May 2015 – Page 50 – North Platte Post Archive

Study: Vaccination Against Measles May Have Other Benefits

Posted on May 7, 2015

LOS ANGELES (AP) — New research suggests the measles shot comes with a bonus: By preventing that disease, the vaccine may also help your body fight off other illnesses for years.

Scientists have long known contracting measles weakens the immune system for weeks or months. That puts people, especially children, at increased risk for potentially fatal infections.

A new study released Thursday by the journal Science finds that this vulnerable period goes on much longer than thought, up to three years. So the benefit of avoiding measles also extends longer than was appreciated.

The study also found that measles vaccination campaigns were followed by a drop in deaths for other infectious diseases.

Experts say the work is a wake-up call to parents who don’t vaccinate their children for personal reasons.

State Yanks Nebraska Bar’s Liquor License After Moonshine Discovery

Posted on May 7, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The owner of the only restaurant in a small Nebraska town says the business won’t survive after a state panel denied her a liquor license this week.

The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission on Wednesday refused to grant the license for Heather Cole because investigators discovered illegal moonshine at her Riverton bar last year.

Members said they couldn’t trust Cole after she allowed the moonshine into Smitty’s and then lied to investigators about it.

The restaurant serves 40 diners a day in Riverton, which has a population of 86.

Cole said she forgot the moonshine was in the bar and that she never sold it.

Omaha Woman Wants $100K from County for Mistaken Arrest

Posted on May 7, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha mother wants Douglas County to pay her $100,000 for her mistaken arrest last year after she said deputies wrongly assumed she was another woman wanted for suspected child abuse.

Maria C. Vargas-Bautista was jailed for four days after she said officers arrested the wrong Maria.

She said Tuesday that officers never read her her constitutional rights before taking her into custody. She says she was later released from the jail without explanation. Her attorney filed a tort claim last week, detailing her arrest in May 2014.

Chief Deputy Sheriff Tom Wheeler declined to comment on Vargas-Bautista’s arrest because of the pending claim. Messages seeking comment from the Douglas County Corrections director were left by the newspaper.

Mountain Lion Killed in Omaha

Posted on May 7, 2015

LINCOLN — Omaha police shot and killed a mountain lion near 120th and Q streets in Millard on Wednesday evening.

Police responded to a call around 5 p.m. that a mountain lion was near the Project Harmony Building at 119th and Q streets. The Nebraska Humane Society also responded, as did a veterinarian. The mountain lion, a male that weighed about 120 pounds, was found to have a broken leg and to be immobile. It was unclear how long the animal have been in the area.

It is Nebraska Game and Parks Commission protocol to euthanize mountain lions found in metropolitan areas. Attempts at tranquilization and relocation are dangerous because lions can become unpredictable once darted.

“Our mountain lion response plan calls for cougars in town to be euthanized if it can safely be done, out of safety considerations for the people in the city,” said Craig Stover, Law Enforcement Administrator for Nebraska Game and Parks.

The lion is in possession of Nebraska Game and Parks, and a necropsy will be performed.

Mountain lions in Nebraska are part of a larger population that spans all western states, and animals move freely among Nebraska and neighboring states, particularly South Dakota and Wyoming.

For more information on mountain lions, visit OutdoorNebraska.org.

MLB cuts Royals pitcher Herrera’s suspensions by a game to 6

Posted on May 7, 2015May 7, 2015

Kelvin Herrera Kansas City Royals — Kelvin Herrera

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The suspensions for Kansas City Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera have been cut by Major League Baseball from seven games to six.

Herrera began serving the penalty Thursday when the Royals hosted Cleveland.

The hard-throwing Herrera appealed after being suspended for two separate incidents.

Herrera’s five-game ban for throwing behind the back of Oakland’s Brett Lawrie last month was upheld. Herrera’s penalty for a brawl with the Chicago White Sox on April 23 was reduced from two games to one.

Herrera is 0-1 with a 2.19 ERA in 13 games. He pitched Tuesday and Wednesday against the Indians.

Outcry Over Nebraska Wastewater Well Prods Lawmakers to Act

Posted on May 7, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Opposition to a planned wastewater well in northwest Nebraska has prompted lawmakers to introduce legislation.

Lawmakers took the rare step Thursday of suspending their rules so they could consider new regulations for wastewater wells.

A bill by Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha would require companies to disclose the chemicals in wastewater generated from oil and natural gas well production.

The Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission approved a well last month that would allow a Colorado company to discard such wastewater underground on a ranch in northwest Nebraska. The project drew opposition from landowners, environmental groups and others.

Ken Winston of the Nebraska Sierra Club says he understands the bill won’t pass this year, but it sends a message that lawmakers take the issue seriously.

Station Says Some Nebraska Senators’ Financial Reports Lack Specifics

Posted on May 7, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Public records show some Nebraska legislators have not been filing specific annual reports about their financial interests, as required by the state.

NET News reports that more than a dozen of the state’s 49 legislators list investment accounts with financial firms, but not individual stocks, bonds or fund in the accounts, as mandated by law.

Frank Daley with the state Accountability and Disclosure Commission says the system depends on self-reporting and says that, “If there is a general misunderstanding out there as to what is required, I’ve got a concern.”

Jack Gould of the government watchdog group Common Cause says Nebraska law may require the disclosures, but the state doesn’t bar senators from voting on measures affecting companies in which they hold stock or other financial interests.

Nebraska Teacher Takes Plea Deal in Student Sex Case

Posted on May 7, 2015

TECUMSEH, Neb. (AP) — A southeast Nebraska woman has taken plea deals in neighboring counties on allegations that she had sex with a student.

25-year-old Carrie Miller will be sentenced on July 1 in Nemaha County. In Nemaha County, Miller pleaded no contest and was convicted of two felony counts and one misdemeanor count of child abuse. She pleaded no contest and was convicted of one felony and one misdemeanor count of child abuse in Johnson County. Prosecutors lowered some charges and dismissed others in return for her pleas.

Authorities say Miller, of Tecumseh, taught at Johnson County Central High School and had a relationship with the teenager for a year. Under Nebraska law, people 19 and over cannot have sexual contact with people under 16.

Nebraska Could See Severe Storms-Or Snow-This Weekend

Posted on May 7, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraskans on opposite sides of the state are likely to see vastly different weather conditions this weekend.

Omaha National Weather Service meteorologist Josh Boustead says the eastern half of the state can expect strong storms with heavy rain, hail and high winds starting Saturday afternoon into Sunday. He says those storms will also bring a possibility of tornadoes and flooding throughout the region.

But in western Nebraska, residents should be prepared to break out their snow shovels by Mother’s Day.

Meteorologist Rob Cox with the weather service’s Cheyenne, Wyoming office says the Nebraska Panhandle is expected to get between 3 inches and 5 inches of snow by Sunday evening — and those at higher elevations in far northwest Nebraska could see up to 8 inches.

Judge Combines NP Motel Shooting Suspect’s Cases

Posted on May 7, 2015

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — The cases against a 24-year-old man accused of crimes in two separate incidents have been consolidated and sent to Lincoln County District Court for further review.

Jerry Kindle appeared in county court Wednesday. He was arrested April 3 on suspicion of beating and shooting another man at the Blue Spruce Motel in North Platte and partaking in an assault at a local grocery store.

Officers who were called to the motel found a 31-year-old man who’d been beaten and grazed by a bullet. During Wednesday’s preliminary hearing, police said tests determining whether the suspected weapon inflicted the man’s wounds hadn’t been conducted.

Kindle’s arraignment in district court hasn’t been scheduled. He faces charges of second-degree assault, attempted first-degree murder and three other crimes.