The North Platte Community College “Select Choir” performance ensemble is looking for singers of all voice types.

Auditions for the Select Choir will be from 12:15 to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27, and Thursday, Aug. 29, in room 115 on the South Campus. The only requirement for those interested in auditioning is that they come prepared to sing.

The Select Choir will meet from 12:15 to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the Fall semester. For further information, contact Elizabeth Peters or Donna Pucket at (308) 535-3755; or emailpeterse@mpcc.edu; or pucketd@mpcc.edu.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center is ranked among the top 75 universities in the world in clinical medicine and pharmacy according to rankings released this month by a leading Chinese university that has been ranking universities worldwide since 2003.

“The rankings validate that UNMC is well on its way to becoming a world-class institution,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. “This has always been our goal, so it is reassuring to know that our presence worldwide is growing.”

The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is published by the Center for World-Class Universities, Graduate School of Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.

“As the teaching hospital for UNMC, we’ve always known what a high-quality institution we’re partnering with,” said Glenn A. Fosdick, president and CEO of The Nebraska Medical Center. “We take pride in that partnership and look forward to continuing our cooperative relationship in the future.”  

UNMC is ranked with 25 other universities as No. 51-75 by ARWU. Only 31 U.S. universities are rated higher. Some of the other U.S. universities rated at the same No. 51-75 level are the University of Arizona, University of Florida, University of Iowa, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Rochester, and Washington University in St. Louis.

UNMC’s ranking is higher than several notable universities, including Case Western Reserve University (76-100), University of Cincinnati (76-100), New York University (76-100), University of Miami (76-100), and The Ohio State University (101-150).

“Obviously, we are in very good company,” said Brad Britigan, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine. “It speaks volumes for the quality work being done by our faculty and staff.”

Courtney Fletcher, Pharm.D., dean of the UNMC College of Pharmacy, said: “To be ranked this highly in clinical medicine and pharmacy is very significant, as these are two of the areas that are most impactful on the health and well-being of the public.”

ARWU uses six objective indicators to rank world universities. These include:

• the number of alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals;
• the number of highly cited researchers selected by Thomson Scientific;
• the number of articles published in Nature and Science, two leading scientific journals;
• the number of articles indexed in Science Citation Index – Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index;
• percentage of articles published in the top 20 percent of journals in a specific field; and
• per capita performance with respect to the size of an institution.

More than 1,200 universities are ranked by ARWU every year and the best 500 are published on the Internet. The ARWU rankings are widely cited by the educational community and carry significant influence as experts consider the methodology used to be scientifically sound, stable and transparent.

Harvard University was ranked No. 1 by the ARWU in clinical medicine and pharmacy. Universities rounding out the Top 10 include: University of California, San Francisco; University of Washington; Johns Hopkins University; Columbia University; University of Cambridge; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas; Stanford University; and University of Pittsburgh.

In addition to clinical medicine and pharmacy, the ARWU ranks universities in four other categories – natural sciences and mathematics; engineering/technology and computer sciences; life and agriculture sciences; and social sciences.

The Nebraska Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is pleased to announce their fall launch of Great Strides. Great Strides is a national walk event held in hundreds of cities that generates critical funds to fight cystic fibrosis, a fatal genetic disease.

In Nebraska, fall walks are scheduled at the following locations:

8/24/13 North Platte 10:00 am Cody Park – Park Shelter
9/15/13 Grand Island 1:30 pm Eagle Scout Park – North Shelter
9/22/13 Kearney 1:00 pm Yanney Heritage Park – Rotary Shelter

“We are looking forward to our first ever Great Strides Walk in North Platte,” said Jennifer Curtis, local volunteer and Chairperson for the CF Foundation’s Great Strides North Platte Walk. “I am amazed and grateful to everyone who has supported this inaugural event in an effort to remember Anthony Hornelas who lost his fight against cystic fibrosis last year.”

Funds raised through Great Strides have helped spur dramatic progress in the lives of those who have cystic fibrosis. Fifty years ago, most children with CF did not live long enough to attend elementary school. Today, people with CF are living into their 30s, 40s and beyond.

The 2013 national goal of Great Strides is to raise nearly $42 million nationwide for CF research, education and care. In North Platte our goal is to raise $10,000 which is a portion of the $500,000 we raise statewide.

Local sponsors and partners of Great Strides include Children’s Hospital and Arbor Health Plan.

Cystic fibrosis affects about 30,000 adults and children in the United States and 70,000 people worldwide. It causes debilitating lung infections that lead to premature death. More than 10 million Americans are symptomless carriers of a defective CF gene.

The CF Foundation is an accredited charity of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance.

To help fight CF, get involved in Great Strides by calling the Nebraska Chapter at 402.330.6164 or by visitinghttps://greatstrides.cff.org.

About the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world’s leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. The Foundation funds more CF research than any other organization, and nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of Foundation support. Based in Bethesda, Md., the Foundation also supports and accredits a national care center network that has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a model of care for a chronic disease. For more information, go to www.cff.org.

A former property manager has been accused of stealing from a North Platte mobile home park.

On July 1st, North Platte Police responded to Mobile Manor Mobile Home Park at 1907 West 14th Street regarding missing funds from their business account.

The owners alleged that their former property manager, 59-year-old Barbara Fox, stole around $18,000 from the business over a four month period from February to June.

Following an investigation, an Investigator determined there was probable cause to charge Fox with the crime.

On August 20th, Fox was arrested on a charge of Felony Theft by Unlawful Taking.

Fox was processed and released from the Lincoln County Detention Center.

(AP) — They’re called “super agers” — men and women who are in their 80s and 90s, but with brains and memories that seem far younger.

Researchers at Northwestern University are looking at this rare group in the hope that they may find ways to help protect others from memory loss. And they’ve had some tantalizing findings: Imaging tests have found unusually low amounts of age-related plaques along with more brain mass related to attention and memory in these elite seniors.

The super agers aren’t just different on the inside; they have more energy than most people their age and share a positive, inquisitive outlook. Researchers are looking into whether those traits contribute to brain health.

The study is still seeking volunteers, but fewer than 10 percent of would-be participants are eligible.

(AP) — It might look like state troopers are just having a good time, but they’ll actually be doing their jobs when they inspect the midway games at the Nebraska State Fair this week.

The Nebraska State Patrol will conduct inspections of the games on Friday in Grand Island.

The inspections will ensure that the carnival games are in compliance with Nebraska gambling laws.

That means the games must be games of skill, not games of chance, and must be fair and winnable.