Husker junior designated hitter Michael Pritchard took home the first Big Ten Player of the Week award of his career when the conference’s weekly honors were handed out yesterday. Pritchard batted .500 in a weekend sweep of Purdue, rapping out 10 hits in 20 at bats. Two of Pritchard’s hits were doubles. He also scored four runs in the three-game set. With a hit in all three games, Pritchard extended his season-long hitting streak to 19 games. His batting average on the season is up to .342, second best on the team.
Month: April 2013
BNSF Train Derails Near Bridgeport
BNSF railroad crews are still working to clean up a weekend coal train derailment in the Nebraska Panhandle.
The loaded 124-car train derailed in Bridgeport early Sunday morning. The clean-up continued Monday morning.
BNSF spokesman Andy Williams says 15 of the cars derailed and blocked the Highway 88 crossing on Main Street in Bridgeport.
Bridgeport Police Chief Scott Decoste says crews worked all day Sunday and into the night to clean up the mess, but he predicted the crossing would continue to be blocked most of Monday morning.
BNSF says the track was damaged in the derailment and will have to be repaired.
Officials are still working to determine the cause of the derailment.
Palisade Man Killed in Car Crash After Striking Deer
A southwest Nebraska man has been killed in a crash after his vehicle hit a deer.
The accident occurred a little before 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Nebraska State Patrol says 64-year-old Edward Johnson, of Palisade, was about a quarter mile east of Palisade on U.S. Highway 6 when his car hit the deer. The car went out of control and rolled.
Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.
School-Funding Measures Divide NE Lawmakers
Lawmakers are divided over proposed changes to Nebraska’s school-funding formula, with rural senators expressing support for the measure and many urban lawmakers saying they oppose it.
Sen. Kate Sullivan, chairwoman of the Education Committee, said Monday that the bill was an attempt to compromise on the formula, which is often controversial.
Urban lawmakers argue that more state dollars should flow to districts with increasing student enrollments, higher property-tax levies and less spending per student.
Rural lawmakers say their education costs are higher because they have to offer better salaries to attract quality teachers. They also argue that students have to travel greater distances to reach schools.
State aid is intended to fill the gap between schools’ needs and what they can collect through local taxes.
Cabela’s Founder Steps Down as Chairman
Cabela’s says Dick Cabela plans to step down as chairman and hand off the job to his younger brother and co-founder, Jim Cabela.
The Sidney, Neb., based outdoor outfitter announced the transition on Monday.
Dick Cabela will become chairman emeritus of the company that started on his kitchen table in 1961 at the shareholders’ meeting in June.
Jim Cabela, who is currently the company’s vice chairman, has helped oversee Cabela’s grow into a well-known outdoor brand that sells gear through catalogs, its website and retail stores.
Cabela’s CEO Tommy Millner says the company will continue to honor the Cabela family’s focus on customer service and passion for the outdoors.
NYC Proposal Would Increase Legal Age to Purchase Tobacco
No one under 21 would be able to buy cigarettes in New York City, under a proposal unveiled Monday to make it the most populous place in America to set the minimum age that high.
Extending a decade of moves to crack down on smoking in the nation’s largest city, the measure aims to stop young people from developing a habit that remains the leading preventable cause of death, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said as she announced the plan. Eighty percent of the city’s smokers started lighting up before they were 21, officials say.
But the proposal may face questions about its effectiveness and fairness. A retailers’ representative suggested the measure would simply drive younger smokers to neighboring communities or corner-store cigarette sellers instead of city stores, while a smokers’ rights advocate called it “government paternalism at its worst.”
Under federal law, no one under 18 can buy tobacco anywhere in the country. Four states and some localities have raised the age to 19, and at least two communities have agreed to raise it to 21.
A similar proposal has been floated in the Texas Legislature, but it’s on hold after a budget board estimated it would cost the state more than $42 million in cigarette tax revenue over two years.
Several New York City smoking regulations have survived court challenges. But a federal appeals court said last year that the city couldn’t force tobacco retailers to display gruesome images of diseased lungs and decaying teeth.
The EPA Voices Concern Over the Keystone XL Pipeline, Again
The Environmental Protection Agency again is raising objections to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would carry oil from western Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast.
The EPA said that despite more than four years of study, the State Department still has not done sufficient analysis of the project’s environmental impact
In a letter to the State Department on Monday, the EPA urged State to conduct a more thorough analysis of oil spill risks and alternative pipeline routes, as well as greenhouse gas emissions associated with the pipeline.
The concerns are similar to objections the EPA raised about the project in 2011. The State Department has authority over the pipeline because it crosses a U.S. border. A draft report in March said the project would not create significant environmental impacts.
Testimonial Dinner Gives NP Catholic Schools a Boost
Nearly 200 people gathered Friday, April 19th to celebrate Catholic education in North Platte, and to enjoy the speaking talents of three local St. Patrick’s alumni.
The North Platte Catholic Schools Endowment-Trust, Inc. held its Testimonial Dinner event at the St. Patrick’s Church Parish Hall. Guests enjoyed a wine tasting provided by Feather River Vineyard and Kwik Stop Stores, dinner, and a program featuring brothers Kevin (’74), Tim (’76), and Dr. Jeff (’77) O’Connor. The O’Connor’s shared stories and memories from their time at the North Platte Catholic Schools, and also gave testimony to the benefits they received from Catholic education.
Kevin is the head men’s basketball coach and Athletic Director at North Platte Community College.
Tim owns and operates The Sports Shoppe/Big Red, Etc. in North Platte.
Jeff is an optometrist at Complete Eye Care Associates in North Platte. All three O’Connor’s also have children that graduated from St. Pat’s High School.
The fourth O’Connor brother, Daniel (’81), resides in Arizona.
The Testimonial Dinner also serves as a fundraising event. Endowment Director Wendy Dodson asked guests to partner with the school system to continue to fulfill the mission of quality, Catholic education in North Platte. Dodson says that the Endowment is currently in its 36th year of service to the school system, providing essential funding for general operations, special projects, facility improvements, tuition assistance, and scholarships.
The event Friday was supported by 36 sponsors, and Dodson says that with donations, pledges, and matching gifts from NebraskaLand National Bank and Union Pacific Railroad, the proceeds will be around $40,000 for the North Platte Catholic Schools.
“We are extremely grateful for the generosity and support of our community,” Dodson says.
For more information on programs of the North Platte Catholic Schools Endowment, please call 308-534-5939.
Lexington Man Gets Federal Time for Being a Felon with a Firearm
A 28-year-old Lexington man has been sentenced to Federal prison for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
According to a news release from the office of United States Attorney Deborah Gilg, John Francisco Lastra was given a 70 month sentence on April 22.
On May 30, 2010, Darcey Lee, 20, of Lexington killed in an accidental shooting at her residence.
In June of 2010, Investigators with the Lexington Police Department were provided with Lee’s digital camera which. On the camera were photos of people handling the same shotgun that had killed Lee. Several of the photos, dated May 24th, showed John Lastra handling the same weapon.
Lastra had a felony conviction for assault on a pregnant person from Dawson County in 2009, as well as convictions in California for being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2006 and possession with intent to sell cocaine in 2004.
Lastra was arrested in August of 2012 on a Federal warrant and has been in custody since that date.
Gilg said the case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lexington Police Department and the Nebraska State Patrol.
Sharon K. Nixon
Sharon K. Nixon, 70, of North Platte, passed away April 19, 2013, at Great Plains Regional Medical Center.
Sharon was born March 23, 1943, at Hastings, Nebraska to Harold William and Lula Mae (Stewart) Wynn. Following her graduation from Hastings High School in 1961, she attended Hastings Beauty Academy in Hastings graduating in 1963.
Sharon married Robert L. Nixon on June 7, 1964 at First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hastings. The couple made their home in Hastings where they lived and started their family and in 1978 they moved to North Platte. Sharon worked for Maronello Beauty Shop and the Good Samaritan Beauty Shop in Hastings before moving to North Platte where she worked at the Pawnee Beauty Shop, A Street Hair Company and The Hairdressers until her retirement in 1995.
She was a member of First Lutheran Church, a past member of the Eagles Auxiliary in North Platte. Her hobbies included bowling, knitting, crossword puzzles and a strong love for animals.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Robert, in 1994; a brother, Wallis D. Wynn; and a niece.
Sharon is survived by two sons, Mike (Dodie Johnson) and Brad (Colleen Ashburn), all of North Platte; one brother, Ronald E. (Darlene) Wynn, Sr., of Santa Maria, Calif.; a sister-in-law, Alyce Wynn, of Gaston, Va., and a host of other relatives and friends.
A memorial has been established. Condolences may be shared at carpentermemorial.com.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 23, at Carpenter Memorial Chapel. Graveside services will be at 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 23, at the Phillips Cemetery at Phillips. There will be no visitation. Those wishing to sign the register book may do so from 1–6 p.m., Sunday, April 21 or 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, April 22, at Carpenter Memorial Chapel.