JULY 16, 2017 (NORTH PLATTE, NEB.) — A second person has died as a result of an accident in Red Willow County in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 9.
Holly Myers, 19, of Horace, Kansas passed away Saturday as a result of injuries suffered when the pickup driven by Aaron Jones, 23, of Cambridge, lost control a rolled on Road 399 a few miles east of Indianola. Both were ejected from the vehicle during the crash. Jones was pronounced dead at the scene. Myers was
transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.
Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash and neither person in the truck was wearing seat belts.
LINCOLN, Neb. – A 40-year-old man was hospitalized when a personal watercraft he was operating collided with another personal watercraft July 15 at Calamus State Recreation Area.
A 29-year-old man, who was operating the second personal watercraft, was charged with boating under the influence and reckless operation in connection with the incident, which happened just before 6 p.m. west of Little York Point on Calamus Reservoir.
Witnesses told investigators that both operators were weaving their craft back and forth when they collided. The injured man transported to Valley County Hospital in Ord and later flown by helicopter to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission conservation officers and the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the incident.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers who want to preserve the state’s small towns are considering a new approach — paying people to move there.
Senators are looking into relocation incentives designed to draw residents back to rural areas. Small cities such as Curtis offer free land, down payment assistance for a house and golf club memberships to try to entice young families to live in the area.
A legislative hearing scheduled for Aug. 24 in North Platte will explore the issue. Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango says his staff is researching the matter to see what if anything Nebraska state officials can do.
Hughes says he wanted to study relocation incentives out of concern for Sidney. The city faces an uncertain future after its largest employer, Cabela’s, was sold to Bass Pro Shops.
NEW YORK (AP) — “War for the Planet of the Apes” took down “Spider-Man: Homecoming” at the North American box office, opening with an estimated $56.5 million in ticket sales.
Though some initially expected a closer race, “Spider-Man” dropped to second with $45.2 million after its No. 1 debut last weekend. Boosted by strong reviews, Fox’s “War for the Planet of the Apes” easily came out on top.
That still put the third “Planet of the Apes” film in the rebooted franchise well behind the previous 2014 installment, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” That sequel launched with $72.6 million.
After three weeks of limited release, Kumail Nanjiani’s acclaimed romantic comedy “The Big Sick” expanded nationwide over the weekend. It pulled in $7.7 million in about 2,600 theaters.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Applications are being accepted until July 31 for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Trout in the Classroom curriculum program.
The program takes a fish hatchery into the classroom so students can learn about aquatic habitat, water quality, ecosystem interactions, food webs and life cycles while hatching and raising rainbow trout. The program is active in 62 classrooms across the state.
Scholarship funding is available from Trout Unlimited Chapter 710 and the Nebraska Environmental Trust to cover the cost of equipment. Program details and application materials are available at www.outdoornebraska.org/troutintheclassroom.
(NORTH PLATTE, NEB.) — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) Troop D –North Platte have arrested a woman for 18 charges after she led troopers on a high-speed chase on Interstate 80.
At 11:30 a.m. Friday, July 14 an NSP Trooper stopped a 2007 Chevrolet Malibu near Sutherland on I-80 for speeding and other traffic violations. During the stop, the driver refused to exit the car and provided a false name. She did advise that her license was suspended and had an active warrant for her arrest. The driver then took off and NSP engaged in a pursuit with speeds reaching 100 MPH.
Troopers were able to disable the vehicle using a tire deflator near mile marker 173 (North Platte exit) following a pursuit of more than ten miles. The driver then stopped a mile west of North Platte and was taken into custody without further incident.
Claire Mason, 33, of Lincoln, was arrested and cited for a total of 18 charges including Felony Flight to Avoid Arrest, Willful Reckless Driving, Driving Under Suspension (8th Offense), Driving During Revocation, False Report, Failure to Obey a Lawful Order, and multiple traffic violations. Mason was also found to have five active warrants, all from Lancaster County.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Business, agricultural and education groups are joining forces to expand Nebraska’s reach into international markets that generate billions of dollars annually.
Gov. Pete Ricketts on Thursday announced the formation of a new international trade council. The council’s membership includes agricultural and business leaders and the University of Nebraska.
Ricketts says council members will use their existing relationships to help other Nebraska groups that want to expand overseas. They often help one another informally, but Ricketts says an official council that meets regularly will ensure good communication.
His announcement came just before the second annual Governor’s Summit on Economic Development in Lincoln.
Dan Nerud, a Dorchester farmer and vice president for the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, says the unified effort will help keep the state competitive.
SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — An airport authority board in western Nebraska is seeking an early end to its contract with airline PenAir, which has been unable to provide reliable service to the airport.
The Western Nebraska Regional Airport Authority board in Scottsbluff has approved a measure requesting permission from the Department of Transportation to seek new airline bids earlier than the length of its contract with PenAir.
PenAir officials had met with the board and the public last month. Board Chairman Don Overman says he listened to problems the airline has with pilot shortages, plane shortages and accidents, among other issues.
Overman cites high cancellation and delay rates as the reason for the proposed contract termination.
PenAir indicates immediate improvements are unlikely.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska prisoner who died last month overdosed on a combination of methamphetamine and Ecstasy.
A death certificate issued to The Associated Press Thursday confirms that 22-year-old Daelan Lamere died because of the accidental overdose.
Prison officials previously acknowledged that Lamere had both drugs in his system when he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution on May 27. He died at a Lincoln hospital on June 6 after his heart failed.
Lamere was sentenced to 6 to 11 years in prison for four counts of robbery and one count of use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony in Douglas County. He was scheduled for release in September 2020.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials say they did not share any voter information with a federal commission before it paused its efforts amid a series of lawsuits.
A spokeswoman for Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale said Thursday that his office has not sent any data to President Donald Trump’s voting commission. Nor has it had any communication beyond the original request the commission sent to Gale’s office.
Gale has said he would comply with the commission’s request for publicly available voter information, but only if he gets assurances about how the data will be used and secured.
Trump’s commission was formed to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the 2016 elections, but critics say it’s looking for ways to suppress the vote and that the requests are an invasion of privacy.
JULY 16, 2017 (NORTH PLATTE, NEB.) — A second person has died as a result of an accident in Red Willow County in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 9.
