A North Platte man is facing charges after Police found him in possession of prescription drugs.

According to a North Platte Police Department news release, an officer observed a blue Chevy pickup pull into the parking lot at Kwik Stop, 1402 Rodeo Road.  After running the plate on the vehicle, the Officer received information that the plate was registered to a Ford and became suspicious that it may be fictitious.

As the Officer pulled into the parking lot to investigate further, the vehicle’s driver, Gregory Skinner, exited the vehicle and ran.

Additional Officers responded to the area and located Skinner who again fled on foot.  Eventually, he was found hiding along a fence line near 10th Street and Washington Street, and was taken into custody without incident.

Officers learned Skinner has a suspended license.  After being transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center, a search of Skinner’s wallet yielded a pill identified as Aderall, a drug commonly used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder and other conditions.

Skinner was booked on charges of Possession of Adderall (felony), Resisting Arrest (felony) and Driving Under Suspension (misdemeanor).

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office does not list a bond amount.

Several students from North Platte St. Patrick’s High School and North Platte High School have been selected to participate in this year’s All-State Chorus and All-State Orchestra.

Each year, approximately 3,00 of the best high school musicians in the state audition for the Nebraska All-State Band, Chorus, Jazz Band and Orchestra which are all sponsored by the Nebraska Music Educators Association.  Of those 3,000, over 400 are selected for participation in the annual event.

Selection as a member in one of these groups is one of the highest musical honors attainable in Nebraska.

This year’s group will be conducted by Andre J. Thomas.  Thomas is the Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Choral Music Education at Florida State University.  Thomas has distinguished himself as a composer/arranger. Hinshaw Music Company, Mark Foster Music Company, Fitzsimmon Music Company, Lawson Gould, Earthsongs, and Heritage Music Company publish his compositions and arrangements.

North Platte High School Music Instructor, Leah Purdy, say, “I am always excited to take a group of students like this to Lincoln for the experience of a lifetime.” She added, “There is nothing like feeling the room light up when the All-State Chorus sings together for the first time each year.  It’s experiences like these that keep me in teaching.”

After rehearsals during the week, a public concert will be held on Saturday, November 23rd at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Campus.

This year’s participants include:

St. Patrick’s High School-Alex Harms-Chorus

North Platte High School-Katie Roessler-Chorus, Lauren Magner-Chorus, Kat McClintock-Chorus, Sydney McGahan-Chorus, Nathan McGahan-Chorus, Andrew Parish-Chorus, Jacob Perez-Chorus, Garrett Kreifels-Chorus (Alternate), Hannah Lee-Chorus (Alternate), Lance Oltmanns-Orchestra

 

(AP) — A business conditions index for nine Midwest and Plains states has dropped after rising the previous two months.

The overall Mid-America Business Conditions Index plunged to a growth neutral 50.0 in October from 54.8 in September.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the partial government shutdown and slower business activity for firms tied to agriculture pushed overall economic conditions lower for the month.

The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth, while a score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

• Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Windy, with a northwest wind 10 to 20 mph increasing to 21 to 31 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 46 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. Blustery, with a northwest wind 18 to 23 mph decreasing to 6 to 11 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 57. West northwest wind 5 to 13 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon.
• Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 29. South southeast wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. South southeast wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
• Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31.

...STRONG WINDS EXPECTED TODAY...

.STRONG WINDS ALOFT WILL MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE PRODUCING VERY
WINDY CONDITIONS TODAY. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 25 TO 35
MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH IN OPEN AREAS. WINDS WILL SUBSIDE TOWARD SUNSET.

SHERIDAN-EASTERN CHERRY-KEYA PAHA-BOYD-BROWN-ROCK-HOLT-GARDEN-
GRANT-HOOKER-THOMAS-BLAINE-LOUP-GARFIELD-WHEELER-ARTHUR-MCPHERSON-
LOGAN-CUSTER-DEUEL-KEITH-PERKINS-LINCOLN-CHASE-HAYES-FRONTIER-
WESTERN CHERRY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...GORDON...RUSHVILLE...VALENTINE...
SPRINGVIEW...SPENCER...AINSWORTH...BASSETT...ONEILL...OSHKOSH...
HYANNIS...MULLEN...THEDFORD...DUNNING...TAYLOR...BURWELL...
BARTLETT...ARTHUR...TRYON...STAPLETON...BROKEN BOW...CHAPPELL...
BIG SPRINGS...OGALLALA...GRANT...NORTH PLATTE...IMPERIAL...
HAYES CENTER...CURTIS...EUSTIS...CODY...MERRIMAN...KILGORE
330 AM CDT FRI NOV 1 2013 /230 AM MDT FRI NOV 1 2013/

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM CDT /9 AM MDT/ THIS
MORNING TO 6 PM CDT /5 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING...

A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM CDT /9 AM MDT/ THIS
MORNING TO 6 PM CDT /5 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING.

* TIMING: NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS MORNING AND REMAIN
  STRONG THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON.

* WINDS: NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH IN
  OPEN AREAS.

* IMPACTS: STRONG CROSS WINDS MAY MAKE TRAVEL HAZARDOUS FOR HIGH
  PROFILE VEHICLES OR VEHICLES PULLING LIGHT WEIGHT TRAILERS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 30 MPH OR GREATER ARE
EXPECTED. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...
ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

(AP) — More than 7,000 pounds of prescriptions drugs were collected in Nebraska’s annual drug take-back event.

Attorney General Jon Bruning said Thursday that the unwanted, unused and expired prescription drugs were dropped off at designated sites on Oct. 26. The event was part of the Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, in partnership with the Nebraska State Patrol and other agencies.

The medications are collected to help avoid abuse and illegal sales throughout the state. More than 35,000 pounds have been collected at sites in Nebraska since the first national take-back event in May 2011.

(AP) — Farmers in nine northwest Nebraska counties are now eligible for federal loans to help recover from an October blizzard that killed thousands of cattle.

The U.S. Farm Service Agency announced Thursday that it has declared Dawes, Sheridan and Sioux counties as primary natural disaster areas. The designation allows qualified farmers to seek emergency loans. The program also applies to six bordering counties: Box Butte, Cherry, Garden, Grant, Morrill and Scottsbluff.

The loans are available to help producers recover from losses of structures, equipment and livestock. The application deadline is June 30, 2014.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s extension office in Chadron has said at least 2,200 cattle died in the storm.

(AP) — The form Nebraskans use to register to vote is being tweaked to reduce duplicate registrations.

Secretary of State John Gale says the main change is that the new forms will ask for voters’ full legal names.

Previously, some people would register with their initials or a nickname, and that made it hard to compare voter registration to other databases.

The new form also asks voters to provide the details of their previous registration.

Gale says both changes will reduce the chance that the state winds up with two registrations for the same person.

The new registration form will be gradually phased in as counties across Nebraska run out of the old form.

A Scottsbluff man was arrested and lodged in jail for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) after paying a visit to the Troop E Headquarters in Scottsbluff.

Just after 2:00 p.m., (MDT) on Wednesday, October 30, a trooper made contact with a man trying to enter an employee entrance at the Troop E Headquarters, 4500 Avenue I, in Scottsbluff. The trooper detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on the individual.  A subsequent investigation revealed the man identified as Levi M. Schwartzkopf, 42, Scottsbluff, had business to attend to at the Troop E Headquarters and had driven himself there. His 2003 Dodge Dakota pickup was found in the Troop E parking lot.

Schwartzkopf was lodged in the Scotts Bluff County Corrections on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated.

The Thrift Connection is making a move to better serve the citizens of North Platte.

According to Neal Criddle, Executive Director of The Connection Homeless Shelter, the organization recently purchased an 1,800 square foot building at the corner of 5th and Walnut, directly east of the current location, to house the Thrift Connection.

Criddle said the new location will allow for expanded merchandise and a better overall shopping experience.  In an effort to make shopping at the thrift store easier, Criddle says everything will be categorized and better organized.  All proceeds from the store directly benefit residence at the Homeless Shelter.

In order to show off the new home for the store, a Grand Opening will be held Saturday, November 2nd from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Criddle says the event will feature special sale prices throughout the store, a ribbon cutting at Noon with the North Platte Area Chamber of Commerce and First National Bank and lunch for a free-will donation.  Organizers say the event is open to the public, and they look forward to celebrating this accomplishment.  Criddle says he believes the new purchase is a huge step for the future of the Shelter.

The Thrift Connection will be open Monday-Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Those interested in making a donation are asked to use the garage door on the north side of the building during regular business hours.

The Mix 97One Crew will be live and on location during the Grand Opening Event.

A Gothenburg man has been charged after he allegedly ran into a house in Brady.

According to a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office news release, Deputies received a call at around 1:40 a.m. Thursday, stating that a vehicle had hit a house at 318 Commercial Drive.

Upon arrival, Deputies found a white 1993 Chevrolet Suburban wedged inside the house.  Brady Fire and Rescue was summoned to help remove two residents of the home who were partially trapped.

The vehicle’s driver was identified as 33-year-old Christopher Ahola.

An investigation revealed that Ahola was driving westbound on Commercial Avenue and attempted to turn south on Matthewson Street when the vehicle slid across the intersection, through the yard and into the house.

Investigators say Ahola appeared to be intoxicated and a was given a field sobriety test which confirmed their suspicions.

Ahola was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center where a chemical sample of his breath tested almost two-times the legal limit.  He was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Liquor.

Officials say the investigation is ongoing and no injuries were reported.