June 2015 – Page 52 – North Platte Post Archive

Man Survives Jump Off Iowa-Nebraska Highway Bridge

Posted on June 2, 2015

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 53-year-old man has survived after jumping off a Missouri River bridge in northeast Nebraska.

South Sioux City Police Sgt. Chris Chernock says the man climbed to the top of the arch around 6:30 p.m. Monday on the Veterans Memorial Bridge. The bridge carries U.S. Highway 77 traffic between South Sioux City in Nebraska and Sioux City, Iowa. Northbound bridge traffic was blocked during the incident.

Chernock says the man jumped a little before 7:40 p.m., falling an estimated 130 feet into the water. The South Sioux City Fire Department’s rescue boat soon reached the man and took him to shore.

Police identified the man as a transient, James Brewer. He was listed in stable condition on Tuesday morning at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City.

Free Test-Preparation Program for Revamped SAT Goes Online

Posted on June 2, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The nonprofit organization behind the SAT college entrance exam is teaming up with a Silicon Valley pioneer in online education to make test-preparation materials available for free.

The College Board gave unprecedented access to the revamped SAT it plans to introduce next spring to Khan Academy, which has developed diagnostic quizzes and interactive practice tests that will be accessible to anyone with Internet access starting Tuesday.

College Board President David Coleman says the partnership aims to level the college admissions playing field by putting high-quality training within easy reach of students without the funds for commercial test-prep services or the family support often needed to stick with a self-paced practice book.

The redesigned SAT will be graded on a 1,600-point scale last used in 2004 and make the now required essay section optional.

Speeding Motorcyclist Dies After Collision, Omaha Police Say

Posted on June 2, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 26-year-old man has died after his motorcycle collided with a car in northeast Omaha.

The accident occurred around 6:15 p.m. Monday. Police say two northbound motorcyclists were speeding and weaving in and out of slower-moving traffic when one of the motorcycles struck a southbound car that was turning east.

Police say the motorcyclist died shortly after arriving at a hospital. He was identified as Dillon Krivohlavek (krih-VOLH’-uh-vehk), of Omaha. The car driver and her three passengers were not injured.

The other motorcyclist left the scene and is being sought by police.

Crouch and Wiegert Named on Hall of Fame Ballot

Posted on June 2, 2015

Former Nebraska Heisman-winning quarterback Eric Crouch and Outland Trophy award winner Zach Wiegert are among 76 former Football Bowl Subdivision players on the 2016 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot, which was released by the National Football Foundation on Tuesday.

Crouch is on the ballot for the fifth straight year, while this year marks the first time Wiegert had made an appearance. The 2016 class will be announced on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, the Friday before the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Crouch will look to become the second Husker quarterback in the College Hall of Fame, joining Tommie Frazier who was part of the 2013 class. Crouch became Nebraska’s third Heisman Trophy winner in 2001 after leading the Huskers to the National Championship game. An option-based quarterback out of Omaha’s Millard North High School, Crouch set the NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 59, and he amassed 7,915 career total offensive yards. A consensus All-American in 2001, Crouch also reeled in the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Davey O’Brien Award and the Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year award.

Wiegert was a 1994 unanimous first team All-American and is one of eight Huskers to win the Outland Trophy. A native of Fremont, Neb., Wiegert helped lead the Huskers to 1994 National Championship after NU played in the 1993 title game. The Huskers averaged 340 yards per game on the ground in 1994 and Wiegert led Nebraska with 113 pancake blocks. He even earned one first-place vote for the Heisman, ending up tied for ninth with 27 points. In addition to winning the Outland, he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award, a consensus All-American, the UPI Lineman of the Year and the Touchdown Club of Columbus Offensive Lineman of the Year. His No. 72 jersey was retired before the 1995 season.

Trev Alberts became the 17th Nebraska player in the College Football Hall of Fame and will be inducted in December. He was the fourth Husker in seven years to be named to the Hall, joining 2013 inductee Tommie Frazier, 2011 honoree Will Shields and 2009 inductee Grant Wistrom.

Body of Marine Killed in Nepal Returned to Nebraska

Posted on June 2, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The body of a U.S. Marine has arrived in Nebraska after he was killed while delivering relief supplies to Nepal villages devastated by earthquakes.

Capt. Dustin R. Lukasiewicz of Wilcox died last month when the helicopter he was flying crashed in Nepal. Five other Marines and two Nepalese soldiers were also killed.

Lukasiewicz is survived by his wife, Ashley, and daughter, Isabelle. He and his wife are expecting a son later this month.

28-year-old Lukasiewicz’s casket arrived at Omaha’s Eppley Airfield late Monday afternoon. His casket was met by firetrucks from the towns of Elba, St. Paul and Farwell, as well as two units from the Howard County Sheriff’s Office.

The casket then began the 135-mile journey by hearse to St. Paul, where services are to be held on Saturday.

Late-Spring Inflows Expected to Fill Lake McConaughy

Posted on June 2, 2015June 2, 2015

HOLDREGE, Neb. (AP) — Unexpectedly high late-spring inflows from the North Platte River have changed the storage outlook for Lake McConaughy (muh-KAHN’-uh-hay), Nebraska’s largest reservoir.

The snowpack runoff was projected to be about 36 percent of normal this spring. But civil engineer Cory Steinke told directors at Monday’s meeting of the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District board that heavy snow and rain in the North Platte basin last month changed the outlook.

Steinke says McConaughy could be full in less than three weeks.

The similar high flow in the South Platte River had been expected.

General manager Don Kraus says the district will continue its plans to deliver 12 inches of water per acre to its irrigation customers because of the difficulty in altering irrigation schedules at such a late date.

Dawson County Raceway Results

Posted on June 2, 2015

Fast-paced would be an understatement when describing the racing action that was showcased at Dawson County Raceway in Lexington, Nebraska on Sunday as a result of a very tacky track throughout the evenings show. Jordan Grabowski, Les Siebert, Chad Dolan, Mike Nichols and Jacob Olmstead all punched their ticket to the winners circle with feature victories. Against a loaded field of competitors, it was Jordan Grabowski of Beatrice that led the final six laps and claimed the top honors in the IMCA Modified Feature. Holding onto a position within the top five throughout the feature event, Colton Osborn of Cozad rallied in the waning laps to earn a runner-up finish. Starting near the point, Jay Steffens of North Platte was able to motor his way to the lead during the first 13 laps of the feature. Steffens lost ground on Grabowski and Osborn in the final circuits, but he recovered quite nicely with a third place finish. Rounding out the top five in the loaded field was Scott Smith of Davenport and the Magic Man Mike Densberger of Lincoln in fourth and fifth, respectively. Starting their nights off right with heat race wins was Smith of Davenport and Jeremy Frenier of Ft. Morgan, Colorado. Simply ‘En Fuego’ is the best way to describe the driving of Les Siebert of York in winning the Grand National Late Model Feature after snaring the lead at the onset and never looking back. Working his way through traffic, Cale Osborn of Cozad was able to earn the runner-up podium spot for his efforts. Veteran wheelman Kevin Safranek of Merna scored a third place finish for his efforts behind the wheel of his hot rod. Osborn and Safranek won the earlier in the evening heat races for the Late Models. Leading the way from the halfway point, Gibbon’s Chad Dolan was the winner of the IMCA Northern Sport Modified Feature for the second straight night of racing at Lexington. Dolan had company at the front of the field thought with Steve Kempt of Shelton riding the cushion to a runner-up finish. Finishing the race strong, Jamey Kennicutt of Gothenburg worked through traffic to earn a podium finish in third place. Cozad’s Steve Aitken was the early leader until he had an incident with lap traffic. Aitken along with Kempt and Denny Egge of Kearney were the victors in the heat races. No stranger to the winners circle, the Harlan, Iowa Hustler Mike Nichols scored the victory in the IMCA Stock Car Feature for the second straight night of racing in Lexington. Nichols took the point on the 11th lap and was able to hold off the late charges during the remaining laps. Finishing second overall in the feature event was the Norton, Kansas hotshoe Casey Woken. The early leader in the feature event was the Flyin’ Farmer Kyle Clough of Wallace. Clough led the initial nine laps before cautions extinguished his lead. Clough was able to stay among the leaders and finish third overall. Starting their nights off right with heat race wins were Nichols, Woken and Grand Island’s Brendan Eilts. In one of the most hotly contested events of the evening, there were six lead changes during the IMCA Hobby Stock Feature. Grabbing the lead for the final five laps that mattered the most was Jacob Olmstead of Overton. Olmstead had jostled with Tyler Easterday throughout the feature event with both having the lead during the 15 lap spectacular. Getting into the mix coming from deep in the field, Kyle Bond of Gibbon was the runner-up when the checkered flag flew. Crossing the finish line in third place overall was Zach Olmstead of Overton. Earning top five finishes were Tyler Easterday in fourth place and Brady Weinman of Arnold in fifth place.

(Unofficial Results):

–IMCA Modified Feature: 1. 30-Jordan Grabowski; 2. 50c-Colton Osborn; 3. XII-Jay Steffens; 4. 81-Mike Densberger; 5. 50-Scott Smith; 6. 97m-David Murray Jr.; 7. 0-Kyle Rohleder; 8. 17j-Jeremy Frenier; 9. 3b-Eddie Belec; 10. 4c-Charley Brown. Heat Race Winners: 50-Smith; 17j-Frenier.

–Grand National Late Model Feature: 1. 51-Les Siebert; 2. 6c-Cale Osborn; 3. 28-Kevin Safranek; 4. 55-Jake Neighbors; 5. 85-Josh Leonard; 6. 5s-Dylan Schmer; 7. 88-Brandon Leonard; 8. 11v-Brad Vogt; 9. 11-Dillon Thompson; 10. 25-JJ Rodeman. Heat Race Winners: 6c-Osborn; 28-Safranek.

–IMCA Northern Sport Modified Feature: 1. 87d-Chad Dolan; 2. 190-Steve Kempt; 3. 15k-Jamey Kennicutt; 4. 85-Josh Leonard; 5. 01-Jacob Hobscheidt; 6. 1x-Denny Egge; 7. 20-Hunter Cantrall; 8. 74-Rick Rohr; 9. 12j-Kerry Jones; 10. 7a-Steve Aitken. Heat Race Winners: 7a-Aitken; 190-Kempt; 1x-Denny Egge.

–IMCA Stock Car Feature: 1. 63-Mike Nichols; 2. 35jw-Casey Woken; 3. 11k-Kyle Clough; 4. 24w-Casey Werkmeister; 5. 45-Mikey Dancer; 6. 29e-Brendan Eilts; 7. 77-Jed Williams; 8. 3z-Zach Canas; 9. 76-Jason Davis; 10. 16w-Jeff Whiting. Heat Race Winners: 35jw-Woken; 63-Nichols; 29e-Eilts.

–IMCA Hobby Stock Feature: 1. 88j-Jacob Olmstead; 2. 0-Kyle Bond; 3. 98z-Zach Olmstead; 4. 53e-Tyler Easterday; 5. 22w-Brady Weinman; 6. 44-Caleb Hetrick; 7.26-Ryan Gardine; 8. R89-Nate Refior; 9. 2x-Travis Kernick; 10. 2c-Tyson Canas. Heat Race Winners: 53e-Easterday; 98z-Olmstead.

Bids for Private Lunch with Warren Buffett Top $1 Million

Posted on June 2, 2015June 1, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The price of a private lunch with Warren Buffett is already over $1 million, and the online auction continues all week.

The top bid Monday afternoon was $1,000,100, so the California charity that will receive the proceeds is guaranteed another significant donation.

Buffett is chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, and many people want the 84-year-old’s advice on investing, philanthropy and life in general.

Through the annual auctions, Buffett has raised $17.9 million for the Glide Foundation, which provides social services to the poor and homeless in San Francisco.

Bidding continues until 9:30 p.m. CDT Friday. Last year’s auction winner paid $2,166,766, but the 2012 auction set a record with its $3,456,789 winning bid.

Judge Adds 7 Years to Erica Jenkins’ Life Sentence

Posted on June 2, 2015June 1, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska judge has added seven years to Erica Jenkins’ life sentence for assaulting three jail guards.

Jenkins was sentenced Monday for the assaults she pleaded no contest to.

Jenkins maintains that she was defending herself in the altercations with guards. But prosecutors say Jenkins has continually acted out and attacked officers.

In January, Jenkins was sentenced to life in prison plus up to 100 years for her role in the 2013 shooting death of Curtis Bradford.

Jenkins in the sister of Nikko Jenkins, who last year was convicted in the killing of Bradford, as well as the 2013 shooting deaths of Andrea Kruger and two others in separate attacks.

Kershaw, Pederson lead Dodgers to 11-4 win over Rockies

Posted on June 1, 2015

DENVER (AP) — Clayton Kershaw had a career-high three hits to back his strong pitching performance and Joc Pederson lined one of Los Angeles’ four homers, helping the Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 11-4 on Monday night.

Known for his powerful left arm, Kershaw (4-3) was just as lethal at the plate. He had a double and two singles, including a run-scoring liner to left as part of a six-run sixth that broke open a tight game.

Kershaw allowed five hits and two runs over seven innings. He hasn’t lost to the Rockies in nearly two years, spanning nine starts.

Andre Ethier and Jimmy Rollins hit solo homers in the second off Kyle Kendrick (2-7), who gave up six runs — five earned — in 5 1-3 innings. He’s allowed 15 homers this season, tying James Shields for most in the majors.

Nolan Arenado hits a two-run homer off Kershaw in the fourth. It was his third straight game with a homer, the longest stretch of his career.