There’s nothing bad about a hamburger or hot dog right off the grill, but why stop there? There are so many other things you could throw on the fire that you may not have even thought of.

Here are the five best things to grill (besides burgers and hot dogs):

• Oysters. It’s pretty easy. Just throw the oysters on the grill, and when the shells open up, they’re done.
• Grilled cheese and other sandwiches. No, really.
• Pizza. What? Really? Grilling the pizza provides a similar taste to a brick oven pizza.
• Beer Can Chicken. Put a beer can inside a whole chicken and let the cookin’ begin.
• Fruit. If you haven’t cooked fruit on the grill, than you’re missing out on one of the greatest things ever

(AP) — An Australian company says it discovered a significant oil deposit in western Nebraska, but state officials say it’s too soon to say how much oil might be produced.

Officials at the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission say Blackstar Petroleum needs to do more exploration in Banner County.

Blackstar said in May that two wells it drilled in May might contain between 4.3 million barrels and 23.2 million barrels of oil.

The state’s Bill Sydow says Blackstar might be touting the find to attract partners to help do more exploratory drilling.

Sydow says Blackstar has leased 40,000 acres in Nebraska, but it has done little oil exploration in the United States.

(AP) — A 20-year-old Nebraska woman is going to prison for helping hide the body of a Denver man in the northwest corner of the state months before her boyfriend died in an armed standoff.

Rose Siefke of Hemingford was sentenced Monday to 20 to 60 months in prison for being an accessory to a felony in the death of 38-year-old Josh Bullock.

Box Butte County District Court Judge Travis O’Gorman says Siefke hid what she knew about the Bullock’s death for months.

Prosecutors say Siefke helped her boyfriend, Andres Gonzalez, hide Bullock’s body in December 2011.

Gonzalez was killed in June 2012 after a daylong standoff with police in Alliance where he wounded three officers. Before his death, Gonzalez admitted killing Bullock and burying the body in Dawes County.

(AP) — Sales from the major automakers are expected to show that confident U.S. buyers snapped up new cars and trucks at a strong pace in June.

Chrysler said Tuesday that its sales rose 8 percent for its best June since 2007. Ram brand sales rose 23 percent and Dodge sales were up 12 percent on the strength of the Dodge Dart small car.

Other car companies report June results later in the day.

Analysts don’t see much that could slow the sales momentum of the first six months.

The things that juiced sales — low interest rates, wider credit availability, rising home construction and hot new vehicles — aren’t going away anytime soon. And so far, hiccups in the stock market, higher taxes and fluctuating gas prices haven’t dampened demand.

• Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. East southeast wind 3 to 5 mph.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. South southeast wind around 9 mph.

 

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  27-year-old Trevor Perry entered a not guilty plea to a charge of felony child abuse.  Perry is charged in the near drowning of Landon Schroeder.  Prosecutors say in early May, Perry took the three-year-old fishing near North Platte.  They say at some point, Perry became inattentive for an extended period of time and failed to watch Landon.  He found the boy floating in the water.  Landon was flown to a Denver hospital where he made a miraculous recovery and returned home in May.  Perry will be back in court on August 12.

 

 

 

 

 

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  24-year-old Ryan Gabel was sentenced to one-and-a-half to three years in prison for leading police on a high-speed chase.  Prosecutors say Gabel led North Platte Police on a high speed chase, then fled on foot last January.  Gabel was eventually apprehended near Washington Elementary School.  Gable apologized to District Court Judge Richard Birch and said he wants to get help for his substance abuse problems.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  Jesse Belland of North Platte was sentenced to two and two thirds to eight years in prison after he was convicted of stealing a car in December of 2012.  Prosecutors say Belland failed to stop when Police initiated a traffic stop after they observed him driving a stolen vehicle.  Police suspended the chase to due dangerous conditions and later found the car abandoned at Red Cedars Trailer Court, where they arrested Belland a short time later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A 29-year-old Topeka, Kansas man will serve time in federal prison for distributing cocaine in Nebraska.

According to a news release from the office of United States Attorney, Deborah Gilg, Jared Howe was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison.

According to the release, law enforcement received information that Howe and a group of people were transporting cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine, and powder cocaine from the Denver, Colorado area to the North Platte area.  They were also distributing the narcotics in Kansas.

Gilg said on two occasions in May and June of 2011, Howe and Megan Miller, of Denver, picked up crack cocaine from Howe’s co-defendant, Lavon Owens, also of Denver.  Prosecutors say Howe then drove Miller to the North Platte area where the latter delivered the crack.

Howe was responsible for distributing at least 96 grams of crack cocaine.

Owens pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced in December of 2012 to 57 months in prison.

Miller was indicted separately for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, and was sentenced to 57 months in prison in April of 2012.

The case was investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies, including the CODE Drug Task Force, the North Platte Police Department, Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Red Willow County Sheriff’s Office, Frontier County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Homeland Security Investigations Division.

 

(AP) — A new Nebraska law that sets aside millions of dollars in sales tax revenue for roads projects is going into effect.

A coalition of business, local government and economic development groups kicked off a three-city tour on Monday to promote projects that the money will cover over the next decade.

The law dedicates one-quarter of a cent out of Nebraska’s current, 5.5-cent sales tax for state road upgrades, as well as maintenance for counties and cities. State officials are expected to spend about $600 million on 17 projects throughout the state over the next decade.

Nebraska Highway Commissioner Rodney Vandeberg says the projects will improve public safety.

The law by former state Sen. Deb Fischer went into effect on Monday. The coalition is visiting Lincoln, Omaha and Kearney.

(AP) — Above normal temperatures combined with limited rainfall across the western two-thirds of Nebraska continue to stress spring planted crops and limit pasture growth.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in its weekly report Monday that corn is 78 percent good or excellent and 19 percent fair. Three percent is rated poor.

Soybeans are 97 percent emerged slightly behind the 99 percent average. Two percent of the crop was blooming behind the 9 percent average. The report says 78 percent is good or excellent and 20 percent fair. Only 2 percent is poor.

A few southern wheat fields are cut. Harvest will gain momentum in southern counties in the coming days. The Panhandle wheat harvest is at least two weeks away.

Hay harvest continues in the state.

 

A North Platte man was jailed on felony charges after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend.

On Saturday, June 29, at around 8:40 p.m., a female went to the North Platte Police Department and asked to speak to an Officer in regards to an assault that had taken place at a residence in the 800 block of  East E Street in North Platte.

The victim told the responding officer that she had been threatened, hit and held against her will by her boyfriend, Nathan Snider, whom she shared the residence with.

Officers eventually located Snider at the home, where they placed him under arrest.

Snider had prior charges for assaulting the same victim, which made the crime a felony.

Snider was charged with Felony Assault and False Imprisonment for holding the victim against her will.