The North Platte Bulldog softball team will be fighting for their season Friday morning when they take on Omaha Central in the elimination game at the A7 district softball tournament at the Dowhower Complex. The top-seeded Bulldogs eked out a win over fourth-seed Kearney in the first game, but were shutout by Bellevue West 7-0 in their second game. The Thunderbirds advance to the championship game at noon. North Platte will face the Eagles, who lost 8-0 to Bellevue West but rebounded to beat Kearney 8-0.
ESPN Radio 1410’s coverage of Bulldog softball will begin at 9:45 AM and carry until the Bulldogs are eliminated.
Lincoln, Neb., Oct. 4, 2012 — University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman today announced the appointment of Shawn Eichorst as director of intercollegiate athletics. Eichorst, who has served as director of athletics at the University of Miami since April 2011, will join the University of Nebraska Oct. 9 as a special assistant to the chancellor, and will succeed Tom Osborne as director of intercollegiate athletics when Osborne becomes athletic director emeritus on Jan. 1.
“After consideration of a large number of candidates, I was impressed with Shawn’s credentials and experience but more importantly his respect for and appreciation of the tradition of the Nebraska athletics program,” Perlman said. “He expressed from the onset his hope to draw on the experience and knowledge of Tom Osborne and the rest of the current staff in working to continue the department’s success both on and off the field.”
Eichorst said: “It is truly an honor and privilege to be a part of one of the great universities in America and one of the strongest athletic departments in all of college sports who has the welfare of its student-athletes at the heart of everything they do. I am humbled by both the responsibility and opportunities that lie ahead and I hope to carry on the rich tradition of Husker excellence set by Coach Osborne and so many others.”
Osborne, who last month announced his intention to step down as athletic director effective Jan. 1. He has served as director of intercollegiate athletics since October 2007. Osborne will retire from the university on Aug. 1, 2013, will work with Eichorst until then to make a smooth leadership transition in the department, Perlman said.
Eichorst, a 1990 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, previously served as deputy athletics director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under director of athletics Barry Alvarez.
There Eichorst served as the department’s chief operating officer, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the highly successful athletics program.
In his first year at Miami, Eichorst helped raise the university’s academic reputation, building on the school’s NCAA Top 10 Percent recognition in Academic Progress Rates for five programs, including football, baseball, men’s diving, women’s cross country and women’s golf. He also was successful in enlarging the Hurricane Club of donors and fans, increasing memberships by 500 in one year.
The Miami men’s and women’s basketball programs both advanced to the postseason under his leadership. The women posting the highest national ranking in school history at No. 5 overall, and advanced to the NCAA second round, while the men set a program record for conference wins and advanced to the NIT second round. The women’s tennis team advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals.
The baseball program extended its NCAA postseason appearances record streak to 40 straight seasons and the women’s soccer team posted the first NCAA postseason win in program history. Volleyball advanced to the NCAA postseason for the third consecutive year.
At Wisconsin, Eichorst oversaw a department of 23 intercollegiate athletic programs, 850 student-athletes, 320 full-time employees and operated a multi-million-dollar budget. He was involved in the design and planning of a new ice hockey and swim facility, as well as a student-athlete performance center. He joined the Badgers’ staff in 2006 as senior associate athletic director and was promoted to executive associate athletic director in 2007.
From 2004-2006 he served as senior associate athletic director for administration at the University of South Carolina, where he also served as interim athletic director in June 2005.
A native of Lone Rock, Wis., Eichorst was an all-conference defensive back, three-time letter winner and 1990 team captain for the UW-Whitewater football team. He graduated magna cum laude in business from UW-Whitewater in 1990 and earned a law degree from Marquette University in 1995. In 2006 he was awarded the Sports Law Alumnus of the Year by Marquette. He also is a graduate of the Sports Management Institute and serves on its executive committee. Eichorst practiced law in Milwaukee until 1999, when he was hired by UW-Whitewater as director of athletics, a position he held until 2003. Under his tenure, UW-Whitewater developed into one of the nation’s top Division III athletic programs, with one NCAA team championship (volleyball), four NCAA team national runner-up finishes and seven individual NCAA champions. The program also featured an NCAA Student-Athlete of the Year for Wisconsin, 84 All-Americans, 38 Academic All-America selections and nine NCAA postgraduate scholarship winners.
He is a past member of the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee and State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governors. He also previously served as an assistant adjunct professor of law at Marquette University Law School, where he taught classes in sports law. He serves on the Marquette University National Sports Law Institute board of advisers.
Eichorst and his wife Kristin have three sons, Jack, Joseph and Bennett.
Eichorst’s salary has been set at $973,000. His contract is for five years. It provides for a substantial financial penalty if he leaves UNL within the five-year period and a $750,000 payment by the university if he stays for five years.
Fire officials suspect arson in a fire that gutted a vacant house in Omaha.
According to KETV-TV, firefighters found the home engulfed in flames early Thursday. A witness reported seeing someone run from the scene after hearing a loud noise and breaking glass. Strong winds fanned the flames, causing it to spread.
A new report says the percentages of Hispanic and black students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln rose between fall 2004, when the university removed consideration of race as an admissions factor, and fall 2010, a year after the state implemented a ban on affirmative action.
A Century Foundation report released Wednesday says that over those years, the percentage of Hispanic students increased to 4 percent and the percentage of black students rose to 2.7 percent of overall enrollment.
Nebraska is one of seven states with a ban on racial and gender preferences in public admissions and hiring decisions.
The Nebraska Democratic Party is accusing Republican U.S. Senate candidate Deb Fischer of not disclosing her conflict over a piece of land that was later involved in a bill she introduced.
Fischer and her husband sued their elderly neighbors, Les and Betty Kime, in 1995 claiming ownership of a parcel of land along the Snake River. The Fischers had used the land — free of charge and with permission from the Kimes — for years to water their cattle. Based on that, the Fischers claimed “adverse possession,” of the land, a legal term akin to squatter’s rights.
The Fischers lost.
Incoming state Democratic Party Chairman Vince Powers said Thursday that a bill by Fischer last year hampered the sale of the Kimes’ land to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
A grass fire has blackened more than a square mile of land in western Nebraska.
Logan County Fire Chief Frank Kramer says firefighters were first dispatched about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to a spot along U.S. Highway 83 south of Stapleton.
Crews from Stapleton, Tryon, Arnold and North Platte battled the blaze for about five hours on Tuesday and worked on hot spots for a few more hours on Wednesday morning.
Kramer says the flames threatened one home but stopped short. No injuries have been reported.
Kramer says a spark from a chain saw started the fire.
A Chicago-area trucker charged in a deadly crash in western Nebraska is challenging the findings of his preliminary hearing
Josef Slezak is charged in Cheyenne County with four counts of manslaughter and five counts of vehicular homicide.
Authorities say his rig slammed into stalled traffic on Interstate 80 near Potter on Sept. 9. The truck hit a car driven by Christopher Schmidt, of Gaithersburg, Md. The car was pushed into another car that was carrying Schmidt’s pregnant wife and their two children. The family was killed.
Prosecutors believe Slezak traveled virtually straight through from Milwaukee to western Nebraska before the accident.
Defense attorney Kelly Breen argues the case isn’t strong enough to justify sending it to trial.
There you have it, the author of the outrageously hurtful email that was sent to Wisconsin TV anchor Jennifer Livingston.
His name is Kenneth Krause, a personal injury lawyer who obviously works on his fitness. He might have become the most hated man on the internet for the next few weeks; his inbox must be full of hate mail much similar to the one he sent Livingston.
The day after Livingston presented her-four minute response, [that sparked a viral video infection of everyone’s news feed] Krause issued a statement:
Given this country’s present epidemic of obesity and the many truly horrible diseases related thereto, and considering Jennifer Livingston’s fortuitous position in the community, I hope she will finally take advantage of a rare and golden opportunity to influence the health and psychological well-being of Coulee Region children by transforming herself for all of her viewers to see over the next year, and, to that end, I would be absolutely pleased to offer Jennifer any advice or support she would be willing to accept.
Livingston invited Krause to talk about his issue with her weight face-to-face. Krause rejected the offer.
The North Platte Concert Association presents:
Philadelphia Big Brass
Saturday, October 6
7:30p at the Neville Center for Performing Arts
The Rodney Mack Philadelphia big Brass is composed of five of America’s top brass musicians who are dedicated to bringing the joyous experience of great music to a wide range of audiences. A veritable “dream team” of virtuoso brass players, members of the group have appeared on the world’s most prominent stages and with such groups as the Canadian Brass, Empire Brass and Boston Brass. Founder and trumpeter Rodney Mack has been referred to as a “trumpet prodigy” and made his solo debut at the age of 15 with the New Orleans Symphony and received national attention at the age of 19 as soloist with the Boston Pops.
Rosemary Pueppka, age 77 of North Platte, died peacefully in her sleep Wednesday October 3, 2012 at Great Plains Regional Medical Center following a lengthy illness.
Rosemary was born February 1, 1935 on a farm near Wellfleet, NE to Leo and Veda (Flock) Greenwood. The family moved to North Platte in 1939. She attended school at St. Patrick’s until her senior year, graduating from North Platte High School with the class of 1952.
Rosemary married Darrell Pueppka at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on May 17, 1954 and the couple made their home in North Platte.
Shortly after graduating from high school Rosemary went to work for the CPA firm of Hansen & Fuening where she worked for over thirty years, retiring in 1984.
Rosemary was a deeply spiritual person whose Catholic faith was very important. She was a member of St. Patrick’s Parish for over seventy years, serving as a lector, Eucharistic minister and on the Parish Council.
Survivors include her husband Darrell; sons Steve and Larry both of North Platte; and daughter Sharee of Omaha. She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother James.
A memorial has been established to the St. Patrick’s Food Pantry and on line condolences may be made at www.adamsswanson.com. Christian Wake services will be Sunday at 7:00 p.m. at Adams and Swanson Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial will be Monday October 8, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church with the Reverend James Golka officiating. Burial will be at Ft. McPherson National Cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be Friday noon to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday noon to 6:00 p.m. Adams and Swanson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
