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Month: April 2019

Officials: Woman, baby safe following Nebraska carjacking 

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DONIPHAN, Neb. (AP) – Central Nebraska deputies say a woman and her baby are safe after a man carjacked the woman’s vehicle near Doniphan.

NTV reports that the incident happened shortly after 11 a.m. Monday on Highway 281 south of Doniphan. Doniphan is about 12 miles south of Grand Island.

Hall County Sheriff Rick Conrad says a man walked into the middle of highway traffic, causing the woman to stop her van, and forced his way into the vehicle. Conrad said the man – identified as 30-year-old James Wheeler of Superior – told the woman to drive, but she instead grabbed her baby and jumped out of the van.

Conrad says the man took off in the van, but because the keyless ignition fob was still with the woman, the van shut down after a short distance.

Wheeler was arrested on suspicion of robbery, theft and criminal mischief.

Harvey Dean Hiner

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Mr. Harvey Dean Hiner, 89, of Hershey, died on April 15, 2019, at the Sutherland Care Center.

Dean was born March 18, 1930, in McCook to parents Francis and Helen (Price) Hiner. The family lived in several communities throughout Nebraska before settling in Sidney where Dean was a 1949 graduate of Sidney High School. During his school years he was active in sports and developed an interest in aviation which led to him earning his private pilot’s license at the youthful age of 16.

Dean met Neva Jean Miller and they were married on November 19, 1950, at the Methodist Church in Sidney. Dean and Jean were blessed with 55 years of marriage and raised three children, Susan, Pat and Chrys.

Dean had worked in management at Hesteds Department Store and later Stramit, a building materials company, which enabled the family to live in multiple locations, including Denver and Rocky Ford, Colorado, Gering and Dalton, Nebraska, and Innisfail, Alberta, Canada.  Returning to the United States in 1978, Dean and Jean came home to Nebraska, briefly living in Grand Island then eventually settling in North Platte where Dean was the Western Nebraska Regional Sales Director for the Pella Window Company, served as treasurer for the Lincoln County Historical
Museum for many years and was an active member of Messiah Lutheran Church.

After retiring from Pella Corporation in 2000, Dean and Jean dedicated much time and energy to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) Mission Builders program. During a 10-year period the couple drove over 100,000 miles through 40 states, where Dean participated in and directed the construction of 43 new Lutheran churches.

After Jean’s passing in 2006, Dean met and later married Bernadine Kenton. This past March, Dean and Bernie celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary.

Dean’s natural and meticulous carpentry skills enabled him to leave a legacy not only of beautiful church buildings, but also family heirlooms such as furniture pieces, rocking horses, cedar hope chests and other beautiful items his family will always treasure.

Dean is survived by his wife, Bernadine, of Hershey; daughters, Susan (Mike) McClure, of Cozad,  Chrys (Ron) Tarvin, of Minneapolis, MN; four granddaughters, Kari (Tom) Dargy, Kelly (Billy) Mendez, Sarah Tarvin, and Rachel (Brett) Robertson; four great-grandchildren, Haley Wilwerding, Blake and Morgan Mendez and Natalie Robertson; niece, Diane Roberson; nephew, Jim Roberson; stepchildren Connie (Art) Coutcher, of Sun City, AZ and Norman (Sheri) Kenton, of Morrison, CO; step grandson, Kenny Coutcher; as well as other family.

Along with his first wife Jean, Dean was preceded in death by their son Pat Hiner; his parents, Frances and Helen Hiner; and sister Arlene Roberson.

Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 20, 2019, at Messiah Lutheran Church with Reverend Rebecca Mangelsdorf officiating. Burial will be at 2 p.m. (MT) at Weyerts Cemetery in Lodgepole. Visitation will be Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with family greeting friends from 4-6p.m. at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore and before services at the church.  Online condolences
may be shared at odeanchapel.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Messiah Lutheran Church or Lincoln County Historical Museum. Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore is in charge of arrangements.

Senators advance tougher penalties for witness tampering 

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Tampering with witnesses, jurors or evidence in a criminal case could carry harsher penalties under a bill advanced by Nebraska lawmakers.

Senators gave the measure first-round approval Tuesday on a 38-0 vote.

Sen. Justin Wayne, of Omaha, says he introduced the bill to discourage criminals who might otherwise try to destroy evidence or influence witnesses to avoid getting convicted.

The penalties for witness tampering are designed to correlate with the severity of the underlying crime. Tampering in certain misdemeanor cases would be a misdemeanor while tampering in higher-level felony cases would be a felony.

Two additional votes are required before it goes to the governor.

Eagle Cares fundraiser nets more than $16K for Nebraska flood recovery

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Rachelle Lipker, executive director for the American Red Cross Central and Western Nebraska area, accepts the Eagle Cares donation from Eagle Communications employee-owners.

CENTRAL CITY, Neb. — When catastrophic flooding hit central Nebraska this spring, Eagle Communications employee-owners went into action — both in the field during recovery efforts and over the airwaves collecting money for the American Red Cross.
Eagle operates broadband, television and telephone systems in 29 Nebraska communities, as well as radio stations and broadband services in Kansas, Missouri and Colorado.

As part of the fundraising effort, Eagle’s Kansas radio stations kicked off Eagle Cares, a cash drive that will result in $16,515.12 being donated to the American Red Cross to aid recovery efforts in the Midwest. The donation also includes a generous contribution from the Robert E. and Patricia Schmidt Foundation.

“Eagle Cares really started as soon as our broadband field teams in Nebraska set out to work to ensure our communities stayed connected in the midst of the flooding,” said Travis Kohlrus, vice president of broadband. “Those teams inspired our employee-owners, companywide, to come together to give back to our friends and neighbors in the communities we serve.”

As part of a check presentation at Eagle’s Central City location Tuesday, Rachelle Lipker, executive director for the American Red Cross Central and Western Nebraska area, expressed her gratitude.

“We are certainly proud of the work the Eagle staff has done to rally Kansas communities to help those affected by the recent flooding. Donations of time and money are vital in ensuring the Red Cross is able to mobilize quickly and help those during times of need,” she said.

“We worked as fast as we could, constantly assessing the safety of our teams, to ensure we could get our communities back up and running,” said Kelly Bandt, Eagle system maintenance technician. “We are thankful for your patience and hopeful our communities will recover quickly. We are proud to be Nebraska Strong.”Besides the cash donation, Eagle employee-owners put in countless hours working to restore critical broadband services in the flooded region. Crews quickly restored services to the community of Silver Creek, where a washed-out bridge cut the fiber-optic network.

About Eagle Communications
Eagle Communications, Inc. is a Kansas-based Broadband Services and Media Company with more than 290 employee-owners. The company operates 28 radio stations in Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri as well as broadband, TV and phone services in 59 Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado communities. The company also offers business solutions, including technology as a service, broadband, telephone, TV and advertising in most service areas. For more information visit www.eaglecom.net.

Disclosure: Eagle Communications is the parent company of  North Platte Post.

UPDATED: Man dies after vehicle struck by train in Kearney

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UPDATE 4/16/19

Kearney Police have identified the driver of the vehicle as 28-year-old Shane Hoffman, of Shelton.

Police say the investigation into the matter is still ongoing.

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Kearney Police say a man has died after his vehicle was struck by a train.

At approximately 12:20 am, on April 14th, 2019, officers of the Kearney Police Department, Kearney Volunteer Fire Department, and Good Samaritan EMS responded to a car/train accident in the area of South Railroad Street and Avenue C, near Holmes Plumbing.

First responders discovered that the adult male driver of the van was deceased, and nobody else was injured in this incident.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the van had been traveling northbound on Avenue C and traveled through a closed crossing, and was struck on the driver’s side by an eastbound Union Pacific train.

This is still an on-going investigation involving the Kearney Police, Union Pacific Railroad Police, and the Kearney/Buffalo County Fatality Accident Investigation Team (F.A.I.T.). The name of the deceased is not being released at this time pending notification of family.

‘Canteen Revival’ documentary to premier at Fox Theatre

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A documentary featuring a revival of the North Platte Canteen will premier at the Fox Theatre in early-May.

In mid-June of 2018, Amanda Connick, the Group Tour Specialist for the North Platte / Lincoln County Visitors Bureau fielded a request from a tour operator for suggestions of where to feed more than 700 soldiers being transported back to Arkansas from training in Wyoming. North Platte’s heritage of hospitality inspired Amanda to invite the community to participate in a revival of the North Platte World War II Canteen to serve these heroes.

What followed was magical. More than 400 townspeople greeting more than 700 astonished soldiers with waving flags, signs, banners, cheers, applause, lots and lots of food and birthday cakes.

This incredible accomplishment mirrored in a small way the World War II effort that served more than six million service men and women from Christmas Day 1941 through April 1, 1946. Many national news outlets picked up the story and notes of appreciation and donations came pouring in from all over America.

To commemorate the 2018 Canteen Revival, the North Platte / Lincoln County Visitors Bureau commissioned a documentary film about the event and its inspiration, the original World War II Canteen. The documentary will premiere on May 9 at 7:00 pm at the Fox Theatre. The public is invited to attend. Those who participated in the Canteen Revival may very well see themselves in the film.

Admission is by a free-will donation. The suggested donation is $5.00 per person and the proceeds will benefit the Canteen exhibit at the Lincoln County Historical Museum. Patrons will have the opportunity to see the gift of appreciation the National Guardsmen and women created for the community of North Platte.

Commemorative Canteen prints, the Jim Reisdorff Canteen book and the North Platte Telegraph ‘Canteen – As It Happened’ book will be available for sale with some of the proceeds benefiting the Lincoln County Historical Museum.

Nebraska advances bill seeking to clamp down on spoof calls

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska lawmakers are forging ahead with an effort to stop scam artists who use local phone numbers to trick consumers into answering their calls.

A bill seeking that seeks to regulate the calls won first-round approval Tuesday on a 40-1 vote.

If it wins final approval, Nebraska would join a growing number of states trying to clamp down on “neighborhood spoofing,” the practice of making distant calls appear as local numbers on caller IDs.

Sen. Steve Halloran, of Hastings, says he introduced the bill to try to protect people from annoying robo-calls and scams.

Sen. Ernie Chambers, of Omaha, says the bill likely won’t be effective against such calls and gives the public a false hope.

Two additional votes are required before it goes to the governor.

Rules for Husker Volleyball Spring game announced

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The Nebraska vs. Colorado State spring volleyball match will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at the McCook Community College Graff Events Center, 401 E. M St., in McCook. Tickets for the event are sold out.

Both the southeast and southwest entry doors will open at 11:30 a.m. Seating is general admission only. Attendees must have a ticket to enter and no one, other than event staff, will be allowed in early.

Ticket lines will begin on the north end of both the east and west side of the Graff Events Center.  Parking will be available on the east and north sides of the building, but parking on the west side will be prohibited.

Tailgating will be allowed in the parking lot prior to the game, however, no alcohol or tobacco will be allowed on site. Restrooms will be available at the city park.

In order to promote fairness and equal opportunity to all ticketholders, saving seats for large parties will not be allowed and will be monitored by event staff.

The UNL 150th Anniversary Traveling Exhibit will be on display in the Auxiliary Gym for the duration of the event.

There will also be an autograph session in the Auxiliary Gym immediately following the game.

Prairie Doc Perspectives: Humanities and the physician

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Rick Holm

By Richard P. Holm, MD

After 40 years as a doctor interacting with patients, in the last two and a half years the tables turned, and I’ve become the patient. Although most are good, I’ve found some doctors are detached, some are too quick, some would rather be somewhere else, some are even angry; but, when a physician who cares walks into the room, and I’m not exaggerating, the day becomes better, the pain becomes less, and hope fills my heart. Scientific knowledge is important, but the ability to convey honest concern, human thoughtfulness and compassion is equal in importance in this healing profession. So, how do we select pre-med students for that, or teach compassion in medical school?

There are studies that show those interested in humanities or taught disciplines that explore how people tick, do better in the compassion department. These disciplines include history, literature, religion, ethics, anthropology, psychology, cultural studies and the arts of theater, film, painting and poetry. Some explain that the humanities give us the very reason to learn science and mathematics.

Several studies support the value of humanities in medicine. Seven hundred medical students were surveyed about their lifetime exposure to the humanities and the results indicated that those who had more humanities knowledge had more empathy, tolerance to ambiguity, resourcefulness, emotional intelligence and less burnout. Another study found that a med student’s ability to recognize diagnostic clues increased by more than 35 percent after taking a visual arts class. Another study found practicing improv theater helped med students learn to prepare for unexpected questions and conversations. A fourth study showed how writing exercises helped med students have foresight into what a patient may be experiencing. Clearly, an exposure to the humanities makes a better doctor.

I believe that care providers who have had a well-rounded humanities education have a better chance of understanding about how it feels to face pain, nausea, loss of bodily functions or even a cancer diagnosis. Those steeped in good literature or art have a better opportunity to tap creative juices to problem solve and tolerate a life that can be ambiguous and unpredictable. Those who are knowledgeable of history, ethics, cultural ways will find it easier to know when it is time to stop aggressive care and move toward comfort.

This is a call for all students to become readers, to find time to enjoy the humanities, to exercise your caring and compassion muscles; so, when you come into the room of a person suffering, it makes their pain less and day better.

For free and easy access to the entire Prairie Doc® library, visit www.prairiedoc.org and follow The Prairie Doc® on Facebook, featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show streaming live most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.

Woman suspected of drunken driving in fatal Omaha collision 

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say a man was killed when his sport utility vehicle rolled on an Omaha highway after being struck by a car.

Officers discovered the crash scene a little after 1 a.m. Tuesday on U.S. Highway 75, north of downtown. Investigators say a northbound sedan hit the rear bumper of the northbound SUV, causing it to run off the highway and roll after it hit a light pole.

Police say the SUV driver was ejected and declared dead at the scene. He’s been identified as a 32-year-old Omaha resident, Jerome Payton Jr.

The car driver was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence, reckless driving and not wearing a seat belt. Court records don’t show she’s been formally charged yet.

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