With the beginning of a new year comes a fresh start. New Year’s resolutions are often made to form good habits and reach new goals. This New Year’s, the American Red Cross encourages people to resolve to help patients in need through regular blood donations.

As the winter season continues, blood donations are especially needed. Donations typically decline this time of year, as many regular donors are impacted by inclement weather and seasonal illnesses.

There is no better resolution to make this New Year’s than to help save lives with the Red Cross. Give the gift of life and help give patients another year with their loved ones. Make an appointment to donate blood at redcrossblood.org or 1-800-RED CROSS.

 

 

Lincoln County

Jan. 17 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. atNorth PlatteBloodDonationCenter, 1111 S. Cottonwood inNorth Platte,Neb.

Jan. 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at North Platte Community College Tech Campus, 1101 Halligan Drive in North Platte, Neb.

Jan. 22 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. atNorth PlatteBloodDonationCenter, 1111 S. Cottonwood inNorth Platte,Neb.

Jan. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sutherland Public Schools inSutherland,Neb.

Jan. 24 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. atNorth PlatteBloodDonationCenter, 1111 S. Cottonwood inNorth Platte,Neb.

Jan. 29 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. atNorth PlatteBloodDonationCenter, 1111 S. Cottonwood inNorth Platte,Neb.

Jan. 29 from 12-6 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall, 415 N. Chestnut inNorth Platte,Neb.

Jan. 31 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. atNorth PlatteBloodDonationCenter, 1111 S. Cottonwood inNorth Platte,Neb.

 

 

 

Starbucks Corp. is rolling out a $1 reusable plastic cup at its cafes starting Thursday.

The Seattle-based coffee chain already gives customers a dime discount each time they bring in reusable cups for refills. Now it’s hoping the new cups — which bear its logo and resemble its white paper cups — will increase the habit.

As with other reusable cups, the new cups will be cleaned with boiling water each time customers bring them in. The cups were tested in 600 stores in the Pacific Northwest over the past few months and will be rolled out nationwide and in Canada.

In 2008, Seattle-based Starbucks had said it wanted to serve 25 percent of all drinks in reusable cups by 2015. That goal has since been reduced to 5 percent.

A North Platte man  reported missing since December 30^th has been found according to a family member. According to Alfonso’s wife, Melissa Romero, the 24-year-old Romero called his sister yesterday at around 11:30 pm, then called law enforcement, he wouldn’t give his location but ensured that he was never in danger.

Fliers were placed around North Platte in attempt to locate Romero after he was reported missing since December 30^th.

A news release from the North Platte Police Department reads,

At just after midnight on Jan 1^st Officers from the NPPD responded to the 2800 block of West 20^th Street on the report of a possible missing person. Melissa Romero reported that her husband Alfonso Romero was last seen around 2 AM on 12/31/12.  During the evening of 01/02/13 Officers learned that Alfonso Romero was reportedly still in North Platte.  Contact was made by law enforcement with Alfonso, who appeared to be healthy and under no duress.  Family was notified and Alfonso is no longer considered missing.

 

Here is the flier placed around town.

Today: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 26. West wind 5 to 9 mph.

Tonight: Clear, with a low around -1. Wind chill values as low as -9. West southwest wind around 6 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 38. Wind chill values as low as -9. West southwest wind around 6 mph.

Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 7. Wind chill values as low as -3. Light and variable wind becoming north northwest 5 to 8 mph in the evening.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 35. Northwest wind 8 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 9.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 40.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 13.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 14.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 42.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 17.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.

NORTH PLATTE RIVER NEAR NORTH PLATTE AFFECTING LINCOLN COUNTY.

.ICE JAMMING IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ALONG THE NORTH PLATTE RIVER
AT LEWELLEN AND NORTH PLATTE FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. THE ICE
JAMMING WILL LEAD TO MINOR FLOODING UPSTREAM OF LAKE MCCONAUGHY
NEAR LEWELLEN AND NEAR NORTH PLATTE. RIVER STAGES ARE EXPECTED
TO FLUCTUATE AT OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE FLOOD STAGE UNTIL TEMPERATURES
BEGIN TO RISE ABOVE FREEZING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

SAFETY MESSAGE...STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS BY LISTENING TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO, RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS OR ONLINE AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE.

The Nebraska State Patrol is planning a special campaign in January and February to promote seat belt usage in Scotts Bluff County.

The State Patrol says recent surveys in the Scottsbluff-Gering area showed seat belt usage was around 50 percent. That’s well below the state average of 79 percent.

So troopers plan to conduct a special enforcement in January and February to enforce seat belt use.

State Patrol Capt. Mike Gaudreault says people are killed in car crashes all too often simply because they weren’t buckled up.

An $11,000 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety will pay for the added enforcement.

New England Patriots running back Danny Woodhead is launching his own clothing line, but fans will have to travel to his Nebraska hometown to buy a shirt.

North Platte is currently the only place where Woodhead’s DW39 Gear is sold because Woodhead’s hometown friends are creating the shirts.

Jordan and Crystal Vigil designed the shirts at their Operation Clothing business and then pitched the idea to Woodhead. It probably helped that Jordan Vigil and Woodhead have been friends since childhood.

Whitetail Screen Printing in North Platte makes the shirts in cooperation with the Vigils.

The shirts will be available in time for the NFL playoffs.

Today: A 30 percent chance of snow after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 24. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph.

Tonight: A chance of snow before midnight, then a chance for flurries. Cloudy, with a low around 8. Wind chill values as low as -1. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

New Year’s Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 25. Wind chill values as low as -2. West wind 5 to 9 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 8. Wind chill values as low as -5. West wind 8 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 29. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 6.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 25.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 6.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 34.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 9.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 34.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 9.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 37.

 

 

FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
721 PM CST SUN DEC 30 2012

...THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN
NEBRASKA...
  NORTH PLATTE RIVER AT LEWELLEN AFFECTING KEITH AND GARDEN
  COUNTIES.

  NORTH PLATTE RIVER NEAR NORTH PLATTE AFFECTING LINCOLN COUNTY.

.HIGH WATER CONTINUES ON THE NORTH PLATTE RIVER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

SAFETY MESSAGE...DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER
COVERS THE ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR
CAR TO CROSS SAFELY AND THE ROAD BENEATH MAY NOT BE INTACT. VEHICLES
CAUGHT IN RISING WATERS SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
  THE NORTH PLATTE RIVER NEAR NORTH PLATTE.
* UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
* AT  6:00 PM SUNDAY THE STAGE WAS 6.1 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 6.0 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FORECAST...THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE NEAR 6.1 FEET THROUGH
  MIDNIGHT TOMORROW. ADDITIONAL ARE POSSIBLE.