More than 300 falconers are expected to convene in Kearney for the annual meeting of the International Association of Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey.
The Kearney Hub reports that members of the group from around the world are expected for the meeting that runs from Sunday through Friday.
Ralph Rogers, a 65-year-old wildlife biologist from Winifred, Mont., will be among them. He says the members will spend the week networking and hunting with falcons.
Falconry is the art of hunting with a trained bird of prey and has been practiced for thousands of years.
The man accused of causing a fatal crash in October near Lexington, pleaded not guilty on Friday in Dawson County District Court.
If convicted of each count, Destry Swartz, 22, could spend as much as 30 years in prison.
Swartz is accused of driving while intoxicated when, according to the Nebraska State Patrol, failed to stop when prompted to pull over, resulting in Swartz being chased by a trooper. During the chase, Swartz allegedly ran a red light a Lexington intersection and crashed into a pickup driven by 68-year-old Ruben Maravilla-Cortes, of Lexington.
According to the Associated Press, Swartz is expected to appear on February 12th for trial.
Today: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 68. West northwest wind 3 to 7 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. Light and variable wind.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 67. Light west southwest wind becoming south southwest 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
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The speed limit on East 4th St has become a topic of concern. After two separate vehicle accidents occurred at the same general area within a week, the question was asked, is the speed limit in that area the cause of common accidents?
Starting east of Belmont, the speed limit of East 4th increases from 30 to 40 MPH, near Gary’s Super Foods is a common area for accidents in which authorities suggest, is caused by poor speed judgment by drivers pulling out of area parking lots.
The severity of accidents along East 4th has increased because of the speed limit, according to the North Platte Police Department’s Lt. Hoaglund, “People need to be more cautious knowing they’re entering a roadway that’s got a higher speed limit” Hoaglund explains and continues, “If you have to wait another fifteen seconds, it’s better than waiting another fifteen weeks to get your vehicle fixed.”
The speed limit has been 40 for over 35 years, said Hoaglund, who believes the speed limit is a legitimate speed for that area because of the amount of traffic that passes through East 4th each day.
Defensive driving is always a good idea when on the street with other motorists. There is only so much an agency can do to protect motorists on the roads. Drivers have the best shot at preventing accidents when they use good judgment and caution while operating a vehicle.
A 33-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to murder and weapons charges in a drug-related slaying in western Nebraska.
Jason Custer made his pleas during an arraignment Thursday in Cheyenne County District Court in Sidney.
Custer is accused of fatally shooting Adam McCormick on Nov. 3 in Sidney. Authorities have said they think the two men were arguing about $160 in drug money.
Custer fled Sidney to Big Springs, where he was arrested later that day at a motel.
Custer remains in custody, pending $1 million bail. His next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8.
A live webcam, streaming rail yard action 24/7, has been mounted onto the Golden Spike Tower’s 7th floor, overlooking Bailey Yard. The Golden Spike Tower’s motto, “More trains than you can keep track of” will be emphasized through this webcam.
Being the world’s largest rail road yard, Bailey Yard has an average of 139 trains a day with 14,000 rail cars pass through each day, according to the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The camera pans from east to west giving the viewer a scene of the facets of Bailey Yard.
The webcam stream is the result of a grant from the Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation.
Lisa Burke, Executive Director of the NP/LCCVB, explains that the webcam will ‘serve the appetite’ of hungry rail fans across the world, the view of Bailey Yard will help convince views to make the trip to North Platte so they can see the action in person. In a news release, Burke described the feeling of excitement a person should feel,
“When you see a picture of the Grand Canyon, you only want to visit it all the more to see it for yourself. The same is true for rail fans and webcams of trains. When they grasp the scope of the action at Bailey Yard, it will make them even more anxious to come and experience it for themselves. We expect this webcam to help in our marketing efforts for all of North Platte’s rail attractions as well as for our community as a whole.”
To see the webcam click here or watch it in the player above!
Today: Sunny, with a high near 59. Breezy, with a south wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. South southeast wind 7 to 13 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. South southwest wind 3 to 7 mph.
A Nebraska hunter has bagged two deer that he’d come across while they were locked in mortal combat.
The Kearney Hub reports that Todd Stolley, of Johnson Lake in south-central Nebraska, found the bucks Tuesday while hunting in western Gosper County.
Stolley says he watched the bucks struggle for a few minutes before realizing their antlers were locked.
One of the deer soon died. Stolley says it was clear the other buck would never get free, so Stolley shot it.
A game officer says Stolley filled his deer permit by killing the one deer and could keep the carcass of the other deer because Stolley hadn’t killed it.
Stolley says he intends to have a taxidermist mount the deer as they were found, locked in battle.
The dean of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture will be retiring and moving to Idaho.
Dr. Weldon Sleight says he’ll be leaving the Curtis campus, in southwest Nebraska, at the end of December.
Sleight joined the school in 2006.
The college is part of the University of Nebraska system and offers four associates degrees for students interested in entering the agricultural industry upon graduation. It also has a transfer program for students wishing to pursue higher degrees at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or other four-year colleges.
More than 300 falconers are expected to convene in Kearney for the annual meeting of the International Association of Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey.
