The fire which consumed nearly 10,000 acres of land including homes and structures was named, The Korty Check Fire, because the fire began near the check in the South Platte River.

According to Paxton Fire Chief, Kyle Gartrell, this fire season has been unlike anything their department has seen before.  This season, the Paxton Fire District has had 50,000 acres blackened as a combination result from the Korty Check, the Glen Echo Fire which burned approximately 20,000 acres and was part of the 7 fire combination named Keith County Complex and an additional fire blackened nearly 20,000 acres in the fire, named the Opplinger Ranch Fire.

After the Korty Check Fire, the Nebraska State Patrol captured birds-eye-view pictures of the blackened land as well as the structures and homes which were swallowed by the flames. The NSP monitors hot spots via aircraft after a major fire event so that fire departments can fill reports and respond to hotspots.

A donation account has been set up at Pony Express Community Bank in Paxton, which will benefit the people who lost their home in the Korty Check Fire.

 

Photos Taken By The Nebraska State Patrol, Supplied By Paxton Fire Chief, Kyle Gartrell.

 *Click A Picture To Enlarge*

 

In a continuing effort to better serve the citizens of Lincoln County the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office acquired the use of two UTV’s (utility terrain vehicle).   In the past, Deputies would use their own equipment when they had the need for an all-terrain vehicle.    Now, thanks to the good folks at Maxwell Off-Road & Kawasaki and Kohler Trailer Sales, the Sheriff’s Office has the use of two new Teryx UTV’s at no cost to tax payers.

Recently, Sheriff Jerome Kramer became aware of a grant program Kawasaki has for Law Enforcement Agencies.    The UTV’s will be used for about a year and then turned back over to Maxwell’s.   The Sheriff’s Office will continue to receive the UTV’s as long as there is a need.  To haul the UTV’s, Bob Kohler sold the Sheriff’s Office a trailer at a much reduced rate.    The money used to purchase the trailer was federal seizer money that was taken from a drug dealer.

Sheriff Kramer will make the UTV’’s available to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Posse and other police agencies in our area.    The Sheriff’s Office plans on using the UTV’s in a multitude of ways; missing person searches, collection of evidence, assisting in crowd control at local celebrations and patrolling in game and park areas are just a few incidents they can be used for.

Today: Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 50. North northeast wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Tonight: A chance of rain showers before 10pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers between 10pm and 1am, then snow likely after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 31. North northwest wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 43. North northwest wind 11 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

The case against a Kansas man charged in a deadly crash in Nebraska has been sent to Dawson County District Court for trial.

Twenty-two-year-old Destry Swartz, of Coats, Kan., is charged with motor vehicular homicide, operating a vehicle to avoid arrest and driving under the influence in the Oct. 8 death of 68-year-old Ruben Maravilla-Cortes, of Lexington.

Authorities say Swartz was being chased by a state trooper for running a stop sign when he ran red light at an intersection and hit Maravilla-Cortes’ vehicle.

Swartz waived his preliminary hearing in county court on Monday. He remains in the Dawson County jail on $500,000 bond.

Today: Areas of drizzle before 10am. Areas of fog before 1pm. Otherwise, cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 76. South wind 6 to 10 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 37. North wind 6 to 8 mph becoming southeast in the evening.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 13 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

 

Related: North Platte HalloweenClimatology Via NOAA

On October 19^th, at around  11:35 pm, deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to an accident where two people were said to have been ejected from the vehicle, one of the two was said to be stuck under the vehicle.

After investigation, deputies learned that the driver, 20-year-old Joey Guillemin of North Platte and the passenger, 20-year-old Justin Covert of North Platte, were heading west bound on State Farm Road when the vehicle drove into a ditch, hit a driveway crossing which launched the vehicle nearly 130 feet. The vehicle rolled from end to end, ejecting both Covert and Guillemin.

Both men were taken to Great Plains Regional Medical Center then flown to Denver for additional medical treatment. Authorities say no seat belts were used and that alcohol is suspected to be a factor in the accident.

A two-vehicle accident which involved one man, two minors and a young child, occurred some time around 3:40PM on Monday, October, 22nd, at the intersection of 3rd and Jeffers. One adult female was taken by ambulance to Great Plains Regional Medical Center.

The accident involved a maroon Cadillac Sedan Deville, driven by an 52year-old male and a Silver Pontiac G6, believed to be driven by a 15-year-old female with two young passengers, one who appears to be fourteen years of age and another which appears under the age of five.

Crews from the North Platte Fire Department were on scene cleaning debris from the road while a deputy from the Lincoln Co. Sheriff’s Office directed traffic. An officer from the North Platte PD assessed the accident.

According to the  authorities,  a witness at the scene reported that the Pontiac followed behind her through the intersection as they both turned east.  A reminder that it is unsafe to proceed in an attempt to turn prior to the vehicle in front of you first completing their maneuver.

Firefighters have been able to mostly contain a wildfire in northwest Nebraska after it burned 83 acres.

The U.S. Forest Service says the Spotted Tail Fire began Saturday, and burned land about five miles south of Chadron.

Weston Burch, who oversaw the initial response, says volunteer firefighters did a good job of containing the fire and keeping it from spreading.

Officials estimated the fire was about 95 percent contained Sunday afternoon. Firefighters were working Sunday to strengthen containment lines around the fire.

The land burned by the fire was part of the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services placed the Hotel Pawnee on probation as punishment for multiple violations, Hotel Pawnee will have one year to fully meet state regulations as well as to hire a consultant. The facility will also have increased monitoring.

According to the Associated Press, the Hotel Pawnee improperly maintained the building, allowed uncertified employees to administer medications, had unsafe food preparation and didn’t have enough certified staff at the facility.

On August 2nd, the Attorney General of Nebraska filed a complaint against the Hotel Pawnee at the Lincoln County District Court. Click Here To Read More.

The discovery of a man’s body late Saturday has police investigating a suspicious death of an approximately 50 year old Gering man.

According to authorities, the man was dropped off at his home, which he shares with his brother, after a night of drinking at a local bar. Outside the front end of the house is where the body was discovered.

Authorities don’t know the cause of death, an autopsy has been ordered as part of the investigation. The man’s name has not yet been released.