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Month: April 2019

Janice Westman

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Jan Westman, 81, of North Platte died March 23, 2019 at Tiffany Square in Grand Island.

She was born March 7, 1938 at home near Gandy, NE, to Frank Marion and Pauline Marie Nielsen Barnes.

As a child Jan lived on Garfield Table with her mother, grandparents, and Uncles Paul and Albert Nielsen. They moved to Arnold in 1945 where she attended grade and high school, graduating in 1955.

On June 26, 1955, Jan married Ronald Lee Westman of Callaway at the Arnold Methodist Church. They lived in Kentucky and Maryland while he was in the service, moving to his family farm on Stop Table near Callaway in 1958. There they had 4 children: Jim, Julie, Bill and Bob.

The family moved to North Platte in 1970. In 1975, Jan accepted Jesus as her Savior. In 1982, they began full-time travelling, going south in winter and north in summer.

Jan became an LPN in 1991, graduating from MPCC in North Platte. She had nursing licenses in Nebraska, Wyoming, Texas and Nevada. She worked for the American Red Cross at bloodmobiles in and around North Platte for many years. She retired at the age of 69.

Jan’s husband, Ron, passed away in 2017. After his death, she lived in Central City with her daughter, Julie.

Mrs. Westman is survived by: four children, James (Kathy) Westman of Magna, Utah;  Julie Rainbolt of Central City, NE; William (Kathy) Westman of North Platte; and Robert (Merry) Westman of Gurley, NE;  twelve grandchildren, David (Kristine) and Jonathan (Martha) Westman of Magna, Utah; Danielle, Jennifer, and Sarah Rainbolt of Grand Island, and Amber Rainbolt (Jesse Herman) of Ashland, NE; Ryan (Connie) Westman of Pendleton, Oregon; Jason (Abi) of Excelsior Springs, Missouri; Daniel (Amanda) Westman and Michael Westman of Sidney, NE; Garrett (Kelsey) Westman of Omaha; Jared (Elayna)Westman of Kearney.  She also is survived by 16 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ronald, and her parents and grandparents.

Memorial Services will be held on Monday, April 8 at 10 am at Carpenter Memorial Chapel in North Platte; at 2 pm at Morning Star Church near Callaway; with private burial at Stop Table cemetery near Callaway.

 

Hundreds of homes in 2 Nebraska towns ruled uninhabitable

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Nearly 600 residences in the eastern Nebraska communities of Bellevue and Fremont have been ruled uninhabitable.

Broken or overtopped levees loosed torrents of river water to inundate parts of both communities last month.

Fremont City Administrator Brian Newton told the Omaha World-Herald that his community has 180 houses red-tagged inside city limits and others outside. He says some have structural problems, and power has been shut off to all of them.

Bellevue City Administrator Jim Ristow says that besides the red-tagged houses, several businesses damaged by the floodwater have yet to be evaluated.

Officials say homeowners can’t repair their red-tagged properties until consulting with county officials. If damage exceeds half a house’s value, that usually means the house must be raised so it isn’t left to flood again.

Nebraska looks to revise social studies standards

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Proposed academic standards for teaching social studies in Nebraska would require public school students to learn how to manage money and would encourage them to look at history from multiple perspectives.

The Nebraska Department of Education is seeking public input on the draft standards released Thursday. The standards detail what students in kindergarten through 12th grade will learn in history, economics, geography and civics.

Harris Payne is director of social studies for the Education Department. He says the draft builds on standards set in 2012 by adding clarity and direction for teachers.

The standards also address how to teach about topics such as marginalized groups, climate change and civic engagement.

The State Board of Education is expected to vote on the revised standards in the fall.

Eagle acquires Salina-based video production company

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Eagle Communications Inc. announced this week the acquisition of Salina-based Mid America Productions.

The professional audio-video production house has been in business since 1983 creating video content for a variety of business partners, as well as event support, photo services, web design and data transfer services.

The three-person crew of Corey McKee, Karl Sneath and Kevin Bourne bring 55 years of combined video production and editing experience to Eagle.

“Eagle strives every day to help businesses succeed by connecting them to their customers,” said Travis Kohlrus, Eagle Communications vice president. “We believe the addition of MAP to the Eagle portfolio can enhance the level of service we can provide from training and recruitment videos to legal and documentary videos, continuing our quest of keeping our communities … connected.”

“The video production company, started in 1983 by my late husband, Rick Weber, will continue to operate at 1510 E. Iron in Salina. It’s very rewarding to know that MAP and its employees will continue to provide professional video and multimedia services to our many customers and corporate clients,” said Mid American Productions owner/manager Judy Weber. “I am very thankful to have had such dedicated and knowledgeable employees over the years, and I wish them and Eagle every success.”

Mid America Productions’ portfolio can be seen HERE.

“I’m excited for this acquisition,” said Katie Dorzweiler, Eagle Marketing Solutions director. “For over 15 years, Eagle has been creating high-quality, award-winning video production services to main street businesses. With the addition of Mid America Productions, we can now offer long-play commercial video serving both the internal and external promotional needs of our clients. Video is increasingly relevant for businesses to market themselves through television, online search engines and through social media. Eagle is now well positioned to provide clients access to all of these platforms.”

Eagle Communications Inc. is a Kansas-based Broadband Services and Media Company with over 280 employee-owners. The company operates 28 radio stations in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri, as well as broadband systems in 60 Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado communities. The company also offers e-business solutions, web hosting, telephone service, high-speed internet, and wireless internet in most service areas. For more information log on to www.eaglecom.net.

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

3rd person going to prison for Grand Island kidnapping

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Olivia Perez
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) – A third person is going to prison for the kidnapping and beating of a Grand Island man.

Hall County District Court records say 22-year-old Olivia Perez was sentenced Thursday to three to 10 years and given credit for 157 days already served. She’d pleaded guilty to kidnapping and robbery after prosecutors dropped related charges.

Prosecutors say Perez, Alicen Cote and Fernando Lopez kidnapped and beat Tanner Fenton after forcing their way into his home on June 4 last year. He was found bound and gagged at a road intersection later that day.

Cote and Lopez were sentenced to six to 12 years in prison for their involvement.

$25M in federal emergency funds released for Nebraska roads

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Highway 281 Bridge
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Transportation Department has approved $25 million in emergency relief funds from the Federal Highway Administration to quickly repair Nebraska roads damaged by devastating floods last month.

The federal department describes the money as “quick release” funding to be used to restore essential traffic and prevent additional damage at locations affected by severe flooding. It will also support efforts to restore traffic and open routes for medical and food supplies for people and livestock. The department says an initial estimate of damage tops $160 million — more than half the state’s annual apportionment of federal-aid funds. That number is expected to climb as additional damage assessment information is received.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said in a news release Thursday that initial inspections have identified over 300 road sites that need repairs and are eligible for emergency relief funds.

The Nebraska Department of Transportation estimates nearly 190 highway miles and 27 state bridges have sustained flood-related damages.

NSP investigates livestock neglect in Fillmore County

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Investigators with the Nebraska Brand Committee, the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nebraska State Patrol are investigating a reported case of livestock neglect in Fillmore County.

Investigators have served a search warrant at a property at 1817 Road C near Exeter. At the property, investigators discovered more than 200 deceased cattle and 1 deceased horse.

More than 200 additional cattle were found to be in questionable to poor condition. Those animals were removed from the property and placed at a nearby ranch to be monitored and receive care.

The Nebraska Brand Committee is investigating additional reports of theft of livestock and violations of the Nebraska Livestock Brand Act. The investigation is ongoing.

Nebraska’s new tourism motto could appear on shirts, mugs

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s new tourism motto could soon be spreading to T-shirts and coffee mugs.Lawmakers gave first-round approval Thursday to a bill that would allow the Nebraska Tourism Commission to sell promotional items with its attention-grabbing catchphrase: “Honestly, it’s not for everyone.”State tourism officials say they’ve received many requests for merchandise with the motto after it spread on national media. It’s part of a broader publicity effort to attract visitors and fight national perceptions of Nebraska as a flat, boring, flyover state.Senators advanced the bill, 40-0, through the first of three required votes before it goes to the governor.

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