On Thursday, 30-year-old Shawn Cryts was sentenced to sixteen months in prison because he failed to register as a sex offender.

Cryts was living in Cozad at the time of his arrest which took place in Kearney, November 2011. Cryts was working in Kearney and failed to update his records, he was convicted In June of 2003, for attempted aggravated sexual battery in Dyer County in Tennessee.

According to the Associated Press, Cryts will serve five years of supervised release one he is released from his 16-month prison sentence.

Custer Public Power District sent out a public notice to announce that customers of CPPD in the Dunning and Brewster areas will be without electrical power at around 1pm today Central Daylight-Saving Time.

The dunning substation will be undergoing repairs during the power shut-off, which should last for approximately one to three hours.

Don’t forget to to reset all the clocks when you get home.

Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. South wind 3 to 8 mph.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 49. South wind 8 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Forest Service officials say three people were cited for causing last weekend’s wildfire in northwest Nebraska, after investigators learned they had been shooting at exploding targets in the area.

Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands spokeswoman Cydney Janssen says she can’t disclose the names of the individuals, but the federal government will try to get them to pay restitution for the firefighting costs.

Janssen says the shooters were using exploding targets, in violation of fire restrictions. Authorities say the activity started a fire, which the three left behind without reporting.

Janssen says a total of six citations were issued, but she didn’t know what charges each person faces.

The City of Kearney Water Production Division released a public notice to announce a violation of a drinking water microbiological standard this month. Two total coliform samples tested positive in October, for water systems that collect less than 40 samples per month, the standard is that only one sample per month may test positive for total coliforms.

What is total coliform? Coliform is a bacteria that can be found in the feces of warm-blooded animals in large numbers as well as an aquatic environment, soil or even vegetation. Coliform bacteria plays a role as an indicator for the presence of viruses, parasites and bacteria which derive from fecal origin. Coliform very rarely causes illness.

No need to worry, the notice is procedure as required. This is what part of the notice says,

“Usually Coliforms are a sign that there could be a problem with our treatment or distribution system pipes. Whenever we detect coliform bacteria in any sample, we do follow up testing to see if other bacteria of greater concern, such as fecal coliform or E.coli are present. We did not find fecal coliform or E.coli in the samples. All subsequent samples have been negative for total coliforms.

 

The City of Kearney Public Water Supply System is continuing to test and is working with the Nebraska Department of health and Human Services Drinking water program to identify the source of the problem and to return the water supply system to compliance.”

The notice also mentions that there is no need to boil your water. If you wish to see the public notice, click here.

On the morning of Thursday, October, 25th, a fatal collision of two vehicles west of  Maxwell took three lives and critically injured one. Deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office were called at around 7:22 AM, on the report of a two vehicle collision which was located at the top of the Highway 30 railroad overpass near mile marker 190, west of Maxwell.

According to the sheriff’s office, when responding deputies arrived to the accident, they observed both vehicles were in the westbound lane of traffic.

One vehicle, a 1999 Kia Sportage, driven by 14-year-old Conner Gentry, was heading eastbound when he lost control of the vehicle. The Kia Sportage was also occupied by the Conner’s 10-year-old brother, Colton Gentry.

The Kia collided with a 1994 Chevrolet Lumina, occupied by the driver, 46 year old Terry Grasz and the passenger, 45-year-old Elaine Grasz.

Both Connor and Colton Gentry, traveling in the Kia, died as a result of the collision. The passenger of the Chevrolet Lumina, Elaine Grasz, also died from the collision. With help from courageous citizens, Terry Grasz was removed from the vehicle to be taken to Great Plains Regional Medical Center.

According to the release from the LCSO, Mr. Grasz was “severely injured and burned badly,”

“Terry Grasz, with the help of courageous citizens, managed to get out of the vehicle and was transport to Great Plains Regional Medical Center.   Mr. Grasz was severely injured and burned badly; he was flown to Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln.”

The Gentry brothers were heading to school which was located in Brady and the married couple, Elaine and Terry Grasz, were on their way to work in North Platte.

After the accident, the vehicles set fire. The cause of the accident was determined to be the wet and slick roads. It is unknown if seat belts were used.

Today: Snow likely before 7am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 42. North northwest wind 15 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 21. North northwest wind 3 to 7 mph.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.

 North Platte, Neb. While bonds will officially sell on November 1, local residents interested in purchasing series 2012 tax-exempt Great Plains Regional Medical Center bonds are encouraged to act prior to October 31.

The bonds will in-part be used to help fund the Great Plains Regional Medical Center $100 million patient tower construction project. Among other features, the project includes a 116-bed, five-story patient tower featuring modernized patient units, all private rooms, more space for updated technology and visiting family members, increased parking and the expansion of the central utility plant.

“The amount of planning, research, fiscal projection, evaluation, financial review and data collection that has brought us to this day is an incredible accomplishment,” said Greg Nielsen, Great Plains Regional Medical Center president and CEO. “I really don’t think any of us can truly appreciate the impact that the patient tower project will have on health care in the region over the next few decades.”

Great Plains Regional Medical Center has selected Piper Jaffray, an investment banking firm based in Minneapolis, Minn., to serve as the bond underwriter.

The bonds will be sold in minimum denominations of $5,000. Individuals interested in purchasing the bonds should contact their broker or financial advisor or call Piper Jaffray at 888.527.5339 no later than October 31. More information about the bonds and the preliminary official statement is available at gprmc.com/bonds.

“Final interest rates on the various maturities of the Great Plains Regional Medical Center bond issue will be determined  on November 1, the day of the official pricing, based on market conditions at the time, ” said Krystal Claymore, Great Plains Regional Medical Center chief financial officer. Claymore indicates there is no direct or indirect liability to the city or county.

Motorists traveling around the intersection of Leota St. and Willow St. can already see evidence of the project’s start. Work on the area where the information technology department will be housed has begun and a north east parking lot has been poured.

A formal dedication ceremony will be held when the steel for the patient tower is erected sometime in the Spring of 2013.

“In the coming months, more information will be provided about the many ways the community can participate in what is believed to be the most exciting transformation in local health care,” said Nielsen.

The anticipated project completion date is Spring 2015.