Today: Sunny, with a high near 62. Light and variable wind becoming north northeast 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. East northeast wind 3 to 6 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. North northeast wind around 7 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon.
The state volleyball tournament opens today in Grand Island with four Lincoln County teams vying for state championships. Two of them face each other right out of the chute. The top-seed St. Patrick’s Lady Irish, owners of a 28-1 record and making their second straight state appearance, take on eight-seed Hershey, who’s back at state for the first time since 2006, in the first round of the C2 tournament at 9 AM. At 11 AM, the Sutherland Lady Sailors are in action. They’re the third-seed in the D1 tournament and are at state for the third straight year. Their first round opponent is Alma. The Brady Lady Eagles round out the local action at 2 PM, facing top-seed Mead in the D2 tournament. All games today will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio 1410 and streamed online at the North Platte Post. Click on the ESPN Radio logo on the right side of the page to listen in.
On October 9th, 2012, the Trust Fund Committee of the Nebraska Public Power District filed a lawsuit against Wells Fargo Bank in Platte County District Court. Court documents show that Wells Fargo is being sued for damages that amount to at least $1,500,000.
Wells Fargo is accused of, failing to reimburse securities or retirement benefits of the NPPD’s Employee Retirement Plan in which Wells Fargo, through the Securities Lending Program, lent to borrowers for collateral.
The NPPD’s retirement plan involves approximately 2,400 individuals, a majority of whom are Nebraskans.
In August of 2007, Wells Fargo proposed that NPPD invest in the proposed ‘Securities Lending Program’ which was said to be essentially risk free and aimed at providing extra income to the NPPD’s retirement plan.
The NPPD decided to opt out of a class action lawsuit which was filed on behalf of all participants of the SLP which claim damage or loss caused by Wells Fargo’s actions or conduct. The class action lawsuit was filed in the US District Court of Minnesota on October 15th, 2010.
The case has now been moved to the U.S. District Court of Omaha, Nebraska.
A 29-year-old North Dakota woman has pleaded guilty to escaping from a jail in western Nebraska.
Sidney radio station KSID reports that Kayla Payne, of Mandan, N.D., made the plea in Garden County District Court after prosecutors agreed to drop a charge in nearby Cheyenne County. She’d been charged there with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors say Payne was being held in Garden County Jail, awaiting trial in Cheyenne County, when she escaped on Sept. 23 by climbing a jail fence.
Payne was found about two hours later in the basement of an abandoned building about a block from the jail.
On October 31st, the Executive Director at The Connection, Roy Lawton, submitted his resignation nearly six months after he took the position on July 4th, 2012.
According to President of Connection’s Board of Directors, Jim Nelson, Lawton felt that his skill set wasn’t fit for the job and that he chose to resign because the job wasn’t exactly for him.
Lawton’s resignation followed two days after the Attorney General of Nebraska, Jon Bruning, presented the shelter with a check which amounted to $26,562.50.
The Connection is a shelter in North Platte which offers assistance to homeless families and individuals who are struggling with basic needs.
A grand jury has cleared officers involved in the Alliance standoff that ended with the death of an armed man.
Box Butte County Attorney K.J. Hutchinson says the jury found no probable cause last week to rule that any officer had committed a crime.
Authorities say 27-year-old Andres Gonzales died after taking a pharmacist hostage at Thiele Pharmacy & Gifts in downtown Alliance on June 12. Three officers were wounded and the pharmacist was hit as he escaped from the drugstore.
Court documents say Gonzalez told negotiators he killed 38-year-old Josh Bullock last December and told his girlfriend he killed his father, 62-year-old Larry Gonzalez, before the standoff began.
A grand jury investigation is required whenever a person dies while in custody or in the process of being apprehended.
Today: Sunny, with a high near 66. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 29. South southeast wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light south southwest after midnight.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 61. Light and variable wind becoming north northeast 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
During the October and November months is generally when people prepare for the upcoming winter season, mentally and physically. November 8th, 2012, has been declared as Nebraska Winter Weather Awareness Day. The average person knows about the common dangers of winter but it’s a good idea to review the dangers and preparedness plans because it’s not like you’re going to know ahead of time when your car’s tire blows out on a County Road in Western Nebraska.
The National Weather Service produced a lengthy and very informative newsletter in honor Nebraska Winter Weather Awareness Day. Here are a few highlights you should know.
Did you know that 50% of cold-related injuries happen to people over 60 years old and more than 75% of cold-related injuries happen to men? Injuries related to ice and snow mostly happen to men over 40 years old and nearly 70% of vehicle accidents are caused from ice and snow when present. Winter weather is no joke.
Nebraska is a windy place and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), if the wind is blowing at 35 MPH and the outside temperature is 20-below-zero, you can get frostbite in as little as five awful minutes. Wind-chill takes much credit for making winter an unpleasant experience, especially in the morning when you’re brushing snow off your windshield in the bone-cutting wind which results in a runny nose that torments you until lunch time.
Terminology
There is a difference between an Outlook, Advisory, Watch and a Warning. It’s good-to-know info!
The National Weather Service describes each in the newsletter,
OUTLOOK – Hazardous Weather Outlooks are issued everyday, and serve as a “heads-up” that a significant weather event may be possible in the next 7 days.
ADVISORY – An advisory is issued when winter weather events could cause a significant inconvenience, but could also lead to life threatening conditions if not cautious.
WATCH – A watch is issued when winter weather events have the potential to threaten life and property, but the exact timing and location of the storm is uncertain. Watches are normally issued between 12 to 48 hours in advance.
WARNING – A warning is issued when winter weather events are occurring or are imminent and pose a threat to life and property. Warnings are normally issued between 2 and 24 hours in advance.
An advisory, watch and warning have products that are declared ones the standards are met. For example, 3 to 5 inches of snow must accumulate in 12 hours for snow related winter weather advisories to be declared. You can check out all the standards on pages 4-5 of the newsletter.
Prepare
An emergency kit is a good idea; the list describes many things that may save a life.
Road conditions can be checked at this web site maintained by the Nebraska Department of Roads.
Last year North Platte had a total of 16.6” of snow which is only 55% of the normal 28.5” of snow according to records beginning in 1981 to 2010.
Two people have been charged with helping a man suspected of a fatal drug-related shooting in the Nebraska Panhandle.
Thirty-five-year-old Billy Fields was charged Monday with being an accessory to a felony. Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub, says Fields helped 33-year-old Jason Custer leave Sidney after the shooting of 36-year-old Adam McCormick. Custer was arrested at a Big Springs motel on Saturday.
Authorities have said the shooting occurred earlier Saturday when McCormick and Custer argued over $160 in drug money.
Schaub also says 38-year-old Amber Davis was charged with obstruction and false reporting. Authorities say she lied to investigators after the shooting.
Online court records don’t list the attorneys for Fields, Davis or Custer.
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 70. South southeast wind 5 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
