Two North Platte men are facing felony assault charges after they allegedly attacked another man.

At around 5:00 a.m., on June 16, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to a residence in the 1600 block of West Ninth Street on the report of an assault.

According to police, a 49-year-old man alleged that he was assaulted by 43-year-old Bradley Herrick and 44-year-old Hollen Herrick.

The victim said he was sleeping in a camper when the duo burst in and assaulted him.

He alleged that, as Bradley Herrick punched him, Hollen Herrick struck him multiple times with a pipe.

Police say the victim had injuries which corroborated the account, including fractured bones in his face.

Later in the day, an Investigator made contact with the Herrick’s and placed them under arrest.

Bradley Herrick was charged with felony 2nd-degree assault and Hollen Herrick was charged with felony 2nd-degree assault and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

They were transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed.

The victim was transported to the hospital, where he received treatment for his injuries.

North Platte, Neb.–Taytum Dickman is Miss Teen Rodeo Nebraska 2015. The Elwood woman was crowned Wednesday morning at the North Platte Community Playhouse in North Platte. Jenna Langer, 17, of Superior, was named first-runner up and will fulfill the duties of queen if Dickman is unable to do so.

Dickman, 17, won the photogenic, appearance and horsemanship categories in the competition. Joeli Walrath, 16, won the written test, personality and speech divisions, and Emily Taylor, 24, a Miss Rodeo Nebraska contestant, won congeniality among all the women competing in the pageant.

Dickman is the daughter of Jedd Dickman and Amanda Snyder. She will be a senior at Lincoln North Star High School this fall. Taytum is part of the newly formed Lincoln North Star Young Political Club, where she serves as treasurer. The club spreads awareness about legislative updates and aides candidate elections.

Taytum also participates in student athletic training throughout the fall and winter seasons, helping injured athletes. Her extracurricular activities include: volunteering, spending time with friends and family, running, baking and helping with her family’s ranch.

Taytum is involved in 4-H, through which she shows horses, cattle, pigs and fish and has completed many home interior and baking projects. She has been president of the Gosper County 4-H club, The Jiffy Juniors, for three years. Taytum plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in biology and eventually start her own veterinary practice.

She and the other teen contestants spent four days this week competing in the 60th annual Miss Rodeo Nebraska Pageant. A new Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2016 will be crowned during the first performance of the award-winning Buffalo Bill Rodeo tonightin North Platte.

By Officer Rodney Brown

The North Platte Police would like to alert citizens of a recent scam targeting customers of city utilities.

Yesterday the office of Municipal Light and Water received multiple complaints from citizens concerned as they had been contacted by subjects posing as city employees attempting to collect from what they stated were “past due” bills.

The caller would then attempt to get personal and bank information in an attempt to steal funds.

City Hall offices or any legitimate business will not call over the phone and solicit that type of information and you as a consumer should never give your personal information such as social security numbers, bank account to include credit or debit card information.

Law Enforcement is aware of the scam, so unless you feel you have been victimized out of financial information or money it is not necessary to file a report at this time.

NORTH PLATTE — This fall the electrical units at Kansas Point campground at Lake Maloney State Recreation Area (SRA) will be updated. The original electrical units were installed for the 56-pad campground in 1983.

As part of the upgrades Kansas Point campground will close after Labor Day for the upgrades to take place, which should be two to three weeks. The campground will be open for campers after the new electrical updates have been made, however there will not be any water available due to winterization of the campground.

Rod Shimmer, Lake Maloney Superintendent is eager for the upgrades, “The upgrades have been needed for several years, with the new RVs pulling more amps, the old units just couldn’t keep up. “

Kansas Point sees over 35,000 visitors per year that camp, fish and boat at the SRA. Lake Maloney SRA is located just south of North Platte on HWY 83.

A current Nebraska Park Entry Permit is required on all vehicles that enter the area. Permits are available at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission District office in North Platte, online or at several local vendors. A daily permit is $5 or an annual permit for $25.

Today: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. North wind 6 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 7pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. East wind 7 to 9 mph.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. East southeast wind 7 to 13 mph.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. East southeast wind 11 to 14 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. South wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 67.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 87.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Court of Appeals says state attorneys unfairly lobbed allegations during a hearing to remove a couple’s five children from their custody.

The ruling Tuesday came in the case of a couple whose lost custody last year after a state Child Protective Services investigator found three of them — ages 12, 9 and 18 months — alone in a central Nebraska hotel room.

Based on that and concerns that the couple were abusing prescription drugs and alcohol, officials sought to remove the children. But at the hearing, the state presented additional evidence, including claims that the children had lice and that their parents had sought to buy drugs.

The appeals court agreed with the father that the state’s last-minute allegations left him unable to provide a defense.

DETROIT (AP) — Toyota is adding nearly 1.4 million cars, trucks and SUVs to a growing recall for air bags that can explode with too much force.

The company says it’s expanding a previous recall after Takata Corp. of Japan agreed to double the size of its air bag inflator recall to 33.8 million.

Vehicles added to a passenger air bag inflator recall include the 2003 to 2007 Corolla and Matrix, 2005 and 2006 Tundra pickup, 2005 to 2007 Sequoia SUV and the 2003 to 2007 Lexus SC430 convertible.

The propellant in some Takata inflators can burn too quickly, blowing apart a metal canister and sending shrapnel into the passenger compartment. Seven deaths and more than 100 injuries have been attributed to the problem.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Most Nebraska state employees will get a raise but will face higher insurance deductibles and copays under a new two-year labor contract.

Employees will get a 2.25 percent raise starting July 1 and a 2.4 percent pay bump on July 1, 2016. The agreement applies to more than 10,000 workers represented by the Nebraska Association of Public Employees/AFSCME 61

The agreement signed earlier this year imposes higher annual insurance deductibles, from $1,600 to $2,000 per family, and higher medical out-of-pocket maximums, from $4,000 to $8,000 per family. Copayments for doctor visits and most prescription drugs will also increase.

Nebraska had 18,112 state employees as of 2013, not counting the University of Nebraska or the state colleges.

Negotiators for employees and the state say they’re satisfied with the overall agreement.

Today: A slight chance of thunderstorms before 1pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. South wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 7pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 9 to 14 mph becoming light south southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. East wind 6 to 9 mph.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. South southeast wind 7 to 11 mph.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts is wrapping up a European trade mission that focused on building relationships with companies and promoting Nebraska’s workforce.

Ricketts was scheduled to return to Nebraska on Tuesday after an eight-day trip with stops in Italy, Belgium and Denmark.

The governor says he and a state delegation sought to build long-term relationships with European companies, some of whom are likely to visit Nebraska later this year. Nebraska is hosting its annual “Passport Weekend” for out-of-state businesses in September.

Ricketts says delegation members worked to educate European companies and government officials about Nebraska, while dispelling what they consider misperceptions about American agriculture. Ricketts says the group focused on Nebraska’s workforce, quality of life and the work ethic of its residents.