March 2014 – Page 2 – North Platte Post Archive

Three Escapees for Kearney YRTC Back in Custody

Posted on March 31, 2014

Three teens who escaped from the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney Sunday night are all back in custody.

According to a news release, Kearney Police were notified that the teens, two of whom were 16 and one who was 14, escaped from the facility late Sunday night.

Two of the boys, ages 14 and 16, were located shortly thereafter and returned to the facility. The third escapee remained at large.

At around 9:44 a.m., on Monday, Kearney police located the boy and, following a short chase, placed him under arrest.

Captain Mike Kirkwood said the teen was armed with a knife when officers made contact with him and an officer deployed a Taser, in accordance with departmental policy.

The boy was charged with felony terroristic threats and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

He was jailed at the Buffalo County Detention Center.

Gonzalez’s Single Lifts Tigers over Royals 4-3

Posted on March 31, 2014

DETROIT (AP) — Alex Gonzalez drove in the winning run in his Detroit debut, lining a single to left off Greg Holland in the ninth inning that gave the Tigers a 4-3 opening-day victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

Acquired by Detroit following an injury to shortstop Jose Iglesias, Gonzalez made a costly error in Kansas City’s three-run fourth but made up for that with a tying triple in the seventh. He then singled with men on first and third in the ninth.

Joe Nathan (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth in his first appearance for the Tigers.

Wade Davis (0-1) allowed a one-out walk to Alex Avila and a single to Nick Castellanos in the ninth. Holland couldn’t escape the jam.

Dodge County Shifts Approach to Juvenile Justice

Posted on March 31, 2014March 31, 2014

(AP) — The adversarial has given way to the collaborative in a Dodge County courtroom for juvenile offenders.

The railing has been taken away and a row of benches has been moved to make way for a conference table and 16 chairs.

County Judge Ken Vampola usually sits at the table with the defendant and his or her parents or guardian and the lawyers involved. Vampola says delinquent youths don’t fear authority, so they have to be personally motivated and buy into their futures.

The courtroom alterations illustrate other changes in the county system. Among them is a new truancy diversion program and efforts to provide alternatives to locking up juveniles.

Mary Mercedes Warwick

Posted on March 31, 2014

Mary Mercedes Warwick, 90, of North Platte, NE, died Saturday, March 29, 2014, at Linden Court in North Platte, NE.

Mary was born February 12, 1924, to Clarence Wilson “Red” and Cecil M. Harvey Beam at Stapleton, NE where she grew up and graduated from Stapleton High School.

On November 27, 1941, Mary married Robert Mark Warwick at Stapleton. They moved to a farm south of Stapleton the following March where they lived until 1945 when they moved west of North Platte to farm. They moved into North Platte in 1955 and Mary worked as a cook for Madison Junior High for 20 years. Robert and Mary later moved to Hershey and retired from farming. In her later years, Mary returned to North Platte where she lived in the High Rise, Linden Estates and later Linden Court.

Mary was a member of the Sutherland Presbyterian Church. She enjoyed fishing and cooking. She also liked to read the newspapers, dance and yell at her son.

She is survived by her son, Dean (Julie) Warwick, of Hershey; a daughter-in-law, Wauneta Warwick, of Omaha, NE; six grandchildren, Dawn (Joe) Ayivi Guedehoussou, of Omaha, NE, Stacey (Gary) Kassebaum and Brent (Lisa) Warwick, of Lincoln, NE, Pat McNeil, of Brady, NE, Steve Arnold, of Seattle, WA and Crystal Warwick (fiancé, Austin Sauer) of North Platte; 10 great-grandchildren; her brothers, Arlen (Betty) Beam, of Lincoln, NE and Chuck (Ruth) Beam, of Maple Grove, MN; many nieces, nephews and other family.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Robert; a son, Barry Warwick; a daughter-in-law, Betty Warwick; two infant daughters; her parents, Red and Cecil Beam; and her sister, Donna Jean Clark.

Funeral service will be 1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, 2014, at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore with JA Welsh officiating. Burial will follow in the North Platte Cemetery. Visitation will be 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore. Condolences may also be shared at odeanchapel.com and memorials are suggested to Hershey Volunteer Fire Department. Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore is in charge of arrangements

Applications Open for Nebraska Ranch Practicum

Posted on March 31, 2014

(AP) — Applications are being accepted for the 2014 Nebraska Ranch Practicum.

Participants will cover several topics, including plant identification, range conditions and grazing strategies, wildlife management and evaluation of beef cattle production systems.

Classroom activities will open and close the practicum in North Platte with the remainder of the classes conducted at UNL’s Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory near Whitman.

Practicum dates this year are June 11 and 12, July 10, Sept. 3 and 4 and Nov. 6, 2014. The final two sessions are Jan. 7 and 8, 2015.

Applications are due May 2, 2014, with a $250 deposit.

For applications or additional information, call Brent Plugge at 308-236-1235 or email brent.plugge@unl.edu or visit the practicum website at https://nebraskaranchpracticum.unl.edu/.

Police Say Thief Stabbed Lincoln Drugstore Clerk

Posted on March 31, 2014

(AP) — Authorities say a clerk has been stabbed by a thief he chased outside a Lincoln drugstore.

The theft and assault were reported about 7:40 a.m. Sunday at the CVS Pharmacy store at 16th and South streets.

Police say the man grabbed a prepaid cellphone and ran out of the store. The clerk chased the man and tried to restrain him in the parking lot, but the man used a pair of scissors to stab the clerk in an elbow. Officers soon spotted the man and arrested him.

The clerk refused medical attention.

Lincoln Neighborhoods Seek Sales Tax Revenue Share

Posted on March 31, 2014

(AP) — A coalition of 27 neighborhoods groups has united to secure a share of any increase in the city’s sales tax.

City leaders are considering adding a half-cent to the city’s current rate of 1½ cents per dollar on purchases inside the city. The total would be 7½ cents.

The coalition wants $1 million for a fund to buy and fix problem properties, $2 million for sidewalk repair and $3 million for parks.

The mayor’s staff isn’t sure whether to advance the proposal for a council vote and, if approved by the council, a November ballot measure for city voters.

State law requires that most of the money be earmarked for buildings, equipment, roads or tax relief. But 15 percent can be used for programs run jointly with another public entity.

Buffalo Co. Hero Flight Fund Now Over $21,000

Posted on March 31, 2014

(AP) — Officials say the fund drive has passed $21,000 for the Buffalo County Korean War Hero Flight.

The trip will be June 4-7 for 25 Korean War veterans from Buffalo County and their escorts. The travelers will head to Omaha on June 4, stay the night and fly to Washington, D.C., on June 5 so they can see the memorials and other sites in the nation’s capital. They will fly back on June 7.

All expenses are paid for the veterans, including meals, hotel rooms, flights and bus rides.

The trip is expected to cost $55,000 to $60,000.

Surgery Gives Long-Term Help for Obese Diabetics

Posted on March 31, 2014

(AP) — New research is boosting hopes that weight-loss surgery can put some patients’ diabetes into remission for years and perhaps in some cases, for good.

Longer follow-up from a major study shows that stomach-reducing operations are better than medications for treating “diabesity,” the deadly duo of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Millions of Americans have this and can’t make enough insulin or use what they do make to process food.

After three years, blood-sugar levels were normal in 38 percent and 25 percent of two groups given surgery, but in only 5 percent of those treated with medications.

Doctors won’t call it a cure because they can’t guarantee diabetes will never return, but they hope for long-term remission.

The study was discussed Monday at a cardiology conference in Washington.

Nebraskans Race to Beat Health Enrollment Deadline

Posted on March 31, 2014

(AP) — Nebraska community groups and insurers are seeing a last-minute surge in consumers who want to beat the federal deadline to sign up for health insurance.

A spokesman for Community Action of Nebraska in Lincoln said Monday that his office has been booked solid with appointments for the last three weeks. Workers expect another full day before the midnight deadline to enroll through the new federal marketplace.

In Omaha, employees at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska were also busier than usual. Company spokesman Andy Williams said Monday that a waiting area for customers was filling up fast.

Many Nebraskans trying to sign up were experiencing technical problems with the federal enrollment website, healthcare.gov.