June 2015 – North Platte Post Archive

First Nationals swept by Grand Island to close home slate; Juniors split

Posted on June 30, 2015June 30, 2015

The North Platte First Nationals senior legion closed out their 2015 home slate with a pair of losses to Grand Island. North Platte fell 3-1 in game one and dropped game two 7-6. They dropped the final three games of an 11-game home-stand, going 7-4 during their 11-day stint at Bill Wood Field. Now 25-14 overall on the year, the First Nationals head to Lincoln for the July 4th Tournament which begins Friday afternoon at 2:30.

July 4th Tournament Schedule for North Platte First Nationals

Fri	July 3	2:30pm	North Platte Sr	Blue Springs Mo
Fri	July 3	5:00pm	North Platte Sr	Lincoln NE Judds
Sat	July 4	2:30pm	North Platte Sr	Lincoln Lutheran
Sat	July 4	5:00pm	North Platte Sr	Pius Union Bank
Sun	July 5	TBA	North Platte Sr	TBA

The Junior Legion First Nationals split their doubleheader at Grand Island on Tuesday night, winning game one 10-2 in 5 innings and falling 9-6 in the nightcap. The Juniors will play in a tournament in Hastings over the holiday weekend.

Juniors Tournament Schedule for this weekend

Fri	July 3	7:00pm	North Platte Jr	Hastings JIH
Sat	July 4	11:00am	North Platte Jr	GI Dinsdale
Sat	July 4	1:30pm	North Platte Jr	Lincoln East
Sun	July 5	10:00am	North Platte Jr	Fremont

Columbus Man Pleads No Contest in Former North Platte Woman’s Death

Posted on June 30, 2015

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — A Columbus man has pleaded no contest to manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of his grandmother in 2014.

20-year-old Chase Micklevitz entered the plea Monday. It means he neither admits nor disputes the charge.

Micklevitz’s murder trial for the death of 58-year-old Deanna Micklevitz was scheduled to begin in July. He was initially charged with second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, but they were dropped as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

Police say Micklevitz stabbed his grandmother four times last summer with a kitchen knife. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Micklevitz is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31.

Keuchel dominate again to help Astros shut out Royals 4-0

Posted on June 30, 2015

HOUSTON (AP) — Dallas Keuchel allowed seven hits in eight innings to lead the Houston Astros a 4-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.

The performance comes after Keuchel (10-3) threw a six-hit shutout in a win over the New York Yankees in his previous start. Keuchel struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter to lower his ERA to 2.03. Pat Neshek allowed one hit in the ninth.

George Springer had a two-run homer in the third inning. Jose Altuve drove in a run in the fifth to help Houston to the victory.

The Astros have taken the first two games of this matchup of teams with the best records in the American League. Houston is 46-34 and Kansas City is 44-30.

Kansas City starter Danny Duffy (2-4) allowed six hits and four runs in 6 2-3 innings in his second start since returning from the disabled list.

Hawks’ Korver has ‘loose bodies’ removed from elbow

Posted on June 30, 2015

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver is expected to be ready for the start of training camp following surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow.

The Hawks say Tuesday’s surgery was performed in New York by Dr. David Altchek.

It is the third surgery since March for the 34-year-old Korver, the team’s starting shooting guard and 3-point specialist. He had surgery for a broken nose three months ago, and earlier this month surgeons repaired ligament damage in his right ankle.

He was still wearing a walking boot when he helped the team introduce its new uniforms last week.

The Hawks also officially announced two new titles reported last week: Coach Mike Budenholzer was named president of basketball operations and Wes Wilcox was promoted to general manager.

Authorities May Attempt Extraction of Missing NP Teens’ Vehicle Next Week

Posted on June 30, 2015July 1, 2015

It’s been just over a month since Lexi Wiezorek and Noah Ramos went missing after their car plunged into the swollen South Platte River but, there may be renewed hope in bringing closure to the families.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said, “As of June 30, 2015, the South Platte River has seen a decrease in water flows.”

Officials say the vehicle is still in an area where the water is fairly deep, but they expect water flows to decrease significantly by the end of the week.

At this point, the LCSO says the plan is to attempt to extract the vehicle on Monday or Tuesday of next week, provided the projections for the river flows hold true.

They say they are considering several different options for removing the vehicle, and the option they select will depend on what happens with the water.

According to the statement, it appears that heavy equipment will be the best option for removal, but that could change.

The safety of recovery workers is of the utmost importance to the LCSO as they work toward resolving this incident for the sake of the families involved.

Nebraska Senator Nordquist Submits Resignation to Governor

Posted on June 30, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state Sen. Jeremy Nordquist has submitted his resignation letter to the governor as he begins a new job with Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford.

Nordquist’s final day in office is Tuesday. The lawmaker was first elected to the Legislature in 2008, representing part of downtown Omaha and the South Omaha district. He announced last month that he is moving to Washington to serve as Ashford’s chief-of-staff.

Nordquist says he feels blessed to have served in the Legislature, and urged Gov. Pete Ricketts to appoint a replacement who shares the values of the district’s residents. The appointee will serve the rest of Nordquist’s term, which ends in January 2017.

O Say Can You Breathe? Fireworks Pollute Air, Study Says

Posted on June 30, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — July Fourth fireworks fill the skies with more than sparkling bursts of color. A study says they spew pollution, too.

Researchers who checked 315 locations around the country found that the explosions temporarily boosted the levels of airborne microscopic particles.

The levels were more than twice normal at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on July 4. They tapered off overnight and fell back to normal by noon on July 5.

Other studies show inhaling such particles can cause a health risk. The new study didn’t look for health effects.

But the Environmental Protection Agency says children, older adults, and people with heart disease, asthma or other lung diseases are considered to be particularly sensitive to particle pollution. The agency recommends that they watch fireworks from upwind.

Lincoln City Council Denies Over $600K in Sewage Claims

Posted on June 30, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Lincoln City Council has rejected more than $600,000 in claims by residents whose homes were damaged by sewage during heavy rains.

The sewage backups were caused by storm runoff overwhelming the Theresa Street wastewater treatment facility in October and May. The city attorney has said Lincoln isn’t legally responsible for the damage. He said city staffers weren’t negligent and that the damage was caused by the weather.

The council on Monday voted to deny the claims.

The council has made an effort to help affected residents by approving a $1 million program that would go toward cleanup costs. Property owners can either accept the city’s disaster assistance for cleanup costs or take their claims to district court.

Former Nebraska Death Row Inmate Died of Rare Salivary Gland Cancer

Posted on June 30, 2015

Michael Ryan (Dept. of Corrections Photo)

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A man who spent 30 years on Nebraska’s death row for two cult murders died of complications from a rare cancer in his salivary glands.

A death certificate obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press lists the cause of death for Michael Ryan as “metastatic carcinoma or parotid gland origin.”

Ryan died on May 24 at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institutional in southeast Nebraska.

Ryan was convicted in the 1985 torture and killing of 25-year-old James Thimm at a farm near Rulo, where Ryan led a cult, and in the beating death of Luke Stice, the 5-year-old son of a cult member.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha told a legislative committee in March that Ryan suffered from terminal brain cancer. It’s not clear whether the cancer had spread.

Dudley Craig Oltmans

Posted on June 30, 2015

Dudley Craig Oltmans, 66, North Platte businessman, passed away June 29, 2015 at his home. He was born Feb. 6, 1949 to Glenn and Della (Bargen) Oltmans at Nelson, NE. He graduated from Nelson High School with the class of “67”. He went on to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1971studying Economics and Agronomy.
He was married to Mary Dvorak in June of 1971 and to this union four children were born. They moved to McCook where he served as Loan Officer, Vice President, and President of The Federal Land Bank Association and later moved to North Platte where he served as vice-president for Farm Credit Services for 30 years. Dudley’s most recent position was Regional Bank President of Adams Bank and Trust for the past 14 years. His management skills and leadership abilities have helped the lives of many. In April of 1996, he was united in marriage, to the love of his life, Peggy Hyde Cox.
Dudley was a wonderful and kind son, husband, father, brother, grandfather “PaPa”, friend and coworker. He will be missed by so many. It was said that he wasn’t a banker, but someone that really wanted to help people become successful and achieve their dreams.
Dudley was a member of the Episcopal Church of Our Savior, served on various board of directors, Great Plains Health and their Foundation Board, Nebraska Bankers Association, North Platte Development Corporation, and River’s Edge Golf Course where he was past president, Sunrise Rotary, North Platte Chamber of Commerce serving on various boards, Ambassadors, and North Platte Catholic Schools Endowment.
He enjoyed golfing, fishing, bicycling and sports activities.
He is survived by his wife, Peggy of North Platte; children, Molly (John) Schmidt, Stacy (Peter) Scherr, Andy (Heather) Oltmans, Ellie (Amir) Drori and Craig Cox; grandchildren, Corbin and Bennett Schmidt, Olivia, Miriam and Emil Scherr, Marisa, Gunner and Vinni Cox; a brother, Steve (Barb) Oltmans; aunts, Lila Oltmans, Corrine Good and Doris Anderson; nephews, Kurt, Brad, Todd and Chris Oltmans; several cousins, great nieces and nephews; and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Online condolences maybe shared at www.carpentermemorial.com. Memorials are suggested to Callahan Cancer Center.

Services will be 11:00 am Friday, July 3, 2015 at the Episcopal Church of Our Savior. Visitation will be Thursday from 8:30 am to 8 pm with family receiving friends from 6 to 8pm at Carpenter Memorial Chapel. Inurnment will be at a later date.