Sunny Ortega is a mother of five who, took control of her life, overcame challenges, always keeps her head up and refuses to quit. After being thrown a curve-ball, focused on her family, Sunny and her five children took the train to North Platte, leaving behind everything except clothes to wear.

Things didn’t work in Sunny’s favor but with help from The Connection, as well as her determination to give her kids a wonderful life, she overcame an enormous challenge.

Listen to Sunny’s Story:

According to the Nebraska Commission on Housing and Homelessness (NCHH), on any given night there are 3,554 homeless individuals across Nebraska.

The NCHH, as well as Gov. Dave Heinemann, recognizes the week of November 12^th– 18^thas National Homeless and Hunger Awareness week.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development redefined homeless as,

•People who are living in a place not meant for human habitation, in emergency shelter, in transitional housing, or are existing in an institution where they temporarily resided.

•People who are losing their primary nighttime residence, which may include a motel or hotel or a doubled up situation, within 14 days and lack resources or support networks to remain in housing.

•Families with children or unaccompanied youth who are unstably housed and likely to continue in that state.

•People who are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, have no other residence, and lack the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.

 

The NCHH encourages everyone to donate to their local providers that give aid to people or families that experience a struggle in life. The Connection helps individuals in transition move forward.

Today: Sunny, with a high near 45. Wind chill values as low as -7 early. West wind 8 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 14. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 50. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.

Nebraska homeowners with dead lawns after this year’s drought should plan on reseeding their lawns.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension experts say reseeding is the best way to deal with damage from drought or pests like grubs.

Zac Reicher says homeowners should consider putting down grass seed in their lawns sometime between November and March while the lawn is dormant.

Reicher says that seed won’t germinate before winter, but the seed will be in place when temperatures start to warm up in spring. Normally, spring rains can make it hard to seed lawns because the ground is so soft.

Investigators from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office have an individual in custody who is suspected of sexually assaulting a girl three years ago when she was 13-years-old.

The alleged victim, a female juvenile who is now fifteen-years-old, told investigators, after a forensic interview at the Bridge of Hope Child Advocacy Center, that she was sexually assaulted by Jeremy Kreiling, who was twenty-three-years-old at the time of the alleged assault. According to the sheriff’s office, the girl said she was babysitting at a home, south of Hershey, where she was allowed to drink alcohol.

The suspect, twenty-five-year-old Kreiling, allegedly waited for his wife and children to fall asleep before he assaulted the girl, stopping once he heard noises within the home. On November 8^th, Kreiling refused to speak with investigators during an in-person interview at the sheriff’s office. Kreiling was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child.

Investigation continues.

A two vehicle accident occurred which resulted in two people placed in stretchers and sent into emergency care via ambulance. The collision spread debris across the street.

The accident occurred at around 10:20am, on East 4^th St, in front of Gary’s Super Foods. According to a witness, a Toyota, occupied by two individuals, was heading east when it collided with the driver’s side of a Chevrolet, believed to be occupied by one person.  The witness said that the Chevrolet was pulling out of the Gary’s Super Foods parking lot.

The driver of the Chevrolet, as a result of the collision, was stuck in the vehicle. Responding units worked for approximately fifteen minutes before the person was removed from the vehicle. The front end was smashed in and the curtain airbags had deployed from the collision. Once the person was freed from the vehicle, they were placed on a stretcher then transported away via ambulance.

It’s believed that the Toyota was occupied by two individuals, one person was transported to an ambulance on a stretcher and the other individual, a male, appeared to be bleeding from the forehead but not seriously injured.

An accident occurred at the same location just a few weeks ago which also required an emergency ambulance transport.

The top prosecutor in the Panhandle’s Cheyenne County has been given another county to serve and help protect.

The Scottsbluff Star-Herald says Paul Schaub has been appointed county attorney for neighboring Deuel County and will serve through January 2015.

Schaub is filling the remaining term of Doug Palik. In September the Nebraska Supreme Court suspended Palik’s law license for a year. The court says Palik had mishandled the administration of a woman’s estate and lied to cover up his misdeeds.

Palik was ordered to repay $60,000 plus interest to an heir who had not received money due to him from the woman’s estate.

Schaub has been Cheyenne County attorney since 1995.

Two attorneys in Schaub’s Cheyenne County office also will provide services to Deuel County.

Driving is a risk that many people take every day and being ready for anything is important. On Wednesday, November 7^th, an elderly driver died at the wheel and the passenger took control.

The driver, seventy-seven-year-old Joyce Dryer, was driving on U.S. Highway 20 near Chadron. The Associated Press reports that she suffered what Dawes County Attorney, Vance Haug, described as a “sudden cardiac-related” event.

When the car went into a ditch, the passenger, Donna Tausan, responded by grabbing the wheel and directing it back to the roadway, bringing the vehicle to a complete stop.

Today: Areas of fog before 11am. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south southeast in the afternoon.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Southeast wind 5 to 7 mph.

Saturday: A 30 percent chance of rain after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 63. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.

Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub says he will seek the death penalty against a man charged in the shooting death of a Sidney woman.

Fifty-three-year-old Larry Martinez is charged with first-degree murder and use of a weapon in a felony in the July killing of 30-year-old Mandy Kershman.

Police say he shot Kershman because was angry over a text message from her.

The Sidney Sun-Telegraph says that Schaub spelled out his intentions during a hearing on Wednesday.

A judge has given Schaub and defense attorney Kelly Breen six weeks to file information on the issue.

With the cold approaching, and backing off occasionally, the possibility of snowfall increases. The North Platte Police Department wants to remind you of an ordinance concerning trailers and/or boats parked on streets during the snow common months.

A news release from the N.P.P.D. explains the ordinance,

“According to North Platte City Ordinance § 76.21 Parking of Boats and Trailers.  “During the months of November, December, January, February and March of every calendar year, it shall be unlawful for any person owning or being in custody or control of the boat or trailer to park or leave standing on the streets of the city any boat, boat trailer, pontoon or pontoon trailer, except for the purposes of loading and unloading, and then only for the length of time necessary to load or unload the boat or trailer.”

In some cases, boats and trailers parked on the street can causes visibility issues for some motorists.