A field fire blackened more than two square miles south of Oconto Thursday night. Firefighters from eight departments including Lexington, Cozad and Broken Bow responded to the flames.

A home near the Custer-Dawson county line was threatened by the flames for a short time, according to Custer County emergency manager Shawn Owens, a spray plane was used to aid responding units. Nebraska Highway 21 was periodically blocked off so the spray plane could reload with water.

No injuries or damage to structures are reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation

 

 

 

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Today: A chance of drizzle after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. South wind 7 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

Tonight:Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a low around 47. South southeast wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 71. Southwest wind 9 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

 

Update: 10/11/12

According to Dawson County Attorney Elizabeth Waterman, the victim of the collision idetified to be Ruben Maravilla-Cortes. Maravilla-Cortes was 68-years-old and from Lexington.

 

 

 

 

 

A six-minute chase led to a fiery collision that took the life of an unsuspecting motorist Monday, October 8^th.

Minutes before midnight at 6^th and Grant Streets in Lexington, a trooper from the Nebraska State Patrol attempted to stop a 2004 Dodge Ram pickup for reckless driving and a traffic violation. The alleged vehicle operator,

, 22, of Coats, Kansas, was accompanied by a 17-year-old male juvenile from Lexington according to the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office. Swartz failed to stop as he continued southbound on Highway 283 which resulted in pursuit.

The pickup reached a Lexington overpass continuing on Highway 283. At the intersection of Highway 283 and Cattlemen Drive, the pickup in pursuit ran a red light causing a deadly collision with a 1995 Ford F150 crossing the intersection.

The news release form the NSP says:

“The impact of the collision caused the Ford pickup to burst into flames. The driver of the Ford pickup was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

The name of the driver killed has not been released pending identification and notification of family.”

Both the passenger and Swartz were uninjured from the collision.

The alleged vehicle operator was arrested and is housed in the Dawson County Jail on charges to include, 2^nd offense driving under the influence, felony motor vehicle homicide, felony operation of a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, and willful reckless driving.

The Lexington Police Department and the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the South Central Allied Law Enforcement System (SCALES) are investigating the crash.

Collision Location 

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The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) Crime Laboratory has recorded its 200^th match through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).  The 200^th hit, involved DNA from a Lincoln burglary case.

CODIS is a database of DNA profiles searched against each other to identify any potential matches that can be used to aid an investigation. A CODIS hit provides new investigative information on a case by comparing a target DNA record against the DNA records contained in the database.

“The CODIS data base is an invaluable investigative tool for law enforcement agencies across the state,” said Colonel David Sankey, Superintendent Nebraska State Patrol. “Our Crime Laboratory takes great pride in maintaining the database and ensuring its integrity.”

Developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), CODIS was established in 1994 by the DNA Identification Act and implemented in 1998. One part of CODIS is the National DNA Index System (NDIS). NDIS contains DNA profiles contributed by federal, state and local participating forensic laboratories. Currently all 50 states participate in NDIS.

The NSP Crime Lab is the only CODIS repository/laboratory in the state. In 1997, Nebraska passed the DNA Detection of Sexual and Violent Offenders Act allowing for the collection of DNA from state offenders convicted of felony sex and other specified offenses. In 2010, the Sex Offender Registration Act and the DNA Identification Information Act were amended to allow for the collection of DNA samples from all sex offenders and convicted felons.

From 1997 to 2005, the NSP Crime laboratory received approximately 300 offender DNA samples a year. In 2006, the number doubled to approximately 600 samples. Today, the NSP Crime Laboratory receives approximately 6000 offender DNA samples in a year.

On a weekly basis the NSP Crime Lab searches its DNA records to see if there is a match in the database. If there is a match, CODIS automatically returns messages in the system to the laboratories involved. The local labs then evaluate the materials and release the information to the law enforcement agency working the case.

As of August 2012 the NDIS contained nearly 10 million offender profiles and more than 447,300 forensic profiles.

Nebraska currently has 19,181 offender profiles and 1,060 forensic samples in CODIS.

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29. East wind 6 to 13 mph.

Friday: A chance of drizzle after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 54. South southeast wind 7 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

On Friday, October 12^th, The North Platte Business and Professional Women (BPW) club will host its annual fundraising event. The yearly event is the club’s only fundraiser, with all proceeds going toward club-sponsored scholarships for female students at Mid Plains Community College.

This year’s Wine and Brew event features tastings of a variety of specially selected microbrews as well as a unique variety of wines.  The event runs from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at The Depot restaurant. Enjoy a variety of wines, microbrews, gourmet cheeses, and delicious appetizers.

The event also features a silent auction. Tickets are $25 per person, available in advance at the North Platte Chamber & Development Office, First National Bank, NebraskaLand National Bank, or from any BPW member. Tickets may also be purchased at the door on October 12th.

BPW President Lindy Hiatt stresses that, “This is not a women-only event. The entire  community is invited to join in the fun, enjoy some wonderful wines, brews… and support the goals of BPW.” Hiatt says that proceeds from the 2011 event allowed the BPW club to sponsor $2,000 in scholarships for local female college students.

The mission of BPW is to achieve equity for all women in the workplace through advocacy, education, and information. On a national level, BPW fosters the success of working women by providing career advancement resources, work-life strategies and personal and professional connections.

The North Platte Club meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 12:00 p.m. at The Depot. Contact Lindy Hiatt at 660-1159 for more information or for event tickets.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 103 cases of the West Nile Virus have been reported state wide as of October 9th, 2012. In a previous report on cases of the WNV, 29 cases were reported state wide on September 4^th, 2012. Nebraska’s number of reported cases increased by 75 in 35 days.

There are 15 reported cases of the WNV in Lincoln County, an increase of five since the last report of 10 in September. The U.S. Geological Survey lists counties with reported cases as of October 9^th, showing 32 counties in Nebraska where WNV has been reported. Lincoln County has highest number of reported cases. Douglas County has 14 reported cases, on October 3^rd Douglas County had the highest reported cases.

The numbers reported by the CDC are based on reported cases, the WNV is a gamble on how intense the symptoms will be, “The West Nile Virus can be as mild as the common cold but again it can be deadly,” explained Shannon Vanderheiden, Executive Director at the

West Central Health Department. Not everyone with WNV gets checked by their doctor, which means the actual number of cases may be higher.

In 2009, 52 cases of WNV were reported. In 2010, 39 cases of WNV were reported showing a drop of 13 state wide cases. In 2011, 29 cases of WNV were reported showing a drop of 10. So far in 2012, 103 cases of WNV have been reported state wide showing in increase of 74 cases. The highest number of reportedstate wide cases was in 2003 totaling at 1942 cases, causing 29 fatalities.
According to the CDC, Texas has the highest number of cases in the country at 1,520. The country has 4,249 total cases where 168 caused death.

 

 

 

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A 21-year-old male is charged with multiple counts of First Degree Sexual Assault for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl on five separate occasions.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, a report of an alleged sexual assault on a 14-year-old female was made on Monday, October 8th, at around 3:30pm. The alleged victim was taken to the Bridge of Hope Child Advocacy Center the next day for a forensic interview.

The alleged victim claims she had sexual intercourse with suspect Niles at least five times since spring 2012 and October 6^th. During the forensic interview the victim alleged that suspect Niles was aware that she was 14 years of age.

On Tuesday, suspect Niles was arrested then taken to the LCSO to be interviewed. Niles was booked into the Lincoln County Detention Center shortly after the interview, charged with five counts of First Degree Sexual Assault.

Today: Sunny, with a high near 67. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. South wind 8 to 13 mph becoming light southeast after midnight.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Northeast wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.