A 51-year-old North Platte man is facing a burglary charge after he allegedly forced his way into a home in order to collect on a debt.

At around 9:50 p.m., on July 25, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to a residence in the 700 block of South Chestnut Street on the report of a theft.

Upon arrival, a 59-year-old male told officers that Wade Harlow had came to his residence and forced his way past the man and into his home.

The man reported that Harlow was demanding that a friend of the homeowner pay him money that he owed him.  Harlow then allegedly grabbed two cordless drills, valued at around $250 each, and left with them.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, Harlow told the homeowner that he was “holding onto the drills” until he was paid.

At approximately 2:00 a.m., the investigating officer located Harlow’s vehicle parked in the Patriot Mobile Home Park, 2300 East Philip Avenue, and observed the two drills laying on the passenger side floorboard.

Contact was made with Harlow and, following further investigation, he was taken into custody.

Harlow was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center on a charge of felony burglary.

NEW YORK (AP) — When it comes to preventing the spread of germs, maybe the president is on to something with his fondness for fist bumps.

A new study found that a quick fist bump spreads only one-twentieth the amount of bacteria that a handshake does. That’s even better than a high-five, which passes along less than half the amount as a handshake.

What makes the fist bump more sanitary? The researchers say mostly it’s the smaller amount of surface area in contact between the two hands.

Researchers at Aberystwyth University in Wales did the study. It was published online Monday in the American Journal of Infection Control.

The fist bump has been popularized in recent years by athletes and by President Barack Obama.

• Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Southeast wind 6 to 11 mph.
• Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. East southeast wind 9 to 11 mph.
• Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. East southeast wind 7 to 14 mph.
• Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 81. East southeast wind 5 to 8 mph.
• Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska prison officials say the errors made in calculating sentences for hundreds of inmates will cost the state at least $4 million, but at least one lawmaker says the cost is likely to be higher.

The state Department of Correctional Services released a preliminary cost estimate on Friday.

The miscalculated sentences of nearly 600 people were discovered earlier this month after the Omaha World-Herald reported that the state was using a flawed formula in cases involving mandatory minimum sentences.

Officials estimate that correcting the sentences will cost the state about $4 million over the next decade and as much as $10 million through 2064.

But Omaha state Sen. Heath Mello, who leads the Appropriations Committee, says he thinks officials are understating the costs.

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — A national survey finds the average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline has plummeted 9 cents a gallon over the past two weeks to $3.58.

That’s the largest drop this year.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday the decrease came despite a rise in crude-oil prices.

Lundberg says U.S. refiners, enjoying plentiful supplies, aggressively cut wholesale prices to chase sales.

Midgrade averages were $3.78, and premium averages were $3.93.

The U.S. average retail diesel price is down 4 cents per gallon, to $3.90.

The lowest average price Lundberg found in the lower 48 states was $3.23 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The highest was $4.03 in San Francisco.

The average price for a gallon of regular in Nebraska is $3.39.

The lowest average price in California was $3.86 in Sacramento.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — When you’re Nebraska governor, the gifts just keep coming.

Gov. Dave Heineman reports he received 255 gifts last year. That’s an average of nearly five gifts a week.

Gifts disclosed included food, books, T-shirts and 25 free golf outings with friends, business executives and lobbyists.

Most of the gifts fell below the state’s $100 reporting requirement. Four were valued at more than $1,000, including memberships at two exclusive golf clubs, according to data from the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission requested by The Associated Press.

Jack Gould of Common Cause Nebraska says the gifts should be banned because they undermine public trust.

Heineman says he golfs to relax with friends, and most of the gifts are tokens of appreciation from community groups he visits.

Gifts to Gov. Dave Heineman, according to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission:

— 26 food items, including eight filet mignon Omaha steaks and lobster tails from Maine Gov. Paul LePage, a box of Tootsie Rolls and Christmas cookies from the Nebraska Supreme Court.

— 25 golf outings with friends, business executives and lobbyists, including chamber of commerce events.

— 48 Books, many of them promotional or Nebraska-themed. Titles include “Eat Move Sleep,” ”Standing Bear of the Ponca,” ”Texas Trounces the Left’s War on History,” and a large-print Bible.

— 34 sets of tickets to events, including campaign fundraisers for Republican candidates, chamber of commerce luncheons, charity banquets and a $500 ticket to the Omaha Symphony Gala.

— 30 shirts from businesses, school groups and constituents.

— Four gifts valued at more than $1,000: a $2,000 golf bag from Tam and Kathleen Allan; an $1,875 golf package from Cox Communications; a membership at the Hillcrest Country Club in Lincoln (exact price not given); and a membership at the Champions Run Golf Club in Omaha, valued at $3,000.

— A dog collar, leash and handkerchief for Snickers, the first dog.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — TD Ameritrade plans to invest $1.25 million over the next decade in helping students prepare for careers as financial planners.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based online brokerage says it hopes more students will consider studying financial planning because the demand for financial advice is growing.

Ten students recently received $5,000 scholarships to help them pursue bachelor’s degrees in financial planning, and the group got to visit Wall Street and ring the closing bell for the New York Stock Exchange.

In addition to scholarships, TD Ameritrade awarded a $50,000 grant to the University of Georgia and a $25,000 grant to Texas A&M University to help the schools develop and strengthen programs focused on financial planning.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The state treasurer is warning the public about misleading postcards that appear to be from Nebraska’s unclaimed property division.

State Treasurer Don Stenberg said Friday that the cards are stamped with the words “Unclaimed Property Notification,” but aren’t from the state. The postcards instruct recipients to call a toll-free number and enter their person identification information. A recorded message at the toll-free number advises callers to search for unclaimed property at www.unclaimed.org .

Stenberg says the website mentioned is not from the state treasurer. The correct website is www.treasurer.org . The treasurer’s office can be reached at 402-471-8497 of 877-572-9688.

Officials in Nebraska and other states have received complaints about the postcards, which are postmarked from Denver.

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — Supporters of an indoor recreation center in Chadron are circulating a petition to put a half-cent sales tax on the November ballot to fund the project.

Supporters need to get just over 300 registered voters living in the Chadron city limits to sign by Sept. 2, the deadline to get issues on the ballot.

A group of local residents want to convert the city’s outdoor pool to an indoor recreation center.

The Chadron City Council rejected the sale tax proposal Monday night, failing to come up with the super-majority needed. That left supporters to turn to a petition drive to get the issue on the ballot.

• Jason Andrew Lamp, 30, North Platte and Penny Jean Short, 36, North Platte

 

• Marvin Louis Donnelly, 66, Hershey NE and Frances Diane Brown, 63, North Platte

 

• Martin Matthew Schmidt Jr., 34, North Platte and Amanda Grace Juarez, 28, North Platte

 

• Blake Allyn Whitson, 31, Canute OK and Michelle Diane Boeshart , 27, Canute OK

 

• Anthony Michael Redden, 38, North Platte and Julie Ann Erickson, 54, North Platte

 

• Robert Lyle Martinson II, 34, North Platte and Amber Dawn Goos, 28, Mason City NE

 

• Kelly Ray Nelsen, 48, North Platte and Lisa Ann Blea, 48, North Platte

 

• Michael Lynn Wilson. 44, Curtis NE and Amy Lynn Klemke,43, Curtis NE