The Nebraska Department of Roads and the Nebraska State Patrol organized a meeting of players that communicate during winter weather to ensure mobility and safety on the interstate and western Nebraskan roads.

The Winter Operations and Emergency Management meeting was held on Tuesday at the North Platte Holiday Inn, to support communication between agencies, upgrade current practices and review procedures.

Roger Klasna, District Operations & Maintenance Manager of NDOR District 6 announced the trial of two Infrared Sensors to be used in Paxton.  The sensors send out infrared signals to the road which measures the friction point of the roadway which helps the department of roads determine how safe or unsafe a road may be in slick conditions. The sensors relay information to the control center, in case of slick conditions, the NDOR can alert the public to take caution.

The sensors will also play a key role in gathering data on effective ways to keep the roads safe, “Ice has less friction than a dry roadbed does,” explained Klasna, “By knowing these numbers we can put a different type of product on the roadway, like our anti icing agent,  to test which chemical works better for us.” The mission of the NDOR is to produce a safe transportation system for the traveling public.

There are only two sensors that are planned to be used, being on the slightly more expensive side, the investment is clear. The sensors are non intrusively placed on a pole by the road way rather than placed on the road way like other sensors that run the risk of damage.

Though only two will be in use doesn’t mean that they won’t move around. The sensors are mobile and easy to place anywhere, “I see it being very beneficial if we were to get more of these,” Klasna said, explaining that slick roads pose a higher threat than just snow.

The sensors are planned to be used in Paxton for possibly the length of the on-coming winter. This winter will serve as a test to determine if the sensors are worth investing more money into.

 

Pamela Steeby was sentenced to up to three years in the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. The 47-year-old Steeby was found guilty for her involvement in an attempt to distribute Meth.

 

 

 

 

 

Jon Knepp was sentenced to 90 days in the Lincoln County Detention Center. 38-year-old Knepp failed to register as a sex offender. Knepp was convicted of a sex assault in 1997.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19-year-old Drew Steier of Wyoming, is accused of attempted robbery. Steier pleaded not guilty in District Court Monday. In August, Suspect Steier allegedly entered the Wallace Farmers State Bank, demanding money while armed with a firearm. A Status Hearing is scheduled for Nov 5^th.

 

 Story Here

 

 

 

 

Sophia Boe pleaded not guilty in two cases, one where she is accused of Robbery and Tampering with a Witness, the other case holds a drug possession charge.

 

Story Here

 

 

 

 

Dustin Dowhower pleaded not guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine with intent to deliver. Dowhower was arrested in July when a  search warrant was obtained and utilized where here was arrested on said charges.

 

Story Here

Today: Sunny, with a high near 81. West wind 7 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 9 to 14 mph becoming north northwest 17 to 22 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Windy, with a northwest wind 18 to 23 mph increasing to 26 to 31 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 41 mph.

On October 14th, at around 9:20 pm, deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff responded to the report of a domestic disturbance where alcohol and firearms were involved, according to authorities.

Suspect, 31-year-old Jessy Ellison was reportedly intoxicated when he allegedly assaulted and threatened his girlfriend with a gun. The LCSO says that Ellison had fired the gun before leaving the home.

Once deputies arrived on scene, the victim explained she was assaulted and mentioned threats received by Ellison who, at the time, was hiding in a field before being convinced to hang up the towel. A press release from the LCSO says:

“She also advised Mr. Ellison had pointed firearms at her and shot them into the air.   The victim attempted to call 911 but Mr. Ellison broke her phone, eventually her daughter was able to call for assistance.     Mr. Ellison was hiding in a field north of the residence; he was convinced buy phone to turn himself in, which he did.    Deputies did locate a pistol and two rifles in Mr. Ellison’s possession. “

The suspect was taken to the Lincoln County Detention Center and booked on charges of Terroristic Threats, Use of a Firearm to Commit a Felony and Third Degree Assault Domestic Violence.

Three people have been arrested for Robbery that authorities say happened around 2:30PM on Tuesday, October 9^th.

Officers from the North Platte PD were informed of a call reporting armed robbery on the 1000 block of North Buffalo Bill Road. The officers met with the 21-year-old victim who told authorities that he was walking with another person when suspects, Matthew Shavlik, 20, Mason Shavlik, 18 and Shane Kline, 27, allegedly confronted them.

According to the NPPD, Kline allegedly struck the victim in the head, knocking him to the ground. A knife fell onto the ground at one point during the struggle, though it was determined that it wasn’t used to threaten the victim. The victim was robbed of his wallet which contained cash and some personal items.

Both Matthew and Mason Shavlik were located nearby and Kline left the scene in a vehicle. All three suspects were eventually interviewed, where all three suspects allegedly blamed each other which resulted in the arrest of all three for Robbery and Use of a Deadly Weapon during the Commission of a Felony.

All three suspects were booked into the Lincoln County Detention Center. Suspect, Mason Shavlik was booked on October 9th. Suspects, Shane Kline and Matthew Shavlik were booked on October 13th.

 

 

 

Chadron State College has enrolled exactly 3,000 students this year which is the highest number of enrolled students in 15 years.  If the number holds through the semester, it will be the first time since 1997 that Chadron State ended a term with 3,000 or more students.

According to the college, fall-semester enrollment is higher this year by more than 2 percent. School officials say the growth is largely due to graduate student enrollment, including those who signed up for a set of eight-week courses that begin on Oct. 22.

Today: Sunny, with a high near 81. West southwest wind 5 to 11 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 81. North northwest wind 8 to 15 mph becoming west southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.

 

If you would like to get something off of your chest, call us on the SOUND OFF line:

CALL or TEXT 402-512-3350

• Call and leave your message, or..
• Text your compliment, complaint, or whatever else you’d like to say

We’ll post your comments the next day and naturally, you’ll be able to carry on the conversation in our comments section.

AND NOW.. TODAY’S SOUND OFF

 

 

#1. Hey sound off its Friday thank you to whoever invented the weekends!

#2. Has anyone noticed how nice NebraskaLand employees are? Everyone thinks that the new bank is a downfall, talk to an employee and they tell you how nice its going to be for the sake of us… The customers. I just switched my accounts over and they truely care about me. RIGHT ON NLNB! You are awesome!

#3. North platte walmart cashiers are aweful. That place is poooorly managed!

#4. Let’s be honest. Mitt Romney has no idea what he’s doing.

#5. YouNg SluGGa = FAIL!

#6 Charter Cable has been out almost 8 hours on a Saturday. One more reason to flip to another provider. This sucks!

 

A 28-year-old mother in west-central Nebraska has been given 18 to 20 years in prison for killing her 3-year-old daughter.

Lexington radio station KRVN reports that Doris Herrin, of Gothenburg, was sentenced on Friday. She was convicted in August of manslaughter.

Prosecutors say 3-year-old Misty Herrin was unresponsive when she arrived at a Gothenburg hospital on Dec. 21, 2010. She was flown to a Kearney hospital, where she underwent surgery brain surgery. She died the next day.

Doris Herrin had told doctors the girl fell, but evidence showed the little girl had been hit in the head several times and shaken.

Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2012, Sierra Peterson sat down with the North Platte Post in June during NebraskaLand Days and the Miss Rodeo Pageant. The past few months for Miss Rodeo Nebraska has been very busy with appearances and preparing for her upcoming challenge to become Miss Rodeo America 2013!

Peterson will be running for Miss Rodeo America December 6^th-12^th in Las Vegas, NV, at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. Peterson mentioned that the last time a Miss Rodeo Nebraska brought home the title of Miss Rodeo America was in 2003.

If you can’t make it to the pageant this December where Peterson will compete for the national title, the send off event at the Creek Side Event Center in North Platte this November 3^rd, is something you won’t want to miss. There will be a cocktail hour that starts at 6pm and the event begins at 7pm. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children and visiting royalty. Purchase tickets at the door, missrodeonebraska.org.

The send-off event will be a time to show your support for Peterson. Visiting royalty will also attend. Peterson will give a speech and answer questions and showcase the outfits she plans to use when she is competing in Vegas.

First and foremost, Miss Rodeo America needs your help! She needs you to vote for her in the Miss Rodeo America picture vote on Facebook. To help Sierra, Click Here and vote for her picture by clicking the like button.

Listen to the full interview with Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2012, Sierra Peterson. She discusses her past few months, the upcoming send off event, what’s in her future and how she was inspired by her first competition where she met Miss Rodeo Nebraska of 2000.