We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

GM Recalls 13.2M More US Cars for Ignition Problem

general-motorsDETROIT (AP) — General Motors is recalling 3.2 million more cars in the U.S. because of ignition switch problems.

The company says it will change or replace the keys on the cars from the 2000 to 2014 model years.

GM says the switches can unexpectedly move out of the “run” position if the cars are jarred, such as by going over railroad tracks or a pothole. That can shut off the engines and disable power steering.

The recall is part of a GM review of ignition switches after the company recalled 2.6 million older small cars earlier this year for a similar problem.

GM also is recalling 166,000 other cars for a series of problems.

And the company raised its expected second-quarter charge for recall expenses to $700 million.

Nebraska Woman Helps Capture Intruder with Cell Phone

lincoln-policeLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska woman helped police catch an intruder who barged into her home by snapping a picture of him.

Dawn Babcock was in her bathroom when a stranger entered her home earlier this month. Babcock asked him to leave, but he initially refused.

Then the man grabbed Babcock’s phone, and the two struggled over it before she got it back. Babcock snapped a quick picture of the man as he fled.

Police arrested a 24-year-old man a block and a half away from Babcock’s home after the June 9 incident. He is facing charges of trespassing, disturbing the peace, theft and lying to police about his name.

The suspect is listed as a transient and has a history of trespassing, stalking and indecent exposure charges.

Nebraska Inmate Sentenced for Prison Van Crash

Jeremy Dobbe (NE Dept. of Corrections Photo)
Jeremy Dobbe (NE Dept. of Corrections Photo)

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska inmate has been given more prison time for the death of a Lincoln woman who was in a vehicle struck by the state prison van he was driving.

Thirty-six-year-old Jeremy Dobbe had pleaded no contest to manslaughter in the death of 47-year-old Joyce Meeks, who was killed June 25, 2013, in Lincoln. On Monday Dobbe was sentenced to 18 to 20 more years in prison.

Dobbe was seen speeding and swerving before he struck Meeks’ minivan. Dobbe was transporting inmates as part of a state work-release program. Prison records say Dobbe already was serving five to seven years for selling meth, threatening people and making criminal mischief.

Lincoln County Deputies Bust Felon with Firearm

Robert Love, Jr.
Robert Love, Jr.

A 41-year-old Lincoln County man is in jail, accused of being a felon in possession of firearm.

On June 13, deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to 3510 North Range Road to serve a protection order on Robert Love, Jr., and conduct a follow-up investigation from a previous case.

Deputies say they had also received a tip that Love was in possession of firearm, and could possibly be a convicted felon.  Chief Deputy Roland Kramer said deputies were able to confirm that Love had been convicted of possession of methamphetamine in Colorado.

Kramer said deputies met with Love and served the protection order.  They also asked him if there were any guns in the residence, at which time Love retrieved an over-and-under shotgun from his bedroom.

Love surrendered the gun to deputies, and was placed under arrest and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

He was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed.

Stanley Cup Playoffs 2nd-Most Watched Since 2006

Stanley Cup Finals 2014STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — The Stanley Cup playoffs between Los Angeles and the New York Rangers were the second-most watched NHL postseason since NBC and NBCSN began exclusive coverage in 2006.

NBC, NBCSN and CNBC combined to average 1.44 million viewers. There were 1.47 million viewers in 2013.

Nielsen said Monday the Stanley Cup Final, won in five games by the Kings, was just the fifth final in 20 years to average more than 5.0 million viewers.

The Kings won 3-2 in double overtime on Friday night, averaging 6 million viewers and a 3.7 rating on NBC. The game featured the nation’s two largest media markets.

Spurs Title-Clinching Win a Hit with Viewers

NBA Finals 2014NEW YORK (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs’ redemption title was a big hit with television viewers.

Nearly 18 million viewers tuned in to watch the Spurs clinch in Game 5 on Sunday night. That’s a 10 percent increase from Game 5 between the same teams last year. Nielsen says viewership peaked at 22.4 million in the last half hour of the Spurs’ 104-87 win.

The 10.3 national rating on ABC was up from 9.5 last year.

The five-game series averaged 15.5 million viewers and a 9.3 rating. That’s up from 15.1 million viewers and a 9.1 rating through five games of the 2013 classic series.

Nielsen Social says it was the most-tweeted NBA game of the year, with more than 6.4 million tweets. The Spurs won their fifth NBA championship, preventing the Heat from winning three straight titles.

NP Man, 77, Accused of Firing Rifle at Teens Boating at Lake Maloney

LINCOLN-COUNTY-SHERIFF-1A 77-year-old North Platte man is facing felony charges after he allegedly fired a rifle at some teens in a boat at Lake Maloney.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the North Platte 911 Center received a report of shots fired at Lake Maloney at around 7:09 p.m., on May 23.

The caller reported that Donald Vanderploeg had shot at some teenage boys in a boat.  Deputies responded to the area and met with the boys and several other witnesses.

The teens told deputies that they were in a boat near Goose Island, when they apparently got too close Vanderploeg’s property and got tangled in some rope that went across his dock.

The teens said Vanderploeg took offense to this and fired a rifle in their direction.  Deputies say several adults in the area also reported hearing shots.

Deputies tried for several hours to contact Vanderploeg, but say they were unsuccessful.

On June 13, Vanderploeg was charged with felony terroristic threats and use of a weapon to commit a felony.  He was cited and released.

There were no reports of any injuries in the incident.

Study of Nebraska Nuclear Flood Risks Narrowed

ft-calhoun-nuclear-plantOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Regulators have told the utilities that own Nebraska’s two nuclear power plants not to worry about some unlikely ways upstream dams might fail even though they are studying those flood risks.

The utilities are re-examining flood threats at their nuclear plants that sit on the Missouri River as part of an industrywide review of unlikely safety threats after the 2011 Japanese meltdowns.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission told the utilities this month they didn’t need to consider two of the five dam failure scenarios experts developed.

NRC officials didn’t immediately respond to questions about the decision.

Independent expert David Lochbaum with the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists says it appears regulators decided the flooding scenarios were similar enough that the utilities don’t need to prepare for all of them.

‘Pink Slime’ Makers Say Sales Are Rebounding

pink-slimeLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Two makers say sales have been rebounding for a ground beef product that critics have dubbed “pink slime.”

Spokesmen for Cargill and Beef Products Inc. say sales have risen, but Cargill says they fall short of the volume before the controversy erupted in 2012.

BPI has sued ABC, saying the network’s March 2012 coverage damaged BPI by misleading consumers into believing the lean finely textured beef product is unhealthy and unsafe. BPI says the sales drop forced it to close plants in Iowa, Kansas and Texas, leaving open only a Nebraska plant.

Cargill spokesman Mike Martin says his company sells the product to about 400 customers, which is more than before March 2012, but the sales volume remains down about 40 percent.

$5 Theft Leads to Felony Charge for NP Woman

Stacy Lingar
Stacy Lingar

A North Platte woman is being charged with a felony after she allegedly stole from a local business.

At around 5:20 p.m., on June 13, North Platte Police responded to Gary’s Super Foods, 1620 East 4th Street.

A witness reported seeing a woman conceal an item in her purse and leave without paying for it.

Police say video surveillance was reviewed, and probable cause was established to arrest 31-year-old Stacy Lingar.

Lingar was contacted and placed under arrest for theft by shoplifting.  Because of two 2013 convictions for theft, the charge was enhanced to a felony.

Authorities say the value of the item Lingar stole was $4.98.  They did not identify the item.

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File