RED CLOUD, Neb. (AP) — A judge who served up justice in several southern Nebraska counties has died in Red Cloud.

The Williams Funeral Home says Judge Michael Offner died Saturday at Webster County Community Hospital. He was 62.

Offner had been a county judge since 2001 in the 10th Judicial District, which is composed of Adams, Clay, Fillmore, Franklin, Harlan, Kearney, Nuckolls, Phelps and Webster counties.

In Hastings, Judge Michael Burns says Offner was “the consummate judge, and he was always very approachable with a great sense of humor and a genuine kindness that was unmatched.”

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The National Weather Service is warning of dangerously low temperatures in most of Nebraska and in northwest and northern Iowa.

The service says in its advisory for western Nebraska that the air temperature in Scottsbluff likely won’t reach above 2 degrees on Tuesday and is expected to dip to minus 24 overnight, with a wind chill of minus 40.

To the east in Sioux City, Iowa, a high of 3 is expected on Tuesday, with a wind chill of minus 24. In Omaha to the south, a Tuesday high of 7 is expected, with a wind child of minus 14 during the day and minus 17 overnight.

The Tuesday morning temperature of minus 7 in Mason City, Iowa, could reach 3 above later in the day.

A North Platte woman is in jail after she allegedly tried to get her point across to her boyfriend using a rock.

At around 9:53 a.m., on November 21, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to Great Plains Health to meet with the victim of an assault.

Upon arrival, officers met with the 55-year-old male victim, who alleged that his live-in girlfriend, 48-year-old LeAnn Skinner, had assaulted him at their residence in the 2300 block of East Philip Avenue.

According to police, it was reported that the victim and Skinner had been arguing, so the victim contacted a family member to come and remove him from the situation.

The victim claimed that, as he was packing his belongings, Skinner struck him in the back of the head with a rock.

He stated that when the family member arrived to pick him up, they had to force their way into the residence.

Police contacted the family member, who advised that, when they arrived, they heard what sounded like an assault taking place inside the residence.  As a result, they forced their way into the home, where they found the injured victim.

Officers made contact with Skinner, who was hospitalized for unrelated reasons.

Authorities say there was some confusion on when Skinner was released from the hospital, but, in any case, she was contacted on December 29, and placed under arrest.

Skinner was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center on a charge of felony aggravated assault.

The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension offices have scheduled training workshops to help livestock and crop farmers turn manure nutrients into better crop yields.

The land application training will also show ways they can protect the environment.

The workshops are scheduled throughout the state in January and February. A full list is available athttps://water.unl.edu/lat .

Livestock producers with livestock waste control facility permits received or renewed since April 1998 must be certified.

A farm must complete an approved training every five years, and farm personnel responsible for land application of manure are also encouraged to attend.

Pre-registration is required for all workshops. A $60 fee for one operation representative will be charged for the day long workshops. The workshops will charge $15 for each additional participant.

• Today: A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly before 9am. Mostly cloudy and cold, with a high near 4. Wind chill values as low as -14. North wind 7 to 10 mph.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around -17. Wind chill values as low as -32. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph after midnight.
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 15. Wind chill values as low as -33. West wind 7 to 13 mph.
• Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around -5. Wind chill values as low as -18. West northwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
• New Year’s Day: Sunny, with a high near 26. West wind 6 to 8 mph.
• Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 5.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraskans generally owe less consumer debt than the rest of the nation, and federal regulators say they are more likely to repay it.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Missouri, says Nebraskans owed an average of $14,780 in consumer debt when first mortgages are excluded.

That’s lower than the national average of $17,205 in the third quarter and the regional average debt of $16,105 in the district covered by the bank.

The 10th Federal Reserve District covers Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado, northern New Mexico and western Missouri.

The delinquency rate on consumer debt in Nebraska was 2.5 percent in the third quarter. That’s less than half the national delinquency rate of 5.8 percent and lower than the regional rate of 4.1 percent.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Being uninsured in America will cost you more in 2015.

It’s the first year all taxpayers have to report to the Internal Revenue Service whether they had health insurance for the previous year, as required under President Barack Obama’s law.

Those who were uninsured face fines, unless they qualify for one of about 30 exemptions, most of which involve financial hardships.

Many people don’t realize it, but those fines are going up significantly in 2015.

Dayna Dayson of Phoenix estimates that she’ll have to pay the taxman about $290 on her federal return.

Dayson is in her early 30s. She works in marketing, and doesn’t have a lot left over each month.

She says she’d like health insurance, but it just didn’t fit into her budget.

A North Platte woman has been charged after she allegedly stole from a local store, while in possession of drugs.

At around 2:15 p.m., on December 27, North Platte Police responded to the report of a shoplifter at Walmart in North Platte.

Officers were told that Loss Prevention personnel at the store were holding the suspect, 45-year-old Debra Pascoe.

Officers arrived and learned that Pascoe had concealed over $200 worth of merchandise in her coat and purse, and attempted to leave the store without paying for it.

Pascoe was placed under arrest, and a subsequent search led to the discovery of several bags of suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Pascoe was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center, where corrections officers found her to be in possession of a prescription pill for which she did not have a prescription.

Pascoe was booked into jail and charged with shoplifting and two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance.

With bitterly cold weather in the forecast, Municipal Light and Water would like to remind North Platte residents to protect their pipes.

According to Leroy Kramer, with Municipal Light and Water, residents should leave their water running to prevent their water service from freezing up.

Kramer said an 1/8th inch stream will prevent the main water service from freezing, which will prevent costly repair bills and the inconvenience of being without water.

Municipal Light and Water does have devices available that, when installed in your toilet, will keep the water running constantly.

Kramer said it’s also a good idea to check foundation vents to ensure they are closed, and to check the foundation for cracks or openings that would allow cold air to blow into or under your crawlspace.

Finally, make sure all hoses are disconnected from the faucet to prevent the faucet from freezing and bursting.

If you have questions or concerns, contact Municipal Light and Water at (308) 535-6740, or stop by their office at 201 West 3rd Street, in North Platte.

A 19-year-old North Platte woman is facing charges following a traffic stop Sunday night.

At around 9:27 p.m., on December 28, an officer with the North Platte Police Department conducted a traffic stop after they observed a vehicle fail to stop for the stop sign at C and Bailey Streets.

The officer made contact with the driver, Julia Flores, and became suspicious that Flores had been drinking.

After further investigation, Flores was placed under arrest and charged with driving while intoxicated-juvenile.

Flores was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center, where the officer found here to be in possession of a prescription pill for which she did not have a prescription.

In the end, Flores was charged with driving while intoxicated-juvenile, felony possession of a controlled substance, minor in possession of alcohol and the stop sign violation.