Two North Platte men have been sentenced to prison for their role in an attempted robbery gone bad in North Platte.

Britton Renfrow and Matthew Bobo were both sentenced today in Lincoln County District Court.

Prosecutors say Renfrow, Bobo and Ethen Bentley picked up 30-year-old Benjamin Newman, near 17th Street and Sheridan Avenue, on April 11 in order to purchase methamphetamine.

When Newman pulled out a scale to weigh the drug, Renfrow allegedly pulled out a gun and told Newman to get out of the car.  When Newman tried to flee, he was shot in the leg.  Renfrow claims the gun went off accidentally, but prosecutors believe Renfrow intentionally shot Newman.

Newman went to Great Plains Regional Medical Center to get treatment for his gunshot wound and Police were contacted.  Newman’s injury was not life threatening.

Renfrow received 1 1/2 to 3 years for Possession of a Defaced firearm, and 5 to 10 years for 2nd Degree Assault.

Renfrow’s attorney, Blaine Gilett, told the Court his client was remorseful and admitted his involvement in the crime.  Judge Donald Rowlands noted the severity of the crime and the fact that Newman was seriously injured before handing down the sentence.

Bobo was convicted of Possession of a Defaced Firearm, after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors, and received a sentence of 1 1/2 to 3 years in prison.

Bentley is scheduled to appear in court on October 21, 2013.

North Platte Police are investigating a suspicious death that occurred at the Platteview Apartments, 310 West Leota, around 4:00 p.m. yesterday, involving a 30-year-old white male.

NPPD Public Information Officer Rodney Brown said an autopsy is being performed today, and details will be released as they become available.

Police have not released any additional information at this time.

*THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY, STAY TUNED TO THE POST FOR MORE*

 

(AP) — An Omaha congressman has changed his mind and now says he won’t take a paycheck until furloughed federal workers are paid.

Rep. Lee Terry had been asked last week by the Omaha World-Herald whether he’d continue collecting his pay during the government shutdown, and he replied, “Dang straight.” Terry also said he had a nice house and a child in college and that he couldn’t afford to give up his pay.

But on Sunday, the 2nd District Republican said he was ashamed of his comments and said he apologized for his “hurtful remarks when so many others are feeling the pain of Washington’s dysfunction.”

The House voted 407-0 on Saturday to provide retroactive pay for the federal workers on furlough. The Senate is expected to support the measure, too.

(AP) — The University of Nebraska at Kearney is hosting a career fair with more than 70 public- and private-sector employers.

The free public event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday in the Nebraska Student Union’s Ponderosa Room.

Business professional attire is recommended for the event. The event will bring students, faculty and business professionals together to build relationships while networking for jobs and internships.

The event will include representatives from the insurance, retail management, agriculture and finance industries, among others. A full list of employers is available at the university’s website,www.unk.edu/ .

(AP) — The Nebraska Department of Education is seeking grant proposals for its 2014 community learning center competition.

The competition was created to expand academic opportunities for students by establishing or expanding community learning centers.

The department says about $1.5 million is available for Nebraska applicants who offer services to eligible school buildings where at least 40 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced meal prices.

Grant proposals must be postmarked by Feb. 3, 2014. More information is available on the department’s website.

A grant writing workshop for first-time grants will be held on Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the lower level of the Nebraska State Office Building.

(AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska Tourism Commission have money to grant for watchable wildlife opportunities and nature-based experiences.

Potential projects include viewing-site development, events, infrastructure, marketing, equipment and plan development.

Proposals are due Nov. 25. The grant maximum is $2,000 per proposal. The money comes from the Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund and the Nebraska Tourism Commission.

Go online at www.WatchWildlifeNe.org or contact Kristal Stoner at kristal.stoner@nebraska.gov for more information.

(AP) — Authorities have identified the three people killed in a snowy two-vehicle accident in northwest Nebraska.

Dawes County Attorney Vance Haug says all three people killed in the Friday morning crash were in an pickup that slid out of control on U.S. Highway 20 about 4 miles east of Crawford. The truck was hit by an oncoming semitrailer.

Haug says 66-year-old Patsy Baumgarner, of Lincoln, 43-year-old Sandra Clark, of Phillipsburg, Kansas, and 23-year-old Brandon Clark, of Lincoln all died. Patsy Baumgarner was Brandon Clark’s aunt and Sandra Clark’s mother.

Haug says the snowy conditions contributed to the crash.

The driver of the semitrailer truck sustained only minor injuries.

(AP) — The options Nebraska drivers find at the gas pump are changing because of a shift in the fuel supply.

Nebraskans have been accustomed to the mid-level 89 octane fuel with ethanol being the cheapest option. Now the regular 87 octane fuel will generally be cheaper.

The change is being happening because oil companies have switched what fuel they pump into terminals in Lincoln, Omaha and Doniphan. Instead of bringing in 87-octane fuel, the oil companies are delivering 84-octane fuel.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension educator John Hay says either ethanol or premium gas is mixed with the lower octane fuel to make the 87- and 89-octane fuels offered at the pump.

Hay says most cars will run fine on 87-octane fuel, but drivers should check their owner’s manuals to be sure.

(AP) — Lawmakers are looking at ways to reduce overcrowding in Nebraska’s prison system, with a focus on services for the mentally ill, drug users and inmates who are least likely to re-offend.

Officials involved in Nebraska’s justice system considered a series of options Friday during a meeting at the Capitol. State Sen. Brad Ashford says lawmakers will introduce reform proposals when the Legislature reconvenes in January.

Nebraska’s nine prisons currently hold about 4,800 inmates, but only have room for 3,175. The Department of Correctional Services has projected that the population will hit 171 percent of its capacity by 2020.

An April report by the Council of State Governments found that Hawaii, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania are each expected to save millions over the long-term by investing in treatment services.