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UNMC Public Health Dean to Work in Sierra Leone on Ebola

Ali S. Khan
Ali S. Khan

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha has announced its dean of public health is in Sierra Leone to help the World Health Organization respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Ali S. Khan left Tuesday for the assignment, flying first to Geneva to meet with officials at the WHO headquarters. He then flew on Sierra Leone.

Earlier this month, UNMC joined the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network. Khan was then directed through a medical assessment and security training. He will assist with exploring the dynamics of the disease in the country and reviewing prevention strategies in support of the WHO country office for the next four to six weeks.

Nebraska Lawmakers Seek Support for Medical Marijuana Bill

Medical-Marijuana-leafLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lawmakers say friends and family members who suffered from chronic illnesses have convinced them that Nebraska should allow medical marijuana.

Senators on Friday rallied behind the Cannabis Compassion and Care Act, introduced by Sen. Tommy Garrett of Omaha.

Garrett calls it inexcusable that Nebraskans should be forced to illegally obtain a substance which studies have shown can alleviate debilitating symptoms.

Forms of medical marijuana have been legalized in 23 states and the District of Columbia.

Sen. Sue Crawford of Bellevue also introduced a bill this year allowing for a study examining the effects of using cannabidiol to treat seizures.

Nebraska Bills Could Help Overturn Wrongful Convictions

dnaLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Wrongly convicted Nebraska prisoners could have more chances to demonstrate their innocence under two bills presented to a legislative committee.

One bill offered Friday would remove the three-year window to seek a new trial based on newly discovered, non-DNA evidence.

The second would allow judges to order DNA testing on evidence that wasn’t previously tested, or where new technology could lead to more accurate or probative results. Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln says current law only allows the tests when such options weren’t available at trial.

Ada Joann Taylor, one of the so-called “Beatrice Six,” told lawmakers she’d still be in prison if one of her co-defendants hadn’t kept pushing for DNA tests to exonerate them in the 1985 Beatrice murder.

Heavy Snowfall Expected in Iowa Over the Weekend

snowstormDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two storm systems merging over the Midwest this weekend are expected to produce significant snowfall across Iowa and lighter accumulation in Nebraska.

The National Weather Service says precipitation beginning late Saturday morning in some areas and late afternoon in others will transition into snowfall overnight. Accumulation of up to nine inches is possible in southeastern Iowa, and anywhere between one to four inches is expected across northern portions of the state.

Meteorologist Melinda Beerends says a storm entering the region from the southwest and another dropping out of Canada will meet. She says snowfall will get heavier as the storm moves through the state, with central and southeastern Iowa anticipating higher totals.

Beerends says light snow is expected in Nebraska, with predicted snow totals highest in the northeast.

Officials: Lancaster County Measles Case Deemed False Alarm

Medical-ChartLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Health officials say a case of measles in Lancaster County has turned out to be a false alarm.

The 5-year-old child believed to have measles has been cleared following a third test that didn’t confirm previous results.

According to a report on the case, the boy’s symptoms and two initial tests led officials to believe he had developed measles. Because the boy had received the first vaccination dose at the age of 2 and couldn’t be linked to other known measles cases, a third test was conducted. This test failed to confirm prior results.

Officials say other illnesses and reactions to medications have similar rash and fever symptoms.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has reported two cases in the Omaha-Blair area.

No. 15 Huskers Close Tough Home Stand with Wolverines

Nebraska-Huskers-BasketballThe No. 15 Nebraska women’s basketball team shoots for a sweep of its two-game Big Ten home stand when the Huskers clash with Michigan Sunday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Tip-off between the Big Red (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten) and the Wolverines (13-7, 5-4 Big Ten) is set for 2 p.m., with tickets available now at Huskers.com. Tickets can be purchased on game day at the Pinnacle Arena Box Office beginning two hours prior to tip-off.

Live radio coverage will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call on stations across the network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, 93.3 FM in Omaha and 880 AM in Lexington. The game will be televised live statewide by Nebraska Educational Television (NET) with Larry Punteney and former Husker Meghin Williams calling the action. Live premium video of the NET production will be available to subscribers of BTN Plus.

Nebraska is coming off a thrilling, come-from-behind win over Illinois on Thursday. Natalie Romeo’s three from the right corner with 1:11 left gave the Huskers their only lead of the night. The freshman from Martinez, Calif., hit NU’s first and last field goals to finish with six points and three assists.

Fellow Californian Tear’a Laudermill led the Huskers with 16 points. The 5-9 senior guard has led Nebraska in scoring for three straight games to increase her season averages to 13.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. Rachel Theriot, who finished with 11 points, six rebounds and eight assists against Illinois, became Nebraska’s 30th 1,000-point scorer on Thursday. She leads the Huskers and ranks among Big Ten leaders with 16.7 points and 5.2 assists per game.
Allie Havers, a 6-5 sophomore from Paw Paw, Mich., put three Huskers in double figures against the Illini with 10 points in 11 minutes off the bench. Havers own three double-digit efforts in Big Ten play.

Michigan, which opened the week with a 70-57 win over Illinois on Monday night, closed a two-game home stand with a 91-65 loss to No. 5 Maryland Thursday, falling a game behind Nebraska in the Big Ten standings. The Wolverines are one of the Big Ten’s best shooting teams, hitting 38.3 percent of their three-point attempts while making 6.4 threes per game.

#15 Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 7.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 12.9 ppg, 10.3 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 13.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 7.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg
33 – Rachel Theriot – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 16.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Off the Bench
5 – Natalie Romeo – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 5.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
31 – Anya Kalenta – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 5.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg
22 – Allie Havers – 6-5 – So. – C – 4.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg
34 – Jasmine Cincore – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 2.1 ppg, 0.3 rpg
30 – Chandler Smith – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 1.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg
12 – Emily Wood – 5-5 – Fr. – G – 0.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg
11 – Esther Ramacieri – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.1 ppg, 0.6 rpg
50 – Darrien Washington – 6-2 – Fr. – F – Redshirting
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (257-146); 25th Season Overall (452-286)

Michigan Wolverines (13-7, 5-4 Big Ten)
14 – Nicole Elmblad – 5-11 – Jr. – F/G – 6.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg
22 – Cyesha Goree – 6-3 – Sr. – F – 15.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg
2 – Siera Thompson – 5-7 – So. – G – 11.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg
5 – Shannon Smith – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 13.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg
20 – Danielle Williams – 5-9 – So. – G – 1.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Off the Bench
3 – Katelynn Flaherty – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 14.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg
1 – Madison Ristovski – 5-10 – Jr. – G – 4.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg
11 – Jillian Dunston – 5-11 – Fr. – G/F – 2.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg
32 – Kelsey Mitchell – 6-0 – Fr. – F – 0.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
23 – Maria Backman – 6-1 – Fr. – G – 0.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg
12 – Terra Stapleton – 6-4 – Fr. – C – 1.2 ppg, 0.1 rpg
15 – Paige Rakers – 5-11 – So. – G – 0.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg
Head Coach: Kim Barnes Arico (Montclair State, 1993)
Third Season at Michigan (55-32); 19th Season Overall (325-238)

Braves Deal RHP David Hale to Rockies in 4-Player Trade

colorado-rockiesATLANTA (AP) — The Braves have traded right-handed pitchers David Hale and Gus Schlosser to the Colorado Rockies for minor-league catchers Jose Briceno and Chris O’Dowd.

The deal was announced Friday.

Hale pitched 45 games for the Braves last season, going 4-5 with a 3.30 ERA, and had been expected to compete for a spot in the starting rotation. Schlosser worked 15 games in Atlanta with a 7.64 ERA.

The 22-year-old Briceno played in Class A Asheville, hitting 12 homers with 50 RBI in 84 games. He also threw out 44 percent of attempted basestealers.

O’Dowd split the 2014 season between Class A Modesto and Double-A Tulsa, combining to hit .271 with five homers and 48 RBIs. He is a son of former Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd.

Storm Alumni Update: January

tcstormKEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm are recognizing former forwards Nick Lappin and Ryan McMurphy as well as defenseman Cutler Martin as their alumni of the month in January. Each month during the season, the team selects a group of former players based on their contributions on the ice at the next level.

Lappin, who is in his junior season at Brown University, has four points in his past five games including a goal and an assist in a win over crosstown rival Providence College on Jan. 10.

Through 17 games this season, Lappin has five goals and four assists. In his career at Brown, the Geneva, Ill. native appeared in 80 games and has scored 25 goals and 36 assists. In his sophomore season, Lappin had 32 points in 30 games, which was second-best on the team.

While with the Storm for two seasons during 2010-12, Lappin was one of the team’s scoring leaders, racking up 36 goals and 36 assists. In his final season in Tri-City, the forward led the team with 27 goals and 46 points in 53 regular season games.

McMurphy, who is in his freshman season with Bentley University, also has four points in his last five games, including wins over RIT and Air Force.

The Broken Arrow, Okla. native has three goals and five assists for eight points in 16 games thus far this season. Last Friday, McMurphy scored in the first period against RIT to open the scoring and put his team ahead early. Bentley eventually hung on for a 2-1 win. The Falcons have an overall record of 11-11-3 on the year, but are 9-7-3 in Atlantic Hockey play, currently in fifth place.

The forward played two seasons in Kearney from 2012-14, scoring 14 goals and 13 assists in 114 games.

Martin, also a freshman at the University of Michigan, earned the spotlight in a 4-3 overtime win over the University of Minnesota back on Jan. 9. The East Lansing, Mich. native scored the game-winning goal at 2:16 of the extra session to lift the Wolverines to victory. Martin also had an assist in the game during the second period.

This season the defenseman has nine points on three goals and six assists, while appearing in 17 games. Most recently, he helped the Wolverines to a sweep of the University of Wisconsin last weekend in Big Ten action. Michigan is currently at the top of the Big Ten conference standings with  a conference only record of 7-1-0 and an overall mark at 15-7-0.

In two seasons with Tri-City from 2012-14, Martin had five goals and 17 assists in 82 games.

The Storm finish off a four-game homestand Saturday night when they host the Sioux Falls Stampede for Casino Night at the Viaero Event Center. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011 or visit www.stormhockey.com.

Vera Dee Johnson


johnson

Vera Dee Johnson, 97 years, of North Platte, NE, passed away at Centennial Park Retirement Center in North Platte on Thursday, January 29, 2015.

Vera was born in a log cabin on June 3, 1917, to Carl Orn and Sadie Sheppard Thero at Stover, MO. When she was a small child, the family moved to Tribune, KS where she grew up and attended school. Vera later moved to Julesburg, CO where she lived with her aunt and uncle, Vera and Vernie Twomey, and worked as a telephone operator and at the Lincoln Cafe.

On April 24, 1940, Vera married Everett Hans Johnson in Sidney, NE and they made their home in North Platte. In 1961 Vera went to work for the North Platte Public Schools in Food Services, she retired from there after 29 years.

Vera had been a member of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church since March 3, 1945. She was active in Esther Lois Circle, taught Sunday School, and was in charge of making the dressing for Thanksgiving dinner for many years. Vera was also a life member of the PTA and a member of RSVP and Union Pacific Old Timers.

When the children were younger, Vera was a Cub Scout leader and Blue Bird leader. She enjoyed helping others by sewing quilt tops for the church and school bags for Lutheran World Relief. In recognition of her kindness, Vera was the first recipient of the KODY Good Neighbor Award in 1958.

She is survived by her children and grandchildren, E. Charles Johnson, of North Platte and his children, Shelly (Sam), Amy (Julian) and Mike (Dee); Sharon (Charles) Kleckner, of North Platte, and their children, Sarah, Rebecca and Laurel (Nick); and Larry (Carol) Johnson, of Phoenix, AZ, and their children, Craig (Mi Kyong), Todd and Trish; 14 great-grandchildren, Elizabeth, Emily, Christopher, Brett, Madison, McKenna, Brianda, Mitchell, Andrew, Camden, Jamie, Dylan, Christian and Julia; three great great-grandchildren, Marley, James and Angalee; and other family.

Vera was preceded in death by her brothers, Karl and Charles Thero, who were both killed in W.W.II; her husband, Everett; parents, Carl and Sadie Thero; and special friend, Ray Kehm.

Cremation was chosen. A memorial service will be held at a later date. The memorial book may be signed at odeanchapel.com. Memorials are suggested to Easter Seals or the W-ELCA (Lutheran Church Women’s Circle). Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore is in charge of arrangements.

Peyton Manning Still Considering his Future with Broncos

Peyton-ManningPHOENIX (AP) — Peyton Manning is still mulling his future in the NFL.

At a breakfast Friday to receive the Bart Starr Award, the five-time MVP said he still hasn’t made a decision about whether he’ll return to the Denver Broncos next season.

After the season-ending 24-13 loss to Indianapolis in the divisional playoffs, Manning made no guarantees about coming back for another season — a change of heart from a month previous, when he said he had every intention of returning.

He played the end of this season with a leg injury that hampered his effectiveness.

Broncos executive vice president John Elway told Manning to take his time before deciding.

“I’d like to make a decision soon,” Manning said, but he did not indicate when that would be.

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