LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A North Platte man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for taking a young girl to Colorado for sex.
Officials say 23-year-old Michael Stansall pleaded guilty to charges of transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in sexual activity.
Court records say Stansall met with the 13-year-old girl in June in North Platte and drove her to Colorado, where he sexually assaulted her.
Stansall gets 15 years of supervised release following his 10 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay nearly $2,000 for the girl’s counseling services.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson has created a stand-alone bureau in his office that will focus on agriculture, natural resources and the environment.
The new bureau was pulled from an existing section of state’s Consumer Protection Division. Peterson said Tuesday that the bureau will focus on longstanding legal battles over water and federal regulations.
Justin Lavene, an assistant attorney general, will serve as the bureau’s chief.
Lavene supervises the litigation support for Nebraska state agencies and boards, including the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Agriculture, the Game and Parks Commission, the Environmental Trust and state commodity boards.
The Premier Companies, franchiser of rent to own furniture, appliances, computers and electronics, held their 2015 National Convention in Marco Island, Florida last week.
A huge congratulations was extended and goes out to Chad & Rhonda Fosdick, Premier Rental-Purchase franchisees in North Platte, for receiving the Premier Shooting Star Award.
This award is given to new store locations who exceed a particular revenue point in their first full six months of operating.
Only one of these prestigious awards are presented each year.
“2014 was really an awesome year for us and our team,” said Fosdick. “I’ve devoted many years of hard work to provide our customers here in North Platte the best service possible and was excited to be able to open our own store and take that service expectation to the next level.”
“I’m proud to have surrounded myself with a tremendous staff. Katie, James and Mike are the ones that really earned this award and we’re just proud to have been a part of it,” Fosdick added.
During Fosdick’s nine year career in the rent to own industry, he has managed multiple store locations across Nebraska finishing in the top 7% in performance of a 750 store chain. His career also saw growth finishing in the top 10% of a 3,000 store chain in North Platte. Fosdick opened his own Premier Rental Purchase store in January 2014.
“I am extremely happy to have presented Chad this prestigious award. It reflects the dedication and hard work Chad and his team have put into his business,” said Trooper Earle, President & CEO The Premier Companies.
Premier Rental Purchase is located at 105 North Jeffers Street, in North Platte.
Three instructors from Mid-Plains Community College have been selected as Excellence in Teaching recipients by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD).
The full-time instructors are Nicole Kissinger and Anne Schmit, and the adjunct representative is Carla Long. It’s the first time MPCC has allowed adjunct faculty to be nominated.
“It is always wonderful when we can recognize the accomplishments of our faculty whether they are full-time or part-time,” said Jody Tomanek, area vice president for academic affairs and NPCC. “This particular award is based on nominations from the faculty, themselves, so to be selected is really a recognition by their peers as well.”
NISOD’s Excellence Awards recognize men and women each year who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment and contribution to their students and colleagues.
The three recipients from MPCC will be presented with awards at NISOD’s annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, May 23-26, in Austin, Texas. They will receive a specially cast, pewter medallion, and their names, titles and college they represent will be included in a commemorative booklet.
“Recognizing those individuals who have contributed to student success and their colleges’ mission is something we look forward to doing each year,” said Edward Leach, NISOD’s executive director. “The extraordinary work of these men and women includes not only what they do for their students and colleagues, but what they do for the communities in which they live and work. We’re honored to be able to play a part in celebrating their achievements.”
Created in 1978, NISOD is an organization committed to promoting and celebrating excellence in teaching, learning and leadership at community and technical colleges.
NISOD supports its member colleges by providing professional development resources and learning experiences, including practitioner publications, webinars, the international conference and the excellence awards.
The first NISOD Excellence Award ceremony was in 1989. Response was so positive that NISOD launched what has become the largest gathering to recognize contributions and achievements of community and technical college faculty, administrators and staff.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The developer of the Keystone XL oil pipeline has taken its first steps in Nebraska since the state’s high court cleared the way for the planned route.
Officials with TransCanada said Tuesday they’ve filed paperwork in nine counties to acquire access to land that’s needed for the construction and operation of the pipeline. The two-year window for TransCanada to invoke eminent domain closes Thursday.
The route still faces challenges as opponents have filed lawsuits to try to prevent the Calgary, Alberta-based company from using eminent domain and to overturn the state law that allowed ex-Gov. Dave Heineman to approve the route.
The pipeline will carry an estimated 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Canada to Nebraska.
TransCanada spokesman Andrew Craig says it will work to acquire easements voluntarily.
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — North Platte school board members are considering changing the rules on when a student can take a service animal to school.
An update proposal was presented to the board last week, and a vote is scheduled on Feb. 10.
North Platte associate superintendent Tami Eshleman told the board that the district has a student who may need a service animal and that the district should be prepared. Eshleman says district administrators want to align the policy with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990.
One of the policy changes would add the words “or disease” wherever the word “disability” is used. Eshleman cited as an example people who have service dogs that can warn their owners when their owners’ blood sugar levels are high or low.
An employee at JC Penney’s in North Platte is facing felony charges after she allegedly stole from the store.
On January 17, at around 12:30 p.m., officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to the report of an employee shoplifter at JC Penney’s, 1000 South Dewey Street.
Store staff alleged that an employee, 19-year-old Ketra Vlasin, had been stealing from the store.
According to Officer Rodney Brown, Vlasin would reportedly enter merchandise into the register, then void the transaction. She would then allegedly place the jewelry, household items or shoes in a bag and remove them from the store.
Brown said store staff estimates that Vlasin stole around $3,400 worth of merchandise, beginning in October of 2014. She had been employed at the store since October of 2013.
It was determined that there was probable cause to arrest Vlasin, and charge her with felony shoplifting.
She was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed.
Last July, North Platte Police arrested three other JC Penney’s employees, Justin Bailey, Ashleigh Larson and a 17-year-old juvenile, for similar practices.
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. Breezy, with a northwest wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 18. Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37. North northwest wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 10. North northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 44. Light west wind becoming west southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 20.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.
COLBY – A semi driver died in an accident just before 5:30 p.m. on Saturday in Thomas County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Kenworth semi driven by Rodney A. Hongsermeier, 52, of North Platte, NE., struck the trailer and then the cab of a 2015 International semi driven by Fednor Duclona, 43, Fort Worth, TX., that was westbound on Interstate 70 four miles west of Kansas 25.
Both vehicles caught on fire in the middle of the highway.
Hongsermeier was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Baalman’s Funeral Home.
Duclona was not injured.
The accident shut down Interstate 70 from Colby to Goodland on Saturday and was finally opened to westbound traffic at 7:30 on Sunday morning.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Agriculture officials say an increase in corn and soybean profit is bringing young Iowans and Nebraskans back to the farm.
Charles Wiiest, market president of the Nebraska-based Arbor Bank, says young people are now more likely to start their own farm or join their family’s farming business. Wiiest credits this influx to improved profitability in the agriculture industry in recent years.
Corn currently can bring in up to $4 per bushel and soybeans $10 per bushel. Wiiest says these numbers show significant profit growth from when he graduated college in the late 1990s.
Wiiest says expanding career opportunities in the agriculture industry has also attracted the younger generation. He says chemists and veterinarians are among new careers in high demand.
