(AP) — Three people are dead following a crash in the northwest corner of Nebraska that happened as a snowstorm bore down on the region.

The Dawes County Attorney’s Office said the three people killed were in an eastbound pickup that went out of control on a snow-slicked U.S. Highway 20 four miles east of Crawford around 8 a.m. Friday. Investigators say the pickup slid sideways into oncoming traffic and was hit by a westbound semitrailer.

All three people in the pickup were declared dead at the scene. Authorities are not yet releasing their names.

The driver of the semi was treated for minor injuries at Chadron Community Hospital.

• Seth Jacob Herian, 24, Paxton NE and Jessica Lynn Gum, 26, Paxton NE

 

• Dillon Nicholas McMichael, 21, Gothenburg NE and Victoria Linday Dale Preitauer, 21, Gothenburg NE

 

• James Kenneth Ward, 28, North Platte and Jasmine Charmaine Pitre, 22, North Platte NE

 

• Ricky Lynn Hitchcock II, 37, Parker CO and Keirestein Lynn Juker, 39, Parker CO

 

• Gary Allen Maroney, 53, Ogallala NE and Christine Jean Hall, 49, Ogallala NE

 

• Kyle Joseph Shrum, 23, North Platte  and Devon Nicole Pascoe, 22, North Platte

The North Platte Police Department had a busy day Thursday, especially when it comes to the battle against methamphetamine.

-At around 9:25 a.m., a patrol officer on duty recognized Timothy Caudillo operating a motor vehicle.  The officer believed that Caudillo had a suspended license and initiated a traffic stop after confirming that his license was indeed suspended.  Caudillo was placed under arrest on suspicion of driving on a suspended license.  The officer then made contact with a passenger in the vehicle, Alicia Suhr, who he soon learned had a warrant for failure to appear.  Suhr was placed under arrest and officers performed a search of the vehicle which revealed drug paraphernalia and a small baggie of suspected methamphetamine.  Officers then performed a search on Caudillo and discovered more paraphernalia.  Upon arrival at the Lincoln County Detention Center, Suhr was again searched and a baggie containing approximately a 1/2 ounce of meth was found in her underwear.  Suhr was then charged with Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Deliver.  Police say more charges may be filed when lab results are returned.

-At around 11:25 a.m., information was gathered and a search warrant was granted for a residence in the 1800 block of West 2nd Street.  Several officers responded to the residence to serve the warrant.  Once inside, officers had contact with Fred Navarette and Keith Phelps.  A search of the residence turned up several items of drug paraphernalia as well as suspected methamphetamine.  Officers determined there was probable cause to arrest both men and charge them with Distribution of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  They were booked into the Lincoln County Detention Center.

-In the final bust of the day, a patrol officer observed Stacy Navarette operating a motor vehicle.  The officer had probable cause to arrest Navarette for Possession of Methamphetamine from a case generated in May of 2013.  The case involved a traffic stop in which suspected meth was found on Navarette’s person.  The suspected meth was sent to the lab for testing and the results recently came back positive.  The officer initiated a traffic stop and placed Navarette under arrest for the charges from the earlier case.  Upon searching Navarette’s purse, officers found drug paraphernalia, a digital scale and a baggie of suspected meth.  Additionally, officers located a pill bottle which contained 11 different pills, some of which were controlled substances and some which were not.  Navarette was unable to show that she had a prescription for any of the pills.  As a result, Navarette was arrested on the possession charge from the May case, and additional charges of Possession of Controlled Substances (meth and pills) and Distribution of Methamphetamine.  Police say Navarette lives at the residence on 2nd Street where Fred Navarette and Keith Phelps were arrested earlier in the day.  She too was booked into the Lincoln County Detention Center.

 

A North Platte man has been charged with sexually assaulting a Lincoln County Juvenile.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Deputies conducted a forensic interview with a female juvenile at the Bridge of Hope Advocacy Center on September 12, 2013.

The juvenile told the interviewer that she had been sexually assaulted by 27-year-old Wray Dodrill approximately four years earlier.  The victim indicated these assaults happened nightly and repetitively for more than a year while she was residing in Hershey.

Investigators also spoke with an adult female who indicated the juvenile also told her that Dodrill had sexually assaulted her on many occasions.

Deputies say they made many attempts to contact Dodrill and were finally able to interview him on October 3rd.  Dodrill denied the allegations, however deputies found probable cause to arrest Dodrill and charge him with 1st Degree Sexual Assault of a Child.

Dodrill is being held at the Lincoln County Detention Center without bond.

Authorities say the investigation is ongoing.

(AP) — Classes and school events have been canceled as northwest Nebraska awaits what could develop into a blizzard.

The Panhandle Post report that Chadron State College homecoming parade and other homecoming events have been canceled.

Friday classes were canceled for schools in Gordon, Rushville and Chadron, and Hemingford school officials were planning to dismiss students at 11 a.m.

The National Weather Service blizzard warning covers five of the northernmost counties in the Nebraska Panhandle.

North of Chadron, a foot of snow has already fallen in South Dakota’s scenic Black Hills. Residents are bracing for as much as 3 feet of snow, along with wind gusts of up to 70 mph.

According to the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation (NFBF), Nebraska farmers, ranchers and others who purchase health care insurance direct from an insurer are seeing significantly higher premiums, deductibles and, in many cases, significantly higher overall costs associated with purchasing health care coverage due to implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The findings come through a non-scientific survey of Nebraska Farm Bureau members.

In less than a week, over 700 people responded to the NFBF survey inquiring about changes in member’s health care premiums, deductibles, overall costs and thoughts about ACA implementation. Respondents were asked to report whether they received health insurance through an employer or by directly purchasing through the open market. While most respondents who obtain health insurance from an employer indicated they were not yet certain of how the ACA would affect them, 75 percent of respondents who purchase health care coverage through the individual market reported higher costs, some significantly higher, in the form of higher premiums, deductibles or overall expenses.

“A large number of farmers, ranchers and others who do not get their health insurance from an employer purchase their health insurance through the open market. We’ve been concerned for a long time that mandating certain kinds of health care coverage would increase the cost of health insurance for these individuals. The implementation of ACA is proving those concerns were well founded,” said Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson.

Under the ACA, farmers, ranchers and others who purchase their insurance in the individual market are required to purchase coverage for all ACA mandated coverages, such as maternity and mental health.

“Health insurance out of pocket costs are typically much higher for those that are self-employed and have to buy the coverage on their own. They do not have the benefit of their employer paying for part of their coverage. As a result, the ACA mandates and rules have a much greater impact on the price they pay for insurance. The survey has provided us with numerous examples that show ACA has raised health coverage costs on people in these situations,” said Nelson.

The survey responses show a wide array of impacts from ACA implementation.

“One of the reoccurring comments from survey respondents is that monthly premiums have climbed, and in some cases the premiums have doubled. In other cases some respondent’s premiums may have stayed flat or even decreased, but they now have a deductible that is two or three times what they had under their previous insurance plan. Other comments we received indicate co-insurance amounts have also increased, exposing respondents to considerably higher out-of-pocket expenses,” said Nelson.

Survey results also showed some differences in costs among age groups. While higher costs were reported across the age spectrum, survey respondents under the age of 50 were far more likely to report higher overall health insurance costs.

In addition to asking members about costs, the Nebraska Farm Bureau survey asked for general comments about the ACA and health care reform. Of those responding to the survey, 50 percent provided some kind of general comment about ACA. Of those commenting, 90 percent of the comments would be regarded as negative towards ACA.

“When you have self-employed individuals commenting that their monthly health care premium now exceeds their monthly mortgage payment and individuals over 50 years of age being required to pay for unneeded options like maternity coverage, it clearly points out ACA has major flaws that need to be addressed,” said Nelson.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service and advocacy efforts. More than 56,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit nefb.org.

(AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are set to discuss a possible ban on the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.

The so-called e-cigarettes heat liquid nicotine into a flavored, smokeless vapor. They’re commonly used by smokers who are trying to quit, but their growing popularity among teenagers has caught the attention of Nebraska lawmakers, who have scheduled a hearing on Friday.

The Legislature’s General Affairs Committee will discuss the issue during a hearing that starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Capitol. The hearing could lead to legislation next year that would ban their sale to minors once lawmakers.

(AP) — Autumn storms are threatening much of the Midwest, dumping heavy snow in South Dakota, spawning a tornado in Nebraska and threatening possibly dangerous thunderstorms from Wisconsin to Oklahoma.

The storm system that has raced through eastern Nebraska spawned a tornado that, though rare for an October day, is not that unusual.

National Weather Service meteorologist Barbara Mayes says the tornado was first spotted just after 10 p.m. Thursday, two miles east of Hickman in Lancaster County. The twister roared northeast into or near the towns of Bennet and Palmyra (pal-MYE’-ruh) before lifting up.

Thursday night’s twister damaged homes and businesses in several communities, knocked out power and felled trees. No injuries have been reported.

A foot of snow had already fallen in the northern South Dakota’s Black Hills early Friday.

John Chamberlain with the National Weather Service in Rapid City tells South Dakota Public Broadcasting that the storm is one of most intense fall storms in a long time in the area. No travel was advised on some western South Dakota roads and some schools canceled classes.

Other states in the storm’s path include Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. Even Texas could be impacted.

In South Dakota, as much as 30 inches of snow could fall in the Black Hills, with 12 inches on the plains.

The National Weather Service says there’s a likelihood of another damaging storm system moving into eastern Nebraska on Friday. Forecasters say the highest tornado threat appears to be in northeast Nebraska and west-central Iowa.

• Today: Areas of drizzle, then a chance of rain, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 51. Breezy, with a south wind 9 to 14 mph becoming west southwest 19 to 24 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
• Tonight: A chance of rain before 4am, then a slight chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 36. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 25 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Saturday: A 10 percent chance of snow before 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. Windy, with a northwest wind 28 to 34 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph.
• Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Blustery, with a northwest wind 14 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 63. Northwest wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
• Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 39.

(AP) — An unusual strong storm front is threatening the Midwest from the central Plains to the Mississippi Valley over the next several days.

The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., says the system could bring heavy thunder, wind, rain and possibly tornadoes on Friday.

Meteorologist Gregory Carbin says about one-third of Iowa and parts of southern Minnesota have a 45 percent chance of severe storms, More than 1 million people live in that risk area.

Parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Wisconsin are also on the storm front’s path. Areas as far south as Oklahoma and Texas could be affected.

Meteorologists say this is the first time since at least 2000 that a storm this size in the region has been forecast in October a day in advance.