Post Staff – Page 686 – North Platte Post Archive

Marilyn Ruth Sommers

Posted on January 27, 2017

On June 24, 1936, Marilyn Ruth Sommers was born on the plains of DeKalb, Illinois. She loved to play tennis and dreamed of becoming a teacher. It was in college, where she was pursuing that dream that she came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. From that time on she grew in her relationship, loved Him dearly, and desired to see everyone around her come to know Christ the way she did.

She earned a bachelors degree from Northern Illinois University, and a Master’s degree from University of Northern Colorado, were both in Education. She spent her career substitute teaching while her kids were young and retired as a full-time elementary teacher in 1999 from North Platte Public Schools. She had a great passion for teaching and loved to read anything she could get her hands on. Marilyn also had a love for travel and had been to Russia, France, and Italy. She lived in and loved the beautiful landscapes of California and Colorado and spoke of them often. She also lived in Idaho and Nebraska.

In Nebraska, Marilyn was a member at Bethel Evangelical Free Church in North Platte and helped with many ministries through the years, including some mission trips to Russia which were dear to her heart. She also loved helping with Awana and really enjoyed her Sunday School classes and Bible studies there. There were many times when Pastor Dan Reimer was mentioned after she moved away from North Platte. His teachings and the friendship she had with the Reimers meant a lot to her.

In May of 2016, Marilyn made the decision to sell her home and move to Chattanooga, TN to be near her son Daniel. While there, she lived at The Terrace at Mountain Creek in independent living. She quickly made friendships there and touched many lives. Often she would ask for prayer for her friends there. She enjoyed the time spent with Daniel and her daughter-in-law Connie. On January 24, 2017, Marilyn succumbed to the return of breast cancer and went home to be with her Lord. She prayed she would not suffer long and desired to be reunited with her daughter Amy and her parents in heaven.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her daughter Amy Sommers and parents Donald and Elsie Schaefer. She is survived by her brother Donald Schaefer, her son Daniel Sommers and daughter-in-law Connie Sommers. Funeral services will be at Bethel Evangelical Free Church, Monday, January 30, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. and a graveside service following. Visitation will be from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, January 29, at Carpenter Memorial Chapel, which is in care of arrangements.

Ronald E. Smith

Posted on January 27, 2017

Ronald E. Smith, 89, of North Platte, passed away January 24, 2017 at Great Plains Health.

He was born on September 18, 1927 in Maywood, Nebraska to William and Hetty (Nichols) Smith. Ronald graduated from North Platte High School. He taught at many Colleges and Universities throughout his life. Beginning in Indianapolis, Indiana and then Storm Lake College in Iowa. Ronald decided that area was too cold and moved to Modesto, California, teaching at Modesto Junior College from 1980 to 1995 as a professor to nursing students and students of anatomy.

Ronald loved nature and was a member of the Sierra Club, which is a nature conservation group. He was also a graduate of the University of Nebraska where he studied mortuary science and worked on cadavers. He was also a professor after graduation. Many people believed he was a medical genius. After retiring, he moved back to his parent’s home in North Platte. He enjoyed spending time outdoors and received North Platte’s beautiful yard award. Ronald enjoyed ornithology, botany, fish and wildlife, including squirrels and prairie dogs. He was an avid reader and loved the beauty of the sunsets.

Ronald is survived by his cousins, Eileen Merrihew and Gloria Burke; special friend, Paul Smith and many friends and colleagues. Online condolences may be shared at carpentermemorial.com. Graveside services will be 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 28, 2017 at the Maywood Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at Carpenter Memorial Chapel, which is in care of arrangements.

North Platte Forecast-January 27

Posted on January 27, 2017

Today

Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. Wind chill values as low as zero. Breezy, with a west-northwest wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with a low around 19. Northwest wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Northwest wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Northwest wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Sunday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. Northwest wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 27.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.

Tuesday

Partly sunny, with a high near 38.

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Wednesday

Partly sunny, with a high near 35.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 17.

Thursday

Partly sunny, with a high near 37.

Knights host Central CC in Kevin O’Connor’s 1000th game as NPCC head coach

Posted on January 26, 2017

North Platte – The North Platte Community College Knights and Lady Knights basketball teams will host the Central Community College Raiders on Friday, Jan 27 at the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.

The night is designated as “scout night”. All scouts, both boy and girl scouts, and their leaders will be admitted free by wearing their scouting uniform.

The women’s game will be a Region IX Division II contest.

The Lady Raiders are 8-9 on the season and have not played a Region IX Division II game yet. They are averaging 78.4 points per game and allowing 84.1 ppg. Teisha Snyder leads the Lady Raiders in scoring at 21.9 ppg. That scoring average leads Region IX Division II. Snyder also leads the Lady Raiders in rebounding with 7.7 rebounds per game. Keyia Parker is the only other Lady Raider averaging in double figures, averaging 11.2 ppg.

The Lady Knights are 5-12 on the season and 0-1 in Region IX Division II. The Lady Knights are averaging 61.5 ppg and allow 66.6 ppg to their opponents. Thomesha Wilson is second in Region IX Division II in scoring behind Snyder at 13.2 ppg. Wilson does lead Region IX Division II in rebounding at 8.4 rebounds per game.

The men’s game does not count toward Region IX standings but it is a Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference game. The men’s game is also Knights Head Coach Kevin O’Connor’s 1000th game as the Knights head coach.

The Raiders are 12-8 on the season. They are 0-2 in the NCCAC, losing to McCook Community College twice on the season. The Raiders like to shoot from the perimeter. 41.6 percent of their shots come from behind the three-point line. They are making 39.4 of their three-point shots. The Raiders are averaging 88.4 ppg and allowing 86.4 ppg. The Raiders have five players averaging in double figures, led by Logan Fleming at 18.5 ppg. Marco Fabietti is second on the team at 16.0 ppg. Jerome Dixon is averaging 14.7, Ruben Fuamba is averaging 12.5 and Luke Cadzow is averaging 10.0 ppg. Fuamba is averaging 10.4 rebounds per game to lead the Raiders.

The Knights are 12-5 on the season and 2-0 in the NCCAC, defeating both McCook and Southeast Community College. The Knights lead the Region IX South Sub-Region and sixth in the nation in field goal percentage at 53.4 percent. The Knights average 89 points per game and allow 71.6 ppg. The Knights also have five players averaging in double figures. Diontae Champion leads the Knights at 16.2 ppg, followed by Mike Amius at 13.1 ppg. Samuel Kearns and Godfrey Rolle are each averaging 12.1 ppg. Victor Lewis is the fifth Knight in double figures averaging 11.0 ppg. Amius leads the Knights in rebounding at 6.2 rpg.

Tip-offs for the games are at 5:30 pm CST for the women, and the men at 7:30 pm CST.

Both games will be broadcast on ESPN 1410 and on the Internet at www.northplattepost.com. They will also be live video streamed at www.npccknights.com.

Nebraska woman must pay back former Iowa employer

Posted on January 26, 2017

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A judge says a Nebraska woman must pay back $260,000 she took from her former employer in Iowa.

Beth Beutler, of Waterloo, Nebraska, was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to charges of theft and ongoing criminal activity. Several other counts were dropped in exchange for her pleas. She was given a suspended prison sentence of 25 years, a jail sentence of 60 days and five years of probation.

Police say Beutler used a checking machine to withdraw thousands of dollars. The machine lets truck drivers access funds from across the country by giving clerks at truck stops an authorization code to pay for fuel, services or get cash.

Police say Beutler got the authorization codes while working at McMullen Brothers Trucking in Carter Lake.

Private school leaders rally for Nebraska tax credit bill

Posted on January 26, 2017

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — School choice advocates are urging Nebraska lawmakers to approve a tax credit that would reimburse donors for every dollar they give to scholarship funds that send students to private schools.

The bill presented to a legislative committee on Thursday would add Nebraska to a list of 17 states with similar tax credits, including Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota.

Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion says he introduced the measure to help more families afford a private education if they choose. The state would cap the total amount of tax credits at $10 million in 2018, an amount that would increase annually if more than 90 percent of the tax credits are claimed in the previous year.

Some senators say it’s a backdoor way to provide state funding for private schools.

Iowa woman pleads not guilty in Omaha cold case killing

Posted on January 26, 2017

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Iowa woman charged with first-degree murder for what police say was the killing of a romantic rival has pleaded not guilty.

A judge on Thursday also granted 41-year-old Shanna Golyar’s request for a bench trial, set to begin May 10.

Golyar, Persia, Iowa, is charged in the 2012 disappearance-turned-homicide case of 37-year-old Cari Farver. Golyar was arrested in December of 2016 in connection to Farver’s disappearance, who was last seen in Omaha.

Police say Golyar posed as Farver online and by phone for years after Farver’s disappearance, and also posed as other people confessing to having murdered Farver. A sergeant testified Farver had been dating Golyar’s ex-boyfriend for some weeks when she disappeared.

Farver is presumed dead, although her body has not been found.

Body of teen missing for week pulled from western Iowa river

Posted on January 26, 2017

DENISON, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say the body of a 15-year-old Denison girl missing for a week has been pulled from the Boyer River.

Crawford County Sheriff Jim Steinkuehler says searchers found the body of Yoana Acosta around 3:45 p.m. Thursday in the western Iowa tributary.

The teen disappeared Jan. 19 after a car she was riding in crashed into the river. A 25-year-old man driving the car and three other teens managed to escape.

The driver, Ramon Hernandez of Denison, is in the Crawford County jail on charges of drug distribution to minors, marijuana possession, reckless driving, driving under suspension and failure to maintain control.

Hernandez’s attorney did not immediately return a message Thursday seeking comment.

Nebraska bill would require stand-alone budget hearings

Posted on January 26, 2017

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Cities, counties and school districts in Nebraska could be in for longer budget hearings under a bill designed to promote public awareness of how local governments spend tax revenue.

Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte presented a bill to a committee Thursday that would require local officials to hold special budget meetings with no time limits, in which anyone from the public could speak.

Local governments would also have to give detailed budget presentations and provide copies of their proposals to the public.

Groene says a lack of clarity in Nebraska’s open meetings law may prevent residents from realizing they already have a right to see the budget documents used by local elected officials.

Nebraska Gov. Ricketts approves new death penalty protocol

Posted on January 26, 2017

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts has approved a new protocol for carrying out death sentences in Nebraska.

The protocol announced Thursday gives the state corrections director more flexibility to choose and obtain lethal injection drugs.

The old protocol required the use of three drugs to render inmates unconscious, paralyze their muscles and stop their breathing and heart. It had never been used in Nebraska because of repeated legal challenges and the state’s inability to acquire sodium thiopental, one of the required drugs.

Corrections officials had originally proposed a change that would have allowed drug suppliers to remain hidden from the public. The newly approved protocol allows officials to acquire the drugs from the department’s pharmacy or “any other appropriate source.” The confidentiality provision has been removed.