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HIGHLIGHTS: Lady Knights end five game skid with 60-58 win over Central

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NPCC Knights on ESPNNorth Platte – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team defeated the Central Community College Lady Raiders in an important Region IX Division II matchup 60-58 on Friday night, on scout night.

The Lady Raiders shot a free throw to take a 1-0 lead. It was the only lead they would enjoy all night as the Lady Knights started out the game with three-pointers by Allison Tichy, Caroline Delatour, and Mickenzie Brennan to give the Lady Knights a 9-1 lead. They increased their lead to 16-3 for their biggest lead in the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Knights held a 18-9 lead.

In the second quarter, the Lady Knights started out on a 9-3 run to push their lead to 15 at 27-12. The Lady Raiders went on a 12-5 run to cut the Lady Knights lead to eight at halftime at32-24.

The Lady Knights maintained their lead throughout the third quarter, stretching it out to 16 at 48-32 on a three-pointer by Delatour. At the end of the third quarter, the Lady Knights held a 52-39 lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Lady Raiders outscored the Lady Knights 26-12shooting six of 16 from the field and a perfect seven for seven from the free throw line to climb back in to the game. The Lady Knights in the same time frame made two of 12 shots and four for 13 from the free throw line.

With the win, the Lady Knights improved to 6-12 on the season, evened up their Region IX Division II record to 1-1, and are 1-2 in Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference play.

Thomesha Wilson finished with 13 points to lead the Lady Knights and Jessica Lovitt added 10 points. Both Wilson and Lovitt each had six rebounds to lead the Lady Knights.

The Lady Raiders, now 8-10 on the season, 0-1 in Region IX Division II play, and 1-2 in the NCCAC, had one person in double figures. Payton Blanke led all scorers with 18 points. Blanke also added seven rebounds to lead the Lady Raiders.

The Lady Knights will next be in action on Sunday Jan 29, when they host Doane College Junior Varsity.

The game will be livestreamed at www.npccknights.com. Tip-off is at 2 pm CST.

Nebraska bills aim to make online retailers pay sales tax

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taxesLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Brick-and-mortar business owners are pushing for two similar bills meant to force online retailers to collect Nebraska state sales tax.

Dozens of retailers and advocates spoke Friday at a legislative committee hearing on bills that would require retailers to collect the sales tax or send detailed records to customers and the state to ensure customers pay the tax.

Nebraska law already requires customers to pay sales tax on online purchases through their annual tax returns, but few do. The state Department of Revenue estimates either bill would generate an additional $30 to $40 million per year in revenue.

Online retailer Amazon announced last month it will start collecting sales taxes on purchases in the state.

Omaha man sentenced to life for killing another man

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James Cotton
James Cotton

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 61-year-old Omaha man convicted of killing another man has been sentenced to life in prison.

James Cotton was sentenced Thursday after giving a rambling statement in which he criticized the judge and accused police of violating his rights.

Prosecutors say Cotton shot and killed 24-year-old Trevor Bare during an argument outside Bare’s apartment in 2015.

Cotton’s attorney was criticized during the trial for temporarily hiring a witness in the case. Cotton told the judge at the time that he wanted to continue with the trial, despite what could be seen as ethical violations by his attorney.

His attorney, Travis Penn, said he had researched ethics rules and didn’t see that he wouldn’t be allowed to have a business agreement with a witness.

Omaha street worker hit by car earlier in week dies

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omaha-policeOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Iowa man who was working for an Omaha street crew when he was hit by a car earlier this week has died.

Officials say 48-year-old Salvatore Fidone III, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, died Friday at Nebraska Medical Center from injuries he suffered when he was hit by a car Monday in southwest Omaha.

Police say Fidone was standing on the driver’s side of a city truck as he and others prepared to fill potholes when a car driven by a 53-year-old Omaha man drifted from a northbound lane and struck him.

No charges in the case have been filed, and the crash remains under police investigation.

Rules spat threatens to bring Nebraska Legislature to a halt

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ne-legislature-13LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A proposal that would make it easier for Nebraska lawmakers to overcome a filibuster is threatening to bring this year’s legislative session to a halt.

Legislative debate slowed to a crawl once again on Friday as senators worked behind the scenes to try to reach a compromise. The proposed rule change would increase the burden on senators who are trying to block a bill when they’re outnumbered by supporters.

Conservative-leaning senators who hold a majority in the Legislature say they’re frustrated that progressive lawmakers have blocked their priorities and prevented them from passing bills they believe most voters support.

Progressive senators say the conservatives are trying to silence minority voices and change the culture in the ostensibly nonpartisan Legislature, which has traditionally relied on compromise.

Fraternity in Nebraska denies vulgar comment allegations

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unlLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An adviser to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln fraternity says allegations of vulgar comments made by its members during the Women’s March on Lincoln are false.

Adviser Joe Skradski of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity chapter at the university says an internal investigation into those allegations turned up no wrongdoing. Skradski says the allegations have created an “onslaught of criticism” that harms the fraternity’s reputation.

The university is currently conducting a Title IX investigation after many people complained that 21 fraternity members made vulgar and sexually harassing comments at participants in the Women’s March on Jan. 21. Nicole Church of Lincoln says she heard “no means yes” chanted at marchers, as well as derogatory statements about female genitalia.

The university is looking at individual students, not the fraternity as a whole.

Man died after highway crash, Jefferson County sheriff says

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Jefferson County Sheriff OfficeJANSEN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a driver died after his car ran off a highway and into an embankment in southeast Nebraska’s Jefferson County.

The crash was reported a little before 10:30 p.m. Thursday. Beatrice radio station KWBE (http://bit.ly/2jwP0eC) reports that Sheriff Nelson Sorensen says the car was westbound on U.S. Highway 136 when it crashed about two miles southwest of Jansen, ejecting the driver.

The driver was pronounced at the scene. Sorensen identified him as 49-year-old Kent Pfingsten, of Fairbury. Investigators suspect alcohol consumption played a role in the crash.

Lincoln woman convicted of abandoning dog that died in cage

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Leslie Byron
Leslie Byron

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say the owner of a dog whose carcass was found inside a cage in Lincoln has pleaded no contest and been convicted.

22-year-old Leslie Byron could get probation or up to two years in prison when she’s sentenced in April for animal neglect or abandonment resulting in death.

The kennel and dog carcass were spotted March 1. Byron told investigators that she had trouble finding a place to live that would allow dogs, so she left the Labrador retriever, Diamond, in the kennel in some woods and would visit and feed her.

Byron says she got busy and didn’t visit Diamond for about three weeks and then discovered the dog had died.

Mistrial declared in Omaha murder case

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Kevin Mariscal
Kevin Mariscal

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A mistrial has been declared in the trial of a man accused of killing his uncle’s girlfriend in Omaha.

The ruling came Thursday in the trial of Kevin Mariscal, who’s charged with first-degree murder in the July 2010 slaying of 50-year-old Barbara Gonzales. Investigators have said Mariscal was upset with Gonzales, blaming her for his car being towed.

Judge Thomas Otepka made the mistrial ruling after it was learned that an Omaha police detective hadn’t turned over several phone records to the defense.

A new trial date hasn’t been set. Mariscal already is serving prison time for an unrelated kidnapping conviction in Sarpy County.

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