Post Staff – Page 192 – North Platte Post Archive

Nebraska death row inmate’s latest appeal rejected

Posted on August 4, 2018August 4, 2018

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has rejected the latest appeal of a Texas man on Nebraska’s death row for killing two Grand Island men in 2007.

Marco Torres Jr., formerly of Pasadena, Texas, had sought post-conviction relief after being sentenced to death for two counts of first-degree murder and other counts in the robbery and shooting deaths of 48-year-old Timothy Donohue and 60-year-old Edward Hall.

On Friday, the state’s high court ruled that Torres filed his latest motion too late.

Torres had argued that two U.S. Supreme Court cases — decided in June 2015 and January 2016 — should overturn his death sentence. But the state Supreme Court said Nebraska law requires post-conviction motions to be filed within one year of such rulings.

Torres filed his latest motion in June 2017.

Deal resolves water use dispute between Kansas, Colorado

Posted on August 4, 2018August 4, 2018

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Colorado has agreed to pay Kansas $2 million in a settlement resolving claims regarding Colorado’s past use of water under the Republican River Compact.

Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer said in a news release Friday that the settlement is an investment in the basin to ensure a better future for Kansas water users.

The Republican River Compact allocates the waters of the basins between the states of Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas.

Under the provisions of the settlement, Kansas agreed to pursue “a good faith effort” to spend the money Colorado paid for the benefit of the South Fork of the Republican River Basin within Kansas.

Colorado also agreed to pursue an effort to spend an additional $2 million by 2027 in the basin within Colorado.

Hope Wray Death Notice

Posted on August 3, 2018

Hope Jillynn Wray, age 4 of North Platte, passed away Friday August 3,2018 at Children’s Hospital in Omaha, NE. Services are pending at Adams and Swanson Funeral Home.

Harry E. Norman

Posted on August 3, 2018August 3, 2018

Harry E. Norman, 84, passed away July 31, 2018 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He had been living with his daughter, Trina. Harry was born on November 13, 1933 in Big Springs, Nebraska to Ralph E. Norman and Ora Watkins. He had nine loving brothers and sisters. After graduating from high school, Harry went directly into the United States Air Force and served his country in the Korean War. After his discharge from the Air Force, Harry began traveling around the midwest building grain elevators and doing general construction. While working in Stratton, Colorado, he met his lifelong love, Gladys Smelker. They married in 1959 and had four children. Gladys passed away on February 7, 2013. Harry & Gladys moved to North Platte, Nebraska where he began working for Musgrove Construction. Harry was a hard-working man who always put his family first. He partnered with Martin Piskorski in the early 1970’s and together they purchased General Constructors and built many commercial buildings in the Nebraska & Colorado areas, including Centennial Retirement Center, St. Patrick’s Parish Center and Callahan Cancer Center, among many others.

Harry was preceded in death by his wife, Gladys; his parents, Ralph & Ora; brothers, Ordell, Verdell, Maynard & Donald; sisters, Lorraine, Eleanor, Esther & Marilyn; and one great-grandson, Nolan Petersen.

He is survived by family who thought the absolute world of their dad, grandad and great-grandad. Survivors include his sister, Ardith Sexson; his children, Diana (Todd) Petersen, Trina Norman, Steve (Teresa) Norman, and Rhonda (James) Bopp; his grandchildren, Sarah (Sean) Hull, Carey (Ka’Ron) Johnson, Matt (Angela) Petersen, Alanna Peterson, Ryan Hill, Noah Hill, Greggory Norman, Grant Norman, Natalie (Matt) Schneider, Mariah Bopp, and Anah Bopp; and his great-grandchildren are Alexander Hull, Abigail Hull, Ella Schneider, Greyson Schneider and Willa Petersen. All of his family loved him dearly and will continue his legacy with honor and pride.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, August 6th at Carpenter Memorial Chapel in North Platte, Nebraska with burial following at Fort McPherson National Cemetery in Maxwell, Nebraska. Visitation will be from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday evening, August 5th at Carpenter Memorial Chapel. Friends & family are welcome. Online condolences may be shared at carpentermemorial.com

Lincoln man charged with sexually assaulting young girl

Posted on August 3, 2018

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police have arrested a 31-year-old man already serving federal parole for a child sex crime, accusing him of sexually assaulting a girl in Lincoln earlier this year.

The Lincoln Journal Star says Alex Garden was charged Wednesday with first-degree sexual assault of a child and intentional child abuse.

Police say he sexually assaulted a girl he knew in February. The girl is younger than 12.

Garden has been in the Saline County jail in Wilber since June, when federal prosecutors said he violated the terms of his parole.

In 2016, Garden admitted to possessing child pornography and was sentenced to federal prison. He was put on house arrest late last year, and then put on supervised release months later.

Willma Jane Guggenmos

Posted on August 2, 2018

Wilma Jane Guggenmos, age 82 of Ogallala, NE passed away Wednesday August 1, 2018 at Great Plains Health in North Platte, NE.

Wilma was born on July 2, 1936 in Bucyrus, Ohio to Willis Carl and Helen Edith (Grasely) Steiger. She married John M. Guggenmos at the Assembly of God Church on December 30, 1982.

Wilma is survived by her husband of 35 years, John; stepdaughter Shelly Lynn (Greg) Guggenmos-Rodriquez of Westminster, CO; 6 step grandchildren; 2 step great grandchildren; brother-in-law James Guggenmos of Ogallala, NE; sisters-in law Vivian D. Peterson of Keystone, NE and Yvonne (Rick) Turner of Gering, NE; as well as many nieces, nephews, extended family members and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents Willis and Helen Steiger.

Memorials are suggested to the Assembly of God Church in Ogallala, Nebraska and online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com. Cremation was chosen, and a memorial service will be held at a later date. Adams and Swanson Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Joseph Eggers Death Notice

Posted on August 2, 2018

Joseph B. Eggers, age 73 of North Platte, passed away Wednesday August 1, 2018 at the Omaha Medical Center. Arrangements are pending at Adams and Swanson Funeral Home.

Dannebrog man died of injuries from Grand Island crash

Posted on August 2, 2018

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Police say an 85-year-old Dannebrog man has died from injuries received in a Grand Island car crash earlier this week.

Television station KSNB says the crash happened just after 8 a.m. Tuesday at a busy Grand Island intersection.

Police say Robert Robertson was driving a car that collided with a pickup truck at the intersection of Highway 30 and Webb Road. Officials believe Robertson had a medical condition that factored into the crash.

Robertson was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Death penalty sought for co-defendant in woman’s slaying

Posted on August 2, 2018

WILBER, Neb. (AP) — Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the second of two people accused of killing a Lincoln woman, dismembering her and dumping her remains in southeast Nebraska field.

A prosecutor Wednesday cited the slaying’s “exceptional depravity” in a filing regarding the state’s intentions against 24-year-old Bailey Boswell.

Court records say Boswell and 51-year-old Aubrey Trail are charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors allege Trail strangled Sydney Loofe and Boswell helped Trail cut up Loofe’s body and stuff the remains into trash bags. The remains were found Dec. 4 in Clay County, weeks after Loofe was reported missing.

Prosecutors cited the slaying’s depravity in their death penalty filing against Trail and said he has a substantial history of “serious assaultive or terrorizing criminal activity.”

A trial date hasn’t been scheduled.

Officials say 3-year-old red panda at Omaha zoo dies

Posted on August 2, 2018

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officials with Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium say a 3-year-old red panda housed at the zoo has died.

Officials said Wednesday that Tofu, a female red panda who arrived at the Omaha zoo from the Detroit Zoo in October 2017, had died.

According to preliminary necropsy results, Tofu had excess fluid in her abdomen and chest cavity. Officials say that is commonly observed in cases of heart failure or cardiomyopathy, but another potential cause of death includes inflammation of the heart from bacterial or viral causes.

Despite the name, red pandas aren’t related to giant pandas. Red pandas are close relatives to raccoons, skunks and weasels and are the size of a small raccoon.