Today: Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 12 to 17 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. North wind 11 to 16 mph decreasing to 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 90. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — Officials say an abandoned trailer has been destroyed by a fire near Lake Maloney in western Nebraska.

A fire started a little after 11 p.m. Monday near the canal west of the lake.

Five vehicles and about 15 firefighters were dispatched to battle what was reported as a grass fire. The firefighters soon noticed the burning trailer as well.

North Platte Fire Department Capt. Trent Kleinow says lightning may have touched off the flames.

Fire crews worked well into the early morning to make sure not flare-ups occurred.

No injuries were reported.

North Platte Neb.- North Platte City Councilman Jim Carman proposed the repeal the 1975 ordinance  at the City Council meeting August 7th. The room was packed full of citizens interested in the outcome of this topic.

By unanimous decision the issue has been tabled to be discussed in the August 21st meeting. Carman feels this law is hard to enforce as the state already has a law that addresses this issue.

Many out of town visitors and Carman himself carry an unloaded weapon on the back window of their truck, or in their vehicle.

Carman claimed that the ordinance was hard to enforce, and suggested re-wording the law. City Attorney Douglas Stack said that this is a matter best left to discussion and thinking. The Council then voted unanimously to place the city ordnance on the Augusts 21st agenda.

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — A 38-year-old Stanton woman has been given 60 days in jail for helping a suspect hide from authorities.

Connie Mandl was sentenced on Monday.

Authorities say Mandl owns the Stanton home where 34-year-old Carlos Arevalo-Martinez hid and held police at bay following a shooting in Norfolk on Feb. 14. Edna Gutierrez, of Norfolk, was wounded.

Arevalo-Martinez has pleaded not guilty to assault and a firearms charge. His trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 4.

North Platte Neb.-(NORTH PLATTE SEWER DPT)-Bicentennial Ave between 2nd St and Burlington Blvd will be closed to through traffic beginning at 8:00AM Wednesday August 8th until 8:00AM Thursday August 9th to facilitate the installation of a new sewer main

IMPERIAL, Neb. (AP) — Investigators are looking for the cause of a plane crash that killed the pilot near Imperial in western Nebraska.

The Imperial Republican newspaper says firefighters believe the single-engine plane crashed Saturday morning in a pasture. Authorities say 54-year-old Scot German, a farmer and rancher from Imperial, died in the accident.

The wreckage was discovered by the Imperial volunteer fire department, which was called to fight a grass fire. Officials say the plane burst into flames and started the grass fire.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have contained a series of Nebraska wildfires that burned more than 50,000 acres, but relentless heat and drought are setting the stage for more.

National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Buttler said Monday that conditions are ripe for more fires. The weather service in North Platte has issued a red flag fire warning for west-central Nebraska until midnight central time. The affected area includes all or parts of 25 counties.

Buttler says the area recently endured a streak of 25 consecutive days with temperatures above 90 degrees, the longest stretch since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

A spokeswoman for the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency says none of the most recent fires in western and central Nebraska damaged any homes, farm buildings or other structures.

Today: Scattered thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 95. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tonight: A slight chance of thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. Calm wind becoming east southeast around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. North wind 5 to 11 mph.