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Month: October 2012

Machete Attacker Pleads Guilty

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A Lincoln man accused of attacking another man with a machete has pleaded guilty to second-degree assault.

The Lincoln Journal Star  says 40-year-old Juan Cruz entered the plea on Monday in Lancaster County District Court. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced Dec. 4.

Lincoln police says Cruz broke into an apartment and attacked the other man on Jan 1. Police say the other man used a hammer to fight back and chased Cruz out of the apartment. The man was treated for cuts on his head and hands.

Authorities say the fight was over a woman.

The Wireless Enhanced 911 Surcharge Drops For Subscribers

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The Nebraska Public Service Commission entered an order reducing the Wireless Enhanced 911 surcharge by ten percent (10%) for the upcoming year. As a result, based upon an estimated 1.3 million wireless subscribers, a ten percent (10%) reduction in surcharge represents a savings of approximately $1.56 million to subscribers during the Commission’s two-year budget cycle.

The Commission is required to review, on an annual basis, the surcharge for the Enhanced Wireless 911 Fund (Fund), pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 86-458.  The surcharge may be up to $.70 per active telephone number or functional equivalent for all counties but Douglas County, which remains capped by law at $.50.     Public Safety Answering Points and the Wireless Enhanced 911 Advisory Board recommended no change in the surcharge.  However, Commission staff testified that that a 10% reduction in the surcharge would allow the Fund to maintain a sufficient funding balance for five years.  At the end of five years, the balance of the Fund may need to be addressed once more and adjustments made to arrest the five year decrease in the ending balance of the Fund.

Citing the current balance of the fund and projected balances over the next five years, the Commission found the funding needed for NextGen 911 remains speculative and is not sufficient to justify maintaining high reserves in the Fund.  Furthermore, the Commission must act to balance current funding needs with the interest of the wireless subscribers paying the surcharge.  Therefore, the Commission decided that the surcharge should be reduced from $.50 to $.45.

The Commission will continue to review the surcharge level on an annual basis as required by statute.

Hurricane Sandy Leaves The East Coast In A Blood Shortfall

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Hurricane Sandy continues to bear down on the East Coast of the United States and has now forced the cancellation of approximately 300 Red Cross blood drives resulting in a shortfall of nearly 9,000 units of blood and platelets. That number is expected to grow as Sandy is causing power outages and flooding in many areas along the East Coast.

The Red Cross shipped blood products into the affected areas ahead of the storm and now urges eligible donors in unaffected areas, like ours, to roll up their sleeves and give blood or platelets> to replenish supplies. Just as Red Cross disaster workers from across the country have mobilized to help, blood donated through the Red Cross can help patients locally as well as patients in areas affected by Sandy.

Make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

All blood types are needed to ensure an adequate blood supply is available during a disaster, especially type O positive, O negative, A negative or B negative blood. Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information.

Upcoming Blood Drives

Lincoln County:

Nov. 1 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at North Platte Blood Donation Center, 1111 S. Cottonwood in North Platte,Neb.

Nov. 2 from 1:30-6:30 p.m. at Community Building, 121 N. Main in Brady, Neb.

Nov. 2 from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. at North Platte Blood Donation Center, 1111 S. Cottonwood in North Platte,Neb.

Nov. 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at North Platte Community College Tech Campus, 1101 Halligan Drive in North Platte, Neb.

Nov. 6 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at North Platte Blood Donation Center, 1111 S. Cottonwood in North Platte,Neb.

Nov. 8 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at North Platte Blood Donation Center, 1111 S. Cottonwood in North Platte,Neb.

Nov. 13 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at North Platte Blood Donation Center, 1111 S. Cottonwood in North Platte,Neb.

Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at North Platte Blood Donation Center, 1111 S. Cottonwood in North Platte,Neb.

Guidelines To Remember When Flocking To Vote

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For some voters, there’s nothing like the experience of actually going to the polls on Election Day. As Nebraskans prepare to cast their ballots on November 6, Secretary of State John Gale is offering some important reminders.

 

–Check your voter registration and polling place. People can check the status of their voter registration and location of their polling place by contacting their county election office or logging onto https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/.

 

–Change of address. If a registered voter has moved within a county (out of their former precinct) and not updated their registration, the person should go to the polling place associated with their current residence. The person will be required to vote a provisional ballot.

 

–Be prepared. Before going to the polls, the voter should become informed about the candidates and issues on the ballot. Sample ballots are printed in newspapers and posted on county websites. Mark and take the sample ballot with you to the polling place.

 

–Conduct at the polls. To maintain proper decorum at the polls, it is requested that people turn off their cell phones.

 

–Campaigning prohibited. Campaign items such as buttons, stickers and T-shirts are not allowed in a polling place. It is illegal to campaign within 200 feet of a polling site.

 

–Voter identification. Identification is not required for voters other than those who have registered for the first time by mail. They will be informed prior to Election Day about bringing a document that shows their name and current address.  Identification at the polling place is not required of any other voters.

 

“These guidelines are not complicated by any means, but they should help people have an efficient and effective voting experience. We want to make sure all votes are counted,” said Gale. “By making sure you are registered in the right place, educating yourself on the candidates and issues, and of course, bringing identification if needed, will help ensure that.”

 

Polls are open on Election Day from 8 a.m. CDT (7 a.m. MDT) to 8 p.m. CDT (7 p.m. MDT).

They are often busiest the first thing in the morning and later in the day when voters are going to and from work, so the best time to go is late morning or early afternoon.

SOUND OFF (10/30): Corny Statements

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If you would like to get something off of your chest, call us on the SOUND OFF line:

CALL or TEXT 402-512-3350

• Call and leave your message, or..
• Text your compliment, complaint, or whatever else you’d like to say

We’ll post your comments the next day and naturally, you’ll be able to carry on the conversation in our comments section.

AND NOW.. TODAY’S SOUND OFF

 

 

#1  I heard the kid kenneler got a job at Sonic. I’m sad about this because I love cherry limeades 🙁 but won’t be going back there.

#2.  Also isn’t threatening someone to shut their mouth while they can unlawful? I think the police meed notified of this

#3 Each year i go to the corn pit at the corn maze so I can stock up on corn bits. Sure beats paying for it at Cody Park!

#4 The the lady who cut my hair, nice job!

Haz-Mat Material Release Forces Evacuation In New Mexico

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New Mexico authorities say an unknown hazardous materials release has sickened about 200 people near the Mexican border just northwest of El Paso, Texas

A mandatory evacuation is under way for two miles around the industrial park and border crossing at Santa Teresa, and the nearby airport is closed. A shelter is open at the local high school.

Officials say 200 people are being treated for light-headedness, nausea and dizziness, but no serious injuries have been reported, and no one has been sent to the hospital.

A system has been activated to alert people in nearby homes and businesses to stay indoors, seal all doors and windows and turn off air conditioning and heating systems.

Air-quality testing is being done to determine what’s making people sick.

Colorado Teen Accused Of Killing Will Be Charged As An Adult

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Prosecutors say a teenager who allegedly confessed to killing a 10-year-old Colorado girl and attacking a runner also sexually assaulted the girl.

Seventeen-year-old Austin Sigg was charged as an adult with 17 counts in both cases Tuesday. They include four murder charges, including one for both murder and sexual assault.

Sigg didn’t speak during the brief court hearing in Golden and didn’t look at his relatives in the audience.

Eight relatives of Jessica Ridgeway of Westminster also watched proceedings, including her mother. Each wore purple, Jessica’s favorite color.

Defense attorneys anticipate asking the judge to send the case to juvenile court.

Pushing Meth Is What Pushed These Two Into Prison

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Two people have been sentenced to federal prison after their convictions for drug crimes in Nebraska.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that 32-year-old Alejandro “Gizmo” Garcia had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell methamphetamine and cocaine in the Lincoln area between Sept. 25, 2009, and February 2011.

On Monday he was given 12 years and seven months in federal prison.

In an unrelated case, a Minnesota woman was sentenced to 22 months.

Twenty-five-year-old Jenna Springer, of Keewatin , Minn., and her passenger, 36-year-old Jaymond Taylor, were convicted of meth possession for sale. Prosecutors say a Nebraska state trooper found 6 pounds of meth in a pickup Springer was driving on Sept. 13, 2011.

Earlier this month Taylor was given 27 years in prison.

More Than 190 Firefighters Respond To NYC Fire

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A huge fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses in a flooded neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens.

More than 190 firefighters have contained the six-alarm blaze fire in the Breezy Point section, but they are still putting out some pockets of fire.

A fire department spokesman says one firefighter suffered a minor injury and was taken to a hospital. Two civilians suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

Officials say the fire was reported around 11 p.m. Monday in an area flooded by the superstorm that began sweeping through the city earlier.

The neighborhood sits on the Rockaway peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean.

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