March 2015 – Page 71 – North Platte Post Archive

Hosmer, Morales, Rios Power Royals to 13-2 Win over Rangers

Posted on March 4, 2015

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Eric Hosmer joined Royals newcomers Kendrys Morales and Alex Rios in hitting consecutive first-inning homers, and AL champion Kansas City routed the Texas Rangers 13-2 on Wednesday in the spring training opener for both teams.

Hosmer hit a three-run shot off Rangers starter Colby Lewis that landed on the grassy berm beyond the centerfield fence. Morales followed with a shot to right field and Rios went deep to left, giving Kansas City a 6-0 lead before Lewis had recorded an out.

Lewis retired the next three batters after the homer binge, but the veteran still needed 36 pitches to get through his only inning against the Rangers’ campus co-tenants.

Fellow starter Yovani Gallardo fared little better, allowing four runs on six hits over 1 2-3 innings in his Texas debut.

MMA Returns to North Platte with St. Patty’s Beat Down Bash III

Posted on March 4, 2015

Russ Jones and Kelly Wiseman of Midwest Championship Fighting (MCF) announce the return of MMA fights to North Platte. St. Pattys Beat Down Bash III will be held March 21 at the st D&N Event Center.

MCF 10 will feature a number of local fighters including MCF veterans Brandon Bringewatt, Martin Sellers, Delfino Benitez, Eric Mecham and Mark Hooper. MCF welcomes fight newcomers Bradan Erdman, Ty Barker and Matt Schartz.

The main event sets up to please all the local fans. First, longtime boxer and North Platte resident, Gary Prince, makes his pro MMA debut against Jeremy Clary of Kansas. The main event will feature the pro debut of longtime MCF veteran Ryan MacDonald. MacDonald retired as an amateur holding two MCF amateur belts.

As always, MCF intends to give a portion of the event proceeds back to the community. 10% of all the gate proceeds on the night of the event will be given to Curstun Barthel to help pay medical and living expenses. Curstun, the son of Dawn Joliffe, was involved in a serious car accident. He was in a coma for weeks and has made a miraculous recovery. He is currently undergoing therapy in Lincoln, Nebraska. Dawn and her husband Tony, owners of the Curtis Cattle Company, have sold concessions at previous MCF events.

The event could not be possible without the support of its sponsors. MCF Canvas Sponsors are Timesaver, ESPN Radio 1410, Bill Summers Ford, Coors Light, Taco Bell, Knobel Refrigeration, Hunts Construction and Sculley’s Shooters. MCF Cage Post Sponsors are U Fillem, Kwik Stop, Prairie Friends and Flowers, Jones Law, Top Tier MMA and Condon Signs.

Gates open at 6:00 p.m. on the 21 of March. Tickets are available at Cagetix.com and Jones st Law Office. General Admission tickets will be available at the door.

Nebraska QB Told to be Ready for More Passing, Less Running

Posted on March 4, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Tommy Armstrong Jr. remains Nebraska’s No. 1 quarterback heading into coach Mike Riley’s first spring practice with the Cornhuskers.

Besides that, the offense is going to look much different as Riley begins installing a pro-style system when practice begins Saturday.

Armstrong said Wednesday he won’t get nearly the number of rushing attempts in the new offense. Armstrong ran 145 times in 2014, mostly on designed runs and zone-read keepers.

Riley said he would divide the team into two groups for spring practices so he can familiarize himself with and better evaluate the players. Coaches will conduct two separate practices each day, with about 60 players on Team Red and 60 on Team White. The spring game is April 11.

Man Accused of Faking Facebook Account for Teen Sex Photos

Posted on March 4, 2015

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A New York man has been accused of using a fake Facebook account to coerce a teenage girl into sending him nude images of herself and of traveling to New Jersey to have sex with another girl.

Warwick resident Clifford Wares is charged with producing child pornography and interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He’s in jail and can’t be reached for comment. Authorities say he hasn’t hired an attorney.

Prosecutors say Wares communicated online with a 13-year-old New Jersey girl for three months in 2011. They say he used the fake Facebook account to pretend to be a child she knew and made her send photos and videos of herself engaging in sex acts.

Prosecutors say Wares met a 14-year-old girl online that year and drove to New Jersey and had sex with her.

Pharrell Tells Jury He Didn’t Copy Marvin Gaye Song

Posted on March 4, 2015

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Grammy-winning singer Pharrell Williams says he wasn’t trying to copy the late Marvin Gaye’s music for the hit song “Blurred Lines,” but he was trying to evoke the feeling of late 1970s tunes.

Williams is being sued by Gaye’s children, who claim “Blurred Lines” improperly copies their father’s hit “Got to Give it Up.” Singer Robin Thicke and rapper T.I. are also defendants in the case.

On Wednesday, Williams told a jury in federal court in Los Angeles that he grew up listening to Gaye’s music. But the singer-producer said he didn’t try to copy it directly for his collaboration with Thicke and T.I.

He says he didn’t discuss “Got to Give it Up” with Thicke before crafting the song in mid-2012.

“Blurred Lines” was 2013’s biggest hit song and earned more than $16 million in profits.

Nebraska Senator Fears Bill Criminalizes Trafficked Victims

Posted on March 4, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — One Nebraska senator says a measure prioritized by the Nebraska attorney general could undo years of efforts to decriminalize victims of sex trafficking.

A legislative committee heard public testimony Wednesday on the bill that would allow courts to mandate treatment options for juveniles who have been trafficked. Currently courts cannot enforce prescribed treatment, such as mental health services.

Committee member Omaha Sen. Bob Krist worked on earlier legislation that kept victims from being classified as criminals and out of a juvenile justice system that he says is unprepared to address their specific needs. He says he worries even rehabilitative detainment worsens trauma by treating victims like criminals.

Advocates of the bill by Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk say many juveniles who have been trafficked flee centers or foster homes within hours.

Nebraska Senators Advance Bill to Raise Medicaid Allowance

Posted on March 4, 2015March 4, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill to increase allowances for blind, elderly and disabled Nebraska Medicaid recipients has cleared a first-round vote in the Legislature.

Lawmakers voted 29-12 to advance a measure by Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln that would increase the monthly amount from $50 to $60.

Opponents call the measure piecemeal Medicaid expansion and say lawmakers should instead use the money for tax cuts.

Advocates say the rate that hasn’t been adjusted for inflation in 30 years, and the bill will allow disabled recipients to buy clothing and toiletries.

Pansing Brooks says the debate lasted longer than she expected. She says opponents used the bill as a rallying cry to set a “fiscally conservative tone” for the session.

Appeal Filed for Man Convicted in ‘American Sniper’ Murder Case

Posted on March 4, 2015

STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — An attorney for a former Marine found guilty in the shooting deaths of “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle and another man has filed an appeal.

Eddie Ray Routh was convicted of capital murder in the 2013 deaths of Kyle and Chad Littlefield at a rural shooting range, after jurors rejected his insanity defense. Prosecutors hadn’t sought the death penalty, so Routh was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Routh’s attorneys said after the Feb. 24 verdict they would appeal. J. Warren St. John, one of Routh’s attorneys, said the notice of appeal was filed Tuesday. St. John also filed a motion for a new trial, arguing the conviction and sentence were contrary to law and evidence.

The case drew extra attention due to the film based on Kyle’s memoir.

Nebraska Businesses Sign Pledge for LGBT Equality

Posted on March 4, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — About 100 Omaha businesses and organizations have signed a pledge with the Human Rights Campaign to advance workplace equality for Nebraska’s LGBT community.

According to local field organizer Drew Heckman, 113 local businesses have signed the pledge which is a part of its “Equality is Our Business” campaign. The campaign is targeting states like Nebraska, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama that do not have statewide regulations to protect workers from discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

According to a Human Rights Campaign survey, more than 40 percent of LGBT Nebraskans say they have experienced harassment at work.

Groups that pledge receive stickers and invitations to educational programs sponsored by the advocacy group.

Senate Fails to Override Obama’s Veto on Keystone Pipeline

Posted on March 4, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-controlled Senate has failed to override President Barack Obama’s veto of a bill approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

The 62-37 vote Wednesday was the latest chapter in the fight between the GOP-led Congress and the White House over energy policy. It was the first of many possible veto showdowns to come in Obama’s final term.

Proponents of the bill have said since its introduction that they didn’t have the vote of two-thirds of the Senate needed to override Obama’s veto.

The $8-billion pipeline would transport oil harvested from Canada’s tar sands to pipelines linked to Gulf Coast refineries. Obama said that the bill circumvented the well-established process for approving cross-border pipelines, which must be determined to be in the national interest.