March 2015 – Page 7 – North Platte Post Archive

Death of Western Nebraska College Student Ruled a Suicide

Posted on March 30, 2015

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — Dawes County authorities say the death of a 19-year-old Chadron State College student was a result of suicide.

The body of Fatima Larios, of Seaside, California, was found in a campus residence hall around 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 31. Acting as county coroner, Dawes County Attorney Vance Haug says evidence and autopsy results show that Larios died of asphyxia because of hanging.

Larios was a high school softball standout who played last year as a freshman at NCAA Division 1 Austin Peay before transferring to Chadron State last summer.

National Parks Call on Americans to ‘Find Your Park’

Posted on March 30, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — After nearly 100 years, the National Park Service holds some of the most beautiful and historic places in the country. But there’s also an $11 billion backlog of unfunded maintenance and a visitor base that’s aging and mostly white.

Now the park service is preparing for its centennial in 2016 by launching a major campaign Thursday to raise support and introduce a new, more diverse generation of millennials and children to the national parks.

Michelle Obama and Laura Bush will co-chair the campaign, calling on Americans to “Find Your Park” to enjoy their public lands. Behind the scenes, officials are also working to expand their fundraising and congressional support to improve the nation’s parks.

The push to “Find Your Park” is the third major campaign in the national parks’ history.

Woman Died After Hit-and-Run Collision, Omaha Police Say

Posted on March 30, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 63-year-old woman has been killed in a hit-and-run collision in north-central Omaha.

Omaha police say Kathleen Benes, of Valparaiso, died at the scene of the accident Sunday afternoon. She was driving east on Maple Street when her car was struck from behind by another sedan. The impact knocked her car into oncoming traffic, where it was struck by a westbound pickup. The pickup driver was hospitalized.

Police say the sedan driver drove away, followed by a witness in his car. The witness called 911 and shared information that led officers to the sedan. They arrested the sedan driver, who was identified as 35-year-old Justin Ayers, of Omaha. He remained in custody on Monday. It’s unclear whether he has a lawyer who could be contacted to comment about the accident.

Omaha Police Release Name of Stabbing Victim, Suspect

Posted on March 30, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police have released the name of a man who was fatally stabbed in a boardinghouse.

Officers who were sent to the boardinghouse a little after 9:15 p.m. Sunday found a man suffering from wounds made by a knife or other cutting instrument. He was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he died. A news release from Officer James Shade identified the dead man as 27-year-old Shane McKinley.

A suspect already has been booked into jail on suspicion of second-degree murder and use of a weapon. He was identified as 49-year-old Edward Pokorny III. It’s unclear whether Pokorny has an attorney who could be contacted to comment on his behalf.

Bruce Oscar Freeburg

Posted on March 30, 2015

Bruce Oscar Freeburg, 83 years, of North Platte, NE, passed away Sunday, March 29, 2015, at Centennial Park Retirement Village.

Bruce was born November 11, 1931, to Carl Oscar and Christina Marie Sutherland Freeburg at Spencer, IA where he grew up. The family moved to North Platte in 1948 where Bruce completed his education, graduating from North Platte High School in 1949. He then hired on with the Union Pacific Railroad for a few years before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1952. Bruce served in Korea until his discharge in 1954. He then returned to North Platte and his employment with the railroad, retiring from there in 1990.

On June 18, 1954, Bruce married Juel Marie George at North Platte where they made their home and celebrated nearly 61 years of marriage. As a second job between trips with the railroad, Bruce worked for Mahoney Plumbing and built homes. He was a member of Bethel Evangelical Free Church and P.R. Halligan Post #163 American Legion.

He is survived by his wife, Juel, of North Platte; their children, Terry (Gale) Freeburg, of Lincoln, NE, and Todd (special friend, Theresa) Freeburg and Beth (Bill) Beckius, all of North Platte; six grandchildren, Cara Freeburg, Travis Freeburg, Stephanie (Aric) Riggins, Craig (Erin) Freeburg, Sarah Beckius (special friend, Amos Meek) and Shannon Beckius; five great-grandchildren, Coleman, Riley, Kaden, Mason and Liam; several nieces, nephews and other family.

Bruce was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Christina; a brother, Claire; and two sisters, Margaret Freeburg and Helen Erickson.

Funeral service will be 10 a.m. Thursday, April 2, 2015, at Bethel Evangelical Free Church with Pastor Dan Reimer officiating. Burial with military honors will follow in Fort McPherson National Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore. Condolences may also be shared at odeanchapel.com. Memorials are suggested to Maranatha Bible Camp. Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore is in charge of arrangements.

NP Woman, 58, Arrested Following Standoff at Buffalo Bill Manor

Posted on March 30, 2015March 30, 2015

Charges are pending against a 58-year-old North Platte woman following a short standoff at a North Platte apartment complex.

At around 7:00 a.m., on Monday, officers responded to Buffalo Bill Manor, 1200 South Oak, after receiving information that Debra Fitzsimons had made lethal threats towards staff at Great Plains Health.

Upon arrival at Buffalo Bill Manor, Fitzsimons made threats towards officers, allegedly stating that she was armed with a gun and would shoot.

After a brief standoff officers were able to gain access to the apartment just before 8:00 a.m., and take Fitzsimons into custody.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, officers did deploy Tasers after Fitzsimons pointed a handgun-style BB gun at them.

Fitzsimons was taken into custody and transported to Great Plains Health for medical evaluation.

Brown said Fitzsimons will most likely be charged criminally following her release from the hospital.

Kaminsky, Okafor lead 2014-15 AP All-America Team

Posted on March 30, 2015

Wisconsin senior Frank Kaminsky is a unanimous selection for the 2014-15 AP All-America team while Duke freshman Jahlil Okafor received all but one first-team vote.

Notre Dame senior Jerian Grant, Kentucky junior Willie Cauley-Stein and Ohio State freshman D’Angelo Russell rounded out the team that was announced Monday.

The 7-foot Kaminsky led the Badgers to their second straight Final Four berth, averaging 18.2 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 55.3 percent.

Okafor powered the Blue Devils to the Final Four. He averaged 17.7 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 66.9 percent, second in the nation.

Grant led the Fighting Irish with a 16.8 scoring average. Cauley-Stein, the 7-footer in the middle of the Wildcats’ run at an unbeaten season, averaged 9.3 points. He is the first first-team selection to average less than 10 points a game.

Russell averaged 19.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists.

The voting was done by the same 65-member media panel that selects the weekly Top 25.

Huskers Announce 2015 Volleyball Schedule

Posted on March 30, 2015

Lincoln, Neb. – The Nebraska volleyball program has announced its 2015 season schedule. After leading the nation in attendance for the second straight season with 8,083 fans per match last season, the Huskers will play 15 regular-season matches at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2015. NU finished 23-10 overall and reached an NCAA regional final for the third straight season last year.

Click here to view a PDF of the schedule.

The Huskers will host a season-opening round-robin tournament on Aug. 28-29 at the Devaney Center. NU’s season opener will be against Tulsa on Friday, Aug. 28. The Big Red will play Grand Canyon and Pittsburgh on Saturday, Aug. 29.

For the second straight season, the Huskers will meet the Texas Longhorns, as Nebraska travels to Austin, Texas the weekend of Sept. 4-5 for a pair of high-profile matches. NU will square off against the Longhorns on Sept. 4 and will face the Oregon Ducks in a neutral-site match on Sept. 5. Texas advanced to the NCAA Semifinals last season and finished the year ranked fifth at 27-3. Meanwhile, Oregon was ranked 14th in the final AVCA rankings with a 23-10 record.

NU returns to the Devaney Center the following weekend for the Ameritas Players Challenge on Sept. 11-12. A schedule is yet to be determined, but the field includes UC Davis, Georgia Tech and South Florida.

The Huskers face in-state foe Creighton on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the CenturyLink Center. Non-conference play concludes with the Huskers renewing their series with Iowa State on Saturday, Sept. 19 in Ames, Iowa.

The Big Ten schedule is in identical order to last season, with only home and away dates reversed. For example, the Huskers will begin Big Ten play with back-to-back matches against Iowa again, except the first one on Sept. 23 will be at Iowa, and the Sept. 26th match is at the Devaney Center.

Just like last season, the Huskers will again play home-and-home matches with Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State. The Huskers will see Northwestern, Ohio State, Minnesota, Rutgers, Purdue and Wisconsin only once. Minnesota, Rutgers and Wisconsin will visit Lincoln, while the Huskers will play on the road at Northwestern, Ohio State and Purdue.

The 2015 season marks the return of the NCAA Championship to the CenturyLink Center in Omaha. It’s the third time the Huskers have hosted the NCAA semifinals and final in Omaha. The other years – 2006 and 2008 – still account for the top two all-session attendance records in NCAA volleyball history. A record-breaking 34,223 fans attended the 2006 semifinals and final, while 31,729 showed up in 2008.

The Huskers have had noteworthy seasons each time the final four has been in Omaha, and they hope 2015 will be no different. In 2006, the Huskers won the title over Stanford in front of a packed house of 17,209 fans. In 2008, NU fell just short against eventual national champion Penn State in the NCAA semifinals in front of an NCAA-record 17,430 fans.

Nebraska will hold its annual Red/White Scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 22 at the Devaney Center. Ticket and TV information, including start times for select matches will be announced at a later date.

Fire Blackens More Than 42 Square Miles in Arthur, Keith, McPherson Counties

Posted on March 30, 2015March 30, 2015

ARTHUR, Neb. (AP) — A wildfire blamed on lightning has blackened more than 42 square miles of grassland and farmland in western Nebraska.

A lone strike around 9 p.m. Saturday touched off flames near Bucktail Lake in Arthur County. Paxton Fire Chief Kyle Gartrell says the fire then spread into McPherson and Keith counties. Gartrell says 23 departments sent crews to help fight the blaze. No injuries or damage to buildings has been reported, although some people had to evacuate their homes as a precaution.

The National Weather Service posted red flag warnings for Monday over about three-quarters of Nebraska because of dry vegetation, low humidity and high winds.

NP Man, Female Juvenile Accused of Breaking Into Vehicles at NPCC

Posted on March 30, 2015

A North Platte man and a 17-year-old female are facing felony charges after they allegedly broke into multiple vehicles parked at North Platte Community College.

At around 7:30 p.m., on March 28, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to the North Platte Community College McDonald-Belton Campus, 601 West State Farm Road, on the report of a male and female breaking into unlocked vehicles in the parking lot.

By the time officers arrived, the suspects had left the area, but witnesses were able to provide the license plate number of the vehicle they left in.

A short time later, an officer observed the black Ford Focus near Francis and Dewey Streets, and initiated a traffic stop for investigative purposes.

The officer made contact with the driver, 20-year-old Tanner Aston, and a 17-year-old female passenger.

After detecting a strong odor of burnt marijuana, the officer conducted a search of the vehicle.

The search revealed a hidden steak knife, a small amount of marijuana, prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Additionally, officers located numerous stolen items, including jewelry, clothing, a Garmin, vehicle keys, electronics and sporting equipment.

Officers were able to determine that these items had been taken from vehicles.

In the end, the female teen was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, possession of a legend drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and attempted theft by unlawful taking ($0-$200).

She was released to the custody of her mother.

Aston was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on charges of carrying a concealed weapon and two counts of possession of stolen property.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, the same vehicle is believed to be involved in similar incidents on the night of March 27.

Brown said more charges may arise as the investigation continues into other thefts.