Former Army Ranger, Security and Military Consultant, Kris “Tanto” Paronto will visit NebraskaLand National Bank in North Platte on March 12th to present first-hand details of the Attack on Benghazi.
Mr. Paronto was part of the CIA Annex security team that responded to the terrorist attack on the US Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, September 11th, 2012, helping to save over 20 lives while fighting off terrorists from the CIA Annex for over 13 hours. Mr. Paronto’s story is told in the book “13 Hours” written by Mitchell Zuckoff and his five surviving annex security team members.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase. The book, “13 Hours” is the riveting story that takes readers into the action-packed story of heroes who laid their lives on the line for one another, for their countrymen, and for their country.
The event will take place on March 12, 2015 at NebraskaLand National Bank Main Branch, 1400 South Dewey. The public is invited to join us for a Meet and Greet with Kris Paronto and a book signing from 3:00-5:00pm. A special flag dedication will be performed at 5:30pm by members of our local VFW in memory of Cal Stratton. Following the flag dedication, Mr. Paronto will begin the presentation, entitled “13 Hours: the harrowing, true account from the brave men on the ground who fought back during the Battle of Benghazi”. The lecture will take place in the 3rd Floor Banquet Room.
Advance registration is required for the lecture as seating is limited. Please call 308-534-2100 or email dnichols@nlnb.com to reserve your seat.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Chicago Bulls will play the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA exhibition game in Lincoln this fall.
Pinnacle Bank Arena announced on Tuesday that the teams will square off on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m.
Tickets ranging from $18 to $203 will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
This season’s Bulls roster features former Creighton University star Doug McDermott as well as Derrick Rose and All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol. The Mavericks are led by longtime star Dirk Nowitzki in addition to Monta Ellis and Tyson Chandler.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two members of Congress have asked NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to clarify whether teams can lose draft picks if they do not properly address domestic violence.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Goodell, Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, and Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California, write: “We urge you to create accountability at all levels of the NFL, particularly among team owners, who have the most direct financial incentives to avoid long-term suspensions and quickly get players back on the field.”
The letter notes that the league has docked clubs draft picks in the past, such as when the Saints were investigated for a bounty system and when the Patriots were caught videotaping an opponent’s sideline signals.
University of Nebraska Head Football Coach Mike Riley announced Tuesday the hiring of Brian Stewart as the Huskers’ defensive backs coach. Stewart brings defensive coordinator experience at both the college and professional levels to the Husker staff.
Stewart comes to Nebraska after spending the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at the University of Maryland. His stop at Maryland continued an impressive coaching resume that includes seven years as a defensive coordinator—five years in college football and two in the National Football League. Stewart also has 15 years of tutoring defensive backs on his coaching resume.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the Nebraska football program,” Stewart said. “The opportunity to coach at Nebraska is awesome. My first impression is ‘wow’. From the weight room to walking down the hallway and seeing the national championship trophies, Nebraska is what you think it is…a football powerhouse.
“The most important thing for me in my coaching career is my family. Coach Riley and his staff have been together so long, and you can just see the loyalty and trust. I’m proud to be a part of that.”
Riley said adding another experienced coach to his staff will provide excellent leadership to a veteran group of Nebraska defensive backs.
“Brian Stewart brings a record of success in both the collegiate and professional ranks and will be a great fit at the University of Nebraska,” Riley said. “He has experience coaching and recruiting in all parts of the country, most recently with experience in the Big Ten Conference. We look forward to Brian getting started with our defensive staff and our secondary.”
The 50-year old Stewart completes a Nebraska defensive staff that includes four coaches who all have professional coaching or playing experience. The defensive staff has three coaches with coordinator experience, including Stewart, defensive coordinator Mark Banker and defensive line coach Hank Hughes. Both Stewart and Banker have served as defensive coordinators in both college and the National Football League.
Including Stewart, the Nebraska staff has eight coaches with professional coaching experience. The group has a total of 46 years coaching in the professional ranks, including 30 years in the National Football League. The staff also has three coaches with professional playing experience.
In his three seasons on the Maryland staff, Stewart helped the Terrapins to a pair of bowl appearances. The attacking Terrapin defense tallied more than 30 sacks each of the past two seasons.
Defensive back Will Likely was a standout under Stewart’s guidance, leading the Big Ten in interceptions in 2014 en route to first-team all-conference honors. In Stewart’s first year at Maryland in 2012, his defense finished in the top three in the ACC in total defense, rushing defense and pass defense, and was 21st nationally in total defense.
Stewart re-joined the college ranks as the defensive coordinator at the University of Houston in 2010 and 2011. Stewart helped the Cougars to a 13-1 record and No. 14 final national ranking in 2011.
He spent the previous eight years in the NFL, including a two-year stint as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008. As the Cowboys’ defense coordinator, Stewart guided Dallas to two top-10 rankings in fewest yards allowed. He helped the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and NFC East divisional title in 2007.
Stewart also served as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Eagles (2009), San Diego Chargers (2004-06) and the Houston Texas (2002-03). Each of the teams Stewart coached in his final six NFL seasons won at least nine games, including three division champions and four playoff teams. During his time in the professional ranks, Stewart helped 14 players make Pro Bowl appearances.
Before his stint in the National Football League, Stewart had college assistant coaching stops at Syracuse, Missouri, San Jose State, Northern Arizona and Cal Poly. A California native, Stewart played defensive back at Santa Monica City College and Northern Arizona.
Riley also announced that Jon Clark has joined the Nebraska staff as a defensive graduate assistant coach. Clark comes to Nebraska after one season as the secondary coach at East Texas Baptist University. Clark also served as the defensive coordinator at Canyon State Academy and was a student assistant coach for Arizona State. Clark was a letterwinner for the Sun Devil defense as a player.
GERING, Neb. (AP) — Opening statements are expected to be given Tuesday in the Gering trial of a man accused in the death of a 2-year-old girl more than six years ago.
Twenty-eight-year-old Dustin Chauncey is charged with child abuse resulting in the death of Juliette Geurts.
A jury of nine women and three men, plus a man and woman as alternates, was selected on Monday. Twenty-seven witnesses are expected to testify during the trial, including the girl’s mother, Charyse Geurts. Chauncey was her boyfriend in July 2008, when little Juliette Geurts died. An autopsy report says she died of blunt force trauma, specifically injuries to her liver.
Two other charges against Chauncey — manslaughter and providing false information — were dismissed because of the statute of limitations.
COZAD, Neb. (AP) — A 38-year-old Cozad man has been given 35 to 45 years in prison for sexually assaulting children while baby-sitting them.
Lael Arpan was sentenced on Monday in Dawson County District Court. He’d pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting a child. A third count was dropped in exchange for Arpan’s pleas.
Arpan was arrested on August following an investigation by the Cozad Police Department into allegations made by two families. A court affidavit says Arpan lived with one of the families and provided baby-sitting to both of them.
DENVER (AP) — Brook Lopez led seven Nets players in double figures with 19 points, and Brooklyn won its second consecutive road game by beating the Denver Nuggets 110-82 on Monday night.
Deron Williams added 16 points and 12 assists, and Thaddeus Young scored 15 in another solid outing for the Nets since his acquisition last week from Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Garnett. Brooklyn, coming off a 114-105 win at the Los Angeles Lakers last Friday, won back-to-back road games for the first time since mid-January.
Danilo Gallinari had 22 points for the struggling Nuggets, who have lost 16 of 18 — including seven in a row at home. It matches their longest losing streak at the Pepsi Center since also dropping seven straight from Feb. 6 to March 2, 2003.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Omaha Police Department says a robbery suspect shot by an officer has died.
Police said Tuesday that 39-year-old Danny Elrod died at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
The department says officers were dispatched to a business around 6:30 p.m. Monday on a report of an armed robbery. Police spokesman James Shade (shayed) says officers saw the male suspect running near the store. An altercation broke out as officers attempted to arrest Elrod, and one officer shot him.
Police didn’t say whether Elrod had a weapon or how many times he was shot. The officer wasn’t injured. His or her name hasn’t been released.
Today: Sunny, with a high near 49. West northwest wind 9 to 13 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. West southwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 41. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming north 18 to 23 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 9. Wind chill values as low as -4. Blustery, with a north wind 13 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 19. North wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have kicked off a debate on whether to reinstate the winner-take-all-system in presidential elections. Such a change would eliminate the current practice that allowed President Barack Obama to win one vote from Omaha in 2008.
The GOP-backed bill faced immediate resistance from Democrats and some moderate Republicans in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.
Nebraska and Maine are the only states where it’s possible to split electoral votes between opposing presidential candidates, though other states have considered the practice.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha, says the current system allows presidential candidates to only speak to districts that are competitive while ignoring the state as a whole. Democrats say the bill would remove any incentive to campaign in Omaha, which borders Iowa with its first-in-the-nation caucuses.
Former Army Ranger, Security and Military Consultant, Kris “Tanto” Paronto will visit NebraskaLand National Bank in North Platte on March 12th to present first-hand details of the Attack on Benghazi.
