Post Staff – Page 36 – North Platte Post Archive

Police: 4th arrest made in shooting death of Lincoln woman

Posted on April 18, 2019

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police in Lincoln say a fourth arrest has been made in the shooting death last year of a Lincoln woman.

Police say in a news release that 33-year-old Ira Morrow was arrested Thursday on suspicion of a federal count of conspiracy to commit robbery.

Three other men also have been charged in the July 31 shooting of 36-year-old Jessica Brandon at the Lincoln home she shared with her fiance. Police say surveillance cameras caught several men casing the house and later forcing their way into the home and firing several shots in a drug-related robbery.

Police say Morrow was identified as being among the men in the video.

Earlier this year, a grand jury indicted Tawhyne Patterson Sr. and brothers Damon Williams and Dante Williams each on a count of using a firearm resulting in murder and a robbery count.

Bankers survey: March floods in Midwest hitting farmers hard

Posted on April 18, 2019

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of rural bankers in parts of 10 Plains and Western states shows about one of every five expects an increase in farm loan defaults stemming from last month’s devastating Midwest floods.

The Rural Mainstreet survey for April, released Thursday, shows the survey’s overall index dropping from 52.9 in March to 50 this month. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says “43.8 percent of bank CEOs indicated that the recent floods were having a negative impact on their local economy.”

Bankers also noted that farm loans for April surged as the borrowing index climbed to 81.3, the highest recorded since the survey began in 2006.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

Troopers arrest 8, seize drugs in traffic stops

Posted on April 18, 2019April 18, 2019

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested eight people and seized numerous controlled substances during several recent traffic stops.

At approximately 11:50 a.m. MT Wednesday, a trooper performed a traffic stop on an eastbound Hyundai Accent for speeding at mile marker 2 on Interstate 76. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana inside the vehicle and found approximately 50 pounds of marijuana concealed in two trash bags. The driver, Joshua Garrett, 25, and passengers, Natalya Garrett, 21, and Morgan Dismuke, 23, all of Omaha, were arrested for possession of marijuana – more than one pound. Joshua Garrett was lodged in Cheyenne County Jail. Natalya Garrett and Dismuke were lodged in Lincoln County Jail.

At approximately 6:15 p.m. CT Wednesday, a trooper stopped a Dodge Ram for failure to signal a turn at the Interstate 80 exit at mile marker 366 near Utica. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana. A search of the vehicle revealed 2,760 units of THC vape oil. The driver, Colin Bode, 47, of Pennsylvania, and passenger, Manuel Jardine, 73, of Hawaii, were both arrested for possession of marijuana – more than one pound and lodged in Seward County Jail.

At approximately 6:30 p.m. CT Wednesday, a trooper observed a Chevrolet Malibu fail to signal a turn at the intersection of Road 755 and Road 426 in Dawson County. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana inside the vehicle. A search revealed 18 ounces of marijuana, 100 THC edibles, 22 grams of THC wax, and drug paraphernalia. The driver, Nicholas Herko, 29, of Lockport, New York, and passenger, Savannah Bixler, 35, of Tuscon, Arizona, were arrested for drug offenses. Bixler attempted to bite multiple troopers and tried to spit on a trooper. Bixler was also lodged for resisting arrest. Both were lodged in Dawson County Jail.

At approximately 2:20 a.m. CT Thursday, a trooper observed an eastbound GMC SUV speeding near mile marker 397 in Lincoln. During the traffic stop, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity. A search of the vehicle revealed 93 pounds of high-grade marijuana, over 1 pound of shatter, 1,827 THC vape pens, a small amount of THC edibles, and a handgun. The driver, Karmel Thomas, 40, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and other changes. Thomas was lodged in Lancaster County Jail.

Walmart, Amazon kick off government online pilot program

Posted on April 18, 2019

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer

Eds: Links photo. With AP Photos.

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon and Walmart on Thursday are kicking off a two-year pilot established by the government to allow low-income shoppers on government food assistance in New York to shop and pay for their groceries online.

ShopRite will join the retailers early next week, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

The USDA has long required that customers using electronic benefits transfer, or EBT, pay for their purchases at the actual time and place of sale. So the move marks the first time SNAP customers can pay for their groceries online.

ShopRite and Amazon are providing the service to the New York City area, and Walmart is providing the service online in upstate New York locations. The agency said the pilot will eventually expand to other areas of New York as well as Alabama, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. The pilot will test both online ordering and payment. SNAP participants will be able to use their benefits to purchase eligible food items but will not be able to use SNAP to pay for service or delivery charges, the agency said.

“People who receive SNAP benefits should have the opportunity to shop for food the same way more and more Americans shop for food — by ordering and paying for groceries online,” said USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue in statement. “As technology advances, it is important for SNAP to advance too, so we can ensure the same shopping options are available for both non-SNAP and SNAP recipients.”

Perdue said he looks forward to monitoring how the pilot program increases food access and customer service to those it serves, specifically those who have trouble visiting physical stores.

More than 40 million individuals receive food stamps in the U.S., according to the USDA.

The 2014 Farm Bill authorized the USDA to conduct and evaluate a pilot for online purchasing prior to national implementation. The USDA says the move was intended to ensure online transactions are processed safely and securely.

Amazon said those who qualify don’t need to be Prime members to buy groceries with their benefits. They’ll get free access to its AmazonFresh service, which delivers meat, dairy and fresh produce to shoppers’ doorsteps. And they’ll also be able to use Prime Pantry, which delivers packaged goods like cereal and canned food. However, they’ll need to spend over a certain amount to qualify for free shipping: $50 at AmazonFresh and $25 at Amazon.com. The online shopping giant launched a website, amazon.com/snap, where people can check if they qualify. Amazon said it’s working with the USDA to expand service to other parts of New York state.

Amazon.com Inc. was on the initial list for the government pilot, but Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart Inc. made the list later. Still, the world’s largest retailer was able to get around it by offering in late 2017 the ability for its customers in limited locations to order items through its online grocery pickup service and then pay for it in person at the stores.

“Access to convenience and to quality, fresh groceries shouldn’t be dictated by how you pay,” said Walmart in a statement emailed to The Associated Press Thursday. “This pilot program is a great step forward, and we are eager to expand this to customers in other states where we already have a great online grocery.”

Game and Parks Commission to consider deer, antelope and elk hunting recommendations

Posted on April 18, 2019

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider recommendations for 2019 deer, antelope and elk hunting seasons when it meets April 24 at Ponca State Park.

The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. at the park’s Missouri National Recreational River Resource and Education Center. The park is located at 88090 Spur 26E in Dixon County.

A public hearing is scheduled for proposed amendments to Commission orders pertaining to season dates, bag limits, permit quantities and areas open for deer, antelope and elk hunting.

Hunters should be aware that staff will be presenting additional changes at the meeting to the big game orders posted for review. Those additional changes are in response to severe March weather in northwest Nebraska and deer depredation issues in southwest and central parts of the state, and would affect the following three deer management units as follows:

Pine Ridge – Decrease Any Deer (but no antlerless mule deer) permits to 1,200 and increase Any Whitetail permits to 1,000.

Loup West Season Choice Area – Decrease permits to 300 and change bag limit to two Antlerless Only deer.

Frenchman West Season Choice Area – Expand unit boundary eastward.

Also on the agenda is a public hearing for input regarding the listing and delisting of state threatened and endangered species in the Commission’s District 3, which is northeast Nebraska.

In addition, the Commission will consider at staff recommendation to approve the acquisition of 74.97 acres in Banner County adjacent to Williams Gap Wildlife Management Area and designation of it as an addition to the area.

The Commission also will hear several staff updates, including the new, Take ’em Fishing promotion, which challenges anglers to pledge to take a new or lapsed angler fishing for a chance to win prizes.

There also will be a report on big game research, a presentation on the fish, wildlife and park resources in northeast Nebraska, and an environmental report.

A complete meeting agenda can be found at outdoornebraska.gov/commissioners.

NPPD Activity Log (4.17.19-4.18.19)

Posted on April 18, 2019

Call Date

Call Time

Call Number

RMS CFS Description

Location Of Incident

04/17/2019