Post Staff – Page 656 – North Platte Post Archive

Kansas woman killed in Nebraska collision, patrol says

Posted on February 22, 2017

HOLDREGE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a Kansas woman has died in a head-on collision in south-central Nebraska.

The collision was reported around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday on U.S. Highway 183, about four miles north of Holdrege. The Nebraska State Patrol says a northbound car collided with a southbound semitrailer, killing the car driver.

She was identified as 26-year-old Satien Marie Vest, of Emporia, Kansas. The patrol identified the truck driver as 63-year-old Wayne Tresz, of Vinton, Iowa. He was hospitalized for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The collision is being investigated.

Girls who fled state treatment center in Geneva are captured

Posted on February 22, 2017

GENEVA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say they’ve captured all 11 girls who escaped from the state’s Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Geneva.

The Nebraska Health and Human Services Department said Tuesday night that two girls left the grounds around 5:30 p.m. The department says a fire alarm was pulled around 7:30 p.m., which unlocked doors in a cottage and allowed nine more girls to flee the campus.

The department said Wednesday morning that all the girls were back in custody and returned to the Fillmore County facility by 2 a.m. Wednesday.

The department says an investigation will be undertaken to find out what policies or procedures should be changed to prevent future escapes.

Powerball jackpot tops $400 million for 1st time in months

Posted on February 22, 2017

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot has climbed above $400 million for the first time in nearly three months.

The top prize for Wednesday night’s drawing will be an estimated $403 million if paid over 29 years or $244 million in cash. Winners then would have to pay taxes on their winnings.

The game’s six numbers will be drawn at 10:59 p.m. eastern time. Five white balls are drawn from a drum with 69 balls and a red ball is drawn from a drum with 26 balls.

Powerball is played in 44 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are incredibly small, at one in 292.2 million.

If there is no winner, the prize will increase before the next drawing Saturday night.

Grand Island mom who wouldn’t let daughter’s fight end charged with abuse

Posted on February 22, 2017

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have charged a Grand Island woman for not letting someone stop a fight between her teenage daughter and another girl.

Court records say the 36-year-old woman is charged with felony intentional child abuse. The Associated Press is not naming her in order to preserve the privacy of her daughter. The AP generally doesn’t name juveniles accused of crimes.

Authorities say the woman’s 15-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old girl had agreed to fight each other. The older girl got the upper hand and began choking her opponent. Police say the woman wouldn’t let a bystander pull the girls apart or stop her daughter from choking the other girl.

Police say the 15-year-old will be charged with strangulation. The younger girl will be charged with mutual consent assault.

NPCC Lady Knights drop regular season finale to McCook 82-57

Posted on February 22, 2017

North Platte – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights ended the regular season on sophomore night, losing to the McCook Community College Lady Indians 82-57.

It was the final regular season game for six Lady Knight sophomores: Aljahnay Duncan, Mai’Zhrae Zeno, Caroline Delatour, Thomesha Wilson, Mickenzie Brennan and Jessica Lovitt.

The game was the final regular season game for Lady Knights Head Coach Richard Thurin, who is retiring at the end of the season. Thurin has coached the Lady Knights for 16 seasons.

The game started out with the Lady Indians taking the early lead at 8-2. The Lady Knights did pull within one at 15-14, but the Lady Indians went on a 6-0 run to take their largest lead of the first quarter at 21-14. At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Indians led 21-16.

In the second quarter, the game remained close, with the Lady Indians leading throughout the quarter. The Lady Knights did pull again within one at 30-29, but the Lady Indians scored the final four points of the half to take a 34-29 lead going into the break.

The Lady Indians opened up their lead in the third quarter after going on an 11-4 run to take a 12 point lead at 45-33. The Lady Indians continued to increase their lead by finishing out the quarter outscoring the Lady Knights 18-16 to take a 63-49 lead at the end of three.

In the fourth quarter, the Lady Indians increased on their lead outscoring the Lady Knights 19-8 to get the win.

The Lady Indians are 14-14 on the season. They were led in scoring by Kaylea Wason with 17 points. Atunuwa Eva was next with 14 points. A’leah Davis added 13 points and Colby Cox had 12 points. Erica Peet grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Lady Indians.

The Lady Knights fall to 9-18 on the season. Lovitt led all scorers with 18 points. Wilson added 12 points. Brennan and Zeno each finished with 10 points. Wilson recorded a double-double by grabbing 12 rebounds.

The Lady Knights now must wait for the outcome of the game between Central and Southeast on Saturday to see who their next opponent will be in the Region IX Division II tournament and where the game will be. If Southeast wins, they will be the number one seed and will host the winner of the Lady Knights and Central. If Central defeats Southeast, all three teams will finish at 2-2 and a tie-breaker will come into play.

North Platte Forecast-February 22

Posted on February 22, 2017

Today

Sunny, with a high near 67. West northwest wind 6 to 13 mph.

Tonight

A slight chance of rain before 4am, then a slight chance of rain and snow between 4am and 5am, then a slight chance of snow after 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Northwest wind 5 to 13 mph becoming east northeast after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday

Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 5pm. High near 37. East northeast wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday Night

Snow likely, mainly before midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 21. North northwest wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday

A 50 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 29. Blustery, with a north northwest wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 34.

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15.

Sunday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 38.

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.

Monday Night

A slight chance of rain and snow. Partly cloudy, with a low around 25.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 44.

Man fired at Nebraska trooper during chase, authorities say

Posted on February 21, 2017

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say they’ve arrested a man who fired at a Nebraska state trooper during a chase.

The chase began early Tuesday morning in Valley and ended when the man’s car went into a ditch. The man took off running but was captured with the help of a police dog.

The man was taken to an Omaha hospital for treatment of his injuries. His name hasn’t been released.

The trooper was not hit by the man’s gunshots. The trooper’s name hasn’t been released either.

Man hospitalized after pickup lands in Nebraska creek

Posted on February 21, 2017

VALPARAISO, Neb. (AP) — A man has been hospitalized after he was found in a creek where his pickup truck crashed in eastern Nebraska.

The Saunders County Sheriff’s Office says a passer-by spotted the truck around 9 a.m. Monday. Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Thorson says the man was found lying mostly in the creek water and likely had been for several hours.

The truck had crashed off Nebraska Highway 79 about a mile south of Valparaiso and was lodged in a creek bank.

The man’s name hasn’t been released.

Megabus.com resuming Nebraska-to-Chicago service

Posted on February 21, 2017

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — New Jersey-based megabus.com says it will resume service from Nebraska through Iowa to Chicago.

Megabus.com said in a news release Tuesday that the service will begin March 1, with one bus daily in both directions and additional service on weekends and holidays as needed.

The buses will serve Lincoln and Omaha in Nebraska, stop in Des Moines and Iowa City/Coralville in Iowa and Moline and Chicago in Illinois. The service to Lincoln and Moline is new.

The company says Windstar Lines will provide buses and megabus.com will manage ticket sales and customer services.

Megabus.com is based in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It announced in November that it was ending the service because low gas prices had reduced demand for service.

Push to reduce property taxes gains new support in Nebraska

Posted on February 21, 2017

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A push to reduce property taxes in this year’s legislative session is gaining new support in Nebraska.

The coalition announced Tuesday includes 16 agricultural and school groups who will urge lawmakers to pass a package that includes “adequate and sustainable” funding for K-12 public schools while shifting the tax burden away from property owners.

Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson says public schools have come to rely too heavily on property taxes to finance their operations. Roughly two-thirds of Nebraska’s public school districts don’t qualify for state equalization aid because their surrounding property values have risen too high, even though farm incomes have declined.

Group members say they’d support eliminating sales tax exemptions to offset property taxes, but they’re open to different ideas.