Five hundred (500) young people from across the Diocese of Grand Island and the Midwest signed up for the 19th Annual Going Bananas For Jesus Catholic Youth Rally in North Platte, Nebraska, March 17-19.  The Biannual event started 30 years ago in Scottsbluff.

The core team created a schedule filled with prayer, workshops, seminars, and musical performances.  Brenda Conell says it’s a faith-filled event that encourages people to grow stronger to Christ through discovery and prayer.  These events will be held at the North Platte Catholic School facilities.

“We do offer adult mini sessions and special workshops, too,” says Conell, as we are focused on faith development for all Catholics in the region.

Special keynote presenters, Jesse Manibusan and ValLimar Jansen will headline the weekend with music and faith stories.

Jesse Manibusan is a composer, singer/songwriter, storyteller, humorist, catechist, evangelizer and encourager.  Manibusan has that knack to build instant rapport, connect to his audience, and create life-giving memories that help deepen faith and cultivate the joy that inspires service, sacrifice and the celebration of life.

ValLimar Jansen is a highly regarded singer, composer and recording artist. She is educated and experienced as a university/college professor, a leader of worship and prayer and a workshop presenter at conferences across the United States and abroad.  ValLimar Jansen has a long history of singing sacred music.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, March 17, 2017

8:30 pm Living Passion Experience

Saturday, March 18, 2017

8:30 am Welcome & Morning Prayer

9:15 am Speakers/Workshops

12:45 pm Speakers/Workshops

2:55 pm Banana Splits & Service Project Celebration

7:30 pm FREE PUBLIC CONCERT with Jesse Manibusan and ValLimar Jansen

Sunday, March 19, 2017

10:30 am Farewell & Participant Dismissal

BERWYN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the death of a man whose pickup truck ran off a road and crashed in Custer County.

The Custer County Sheriff’s Office says the crash was reported around 8 a.m. Wednesday, about 9 miles south of Berwyn. The driver had been traveling alone and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Sheriff’s Office identified him as 70-year-old Jerry Hallman, of rural Ansley.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are considering several measures backed by gun-rights advocates.

A committee heard testimony Wednesday on proposals to exempt gun registrations from the state’s public record laws and increase responsibilities for business owners who prohibit guns in their shops.

Sen. Bruce Bostelman of Brainard says the state should protect information that could expose gun owners to identity theft or harassment. Opponents say the bill prevents analysts from studying gun violence committed by legal gun owners.

A bill sponsored by Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon would require business owners who prohibit guns on their property to post signs saying guns aren’t allowed and confront anyone who brings a firearm in despite the sign. Opponents say the bill would burden business owners who may be scared.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg says he plans to seek an audit of a state finance organization that is refusing to cooperate with his office’s request for information.

Stenberg told a legislative committee Wednesday that the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority is denying him information that should be posted on the state’s spending transparency website.

Stenberg says the authority has engaged in a “campaign of obstruction” and made repeated excuses to keep him from getting access to its financial data. His comments were made during a hearing on a bill that would allow agencies such as the finance authority to provide a link to their contracts to the state spending website, instead of raw data.

Stenberg says he wants auditors to review the authority’s finances and staff salaries.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska residents who fall into the Medicaid coverage gap are once again asking lawmakers to expand the program through the federal health care law, despite uncertainty about the law’s future.

The bill presented to lawmakers on Wednesday would extend Medicaid coverage to an estimated 90,000 low-income residents between ages 19 and 65.

Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln says his bill would help address the problem of medical debt and bankruptcies. Gov. Pete Ricketts opposes the measure, saying it’s unaffordable.

Those who are affected have incomes that are too high to qualify for regular Medicaid but too low to receive tax subsidies available through the federal health care exchange.

The Affordable Care Act faces uncertainty given Republican control of Congress and President Donald Trump’s promises to repeal and replace it.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A proposal to run the Keystone XL pipeline through Nebraska has won support from a super-majority of the state’s lawmakers.

A mostly Republican coalition of senators signed a letter calling on the Nebraska Public Service Commission to approve a route through the state. The letter released Wednesday was signed by 33 of the Legislature’s 49 senators. All but three are registered Republicans.

The letter says the project will create jobs and generate local property tax revenue, and argues that the pipeline has already undergone a thorough review.

Project opponents in Nebraska are mobilizing once again to try to derail the project, as they have before. The proposal has stalled several times after concerns were raised about its impact on groundwater and property rights.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is a step closer to eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders under a compromise bill advanced by the state Legislature.

Senators voted 25-22 on Wednesday to advance an amended bill after it became clear a proposal to eliminate mandatory minimum penalties for a variety of low-level felonies did not have enough support. It still needs two more votes.

It would apply to people who possess and intend to distribute cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine. Current mandatory minimum prison sentences are three or five years, depending on the amount of drugs found.

Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, who proposed the amendment, says drug offenders should not be sentenced like people who committed violent crimes.

Opponents contend distributors of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine still committed serious crimes.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Advocates for immigrants, Latinos and Muslims in Nebraska are speaking out against the Trump administration’s policies.

The coalition gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday to protest Trump’s recent immigration orders and policies affecting refugees from countries where terrorists are known to reside.

Chicano activist Ben Salazar says many of the policies are rooted in racism and fear of outsiders. Salazar says the group came together to give voice to minority concerns in the state.

Lincoln City Councilman Carl Eskridge says immigrants have played a crucial role in Nebraska’s development and contribute greatly to the economy.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — As more states legalize marijuana for humans, more pet owners are giving medical-cannabis products to their furry companions to treat a range of ailments, including arthritis, anxiety, seizures and cancer.

But veterinarians say there isn’t enough scientific data to show that cannabis is safe and effective for treating animals.

Medical marijuana is legal in 28 states but remains illegal under federal law, so there has been relatively little research into its potential health benefits for humans or animals.

Veterinarians in California and other states are legally barred from prescribing or recommending cannabis. They risk losing their veterinary licenses if they do.

Despite the lack of scientific data or veterinary guidance, many pet owners are convinced that cannabis has improved their animals’ health and well-being, based on their own observations.