A man was seriously injured when his ATV crashed on Thursday.
On March 21, 2019 at 6:50 p.m., the North Platte 911 Center was contacted advising a subject had wrecked a four wheeler on U.S. Highway 30 just west of North Platte. The caller advised the subject sustained serious injuries. Deputies and North Platte Fire and Rescue responded to the scene.
The investigation revealed the lone driver of a four wheeler was westbound on U.S. Highway 30 and raised his hand to wave at a friend and lost control of the machine. The driver was thrown off the four wheeler onto the road surface.
The driver was identified as twenty-seven year old Steven Conway of North Platte, NE. Mr. Conway was transported to Great Plains Health and later flown to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney with life threatening injuries. Drugs and Alcohol do not appear to be a contributing factor.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraskans who need housing, tools or other assistance to recover from this month’s flooding can now post a request on a new state website.
Gov. Pete Ricketts unveiled the website Thursday as part of the effort to help flooding victims and collect private donations for the effort. The website can be viewed at www.nebraska.gov/nebraska-strong/.
The website is accepting requests for housing, tools and other needs. Requests will be reviewed before being posted.
The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency has also set up a hotline for general public questions. The number is 402-817-1551.
The Nebraska Broadcasters Association is also hosting a flood relief drive on Friday in partnership with the American Red Cross. A phone bank will be open 5 a.m. through 11 p.m. Friday. The toll-free number is 1-844-278-8555.
Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) arrested three people and seized several illegal drugs during multiple traffic stops on Wednesday, March 20.
The first incident occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m. MDT when a trooper received a report of a vehicle parked on County Road 14 in Banner County. When the troopers arrived on scene, he discovered an Acura Integra with no license plates. Two individuals were sleeping inside the vehicle.
Upon contacting the occupants, the trooper discovered a bag of methamphetamine lying on the ground. A search of the vehicle revealed additional bags of methamphetamine, weighing a total of 75 grams. The two occupants, Justin Zambrowski, 42, of Scottsbluff, and Rachel Wasserburger, 23, of Box Elder, South Dakota were arrested for possession of methamphetamine, possession with intent to deliver, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both were lodged in Scotts Bluff County Jail.
Shortly after that, at approximately 1:00 p.m. MDT, another trooper observed an eastbound Chevrolet Tahoe speeding on Interstate 80 near Paxton at mile marker 147. Upon contacting the driver, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed 40 pounds of high grade marijuana, approximately 280 THC vape oil cartridges, and approximately 1 pound of hash budder.
The driver, Mary Estrin, 39, of Fairfield, Iowa was arrested for possession of marijuana – more than one pound, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, possession of hash with intent to deliver, and no drug tax stamp. Estrin was lodged in Keith County Jail.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the spring flood threat in the U.S. (all times local):
12:05 p.m.
U.S. weather experts say the stage is set for unprecedented major flooding this spring for most of the nation.
In Thursday’s spring forecast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says more than 200 million Americans are at risk for some kind of flooding, with 13 million of them at risk of major inundation.
National Weather Service deputy director Mary Erickson said the current flooding in Nebraska, Iowa, and the South is a preview for an all-too wet and dangerous spring. She expects flooding to get worse and widespread, reaching most of the eastern two-thirds of the nation.
Forecasters say the biggest risks include all three Mississippi River basins, plus the basins of the Red River of the North, the Great Lakes, the eastern Missouri River, the lower Ohio River, the lower Cumberland River and the Tennessee River.
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11:25 a.m.
Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say flooding could reach unprecedented levels in parts of the U.S. later this spring, as winter snow melts and swollen rivers rise.
Mary Erickson, deputy director of the National Weather Service, said during a conference call Thursday that existing flooding along the Mississippi River and other waterways is expected to get worse, possibly even worse than historic floods in 1993 and 2011.
NOAA said in an advisory that the threat of flooding in Southern states this spring is “potentially historic.”
Forecasters have said that rapidly melting snow in the upper Midwest is contributing to flooding that will eventually make its way downstream to the Gulf Coast.
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1 a.m.
Scientists are warning that historic flooding could soon deluge parts of several Southern states along the lower Mississippi River, where floodwaters could persist for several weeks.
The flood threat in the South will be discussed Thursday when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration releases its 2019 spring outlook. Experts plan a briefing on their flood forecast at the National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Thursday’s report is aimed at helping emergency managers and other safety officials to prepare for flooding.
NOAA said in an advisory that the threat of flooding in Southern states this spring is “potentially historic.”
Forecasters have said that rapidly melting snow in the upper Midwest is contributing to flooding that will eventually make its way downstream to the Gulf Coast.
Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) SWAT team have arrested two people following a standoff in Minden.
NSP Investigators learned Wednesday morning that two suspects wanted in connection with a home invasion robbery were inside a residence at 218 East 7th Street in Minden. The home invasion robbery took place in Harlan County at an earlier date and involved a weapon.
NSP SWAT was called to the scene at approximately 1:00 p.m. to assist in the operation. Several announcements were made from outside the house in an attempt to get the suspects to surrender voluntarily. The suspects did not respond to the announcements, nor did they respond to phone calls.
SWAT utilized a police service dog and a robot before troopers entered the home. A short time later, a NSP K9 detected that someone was behind a closed bedroom door.
Using an NSP Light Armored Vehicle, SWAT troopers were able to position themselves where they could break windows into the room where the suspects were thought to be. Additional announcements were made and the suspects, Brock Teel, 29, and Rylie Bryson, 18, were taken into custody without further incident at approximately 5:00 p.m.
Weapons and drug paraphernalia were found inside the residence. The investigation is ongoing.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz has sent Minnesota Army National Guard troops to Nebraska to help with the flood disaster.
Walz signed an executive order Thursday in response to Nebraska’s request for helicopter support. Minnesota sent one CH-47 Chinook helicopter with 10 personnel to support flood response operations in Nebraska. It’s a heavy-lift helicopter that carries troops and supplies.
Flooding along the Missouri River has taken a heavy toll in Nebraska, southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri. Hundreds of residents have been displaced. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts says flooding in his state alone has caused nearly $1.4 billion in losses.
Walz, a native of Nebraska and retired Minnesota National Guard member, said in a statement that there’s no question the flooding calls for “critical, efficient and fast action” to protect lives and property.
A pedestrian has died after being struck by a vehicle in North Platte.
According to North Platte Police, officers responded to the report of a pedestrian versus vehicle accident at the intersection of Ninth and Jeffers Streets at around 4:31 p.m., on Wednesday.
Officer Beth Kerr says the pedestrian was transported to Great Plains Health where they soon died from their injuries.
A preliminary investigation shows that the pedestrian was walking eastbound on Ninth Street and the vehicle was westbound on Ninth Street.
Police say the victim entered the roadway from the southwest corner of the intersection and was struck by the vehicle as they turned south onto Jeffers Street.
The victim was from out of state and their identity is being withheld pending the notification of family members. The driver, who was not identified, is a North Platte resident.
Governor Pete Ricketts has issued two new executive orders to provide relief to flood-impacted communities.
Executive Order 19-03 gives farmers and ranchers a reasonable amount of time to dispose of deceased livestock lost due to severe weather and flooding. Executive Order 19-04 temporarily suspends requirements for trip permits and fuel tax permits for certain vehicles engaged in flood relief.
“In light of the historic flooding and devastation our communities have experienced, the Governor’s Office is working to cut red tape,” said Taylor Gage, Director of Strategic Communications for Governor Ricketts. “These executive orders will help our communities as they work to recover and rebuild after the most widespread natural disaster in state history.”
These orders are in addition to the Governor’s emergency declaration issued on March 12th and another executive order issued last week. The directives are effective immediately until April 15, 2019. Nebraska continues to encourage surrounding states to temporarily ease their restrictions as well.
The Governor’s Office, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, and Nebraska Emergency Management Agency are staying in touch with Nebraska’s agriculture associations on a daily basis to assess emerging needs. State agencies are providing assistance as requests are made by local emergency managers.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farmer Jeff Jorgenson looks out over 750 acres of cropland submerged beneath the swollen Missouri River, and he knows he probably won’t plant this year.But that’s not his biggest worry. He and other farmers have worked until midnight for days to move grain, equipment and fuel barrels away from the floodwaters fed by heavy rain and snowmelt. The rising water that has damaged hundreds of homes and been blamed for three deaths has also taken a heavy toll on agriculture, inundating thousands of acres, threatening stockpiled grain and killing livestock.
In Fremont County alone, Jorgenson estimates that more than a million bushels of corn and nearly half a million bushels of soybeans have been lost after water overwhelmed grain bins before they could be emptied of last year’s crop. His calculation using local grain prices puts the financial loss at more than $7 million in grain alone. That’s for about 28 farmers in his immediate area, he said.
Once it’s deposited in bins, grain is not insured, so it’s just lost money. This year farmers have stored much more grain than normal because of a large crop last year and fewer markets in which to sell soybeans because of a trade dispute with China.
“The economy in agriculture is not very good right now. It will end some of these folks farming, family legacies, family farms,” he said. “There will be farmers that will be dealing with so much of a negative they won’t be able to tolerate it.”
Jorgenson, 43, who has farmed since 1998, reached out to friends Saturday, and they helped him move his grain out of bins to an elevator. Had they not acted, he would have lost $135,000.
Vice President Mike Pence surveyed flooded areas in Nebraska Tuesday, where he viewed the raging Elkhorn river, talked to first responders and visited a shelter for displaced people. He promised expedited action on presidential disaster declarations for Iowa and Nebraska.
“We’re going to make sure that federal resources are there for you,” Pence told volunteers at Waterloo, a town of less than 1,000 residents about 21 miles (34 kilometers) west of Omaha that was virtually cut off by the floodwaters.
The flooding is expected to continue throughout the week in several states as high water flows down the Missouri River. Swollen rivers have already breached more than a dozen levees in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
The flooding, which started after a massive late-winter storm last week, has also put some hog farms in southwest Iowa underwater. The dead animals inside must be disposed of, Reynolds said.
The water rose so quickly that farmers in many areas had no time to get animals out, said Chad Hart, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University.
“Places that haven’t seen animal loss have seen a lot of animal stress. That means they’re not gaining weight and won’t be marketed in as timely a manner, which results in additional cost,” he said.
In all, Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson estimated $400 million of crop losses from fields left unplanted or planted late and up to $500 million in livestock losses.
In a news release issued Tuesday, Gov. Pete Ricketts said there have been deadlier disasters in Nebraska but never one as widespread. He said 65 of the state’s 93 counties are under emergency declarations.
In neighboring Missouri, water was just shy of getting into Ryonee McCann’s home along a recreational lake in Holt County, where about 40,000 acres (16,188 hectares) and hundreds of homes have been flooded. She said her home sits on an 8-foot (2.5-meter) foundation.
“We have no control over it,” the 38-year-old said. “We just have to wait for the water to recede. It’s upsetting because everything you have worked for is there.”
The Missouri River was forecast to crest Thursday morning at 11.6 feet above flood stage in St. Joseph, Missouri, the third highest crest on record. More than 100 roads are closed in the state, including a growing section of Interstate 29.
Leaders of the small northwestern Missouri town of Craig ordered an evacuation. The Holt County Sheriff’s Department said residents who choose to stay must go to City Hall to provide their name and address in case they need to be rescued.
In nearby Atchison County, Missouri, floodwaters knocked out a larger section of an already busted levee overnight, making the village of Watson unreachable, said Mark Manchester, the county’s deputy director of emergency management/911.
Officials believe everyone got out before thousands of more acres were flooded. But so many roads are now closed that some residents must travel more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) out of their way to get to their jobs at the Cooper Nuclear Station in Nebraska, he said.
“It’s a lot harder for people to get around,” Manchester said.
River flooding has also surrounded a northern Illinois neighborhood with water, prompting residents to escape in boats. People living in the Illinois village of Roscoe say children have walked through floodwaters or kayaked to catch school buses.
Flooding along rivers in western Michigan has damaged dozens of homes and businesses.
