June 2015 – Page 3 – North Platte Post Archive

Man Sentenced in Death of Bald Eagle in Northeast Nebraska

Posted on June 29, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A man convicted in the death of a bald eagle in northeast Nebraska in 2014 has been sentenced to probation.

U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg says 24-year-old Antonio Bertucci, of Macy, received one year of supervised release Monday for his conviction of aiding and abetting the unlawful killing of a bald eagle.

Bertucci will serve nearly three years in prison on a separate conviction of habitual domestic abuse. That also includes three years of supervised release.

Prosecutors say Bertucci was the driver of a car in February 2014 that was involved in the shooting death of a bald eagle. Witnesses say a passenger in Bertucci’s car shot at two bald eagles on the Omaha Indian Reservation. One of the birds was found dead in the car trunk.

Report: Too Many Inmates Out Before Prison Riot in Nebraska

Posted on June 29, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A report investigating a deadly riot at a Nebraska prison says too many inmates were outside their cells at the time of the incident.

The report distributed Monday says multiple inmates at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution were released simultaneously for medication distribution. That led to a large gathering in the prison courtyard.

There were 57 staff members at the facility, the minimum allowed for monitoring the 1,024 inmates.

The report, written by an administrator for the Washington state corrections department, recommends that facility personnel change several procedures. That includes adding more rules for dispensing inmate medication and monitoring inmates.

The May 10 uprising led to the death of two inmates. The facility remains on lockdown, although inmates have been allowed to have visitors and some access to outdoor recreation yards.

NP Police: Toddler Reported Missing Found Sleeping in Her Home

Posted on June 29, 2015

A 2-year-old North Platte girl is safe after giving her family quite a scare on Monday afternoon.

At around 4:00 p.m., on June 29, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to the report of a missing child in the 200 block of South Chestnut Street.

Police say family members reported that the child had wandered off, wearing only a Pull-Up.

Officers and family members searched the home and the child was found unharmed, sleeping in a bedroom of the residence.

Robert E. “Bob” Morgan

Posted on June 29, 2015

Robert E. “Bob” Morgan, 73, of North Platte passed away June 28, 2015 at his home. Bob was born in North Platte, on August 16, 1941 to Earl E. and Jane Morgan. He grew up in North Platte, attended North Platte High School, graduating in 1960. He attended McCook Community College to be an electrician. In 1962 he married Kathryn Harvey and had two children. He was then drafted into the United States Army in 1967. He married Janice M. Wilson and had three children. Bob served his country for 12 years in the United States Army Corp. before returning to North Platte where he worked in hotel maintenance for many years.
He was an avid outdoorsman, who loved to fish and hunt, and loved Cornhusker football.
Survivors include his five children, Joy (Mike) Smith of Hays, KS, Robert Williams of North Platte, Kimberly (Toby) Reynolds of Smith Center, KS, Sheri (Todd) Nuemeyer of Scandinavia, WI, Jerry ( Kelly) Morgan of North Platte; Mark (Brandi) Lemon who he considered a son of North Platte; 15 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; sister, Dorothy Simants; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother, Edward Morgan.
Memorials may be made in his name and online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com.
Cremation was chosen. Memorial services will be held 1:00 p.m. Monday, July 6, 2015 at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home. Inurnment will follow at Fort McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell. Those wishing to sign the register book may do so from noon until 6:00 p.m. Sunday, July 5, 2015 at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home which is in charge of arrangements.

Robert C. “Bob” Koenig

Posted on June 29, 2015June 29, 2015

Robert C. “Bob” Koenig, 84, of Brady, passed away June 28, 2015 at Gothenburg Memorial Hospital. He was born Aug. 17, 1930 to Tom and Stella (Beaver) Koenig at Gering, NE. He graduated from Maxwell High School with the class of “49”. In 1951, Bob joined the United States Army and served until his honorable discharge in 1953. On July 17, 1954, he was united in marriage to Doris J. Hopkins at North Platte. Three daughters were born to the couple. He was employed by the State of Nebraska as a gas transporter. On Aug. 17, 2009, Bob married Lucille Whipple at Gothenburg. The couple later moved to Brady. He was a member of the American Legion and loved horses. He is survived by his wife, Lucille of Brady; three daughters, Deb (Bill) Dugger of Kearney, Betty Lewin and Carol Koenig both of Omaha; a step-daughter, Barbra Hotz of Gothenburg; three sisters, Virginia Bailey, Donna (Dean) Kittle and Patty Mentzer; five grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Doris in 2008; and a granddaughter, Alexis. A memorial has been established in his memory. Online condolences may be shared at www.carpentermemorial.com. Services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 1, 2015 with Pastor Bob Allen officiating at Carpenter Memorial Chapel. Burial will be at Ft. McPherson National Cemetery with military honors. Visitation will be from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday at Carpenter Memorial Chapel, which is in charge of arrangements.

Patricia J. G. White

Posted on June 29, 2015

Patricia J. G. White, 66, of Wellfleet, NE, passed away Thursday, June 25, 2015, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE.

She was born September 4, 1948, to William E. and Carolyn R. Anderson Gallager in Kearney. Patricia grew up in central Nebraska and graduated from Madison High School in Madison, NE. She then attended the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha to become an X-ray Technician.

Patricia married Dennis Hartner and they lived in Kansas for 2 years before moving to North Platte and later divorcing. Patricia worked at St. Mary’s Hospital, Memorial Hospital and Great Plains Regional Health until 1994 when she slipped on some ice. This accident led to a brain bleed so Patricia had to quit working.

In 1979 Patricia met Keith Douglas White. They lived together for 13 years before getting married on June 28, 1991, in Wallace, NE. They made their home north of Wellfleet.

Patricia loved her animals. She was a hard working lady and a good person.

She will be missed by her husband, Keith, of Wellfleet; her daughters, Becky and Angela, of Kearney; stepchildren, Bill, of Central City, NE, and Wendie, of Omaha; 9 grandchildren; her sister, McKayla ‘Mikki’ Gallager, of Boston, MA; and other family.

Patricia was preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Carolyn Gallager.

Cremation was chosen and a private family inurnment will be at a later date in the Wellfleet Cemetery. Condolences may be shared at odeanchapel.com. Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore is in charge of arrangements.

South Texas Farmer in Field Dies in Bee Attack Near Tractor

Posted on June 29, 2015

RIO HONDO, Texas (AP) — A South Texas farmer has died after being stung by hundreds of bees while using a tractor on a field near Rio Hondo.

The San Benito Fire Department on Monday identified the victim as 53-year-old Rogelio Zuniga (roh-HEE’-lee-oh ZOO’-nee-guh).

Fire Chief Raul Zuniga Jr. is a cousin of the victim. He says the attack happened Sunday afternoon. Rogelio Zuniga was using a disk on the field when the tractor hit an old concrete pipe meant for irrigation. The fire chief says the bees came from an opening in the pipe.

The victim was dead at the scene.

The fire chief says an exterminator was brought in to kill the bees and clear the pipe, which had 15 to 20 feet of honeycombs.

Doctors Plan Second Hospital in Grand Islan

Posted on June 29, 2015

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A group of doctors wants to open a second hospital in Grand Island and says that it’ll take at least two years to build and have it operational.

Dr. Molly Johnson says that CHI Health isn’t giving enough consideration to physicians’ concerns and local needs. Because CHI Health St. Francis is part of a larger network, she says some physicians fear that part of its financial success might be used to support another hospital in the network.

Johnson says the group wants to help keep health care resources in the community by adding a second hospital.

The president of CHI Health St. Francis wasn’t immediately available for comment. Attempts by the newspaper to reach a CHI Health official for comment weren’t successful.

Survey: Sibling Punches Aren’t Only Assaults US Kids Face

Posted on June 29, 2015

CHICAGO (AP) — A big new survey says many U.S. kids are victims of assaults, abuse or other mistreatment.

While brothers and sisters are among the most common perpetrators, the researchers say the consequences can be troubling and shouldn’t be minimized.

The results are from 2013-14 phone interviews with 4,000 randomly selected kids up to age 18 or their parents. Results were published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

For all ages grouped together, 37 percent experienced any physical assault in the previous year and 9 percent resulted in injuries. Rates were higher in the oldest kids. About 22 percent of the attacks were by siblings and 16 percent were by peers. And 41 percent of kids surveyed had more than one direct experience of violence, crime or abuse. Ten percent had six or more.

Regulators Investigate Part Failure at Nebraska Nuclear Plant

Posted on June 29, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators are investigating the failure of a part at the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant during this spring’s maintenance outage.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday that it had launched a special inspection at the plant that sits along the Missouri River about 20 miles north of Omaha.

The NRC says workers discovered the problem earlier this month after replacing a seal in a valve that controls cooling water flow into one of the plant’s steam generators. The valve wouldn’t open because the new seal material couldn’t handle the high operating temperatures.

The seal was replaced a second time to resolve the problem, but regulators want to better understand how it happened and whether workers’ response was adequate.

Fort Calhoun is owned by the Omaha Public Power District utility.