May 2015 – Page 23 – North Platte Post Archive

North Platte Weather-May 20

Posted on May 20, 2015May 20, 2015

Today: A chance of rain and snow before 11am, then a slight chance of rain between 11am and 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. North northeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. North northeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 63. Calm wind becoming south southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph.
Friday: Rain likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 55. Southeast wind 8 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 66.
Saturday Night:Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.

Hundley’s homer lifts Rockies to 6-5 win over Phillies

Posted on May 19, 2015

DENVER (AP) — Nick Hundley hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning and the Colorado Rockies beat Philadelphia 6-5 on Tuesday night to snap the Phillies’ six-game winning streak.

Hundley lined a 1-2 pitch from reliever Justin De Fratus (0-1) into the seats in left-center. Hundley also had an RBI single in the first.

Scott Oberg (2-1) earned the win by getting the Rockies out of a jam in the eighth. John Axford pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save as a steady mist began to fall.

The first pitch was delayed 17 minutes by rain that was supposed to hit the area, only to miss. The Rockies have now been interrupted by weather at Coors Field six times in the last three weeks, including four postponements.

Ventura, 2 relievers shut out Reds, 3-0

Posted on May 19, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Yordano Ventura, Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis combined on a four-hitter and the Kansas City Royals beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-0 on Tuesday night.

The Royals, who beat the New York Yankees 6-0 on Sunday, logged consecutive shutouts for the first time since Sept. 29-30, 1992, when Dennis Rasmussen and Rick Reed blanked the California Angels.

Ventura (3-3), who was 0-3 in his five previous starts since a victory on April 12, allowed four singles, struck out six and walked none. He reached a three-ball count on only four hitters and retired all of them, lowering his ERA to 4.56.

Herrera gave up a walk in the eighth, but nothing else. Davis worked a spotless ninth, claiming his seventh save in as many opportunities.

Mike Moustakas went 3 for 4 with two doubles and drove in two runs. His double in the fifth scored Paulo Orlando, while his seventh-inning double brought home Omar Infante.

Egg Prices Jump as Impact of Bird Flu Begins Pinching Supply

Posted on May 19, 2015

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Egg prices have surged higher as the death of millions of hens from bird flu is beginning to tighten supplies.

The Midwest price of a dozen large eggs rose to $1.88. That’s 58 percent higher than they were a month ago when the bird flu first hit Iowa chicken farms.

Prices have been climbing at a rate of about 5 percent a day for the past week as supplies become tighter.

Rick Brown, an egg industry analyst with commodity market firm Urner Barry, says it’s because 10 percent of chickens that lay eggs for food are dead or dying from bird flu.

Eggs used principally as an ingredient in ice cream, mayonnaise and other products are up even more, about 162 percent to $1.65 a dozen since April 22.

Authorities Say Hash Oil Linked to Omaha House Explosion

Posted on May 19, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say hash oil was being manufactured inside a house in Omaha shortly before a reported explosion that injured two people.

The Omaha Police Department says officers received a radio call Tuesday afternoon about an explosion at the house, located in a neighborhood on the north side of the city.

Police say a preliminary investigation determined hash oil was being manufactured in the home prior to the explosion. The explosion was caused by fire and toxic fumes.

Two people received minor burns and were transported to a nearby hospital. Additional information about their injuries was unavailable.

Police say the investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.

Police: Lincoln Woman Used Pry Bar on Husband Over Snoring

Posted on May 19, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a Lincoln woman hit her boyfriend with a pry bar because she was angry about his snoring.

Lincoln police say 45-year-old Elizabeth Ellen Hogrefe hit the 58-year-old man early Monday while the couple stayed at a motel. The man told police he woke up in the motel room to Hogrefe yelling at him and hitting him in the back with a steel pry bar.

The man stumbled out of the room and someone called authorities. A police spokeswoman says he was found later at a nearby convenience store with injuries consistent with being hit with a pry bar.

Hogrefe was placed into custody. She faces a misdemeanor domestic assault charge. Court records do not list an attorney.

Ricketts Approves New Penalties for Human Traffickers

Posted on May 19, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Human traffickers could face harsher penalties and lawsuits under a new law signed by Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Ricketts approved a law Tuesday that would allow victims or their parents to sue the traffickers.

The law will also allow prosecutors to file more severe felony charges against traffickers, including those who use threats or violence, and those who target victims younger than 16 years old.

Supporters called the bill a public health issue and pointed to reports citing weak enforcement in the state.

The bill by Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk was one of the main proposals backed by Attorney General Doug Peterson this year.

Nebraska Lawmakers Advance Licenses Bill for Immigrants

Posted on May 19, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would allow driver’s licenses for immigrant youths brought to the country illegally as children has advanced to a final vote in the Nebraska Legislature.

Senators gave the measure second-round approval Tuesday with a 37-9 vote. Opponents mounted a four-hour filibuster but failed to block the proposal.

Nebraska is the only state that does not give licenses to the youths who stayed in the country under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, approved by President Barack Obama in 2012.

Supporters of the bill say the youths contribute to Nebraska’s economy. Some conservative senators say it rewards illegal behavior.

Gov. Pete Ricketts supports the current state policy, but has declined to say whether he would sign or veto the bill.

Big Ten ADs see year of readiness fueling debate on balance

Posted on May 19, 2015

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Big Ten athletic directors believe commissioner Jim Delany succeeded in one key area when he introduced the idea of a so-called year of readiness.

He helped fuel the conversation about the imbalance between athletics and academics.

Iowa AD Gary Barta says it has created a national dialogue about improving “the student-athlete experience.”

Delany pitched the idea of a year of readiness in February. He followed that up last month with a 12-page letter titled, “Education First, Athletics Second: The Time for a National Discussion is Upon Us,” outlining a plan to make football and men’s basketball players sit out their freshman seasons without losing a year of eligibility.

The odds of it becoming a reality are slim.

Nebraska Prison Where Inmates Revolted Losing Staff

Posted on May 19, 2015

TECUMSEH, Neb. (AP) — Nine staff members have quit a Nebraska maximum security prison since inmates revolted last week and temporarily took over part of the facility, leaving two prisoners dead.

Officials allowed media inside the prison for the first time on Tuesday. Warden Brian Gage told Gov. Pete Ricketts that in addition to the staff who resigned after the May 10 disturbance, 40 other staff positions are unfilled.

Gage says the facility’s rural location 70 miles south of Omaha makes it difficult to recruit and retain older, experienced staff.

Officials say the disturbance began after officers confronted an inmate who was in the yard but was supposed to be on room restriction, and the prisoner refused to cooperate.

An investigation is underway. The 960-bed facility remains on “modified lockdown” with limited inmate mobility.