Great Plains Health and project partners Midlands Family Medicine, Pathology Services PC and U Save Pharmacy will be hosting a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 3 at 12:30 p.m. for the Great Plains Physician Office Building expansion in North Platte. The ceremony will be held on the building site directly northwest of the current physician office building, located at 611 West Francis Street.

The expansion will nearly triple the size of the current building to a total of 70,600 square feet and extend northwest of the existing physician office building. The new facility will feature medical clinics, an on-site pharmacy, X-ray services, expanded parking and an increased number of exam rooms to accommodate the growing North Platte medical community.

According to Mel McNea, Great Plains Health interim CEO, the project design incorporates best practices for improving patient flow, communication among providers and patients and overall consumer satisfaction. The estimated project cost is $14.5 million.

Erdman Company, a Wisconsin-based, healthcare-specific facility, planning, development and design-build firm, has been selected to lead the construction effort. The ERDMAN team will be selecting sub-contractors from the local region. Scott Anderson, ERDMAN Company site superintendent, has been appointment as the site construction manager for the physician office building project.  ERDMAN Company was the general contractor when the building was originally built in 1994.

The scheduled completion date for the project is August 2015, the same timeframe as the hospital’s new patient tower opening.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The contract between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and Catholic Health Initiatives is set to expire Sunday after the two sides failed Friday to agree on rates.

The failed bargaining means that starting Monday, people who visit doctors or hospitals in Nebraska associated with the Catholic Health Initiatives network will have to pay more if they have insurance from Blue Cross.

Blue Cross says CHI Health, which used to be called Alegent Creighton Health, routinely charges 10 to 30 percent more than other Omaha hospitals. CHI Health says those figures are misleading and it believes its total cost of treatment is lower, even if certain services cost more.

A Blue Cross spokesman says no other negotiation meetings are scheduled this weekend before the contract is set to expire Sunday.

 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has struck down two exceptions to the state’s public smoking ban, dealing a blow to cigar bars and tobacco shops, but sparing the exception for some hotel guestrooms that allow smoking.

The decision Friday came in the case of Big John’s Billiards, an Omaha pool hall, whose owner sued after Nebraska enacted a statewide public smoking ban in 2009. The law bans smoking in all public buildings and private businesses, including bars and restaurants. However, the law provided exceptions for cigar bars, some hotel rooms and tobacco-only retailers.

In a split decision, the state’s high court found that the exception for hotel rooms is permissible, because hotel guestrooms are akin to private homes. But it found the exceptions for cigar bars and tobacco retailers unconstitutional.

 

A 28-year-old North Platte man is in jail after he led deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office on a short chase through North Platte.

At around 12:19 a.m., on August 29, a deputy working the “You Drink, You Drive, You Lose” campaign observed an vehicle traveling eastbound on Highway 30 in excess of the posted speed limit.  According to a news release, the deputy clocked the vehicle traveling in excess of 80 mph in a 45 mph zone.

The deputy activated his emergency lights and attempted to stop the vehicle.  Deputies say the vehicle slowed down, but continued to travel eastbound.

The deputy pursued the vehicle into the city limits of North Platte, where the vehicle turned south onto Buffalo Bill Avenue and ran a red light.

The vehicle then turned west onto 2nd Street, before turning onto Elder Street and stopping at a residence.

Deputies made contact with the driver, Scott Trueblood, who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

Trueblood was given a series of field sobriety tests, and it was determined that he was impaired.  The results of a breath test were nearly two times the legal limit to drive a vehicle.

Trueblood was placed under arrest and transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.

He’s been charged with felony driving under the influence of liquor-3rd offense, operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest and numerous other traffic violations.

 

• Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. West northwest wind around 6 mph.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. North wind 3 to 6 mph.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 87. East northeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.
• Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. South wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 7 to 11 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
• Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 54.
• Labor Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.
• Monday Night: A slight chance of s

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are still looking at ways to measure how well the state’s business tax incentives work.

A special committee met at the Capitol on Thursday to hear from business groups and tax experts about Nebraska’s tax programs. The committee was formed earlier this year amid concerns that state law is too vague in explaining what each tax break should accomplish.

Business groups say the tax incentives have helped grow the state’s economy, and they urged senators not to make the application process to difficult. Some groups suggested that senators focus the tax incentives toward areas with high unemployment or a large number of unfilled jobs.

Sen. John Harms of Scottsbluff, the committee chairman, says lawmakers could have some early recommendations by September.

 

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — An official says attendance has been climbing at The Archway museum that spans Interstate 80 in south-central Nebraska’s Kearney.

Marketing coordinator Jace Robinson said that, since March, there’s been higher attendance every month other than July. He says August is looking good, too. Robinson didn’t release specific numbers.

The monument spans Interstate 80 and has exhibits that commemorate the Oregon, Mormon and California pioneer trails. It has struggled with disappointing attendance since its opening. Nearly 250,000 people visited in 2001, but last year’s attendance was just under 50,000.

Robinson says many factors could have contributed to the rising attendance, including the opening of the Cherry Avenue exit off the interstate, which has eased access for visitors.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A 24-year-old man has been convicted of attempted sex assaults on three girls in south-central Nebraska’s Buffalo County.

Christopher Reeves pleaded no contest on Tuesday. He faces up to 60 years in prison.

Authorities say the girls were 14 and that the incidents occurred in Kearney and Buffalo County. Buffalo County prosecutor Melanie Young says Reeves met one of the girls through Facebook, another during Kearney’s Cruise Nite and already knew the third girl.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state officials are advising residents to prepare for emergencies and natural disasters before they hit.

Gov. Dave Heineman says residents should create disaster supply kits and take steps so they can care for family members for up to 72 hours. The governor on Wednesday declared September as Nebraska Preparedness Month.

Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, adjutant general of the Nebraska National Guard, says preparation is important given the tornadoes, floods and fires that have struck the state in the last few years.

The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency says multiple websites are available to help residents plan, including www.ready.gov and www.bereadynebraska.com .

BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP) — Broken Bow voters will decide this fall whether to change the form of their city’s government.

Signatures on a petition calling for a change have been confirmed, and the measure will go on the Nov. 4 ballot.

A booming economy in Broken Bow prompted calls for a city manager who would oversee the central Nebraska’s city’s development.

Many of the city’s current management duties are handled by the mayor, acting on advice from a city administrator. A city manager would have power to act on the city’s day-to-day business, like the CEO of a major business. The City Council would act as a board of directors, focused on a long-term vision.