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Altha M. Hill

Altha M. Hill, age 98, died April 13, 2017 at Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Atkinson, NE.

Altha was born November 18, 1918 to John William and Mabel Evelyn Newberry in Tryon, Nebraska.  She grew up on the Newberry Ranch in McPherson County and attended a country school graduating with the class of 1938 in Tryon, Nebraska.

On August 3, 1941 she married LaRoy James Millikin.  From this union two daughters were born. LaRoy preceded her in death November 4, 1955.

On July 5, 1959 she married Hewett Lee Hill who brought into this marriage a son Carey Hill. Lee preceded her in death April 20, 1989.

Altha lived at South Oak Manor in North Platte  for several years before retiring to Cherry Hills Manor in Valentine Nebraska.  Because of health reasons she moved to Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Atkinson, Nebraska where she resided until her death.

Two brothers and three sisters preceded her in death. Survivors include two daughters, Sandra L. Johnson of Loveland CO. and Cheryl A. Wendt of Pierre, South Dakota Carey Hill of Harrisonville, MO, several grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Graveside services will be 11:00 a.m. Thursday April 20, 2017 at Fort McPherson National Cemetery with Elder Wayne Godfrey of the Restored Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ officiating.  Those wanting to sign the register book may do so Wednesday April 19, 2017 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.  Adams & Swanson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

 

Omaha man patches hundreds of potholes alone

potholeOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man is taking road repair into his own hands by patching hundreds of potholes near his home over the past several years.

62-year-old Steve Robinson lives on a street that, like others in the area, is not paved with concrete and makes the driving surface very rough.

Robinson estimates that by summer’s end he will have spent $10,000 on 10 tons of pothole patch.

The streets are part of an estimated 300 lane miles in Omaha that weren’t built to city code, which the city stops maintaining once those roads become too worn down.

Robinson says he would prefer that Omaha city crews at least “did minimal maintenance.”

Mayor Jean Stothert said Tuesday she plans to formalize a city ordinance to pay for at least half the cost of street pavement.

‘Fate of the Furious’ races to $100.2 million opening

box-officeLOS ANGELES (AP) — The eighth installment in the “Fast and the Furious” had the roads to itself and inched past the $100 million benchmark in the final moments.

Studio estimates on Sunday say “The Fate of the Furious” earned a chart-topping $100.2 million over the holiday weekend.

It’s well below the $147.2 million opening of “Furious 7” in 2015, but still a second-best for the series.

“Furious 7” had a groundswell of additional interest due to the death of actor Paul Walker.

The “Fast and the Furious” is a global juggernaut for Universal Pictures. The franchise has earned over $3.9 billion to date and at least two additional films are planned.

“The Boss Baby” took second with $15.5 million, while “Beauty and the Beast” held on to third place with $13.6 million.

Ex-NFL player driving truck that ran over, killed daughter

ambulance-lightsPHOENIX (AP) — Authorities say a former NFL player was moving a truck that ran over and killed his 3-year-daughter in the driveway of their suburban Phoenix home.

The Arizona Republic reports (https://bit.ly/2nO2juS ) that police say Todd Heap was behind the wheel of the truck when he accidentally struck the girl while moving the vehicle forward outside their home in Mesa on Friday.

Officials say the girl was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Mesa police say impairment was not a factor.

Heap played for the Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals. He also played at Arizona State University, where he was a two-time All-Pac-10 selection.

Cargill expands plant in Columbus, will hire more workers

cargill_logo_2753COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — Cargill will celebrate the $111 million expansion of its plant in Columbus this week.

Gov. Pete Ricketts and other state officials are expected to join company executives at the plant Thursday.

The project converted the plant from a ground beef operation to a cooked meat facility that makes cooked ground beef, sausage and hot dogs.

Cargill says it expects to eventually have about 460 employees at the plant to handle peak production. That’s up from 240 before the conversion.

Senators: Millennial views bridge some partisan differences

NE LegislatureLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s youngest state senators agree the state needs to do more to keep college-educated young workers from leaving, but they’re still largely divided along party lines about how to accomplish it.

Eight of the state’s 49 senators belong to the generation born roughly between 1980 and 2000, giving Nebraska the highest percentage of millennial lawmakers in the country. As a whole, they say they’re looking at future trends and are more open to technological and economic changes.

However, Democratic senators say Nebraska needs more civil protections for marginalized groups such as LGBT workers, refugees and immigrants if the state’s going to attract young people. Republican millennials say the focus should be on tax reform and incentives that attract businesses.

New Nebraska veterans court ceremony set for next week

vietnam-veteranLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An inaugural ceremony will take place next week for Nebraska’s newest target court: the Lancaster County Veterans Treatment Court.

The special court is just for veterans, similar to drug courts especially for non-violent, first-time offenders better served by treatment than jail.

The veterans court ceremony is set for Wednesday afternoon in Lincoln’s City-County Building.

The new court is only for veterans who’ve suffered traumatic brain injury or developed post-traumatic stress disorder as the result of serving in a combat zone.

Participants would have to plead guilty to their crimes before being allowed to enter the special court. Their charges would be dismissed if they complete requirements set by the judges.

Company to help Grand Island reuse veterans home land

NE-Veterans-HomeGRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — The Grand Island City Council has hired a company to assist the city with deciding how to use land that will become available when the veterans home moves to another town.

The council unanimously voted Tuesday to approve a resolution to enter into a contract with Olsson Associates to review possible uses for the land.

Jeff Palik of Olsson says the company intends to have multiple public meetings to gather input from Grand Island residents on the land’s new purpose.

Mayor Jeremy Jensen says there are many residents who feel the land should be given back to the veterans and urges citizens to “trust that we are doing things the right way” by preserving the heritage of the Grand Island Veterans Home.

Feds announce Grand Island Post Office to move from downtown

uspsGRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service has announced that Grand Island’s main post office will relocate from downtown to a building on the western edge of town.

The announcement was made Friday. The new office will be on Old Potash Highway.

The Postal Service says the move is being made to save money. The postal service is currently leasing the downtown post office space. The new office will be in a building already owned by the Postal Service.

The postal service will continue to operate out of the current downtown location until the new facility is open sometime before June 1, 2018.

Teacher, ex-Nebraska football player arrested in abuse case

Sean Applegate
Sean Applegate

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln middle school industrial arts teacher and former Nebraska football player has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault of a child.

39-year-old Sean Applegate was arrested Thursday after police say a woman reported that she had been molested by him at his Lincoln home between 2013 and 2014, starting when she was 15.

An email from school officials Friday night informed parents of the arrest. The email says there is no indication the arrest is related Applegate’s work at Pound Middle School. Applegate has been placed on administrative leave.

Applegate was a wingback for the Huskers from 1996-99.

A phone number for Applegate couldn’t be found Saturday, and it was not clear whether he had an attorney.

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