June 2014 – Page 24 – North Platte Post Archive

Denver Broncos Win 2014 Pete Rozelle Award

Posted on June 20, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — The Denver Broncos public relations staff has won the 2014 Pete Rozelle Award from the Professional Football Writers of America.

The annual award is named for the NFL commissioner from 1960-89 who began his distinguished career in sports PR roles as a student at Compton (Calif.) Junior College and the University of San Francisco. He broke into the NFL as the PR director of the Los Angeles Rams in 1952.

The Broncos’ PR department is led by executive director Patrick Smyth and includes managers Erich Schubert and Rebecca Villanueva. Jim Saccomano recently retired as vice president of corporate communications after 36 years with the club.

This is the second Rozelle Award for the Broncos, who also won the inaugural honor in 1990.

Tobacco Use Still High in College Ball, Off Field

Posted on June 20, 2014

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The death of Hall of Fame baseball player Tony Gwynn might give some pause to college players who use chewing tobacco. Whether it makes them stop is another matter.

Virginia pitcher Josh Sborz says he chews tobacco once a month or every two weeks, and he said Gwynn’s death should make players think.

According to an NCAA survey on substance use, baseball players acknowledging they used spit tobacco at least once in the previous month rose from 42.5 percent in 2005 to 52.3 percent in 2009. Results of the 2013 survey have not been released.

The NCAA banned tobacco in 1994, a year after minor-league baseball did the same. Tobacco is not banned in the major leagues.

College players and coaches caught with tobacco during games are to be ejected.

Nebraska Man Sentenced for Killing Child

Posted on June 20, 2014

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A northeastern Nebraska man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for causing the death of his girlfriend’s 14-month-old son.

The U.S. Attorney for Nebraska says 22-year-old Mark Grant, of Winnebago, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Omaha after being convicted of one count of child abuse causing death.

Court documents say Grant was caring for Julius Harlan on Sept. 10 when the boy suffered severe brain injuries and died the next day at an Omaha hospital.

Investigators say Grant was the only person with the child when the boy received the injuries and that Grant told different stories about the circumstance behind the boy’s injuries.

Authorities Find Dead Man in Elkhorn River

Posted on June 20, 2014

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the death of a man found in the Elkhorn River in northeast Nebraska.

Norfolk police and fire personnel responded Friday morning to a report about a body in the river. Authorities retrieved the body and identified it as belonging to 52-year-old Jeffrey L. Planer, also of Norfolk.

Authorities say they have identified the area where Planer entered the water. The circumstances surrounding his death are still under investigation.

The Madison County Coroner has ordered an autopsy to be conducted Saturday.

Lincoln Fire Chief Denies Challenge on Pickup Use

Posted on June 20, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln’s fire chief says he’s denied a union challenge on the use of a pickup truck for medical calls.

The Lincoln Firefighters Association filed a grievance last month against Lincoln Fire and Rescue Chief John Huff’s order that medical calls to the city’s busiest station be answered in a pickup truck instead of a fire engine. The group says the order endangers firefighters and violates the collective bargaining agreement.

Huff says the May 12 order for crews at Station 1 was more efficient and saves money. He also says his order doesn’t overstep his contractual bounds.

Union leaders have until June 26 to decide whether to proceed to arbitration.

Big Ten Head Paints Dire Picture of Paying Players

Posted on June 20, 2014

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The head of the Big Ten is painting a dire picture of what college sports would look like if players were allowed to be paid. He says his conference likely would cease to exist and the Rose Bowl probably would not be played.

Jim Delany says the idea of paying players goes against the entire college experience and he couldn’t see league members agreeing to it. He adds that if some did they likely would be kicked out of the conference because such a move would create an imbalance among schools that could not be resolved.

Delany followed NCAA President Mark Emmert to the witness stand Friday in a landmark antitrust suit brought by former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon and others.

Tiger Woods to Return to Competition Next Week

Posted on June 20, 2014

Tiger Woods says he is rusty but ready to return to competition.

Woods announced Friday on his Facebook page that he will play next week at Congressional in the Quicken Loans National. This is the first year for a new title sponsor at the PGA Tour event that donates the charity money to the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Woods last played on March 9 at Doral, where he played with pain in his lower back and closed with a 78 to tie for 25th. He had back surgery on March 31, causing him to miss the Masters for the first time. He also missed the U.S. Open.

He says he is just starting to hit full shots and wants to play his way into competitive shape.

Julius Thomas Keeps Eye on Jimmy Graham Situation

Posted on June 20, 2014

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — It’s the $5 million question that’s rumbling through NFL front offices and locker rooms alike: Is All-Pro Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints a tight end or a really big wide receiver?

It matters to men like Pro Bowl tight end Julius Thomas of the Denver Broncos, who’s up for a big pay raise and could be facing a franchise tag himself after the upcoming season.

The Saints gave Graham the franchise tag for about $7 million as a tight end, the position he’s been listed at for his entire four-year career — and which he himself lists on his Twitter account.

Graham contends that because he more often is split out away from the tackle, he is really a wide receiver.

Thomas is understandably interested in the outcome.

No Space Available in Lincoln Community Gardens

Posted on June 20, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials say 100 families are on a waiting list to grow some of their own food in Lincoln.

Around 250 families are already growing tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, beets and other fruits and vegetables at one of the 11 sites operated by the Community Crops Gardens program. The sites include private vacant lots, church land and this year at Peter Pan Park. The 13,000-square-foot space is the largest site so far and the first owned by the city.

Program manager Ben McShane-Jewell says there are always more people who want to garden than land available.

He says gardeners in the program grew more than 14 tons of food last year.

Driver Dies in West Omaha Accident

Posted on June 20, 2014

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 34-year-old man has been killed in a traffic accident in west Omaha.

Omaha police say the accident occurred a little before 1:30 a.m. Friday in the eastbound lanes of West Dodge Road near 183rd Street. Witnesses told officers the car was speeding when it ran off the roadway and struck a metal sign. The driver was partially ejected and was pulled from the burning vehicle by witnesses.

The driver was alone in his car. He was identified as Stephen Pache, of Omaha.