A  North Platte man has been charged with a felony after he failed to return a viola he rented from a local business.

At around 3:47 p.m., on April 14, an investigation at Kittle’s Music, 106 E. 5th Street, regarding a viola that had not been returned.

According to Investigator John Deal, staff at Kittle’s reported that Scott Gray had filled out an agreement to rent a viola back in 2010.

Staff at the store said Gray stopped making payments and never returned the viola.

After repeated attempts by the business to contact Gray, including a certified letter, he still failed to return the instrument or make payments.

Eventually the case was turned over to police, who recently made contact with Gray and placed under arrest for felony theft, due to the value of the viola.

Gray was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Deal said the viola was never recovered.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources is holding a weeklong Weather Camp next week on the East Campus.

Students ages 11-15 will learn about weather- and science-related topics.

There will be 15 students representing five states: Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Texas. The students will attend field experiments, seminars, tours of research facilities and workshops that expand their knowledge of atmospheric sciences, weather and forecast models and environmental instrumentation.

• Today: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. South southeast wind 6 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
• Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 10pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. Light and variable wind becoming north northeast 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. North northeast wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Northeast wind 7 to 13 mph.
• Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. East wind 8 to 13 mph.
• Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.
• Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some patients at Veterans Affairs medical centers in Iowa and Nebraska are on waiting lists for treatment, but the facilities say they’re unaware of any unauthorized lists like those uncovered in other states.

A regional VA spokeswoman said Thursday that Iowa and Nebraska facilities were included in a federal investigation of specific sites. Spokeswoman Sharyl Schaepe says the hospitals don’t expect to find problems, but they haven’t been told what the review found.

Reports from U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office say the VA Central Iowa Health Care System had 52 patients on its official waiting list as of May 1. The Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System listed 156 patients. The Iowa City VA Health Care System had 27 patients, while the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System listed 100.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A 38-year-old western Nebraska man has been given two to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Richard Cobos, of Gering, was sentenced on Wednesday in Scotts Bluff County District Court. A jury in April had found him guilty of third-degree sexual assault of a child.

Cobos is a former junior high math teacher in the Mitchell school district, but prosecutors say the girl he was convicted of assaulting in August 2012 is not a student in the school district.

In a separate case, a Morrill County jury last week acquitted Cobos after a two-day trial. He’d been charged with abusing a then 9-year-old girl in 2009.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — A bug expert says the relatively mild winter let more miller moths survive to hang around Nebraska longer this year.

Entomologist David Boxler with the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte says relatively lower temperatures this spring encouraged them to remain, but they’ll move west into the Rockies when the higher, summer temperatures arrive.

Boxler said miller moths are also known as army cutworm moths. They lay eggs in the open fields of the Central Plains, and this spring their emerging larvae caused problems as they fed heavily in alfalfa and wheat fields.

The moths will return this fall to lay eggs in Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa.

Dozens of young men and women will experience what it takes to become a law enforcement officer as they participate in the American Legion Junior Law Cadet program. The cadets will spend a week in June at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center/ Nebraska State Patrol Training Academy (NLETC/NSPTA), 3600 Academy Road in Grand Island.

In its 47^th year, the week-long academy follows a strict itinerary providing the cadets with firsthand knowledge of what is required to become a law enforcement officer in Nebraska. The participants begin each day at 6:15 a.m., with physical fitness training, followed by a flag raising ceremony.

The 37 young women cadets will attend the Jr. Law Academy, the week of June 9-13, while 40 male cadets will participate the following week, June 16-20. During their stay, the cadets will receive hands-on experiences to include defensive tactics, vehicle operations and patrolling, firearms, and fingerprinting.

American Legion Posts from across the state nominated the cadets, who were then selected by District. Participants were selected based on worthy character, interest in law enforcement, evidence of self-discipline and the ability to share the knowledge gained with others. The American Legion and the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) originated the Junior Law Cadet program in Nebraska. The program has since been used as a model in many other states.

The young women participating are from communities across Nebraska to include: Arnold, Ashland, Aurora, Beaver City, Brainard, Burwell, Callaway, Central City, Cody, Cortland, Firth, Gibbon, Grant, Gretna, Hampton, Hastings, Lincoln, McCook, Milford, Nebraska City, Norfolk, North Platte, Omaha, Ord, Papillion, Riverton, Rushville, Shickley, Stapleton, Steinauer, Verdigre, and Yutan.

The young men participating are from communities across Nebraska to include: Arapahoe, Beatrice, Blair, Burwell, Cedar Bluffs, Dawson, Douglas, Elkhorn, Emerson, Franklin, Fremont, Hay Springs, Heartwell, Hyannis, Kearney, Kenesaw, Lawrence, Lexington, Lincoln, Nelson, Nenzel, Ogallala, Omaha, Osmond, Paxton, Plainview, Plattsmouth, Plymouth, Sidney, Stromsburg, Verdigre, Weeping Water, West Point, and York.

A graduation ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m., on the final Friday of each week at the NLETC/NSPTA.

VALENTINE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 51-year-old driver has been killed in a rollover accident in northwestern Nebraska.

Cherry County Attorney Eric Scott says Barry Albers, of Hastings, died in the accident Tuesday. Scott says the vehicle Albers was driving rolled about 14 miles southeast of Valentine, on U.S. Highway 20.

The accident is still being investigated, but officials suspect bad weather is involved.

Two North Platte juveniles are facing serious charges after they stole a car and fought with police.

North Platte Police received a missing juvenile complaint from the father of a 12-year-old girl at around 12:40 p.m., on June 3.

The father reported that the child had left her residence sometime the previous morning.  Officer Rodney Brown said the parents didn’t believe the girl had run away, but thought she might be with friends.

At around 7:20 p.m., a second juvenile was reported missing by her father.  He advised that his 13-year-old daughter had not reported to summer school at Madison Middle School.  It was believed that she may be in the company of the juvenile reported missing earlier.

Later in the night, Brown said officers observed a stolen Chrysler Town and Country van, which had been stolen from the 1400 block of West 4th Street, parked at Kwik Stop, 920 North Jeffers.

Officers approached the van and discovered that the two females attempting to fuel the van were the two missing juveniles.

As officers attempted to place them in custody, both girls became non-compliant and fought with officers.  Brown said two officers were assaulted during the melee.

Once in custody, the girls were transported to the North Platte Police Department.  Brown said the 12-year-old continued to fight with officers upon arrival at the station, and caused damage to the interview room where she was being detained.

In the end, the 13-year-old was charged with two counts of felony assault on an officer, resisting arrest, felony possession of stolen property and being an uncontrollable juvenile.  She was released to the custody of her parents.

The 12-year-old was held and appeared in court Wednesday to be arraigned on two counts of felony assault on an officer, resisting arrest, felony possession of stolen property and criminal mischief.  She is being held at a juvenile detention facility.

• Today: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light north northeast.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. South southeast wind 6 to 14 mph.
• Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. South southeast wind 8 to 13 mph.
• Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. East southeast wind 9 to 11 mph becoming northeast in the evening.
• Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. North northeast wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
• Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.