Some North Platte residents may see delays in their trash collection over Labor Day.
The City said refuse collection will be delayed for some residents on Monday, September 2.
Nonetheless, officials say residents should have their carts in place for collection on their normal pick-up day to avoid being missed.
The transfer station will be closed on the 2nd.
(AP) — A federal appeals court has affirmed the life sentence of an AWOL soldier who planned to detonate a bomb inside a Texas restaurant frequented by Fort Hood soldiers.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans denied Naser Jason Abdo’s request to consider his initial detention by police a full arrest, which would have made it unlawful and rendered as inadmissible evidence and statements obtained at the time. The court Monday also rejected Abdo’s argument that his trial was unfair because he was denied access to an expert witness.
Abdo was AWOL from Fort Campbell, Ky., when he was arrested with bomb-making materials in 2011. A federal jury convicted him May 2012 on six charges, including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
(AP) — Authorities have released the name of a man who died after a crash south of Grand Island.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as 29-year-old Jerry Ramirez, of Grand Island.
The crash happened about 2 p.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 281 when 30-year-old Hermino Alamilla lost control of his car. The car rolled several times before coming to rest.
The car was then hit by a pickup driven by 26-year-old Megan Brodrick, of Grand Island. She wasn’t hurt.
Ramirez was a passenger in Alamilla’s car. The Sheriff’s Office says Ramirez died after being ejected during the crash.
Another passenger wasn’t hospitalized.
Alamilla was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Charges against him include vehicular homicide. Online court records don’t list his attorney’s name.
Authorities say an Illinois pesticide manufacturer and a Nebraska company that sold some misbranded pesticide products have agreed to pay civil penalties for their roles in distributing or selling the products.
The Environmental Protection Agency says Wellmark International Inc., of Schaumburg, Ill., agreed to pay nearly $45,000 to resolve 19 violations of federal regulations.
The EPA says Vitalix Inc., of Alliance, Neb., agreed to pay nearly $40,000 to resolve 19 violations.
The EPA says two of Wellmark’s fly control products were either misbranded with labels that did not include required cautionary language or were distributed in conjunction with claims that differed from the pesticide registration information supplied to the EPA.
Regulations say a pesticide’s distributor and manufacturer are both responsible for ensuring that the product complies with regulations.
(AP) — The Nebraska Court of Appeals says a jury should hear the claims of a mother who sued Union Pacific Railroad and the estate of her ex-husband over the 2007 death of their 15-year-old son in a collision with a train.
Mario Becerra III was killed, along with his father, Mario Becerra Jr., when the car the father was driving drove onto train tracks, despite warning lights and an oncoming train’s horn. The train smashed into the car, sending the car into a concrete signal base. Both the father and son were killed.
Mary Becerra sued the railroad and her ex-husband’s estate.
A Douglas County District Court judge dismissed the lawsuit, but the appeals court on Tuesday said a jury should decide the merits of some of Mary Becerra’s claims.
(AP) — The Italian astronaut who nearly drowned during a spacewalk last month is sharing more details about the terrifying experience.
Luca Parmitano wrote in his online blog, posted Tuesday, that he felt all alone as water filled his helmet outside the International Space Station.
Parmitano says he couldn’t see far and couldn’t hear anyone. He frantically tried to think of a plan to get back to the safety of the air lock. That’s when he remembered his safety cable. He used the cable recoil mechanism, and its 3 pounds of force, to “pull” him back to the hatch. He says it felt like an eternity.
NASA has suspended spacewalks while determining the cause. The Russians, meanwhile, will stage their second spacewalk in under a week, this Thursday.
(AP) — Prosecutors say a man accused of killing his girlfriend told investigators he strangled her in an Omaha park and then dumped her body in an open grave he’d seen in a nearby cemetery.
Those and other details about the death of 19-year-old Melissa Rodriguez were aired during a bail hearing Tuesday for Mikael Loyd. He’s charged with first-degree murder in her slaying. Her body was found Thursday at Graceland Park Cemetery in southeast Omaha.
The judge ruled that the 19-year-old Loyd must remain in jail without bail.
Loyd and Rodriguez met at Hitchcock Park on Wednesday. They argued, made up and argued again.
Prosecutors say Loyd said he killed Rodriguez because she reminded him of his mother, whom he blamed in his father’s death.
Back to school also means back to practice for thousands of student athletes and coaches. The American Red Cross has training and resources available for people to learn how to treat a variety of emergencies and injuries that may occur throughout the sports season.
“School and neighborhood coaches, athletes and spectators should know how to help prevent and respond to common sports injuries such as strains and sprains, fractures, cuts and concussions,” said Tina Labellarte, Region CEO.
Safe Kids Worldwide reports that every 25 seconds a child is hurt playing sports and that more than 1 million emergency room visits are made due to sports injuries each year. Sports injuries account for about 20 percent of all injury-related emergency room visits for young people, according to their study.
Red Cross has developed a number of resources for everyone involved in sports and recreational activities:
Information on courses and additional resources are available at redcross.org. A variety of Red Cross apps can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross, or by going to redcross.org/mobileapps.
The Nebraska State Patrol Troop C-Grand Island will conduct two weekends of special enforcement activities in conjunction with the Nebraska State Fair.
During the evening hours and continuing into the early morning hours, onSaturday, August 24 and again on Saturday, August 31, troopers will conduct high visibility patrols in and around Hall County. The special enforcement is designed to reduce the potential for serious injury and fatality crashes.
“With the extra activity, we can expect to see an increase in traffic volume over the next couple of weeks,” said Captain Chris Kolb, Commander Troop C-Grand Island. “We hope putting additional troopers out on the road will encourage voluntary compliance with all traffic safety laws and in turn reduce the potential for serious injury or fatality crashes.”
A $1,450 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety (NOHS) will help to pay for the special enforcement effort.
(AP) — Colorado’s pot regulators are laying out how much it’s going to cost to join the newly legal business.
The Colorado Department of Revenue started three days of public hearings Tuesday to explain all the regulations to people who want to be in Colorado’s marijuana business. It’s legal, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be cheap.
Application fees run up to $5,000. Operational licenses cost another $2,750 to $14,000. Those who want to sell both medical and recreational pot would have to pay double.
The regulations are final Oct. 15. Some in the marijuana industry want the Department to reduce fees for people selling both medical and recreational pot.
Retail marijuana sales begin in Colorado Jan. 1.
