September 2013 – Page 22 – North Platte Post Archive

Community Support Helps Make ‘2013 Railtown U.S.A. Collegiate Rodeo’ a Reality

Posted on September 18, 2013

When the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association awarded Mid-Plains Community College with a collegiate rodeo competition earlier this summer it came as no surprise that individuals and businesses in the community were quick to offer their support and assistance.

“Right off the bat we had Don Kurre and his staff allowing us to team up with the increasingly popular Rail Fest event,” said Chuck Salestrom, Area Associate Vice President of Marketing, Public Information and Development. “We also had First National Bank-North Platte offering their sponsorship and we had the support of the Nebraskaland Days organization right from the start. When the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau came onboard, we knew we were on solid ground.”

According to Salestrom, Gate Sponsors for the rodeo include Complete Eye Care Associates, Double D Trailer & AG Repair, Eagle Radio (Mix 97 and ESPN), Great Plains Regional Medical Center, KNOP NEWS 2, Kwik Stop, Mid-Nebraska Physical Therapy and Sports Center, the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, Nebraskaland Days, North Platte Telegraph, Snell Services and Wayne Dowhower Construction, Inc. Stepping up as Rodeo Partners are Hansen Construction, Pro Printing & Graphics and the Walmart Distribution Center.

The rodeo will take place Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20-21, at the Nebraskaland Days Wild West Arena in North Platte. It will begin at 7 p.m. on both nights.

General admission tickets for each night are $10 for adults and $7 for children. Tickets are available at the Nebraskaland Days office, 509 E. 4th St. in North Platte, or online at https://www.elevate.com/boxoffice/?cref=bd322850-b5ac-4bc3-b8cd-406ccad7fbac. They may also be purchased through the MPCC website at www.mpcc.edu.

Idaho Boy, 8, Killed in I-80 Crash Near Kearney

Posted on September 18, 2013

(AP) — An 8-year-old Idaho boy has died in a single-vehicle crash along Interstate 80 near Kearney.

The crash happened Tuesday afternoon about a mile west of Kearney when 31-year-old driver Tabitha Tesch was briefly distracted.

The Nebraska State Patrol says her sport utility vehicle then veered to the right, and when Tesch tried to straighten out she lost control. The SUV went into the median and rolled several times.

Tesch’s son, T.J., was ejected and later died at a Kearney hospital.

Tabitha Tesch and four other children who were in the vehicle were taken to a hospital, where their conditions weren’t available.

All those in the vehicle are from Eagle, Idaho.

Nebraska Woman Who Bragged of Crime to Do Some Time

Posted on September 18, 2013

(AP) — A woman who bragged on Facebook about cashing counterfeit checks around Lincoln has been sentenced to up to 12 years in prison.

23-year-old Aloni Jones was sentenced Tuesday to six to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to two forgery counts. In exchange for her plea, two other forgery counts were dropped.

Police say Jones cashed at least four counterfeit income tax refund checks, each made out for nearly $7,300, in March.

An arrest affidavit says Jones posted a picture of herself on Facebook flashing $100 bills, along with comments indicating that she had fraudulently gotten the money.

Nebraska Wrongful Conviction Lawsuit Allowed to Proceed

Posted on September 18, 2013

(AP) — A federal judge says lawsuits by two men falsely accused of murder can proceed against southeast Nebraska law enforcement officials.

Matthew Livers and Nicholas Sampson sued Douglas County and Cass County law enforcement officials in 2008 and 2007, saying officials violated their constitutional rights.

The two men were initially charged in the 2006 shotgun slayings of Wayne and Sharmon Stock in their farmhouse in southeastern Nebraska. The men spent months in prison before being cleared of murder charges.

A Wisconsin pair was eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports (https://bit.ly/1eoTYSg) that U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon on Friday rejected a request by the defendants to dismiss the lawsuits. Trial in the case has been set to begin Oct. 21.

Omaha Man Arrested in Connection with Woman’s Death

Posted on September 18, 2013

(AP) — The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says a man believed to have helped commit one of four linked Omaha killings last month has been arrested.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s office says Warren J. Levering was arrested Wednesday on the Winnebago Indian Reservation in northeast Nebraska. Authorities had issued an arrest warrant for the 51-year-old Levering a day earlier.

Levering is accused of being an accessory to a felony in the Aug. 21 death of 33-year-old Andrea Kruger, who was shot and killed in an intersection northwest of Omaha as she was headed home from work.

Prosecutors have charged 26-year-old Nikko Jenkins, who is Levering’s nephew, with four counts of murder in connection with Kruger’s death and three other killings.

Levering is in the custody of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Union Pacific Repairing Flood Damage in Colorado

Posted on September 18, 2013

(AP) — Union Pacific railroad is repairing flood-damaged tracks in Colorado, and working to protect its main line crossing Nebraska as the floodwaters flow east into the Plains.

Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis says flooding damaged about 20 miles of its line west over the mountains out of Denver and damaged another 19 miles of track between Denver and Cheyenne, Wyo.

Davis says the north-south track is expected to reopen Wednesday afternoon, but the line over the mountains will likely be closed for repairs until October 1.

UP is rerouting the 10 trains a day that normally use that line, and Amtrak is busing passengers over the mountains.

In Nebraska, UP raised seven miles of track near Ogallala 4 inches and piled rock along tracks between Julesburg, Colo., and Big Springs, Neb.

Important Flood Information from NPPD

Posted on September 18, 2013September 18, 2013

Information from NPPD on flood conditions along the South Platte River

· NPPD has closed its Customer Service Center and operations in Ogallala. The customer service center is moving to the Ogallala city offices and will re-open at 7:30 a.m. and operate until 4:30 p.m. Monday throughFriday. An after hours payment box has also been established at the city offices. NPPD’s office and facilities are in the flood plain and are being sandbagged to prevent water from getting into the building.
· Critical equipment at the facility has been moved out.
· NPPD is urging safety around any downed power lines. They are considered to be live lines and are problematic in water. Seehttps://www.nppd.com/flooding/ for information on electrical safety in flooded areas.
· NPPD is also requesting the public stay out of any District work and barricaded areas where work is being conducted as the heavy machinery and truck traffic creates a hazardous environment for both the public and its employees.
· NPPD will be allowing some water through its canal system, utilizing the Korty Diversion Dam. NPPD will be moving less than 800 cubic feet per second of water through the canal system, down to Sutherland Reservoir and Lake Maloney and through the North Platte hydro. The canal system was originally planned to be drained to do maintenance work. Higher amounts of water could damage the walls of the canal.
· NPPD is cautioning individuals who are at Sutherland Reservoir and Lake Maloney to avoid skin contact with the water over the next week. Water coming downstream may be carrying animal carcasses, raw sewage and other harmful material. Nebraska DEQ will be testing the water in both facilities.

Western Nebraska River Surges from Trickle to Flood

Posted on September 18, 2013

The South Platte River looked like a trickle in Western Nebraska before the Colorado floodwaters began to arrive.

But the river surged quickly to flood levels near Big Springs, Neb., Wednesday morning.

The mostly dry river channel that runs along Interstate 76 and Interstate 80 is expected to overflow as floodwaters move east.

It’s not clear if the drought conditions surrounding the river will help absorb much of the floodwater.

The National Weather Service predicts the South Platte will rise quickly.

For instance, the river measured 1.6 feet deep near Roscoe Wednesday morning. By Thursday afternoon, it’s expected to reach 12.5 feet deep — shattering the old record of 11.3 feet.

At North Platte, the river is expected to rise from the current 5.3 feet to 13.9 feet on Saturday.

Former Verdigre Village Clerk Fined $6,000

Posted on September 18, 2013

(AP) — A former Verdigre village clerk has been fined $6,000 by the Nebraska Accountability & Disclosure Commission for abusing her position as a public officer.

The Norfolk Daily News reports (https://bit.ly/1eoXkVk) that the commission found Alisha Bartling made a housing loan to herself and her husband. It also found she had made loans to her husband’s business and brother-in-law and failed to keep accurate records of the loans or enforced timely payments on them.

The commission voted unanimously Friday to impose the $6,000 fine. Bartling, who was named the 2011 Outstanding Clerk of the Year, agreed to the fine.

The commission’s finding and fine are separate from three criminal charges of theft that Bartling faces in Holt County.

Former South-Central Nebraska Clerk Charged with Theft

Posted on September 18, 2013

(AP) — A former south-central Nebraska city clerk has been criminally charged, accused of stealing more than $100,000 from the city of Fairfield to buy everything from a cruise vacation to spa supplies.

Former Fairfield City Clerk Jennifer Bassett is charged in Clay County District Court with two counts of theft.

Court and arrest records say that 38-year-old Bassett used a credit card issued to the city in her name to pay for personal items and services. Records also say Bassett overpaid herself and overcompensated herself for health insurance premiums.

Her arraignment is set for Oct. 9.