Local – Page 71 – North Platte Post Archive

US cancer death rate hits milestone: 25 years of decline

Posted on January 8, 2019

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. cancer death rate has hit a milestone: It’s been falling for at least 25 years, according to a new report.

Lower smoking rates are translating into fewer deaths. Advances in early detection and treatment also are having a positive impact, experts say.

But it’s not all good news. Obesity-related cancer deaths are rising, and prostate cancer deaths are no longer dropping, said Rebecca Siegel, lead author of the American Cancer Society report published Tuesday.

Cancer also remains the nation’s No. 2 killer. The society predicts there will be more than 1.7 million new cancer cases, and more than 600,000 cancer deaths, in the U.S. this year.

A breakdown of what the report says:

DECLINE

There’s been a lot of bad news recently regarding U.S. death rates. In 2017, increases were seen in fatalities from seven of the 10 leading causes of death, according to recently released government data. But cancer has been something of a bright spot.

The nation’s cancer death rate was increasing until the early 1990s. It has been dropping since, falling 27 percent between 1991 and 2016, the Cancer Society reported.

Lung cancer is the main reason. Among cancers, it has long killed the most people, especially men. But the lung cancer death rate dropped by nearly 50 percent among men since 1991. It was a delayed effect from a decline in smoking that began in the 1960s, Siegel said.

PROSTATE CANCER

The report has some mixed news about prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in men.

The prostate cancer death rate fell by half over two decades, but experts have been wondering whether the trend changed after a 2011 decision by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to stop recommending routine testing of men using the PSA blood test. That decision was prompted by concerns the test was leading to overdiagnosis and overtreatment.

The prostate cancer death rate flattened from 2013 to 2016. So while the PSA testing may have surfaced cases that didn’t actually need treatment, it may also have prevented some cancer deaths, the report suggests.

OBESITY

Of the most common types of cancer in the U.S., all the ones with increasing death rates are linked to obesity, including cancers of the pancreas and uterus.

Another is liver cancer. Liver cancer deaths have been increasing since the 1970s, and initially most of the increase was tied to hepatitis C infections spread among people who abuse drugs. But now obesity accounts for a third of liver cancer deaths, and is more of a factor than hepatitis, Siegel said.

The nation’s growing obesity epidemic was first identified as a problem in the 1990s. It can take decades to see how a risk factor influences cancer rates, “so we may just be seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of the effect of the obesity epidemic on cancer,” Siegel said.

DISPARITY

There’s been a decline in the historic racial gap in cancer death rates, but an economic gap is growing — especially when it comes to deaths that could be prevented by early screening and treatment, better eating and less smoking.

In the early 1970s, colon cancer death rates in the poorest counties were 20 percent lower than those in affluent counties; now they’re 30 percent higher. Cervical cancer deaths are twice as high for women in poor counties now, compared with women in affluent counties. And lung and liver cancer death rates are 40 percent higher for men in poor counties.

Dr. Darrell Gray, deputy director of Ohio State University’s Center for Cancer Health Equity, called the findings “important but not surprising.”

“We’ve known for some time that race is a surrogate” for other factors, like poverty and difficulty getting to — or paying for — doctor’s appointments, he said.

Troopers arrest 2 following pursuits in Lincoln, Omaha

Posted on January 8, 2019

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested two people following separate pursuits on Interstate 80 that ended in Lincoln and Omaha.

The first pursuit began at approximately 2:30 p.m. Monday, when troopers located a reported stolen vehicle driving southbound on Highway 31 near the Gretna Interstate-80 interchange at mile marker 432. The vehicle, a 2016 Ford F-150, then fled westbound on I-80. Troopers initiated a pursuit. During the pursuit, the suspect vehicle was traveling consistently near 110 miles per hour.

As the vehicle approached Lincoln, it exited I-80 at the 56th street exit at mile marker 407. The vehicle drove into the ditch on the exit ramp, struck a sign, drove back across the exit ramp, and eventually proceeded southbound on 56th street. Seconds later, a trooper was able to perform a tactical vehicle intervention to bring the vehicle to a stop near the I-80 eastbound on-ramp at 56th street in Lincoln. The driver, a 16-year-old male, was immediately taken into custody by multiple troopers on scene. The suspect was transported to the Sarpy County Juvenile Justice Center.

The second pursuit began at approximately 5:30 p.m. Monday, when troopers received information about a driver going the wrong way on westbound I-80 near 42nd Street in Omaha. As the suspect turned around and started driving westbound, a trooper observed the vehicle unable to stay in its lane and attempted a traffic stop. The driver fled and the trooper initiated a pursuit.

As the suspect vehicle, a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban, exited Omaha on I-80, the trooper was able to perform a tactical vehicle intervention near mile marker 438 to bring the vehicle to a stop. The driver then refused to obey commands from multiple troopers. After repeated attempts to get the suspect to exit the vehicle, and as the suspect reached toward the passenger seat of the vehicle multiple times, a trooper deployed a taser in order to take the suspect into custody.

Once in custody, Ronald Blue, 22, of Omaha, was transported to CHI Midlands Hospital in Papillion to be medically cleared. While at the hospital, Blue spit on a trooper. After receiving medical clearance, Blue was lodged in Douglas County Corrections for flight to avoid arrest, driving under the influence of drugs, driving under suspension, failure to obey a lawful order, assaulting an officer – bodily fluid, and an outstanding warrant.

NP man killed in Nance County crash

Posted on January 8, 2019

FULLERTON, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a North Platte man died when the pickup truck he was in crashed in central Nebraska’s Nance County.

The accident occurred Friday night near Fullerton. The Nebraska State Patrol says 27-year-old Riley Dolan was ejected and fatally injured when the pickup went out of control on a curve.

The driver’s been identified as 26-year-old Klinton Knopik, of Cozad. The extent of his injuries is unclear.

NPPSF awards 2019 staff scholarships

Posted on January 7, 2019January 7, 2019

Since 2010 The North Platte Public Schools Foundation has awarded NPPS employees staff scholarships for their continued education.

The awards are made possible through the North Platte Public Schools Employee giving program called Class Act administered by the North Platte Public Schools Foundation. The Foundation was able to increase the amount of their scholarships by 20% due to the increase in donations from North Platte Public Schools Employees.

The Foundation is proud to award three North Platte Public School educators for their continued education efforts.

DaNesa Fleck-DaNesa is a Kindergarten Teacher at Washington Elementary. DaNesa is working on her masters from Arkansas State University in Educational Leadership and hopes to one day become an Administrator.

Marlo Roberts-Marlo is a first-year school counselor at North Platte High School. She will be obtaining her School Counseling Endorsement from Chadron State University.

Amanda Curtis- Amy is a para-professional at Lincoln Elementary. She is earning her Bachelor of Elementary Education at Chadron and hopes to have her own classroom someday.

The NPPS Foundation acknowledges that a better-educated staff equates to a better education for our students.

The NPPS Foundation is committed to promoting development and assisting NPPS in pursuing higher education and has awarded over $18,000 in Staff Scholarships since its inception. They are pleased to have been able to make this opportunity possible for our dedicated staff.

Man gets 40-45 years for Dawson County slaying

Posted on January 7, 2019

LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) – A man accused of murder in south-central Nebraska’s Dawson County has been sentenced to 40 to 45 years in prison.

Dawson County District Court records say 42-year-old Jose Regalado-Mendez was sentenced Monday. He’d pleaded guilty to manslaughter and use of a weapon to commit a felony. He had been charged with first-degree murder in the October 2016 slaying of 37-year-old Jose Hernandez. Prosecutors lowered the charge in exchange for Regalado-Mendez’s plea.

Prosecutors say Regalado-Mendez shot Hernandez and hid the body near a farmhouse north of Lexington. The remains were found Dec. 12, 2016.

NP Police Activity Jan. 4-7, 2019

Posted on January 7, 2019

Call Date

Call Time

RMS CFS Description

Location Of Incident

01/04/2019