasting the San Francisco Giants 3-1 in a game that was interrupted by a three and a-half hour rain delay at Busch Stadium.

The big hit was a Matt Carpenter two-run homer for the Cards in the third inning. Carpenter entered the game as a replacement for Carlos Beltran, who was taken out after grounding out in the first inning. The Cards say Beltran has a strained knee and his status is uncertain for Game 4.

Cards starter Kyle Lohse got the win despite a ragged start. He allowed seven hits and five walks and one run in five and two-thirds innings. The Cards bullpen was lights out. Four Cards relievers hurled three and a-third shutout innings, with Jason Motte getting the two-inning save.

Game 4 is tonight at Busch Stadium. Tim Lincecum, who was 10-15 in the regular season, opposes the Cards’ Adam Wainwright, who was 14-13 during the year.

The Detroit Tigers can clinch a spot in the World Series with a win over the Yankees in the Motor City this afternoon when Game 4 of the ALCS is scheduled after last night’s rainout. It’s CC Sabathia for the New Yorkers against Max Scherzer of the Tigers, who hold a 3-0 series lead.

Yankee manager Joe Girardi’s lineup for Game 3 had Alex Rodriguez and center fielder Curtis Granderson out of the starting lineup. Eric Chavez was scheduled in place of A-Rod at third base. Brett Gardner was scheduled to start in place of Granderson. Girardi’s lineup also had Nick Swisher back in right field after being benched in Game 3.

Lewis could return

UNDATED (AP) — Ray Lewis has been placed on injured reserve with the “designated to return” tag, which provides him the chance to play again this season. The Pro Bowl veteran tore his right triceps in Sunday’s game against Dallas. His return this season is unlikely, but by being designated to return, the 37-year-old is eligible to come back in six weeks.

The loss of Lewis was balanced somewhat by the return of linebacker Terrell Suggs, who practiced yesterday for the first time this season. Suggs has been out with a torn right Achillies tendon.

Love out up to two months…Kings retain two young stars

UNDATED (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love will miss the next six to eight weeks after breaking his right hand in a workout. The team says the two-time All-Star broke the third and fourth metacarpals on his shooting hand during a morning workout. It’s a crushing blow to the Timberwolves, who already will be without point guard Ricky Rubio for at least the first six weeks while he recovers from a torn ACL in his left knee.

In other NBA news:

— The Sacramento Kings exercised the 2013-14 contract options of center DeMarcus Cousins and guard Jimmer Fredette. Cousins is entering his third NBA season and averaged 18.1 points and a team-high 11.0 rebounds per game last season. Fredette averaged 7.6 points per game as a rookie out of BYU last season.

Irish QB returns…Spurrier may bench tackle after punch

UNDATED (AP) — Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson has been cleared by doctors to practice after he sustained a concussion in last week’s Stanford game. Now that he’s cleared to practice, Golson is expected to start Saturday when the fifth-ranked Fighting Irish play BYU in South Bend.

Golson left Notre Dame’s 20-13 overtime victory against Stanford on Saturday late in the fourth quarter when he took a helmet-to-helmet hit.

In other college football news:

— South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier says he’ll discipline defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles for throwing a punch at an LSU player last week. Spurrier said in his weekly teleconference that the discipline would probably involve missing game time. A video on YouTube shows Quarles punching LSU center P.J. Lonergan in the facemask after a first-quarter play in the Tigers’ 23-21 victory.

Earnhardt may soon be back behind the wheel

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s sister says NASCAR’s most popular driver could be back racing next week at Martinsville Speedway. Earnhardt will miss his second consecutive race Sunday at Kansas because of two concussions suffered in a six-week span.

Kelley Earnhardt Miller wrote in a post on JRNation.com that Earnhardt is on schedule to test a car early next week. If all goes well, she says he can race again Oct. 28 at Martinsville.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
St. Louis 3 San Francisco 1

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Philadelphia 113 Cleveland 99
Toronto 104 Washington 101
Houston 109 Memphis 102
Phoenix 100 Dallas 94
Portland 97 Denver 80
Golden State 98 Sacramento 88
L-A Clippers 96 Utah 94

Fires burn additional 58,000 acres in Nebraska (UPDATE)

Posted on October 18, 2012October 18, 2012

Fires in Boone, Cherry, Fillmore, Holt, Knox, Merrick and Nance counties accounted for an estimated 58,000 acres yesterday in Nebraska bringing fire acreage estimates to about 300,000 this fire season.

“There is potential for any spark to become a flame with these high winds and dry conditions,” said Al Berndt, assistant director for Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. “We have activated our fire watch and hope we don’t see more situations like we saw yesterday. This will be a persistent problem until we get some moisture on the ground. We really could use some snow.”

Updates:

Cherry – Crookston was officially re-opened this morning. Fires are contained, but firefighters are having difficulty maintaining containment lines due to the wind.

Holt –The Stuart fire is mostly contained, and crews are on-scene working hot spots. An estimated 600 acres burned including several outbuilding. A mile of trees west of Stuart was still on fire, and not contained.

Knox – A fire south of Center started this morning but is now fairly well contained thanks to the 11 responding fire departments. Approximately 200 to 300 acres were affected.

Boone, Merrick, Nance – Cedar Rapids fire remains at 100 percent contained on 500 acres. St. Edward is 100 percent contained on an estimated 160 acres. Genoa is contained in a canyon but is still active with dry timber surrounding the rim of the canyon. The fire is 50 percent out with 80 acres affected. The hay bales near Palmer are 95 to 100 percent out and did not spread beyond the feed lot.

Fillmore- Approximately 75 percent contained. Nine fire departments are on scene.

New Charge Of MVH For Man After Crash Victim Dies

Posted on October 18, 2012

A 21-year-old Omaha man faces a new charge of motor vehicle homicide following a crash in which another man died.

Sergio Valdivia-Marquez previously faced charges of driving under the influence causing serious injury and reckless driving in the crash just after midnight Saturday.

Omaha television station KETV reports (https://bit.ly/PDXugQ) that the Douglas County Attorney’s Office filed the new charge following the death Wednesday of 18-year-old Michael Tran.

Tran was taken off life support and died around 10 a.m. Wednesday. An autopsy has been scheduled for Thursday.

Police say Valdivia-Marquez’s headlights and tail lights were not functioning properly and that he was speeding when he ran a red light and slammed into Tran’s car.

Great Plains Regional Medical Center Hires New Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Posted on October 18, 2012

After conducting a nationwide executive search led by healthcare leadership solutions firm B. E. Smith, Great Plains Regional Medical Center (GPRMC) in North Platte, Neb., has hired Fiona Libsack as vice president of marketing and communications. A seasoned healthcare executive with 12 years of healthcare marketing and public relations leadership experience, Libsack will assume her new duties at GPRMC immediately.

“Fiona has a proven track record in developing and implementing marketing initiatives resulting in growing market strength and branding,” said Marcia Baumann, vice president of growth and development, Great Plains Regional Medical Center. “Her collaborative leadership style and diverse background in marketing and communications will be an outstanding addition to Great Plains Regional Medical Center.”

Prior to joining GPRMC, Libsack served as marketing and communication strategist for Poudre Valley Health System in Fort Collins, Colo. She successfully managed marketing, communication and public relations initiatives for the cardiovascular service line, neurosciences division, trauma and emergency services, occupational health and physician recruitment. She also served as community relations manager for Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb.

“Great Plains Regional Medical Center was looking for a vice president of marketing and communications who could lead strategic planning and continue to grow the organization’s brand,” said Teresa Collins, vice president of executive search for B. E. Smith, the leadership solutions firm who conducted the nationwide search for Great Plains Regional Medical Center. “Fiona possesses the exact skill sets they needed.”

Libsack earned a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Wyoming. She has a national accreditation in health care public relations and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

About Great Plains Regional Medical Center:

Great Plains Regional Medical Center (GPRMC) is a non-profit regional medical center that offers a comprehensive range of services including cancer care, general and specialty surgical services, women’s services, a free standing imaging center, behavioral health services and a hospitalist program. GPRMC is the only level III trauma center in west central Nebraska. For more information, visit www.gprmc.com.

About B. E. Smith:
Founded in 1978, B. E. Smith is a full-service healthcare leadership solutions firm and the top-ranked provider of senior-level leadership services including Interim Leadership, Executive Search and Consulting Solutions. Veteran healthcare leaders and regional healthcare experts partner with each client to create customized solutions. B. E. Smith’s proven methodology has resulted in the recent placement of more than 600 leaders into healthcare organizations worldwide. The firm utilizes a comprehensive sourcing strategy incorporating the latest marketing techniques, association partnerships, social networking and the largest database of skilled senior-level healthcare executives in the industry to deliver immediate results in today’s complex healthcare environment. For more information, visit www.BESmith.com or call 877-802-4593.