April 2014 – Page 48 – North Platte Post Archive

North Platte Weather-Weekend

Posted on April 11, 2014April 11, 2014

Today: Sunny, with a high near 75. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. South wind 8 to 13 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. West wind 5 to 13 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: A chance of thunderstorms before 1am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1am and 4am, then a chance of showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. Breezy, with an east northeast wind 11 to 16 mph becoming north northeast 19 to 24 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday: Rain and snow likely, mainly before 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 39. Breezy, with a north wind around 25 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Blustery.

Neb. Legislature Rejects Roads Bonding Bill

Posted on April 11, 2014April 10, 2014

(AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have rejected a proposal to allow roads projects to be financed with bonds.

Lawmakers fell short Thursday of the votes needed for final approval of the measure, which would allow Nebraska to issue up to $200 million in bonds at a maximum fixed interest rate of 5 percent. No bonds could have been issued after June 30, 2017.

Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton, chairwoman of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, says she introduced it to accelerate work on long-delayed projects.

Several senators expressed opposition to taking on the debt, and wanted to keep the pay-as-you-go system currently used in the state.

Neb. Lawmakers Pass Prison Reform Changes

Posted on April 10, 2014April 10, 2014

(AP) — A measure to address prison overcrowding in Nebraska has been passed by the Legislature.

Lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a bill that aims to reduce the inmate population by providing more services to those behind bars and diverting nonviolent offenders from the Department of Corrections.

The bill would have the state work on solutions with the Council of State Governments, a national organization that has worked with other states on prison reforms.

Nebraska’s state prisons were at 155 percent of capacity as of March 31.

Lawmakers also gave final approval to a bill for a study of whether to build a facility in Hastings for mentally ill inmates. The facility would provide drug and alcohol treatment as well.

North Platte Soccer Girls Win, Boys Lose to Grand Island

Posted on April 10, 2014April 11, 2014

The North Platte Bulldogs boys and girls soccer teams hosted Grand Island on Tuesday and split victories with the Islanders.

The Lady Dogs (4-1) continued to score seemingly at will as they beat the Lady Islanders (1-5) 10-0 at Madison Middle School. North Platte led seven to nothing at the half before calling off the dogs and scoring three more times in the second half.

Taylor Banark led the way for North Platte with four goals and an assist. Madalynn Doughty and Samantha Tagwerker each scored two goals for the Lady Dogs and Marisa Martinez and Alex Neff each added one. Doughty also had two assists to lead the team. Abby Stark earned the shutout inside the net.

The Bulldogs boys soccer team lost their third match in a row to fall below .500 at 2-3 on the season. The Islanders improved to 3-3 with the 5-1 win. Brady Mason scored North Platte’s lone goal.

The Bulldogs will now compete in the Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference tournament beginning Friday.

Prosecutor: School Stabber Used Kitchen Knives

Posted on April 10, 2014April 10, 2014

(AP) — The district attorney says a 16-year-old charged with stabbing 21 other students and a security officer at his Pittsburgh-area high school used two “ordinary kitchen knives.”

Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck called the weapons “common items you’d find in a kitchen.”

However, he stopped short of saying that the suspect, Alex Hribal, took them from his own home.

Peck says he doubts anyone other than Hribal will be held criminally responsible for bringing the knives to Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville on Wednesday.

The prosecutor says the knives weren’t designed to be weapons and didn’t need to be stored in any particular way under the law.

Hribal is being held without bail in a juvenile detention center, though he’s charged as an adult with attempted homicide and aggravated assault.

Morneau Settles in at 1st Base for Rockies

Posted on April 10, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Justin Morneau laces up his cleats right next to the locker once belonging to Todd Helton, the first baseman whose shoes he’s now trying to fill.

Merely a coincidence, though. The Colorado Rockies slugger selected that space in the clubhouse only because good friend Michael Cuddyer resides on the other side.

Morneau insists he’s not trying to replace the retired Helton, only “do the things I’m capable of doing.”

He’s certainly off to a solid start, hitting .387 and scooping up just about everything thrown in his vicinity at first — just like Helton used to do.

Cuddyer says of Morneau, his longtime teammate in Minnesota: “Justin’s a relentless worker and continues to get better, to make our team better.”

(UPDATED) Lincoln Police Surround Hotel in Standoff

Posted on April 10, 2014April 10, 2014

UPDATE 4/9/14 4:00 p.m.

(AP) — Authorities say a standoff with a Lincoln man at a hotel has ended with his arrest.

Deputies with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office say 33-year-old Jeremiah Joseph Burkhart was arrested Thursday afternoon at a Quality Inn near the airport. The standoff lasted about five hours.

Burkhart barricaded himself in one of the rooms in an attempt to avoid an arrest warrant.

Authorities communicated with Burkhart through the door of the room, over the phone and by text message before the arrest. Burkhart told officials at one point that he was armed. At least one hotel floor was evacuated, and a nearby street was shut down.

Burkhart had a warrant out for his arrest for allegedly using a financial device illegally.

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(AP) — Authorities say they have surrounded a Lincoln hotel because a man has barricaded himself in one of the rooms.

Deputies with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office say the standoff Thursday with 33-year-old Jeremiah Joseph Burkhart is happening at a Quality Inn near the airport. The standoff has been going on for about two hours.

Authorities have communicated with Burkhart through the door of the room, over the phone and by text message. Burkhart has told officials he is armed. At least one floor of the hotel has been evacuated, and a nearby street has been shut down.

The newspaper reports Burkhart has a warrant out for his arrest for allegedly using a financial device illegally.

Lincoln Man Surrenders in Molotov Cocktail Case

Posted on April 10, 2014

(AP) — A 27-year-old Lincoln man suspected of tossing Molotov cocktails has surrendered.

Lincoln police spokeswoman Katie Flood says Daniel Walter faces five counts of possession of a destructive device. He turned himself in on Wednesday.

Jail records said Walter remained in custody on Thursday. Online court records don’t list the name of his attorney.

Flood says Walter is suspected of hurling five of the flaming devices from his car last month. The firebombs caused only minor damage, and no injuries were reported.

Tilden City Council Votes to Close Hospital

Posted on April 10, 2014

(AP) — The Tilden City Council in northeast Nebraska has decided to close the city-owned hospital.

The council voted 6-0 on Tuesday night to close Tilden Community Hospital and sell or lease it. Norfolk-based Faith Regional Health Services is expected to lease a portion of the property and offer some services. The nearest hospital is 22 miles to the east in Norfolk.

Tilden hospital administrators say the hospital has been losing money. They blamed a steady decline in the number of inpatients, new government requirements and changing demographics.

Foster Farms Salmonella Outbreak Sickens People in 25 States

Posted on April 10, 2014

(AP) — Federal health officials say a salmonella outbreak linked to Foster Farms chicken isn’t over and has now infected 524 people in 25 states and Puerto Rico.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the updated numbers on Wednesday. The agency reported in January that the outbreak appeared to be over. It has been going on since March 2013.

The CDC noted an uptick in illnesses in February.

The outbreak led to a public health alert from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for raw chicken packaged at three Foster Farms facilities in California.

Though no one has died, the CDC says the outbreak strains have been resistant to several commonly prescribed antibiotics.

Foster Farms says it has implemented a salmonella control program that has reduced the prevalence of salmonella in its products.

Most of the ill persons (76%) have been reported from California. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alaska (1), Arkansas (1), Arizona (24), California (399), Colorado (9), Connecticut (1), Delaware (1), Florida (4), Hawaii (1), Idaho (5), Illinois (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Michigan (4), Missouri (5), North Carolina (1), Nevada (10), New Mexico (2), Oregon (13), Puerto Rico (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (12), Utah (4), Virginia (4), Washington (17), and Wisconsin (1).

For more information, visit the CDC’s website, https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/heidelberg-10-13/.