April 2014 – Page 19 – North Platte Post Archive

Neb. Banking Director to Retire in May

Posted on April 23, 2014April 22, 2014

(AP) — Nebraska’s Director of Banking and Finance, John Munn, has announced his retirement, and Gov. Dave Heineman has named deputy director Ray Pont as the agency’s acting director.

The 66-year-old Munn is responsible for the supervision of state-chartered financial institutions, registered and licensed financial entities including mortgage banking, delayed-deposit service companies and Nebraska’s securities industry.

Munn was appointed in 2005 by then-Gov. Mike Johanns. His last day will be May 2.

The governor’s office says that under Munn’s leadership, the assets of state-chartered banks the department supervises have more than doubled, from $16 billion to $35 billion.

Rape Charges Added in Missouri Girl’s Death

Posted on April 23, 2014April 22, 2014

(AP) — A southwest Missouri youth football coach accused of kidnapping and killing a 10-year-old girl is now facing rape and sodomy charges.

Greene County prosecutors added the new charges against 46-year-old Craig Michael Wood of Springfield on Monday. Court documents indicate the additional charges in the February death of Hailey Owens stem from newly available autopsy results.

Hailey was abducted while walking home from her best friend’s house, just two blocks from her own home. Neighbors reported watching in horror and unsuccessfully giving chase as Hailey was pulled into a pickup truck that sped away.

She was found dead hours later in the basement of Wood’s home.

Wood is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday. His public defender says he plans to ask for a delay because of the new charges.

Man Seeks to Hide ‘Murder’ Tattoo Before Trial

Posted on April 23, 2014

(AP) — A Kansas man charged with first-degree murder is afraid the tattooed mirror-image letters spelling out the word “murder” across his neck might prejudice a jury, so he is asking for a professional tattoo artist to remove or cover it up.

Prosecutors say they aren’t opposed to Jeffrey Chapman covering his tattoo, but Barton County’s sheriff says he’s against transporting Chapman to a licensed tattoo facility — the only places tattoo artists are allowed to practice under Kansas law.

Chapman’s trial is scheduled to start Monday in the November 2011 killing of Damon Galliart, whose body was found by hunters in a roadside ditch southwest of Great Bend.

Chapman’s attorney says in a motion the tattoo would be extremely prejudicial if seen by a jury.

North Platte Weather-April 23rd

Posted on April 23, 2014

Today: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. South southeast wind 10 to 18 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph.
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 14 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 69. West northwest wind 9 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. West northwest wind 5 to 14 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. West wind 5 to 8 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Breezy.

Heineman Vetoes Nurse Practitioner Regulation Bill

Posted on April 22, 2014April 22, 2014

(AP) — Nurse practitioners will still need to collaborate with physicians in order to practice in Nebraska, after the governor vetoed a bill that would have changed state regulations.

Gov. Dave Heineman on Tuesday vetoed the bill, which removed the requirement that nurses have an integrated practice agreement with a collaborating physician in order to practice in Nebraska. In the final vote, legislators had approved the measure unanimously.

Heineman says in the future there will be a shift toward additional independence for nurse practitioners, but the option provided by the bill went too far, too quickly.

Heineman and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph Acierno expressed concern about patient safety in the governor’s veto letter.

Lawmakers adjourned last week, so they cannot try to override the governor’s veto.

North Platte Bulldogs Soccer Splits with Kearney, Boys Win

Posted on April 22, 2014

The North Platte Bulldogs soccer teams split with Class A rival Kearney on Tuesday.

The North Platte Bulldogs (3-8) snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 3-2 home win over the Bearcats of Kearney (7-5). North Platte jumped out to a 2-0 lead at halftime then added a goal in the second half to secure the one-goal victory. Three different players scored for North Platte in the game: Brady Mason, David Garcia and Eiljah Vierya. Mason also added two assists for the Dogs. Dakota Guenin had eight saves in earning the win as the goalkeeper.

The Lady Bulldogs (8-3) lost for just the third time this season, 2-1 to Kearney (9-3). North Platte led 1-0 at halftime before giving up two second half goals to the Lady Cats to lose for the first time in four games. Morgan Hansen scored the Lady Bulldogs lone goal and Abby Stark recorded 13 saves in the net.

Both the boys and girls for North Platte soccer will next play Saturday in Kearney. The Bulldogs will play Lincoln East and Lincoln Northeast on the neutral field.

Lincoln Man Faces Charges in Wife’s Death

Posted on April 22, 2014

(AP) — A Lincoln man has been accused of killing his wife.

Forty-one-year-old Kent Burklund was arrested Monday and booked at the Lancaster County Jail on charges of second-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. Court records do not list an attorney.

Burklund’s wife, Bettina, was found dead inside the couple’s home Monday. The 41-year-old woman had a knife by her side, but authorities have not said how she died.

Kent Burklund was found later at a nearby lake. He was taken into custody without incident.

An autopsy was conducted Tuesday, but preliminary results have not been released.

Albert Pujols Hits 500th HR of Major League Career

Posted on April 22, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) — Albert Pujols has hit the 500th home run of his career, becoming the 26th player in major league history to reach that milestone.

The Angels’ slugger did it with a pair of shots against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. He hit a three-run homer beyond left field off starter Taylor Jordan in the first inning for No. 499, then added a two-run shot for No. 500 to left-center with no outs in the fifth, again off Jordan.

The 34-year-old Pujols is the first player to collect his 499th and 500th homers in the same game, according to STATS.

He has eight homers this season, all in the past 13 games.

30 Top Prospects to Attend NFL Draft in New York

Posted on April 22, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL says 30 top prospects, including Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, will attend the draft next month in New York.

Among other players scheduled to appear at Radio City Music Hall include Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins and Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack.

The prospects are expected to be selected in the first three rounds.

The first round will be Thursday, May 8, with rounds 2-3 the next day.

Avalanche, Wild Brace for Absence of Barrie, Cooke

Posted on April 22, 2014

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Cooke has been summoned for a hearing at the NHL office in New York regarding his kneeing penalty that injured Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie.

The league said Cooke’s meeting will be Wednesday afternoon. Game 4 is Thursday night, but Cooke likely will be suspended for that one and more. The Avalanche lead the series 2-1.

The incident occurred in the second period on Monday night on the open ice, as Cooke’s knee clipped Barrie’s. Barrie, who led Avalanche defensemen this season with 13 goals, will need four to six weeks to recover from a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

Cooke has a long history of punishment for rough play, but none of his suspensions has come in the last three years.