In what could be the beginning of the end for Hall Elementary School, North Platte Public Schools officials have announced that the school will not have a kindergarten class for the 2014/2015 school year.

NPPS officials say the move is due to a significant decline in enrollment.

The school has 84 students, which is down from over 100.

Superintendent Marty Bassett says the numbers are too low to justify a new kindergarten class.

Several parents, who spoke to the Post, say they are concerned that this my signal the beginning of the end for the school.

Students who would have attended kindergarten at Hall will attend Buffalo Elementary.

The CEO of Great Plains Regional Medical Center has resigned.

The resignation of Greg Nielsen was announced yesterday.

According to Great Plains Regional Medical Center Board President David Pederson, Mel McNea, Great Plains chief operating officer, will serve as interim CEO while a national search is conducted for a permanent CEO.

“Greg’s commitment to Great Plains during the past five years has been appreciated,” said Pederson.

During his leadership, the cardiovascular program, bariatric surgery and wound healing centers were developed and the system embarked on the construction of a new patient tower. Great Plains became more regionally focused and experienced a period of unprecedented growth, said Pederson.

“Great Plains is an exceptional organization that is positioned well for the future,” said Nielsen.  “Their success is a direct result of the great people who make up the organization — the board, administration, medical staff, employees and volunteers.  I am proud to have been part of the Great Plains journey and look forward to watching the progress continue in the future.”

“With a continued focus on patient care and service growth, our health system is headed in the right direction,” said Pederson.  “We fully expect that the high level of patient care and consistent growth will continue.”

Nielsen became CEO in 2009 after serving as interim director for a year.

No details were given on the reason for Nielsen’s departure.

 

 

 

Two Lincoln County businesses are facing penalties after they failed compliance checks over the weekend.

The Nebraska State Patrol conducted compliance checks at 19 retail alcohol outlets in Lincoln (17) and Frontier (2) counties on Saturday April 5.

NSP Public Information Coordinator, Deb Collins, says Ozzie’s I-80 in Sutherland and the Lincoln Highway Diner in North Platte, were both found to be non-compliant after selling alcohol to minors.

Collins said law enforcement performs compliance checks on convenience, liquor and grocery stores, as well as restaurants and bars, to ensure businesses are complying with alcohol laws and to decrease youth access to alcohol.

The checks were made possible, in part, by a grand from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety.

The businesses found to be non-compliant face penalties including fines and sanctioning by the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission.

 

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 82. Breezy, with a west wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph.
• Tonight: A slight chance of sprinkles after 9pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. West southwest wind 10 to 17 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. North wind 5 to 15 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.
• Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. East southeast wind 6 to 8 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 74. South southwest wind 6 to 9 mph.
• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42.

(AP) — A bill designed to help ex-convicts find jobs in Nebraska is headed to a final vote in the Legislature.

The measure, part of the state’s prison reform bill, was amended Tuesday before receiving second-round approval by lawmakers. The legislation would prevent public employers from asking about a job hopeful’s criminal history when they first apply.

The amendment would allow schools to ask about any criminal infractions related to sexual or physical abuse. The amendment came in response to lawmaker concerns about student safety. Supporters say nothing stops the schools from doing the background checks.

The measure was included in prison reforms that aim to reduce the inmate population by providing more services to those behind bars and diverting nonviolent offenders from the Department of Corrections.

A North Platte man is in jail after he ran from North Platte Police and crashed into the porch of a residence.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, an officer was on patrol in the 700 block of East Philip, when they observed two eastbound vehicles traveling at a high rate of speed.

The second vehicle, a 2011 Honda Civic driven by 26-year-old Bryon Little II, was observed passing the lead vehicle at approximately 68 mph.

Brown said the officer turned to make a traffic stop, but Little made no attempt to stop or slow down.  He said Little continued to travel eastbound until he turned onto Bryan Avenue.

Little then lost control control of the vehicle, and crashed into the back porch of a residence in the 800 block of South Bryan.

Little had already fled the scene, but an officer soon spotted him in the 700 block of South Belmont.  A chase ensued, and Little fled into a garage.

Officers were eventually able to subdued him and place him under arrest.

Little was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center on charges of 2nd offense DUI, willful reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and possession of drug paraphernalia.

There were no reports of injuries.

(AP) — Three men have been given probation and fined for a string of thefts from vehicles in the Nebraska Panhandle last year.

Online court records say 19-year-old Austin Clark, 19-year-old Zachery Bibb and 18-year-old Mathieu Priells had pleaded no contest to 10 counts each. On Friday they were given two years of probation, suspended jail sentences of 90 days, 200 hours of community service and were fined $500 on each of the 10 counts. They also were ordered to pay a total of more than $7,100 in restitution.

The men were convicted of stealing items from unlocked vehicles between the end of November and early December.

Clark and Bibb are former players for the men’s basketball team at Western Nebraska Community College.

(AP) — Railroads are launching a new campaign to highlight the dangers of being near train tracks.

The number of trespassing deaths grew 11 percent last year, to 476. And the number of deaths in accidents increased nearly 8 percent, to 250.

It’s hard to pinpoint what’s behind the increase. But Operation Lifesaver CEO Joyce Rose says she thinks it might be a reflection of how distracted Americans can be because of smartphones and other electronic devices.

The ads for the new “See Tracks? Think Train” campaign focus on how people and vehicles stand no chance against a train.

The effort is backed by the Association of American Railroads trade group, major railroads and the Federal Railroad Administration.

(AP) — An 18-year-old man has been arrested after his rescue from a burning tent at a lake in the Nebraska Panhandle.

Scotts Bluff County deputies were sent to Big Lake Alice on Saturday after a woman called to express her concern about the well-being of Mark Vakoc, of Shelton. She said he’d been living in a tent at the lake.

Deputies were searching for Vakoc when they noticed a tent on fire. They found Vakoc trapped inside a burning sleeping bag in the tent. They pulled him out to safety. He wasn’t injured.

The deputies then arrested Vakoc on a Hall County warrant that alleged shoplifting last year. Online court records don’t list the name of his attorney.

(AP) — The American Red Cross is using its free Ready Rating plan to help businesses in Nebraska and other states prepare for damaging weather as tornado season arrives.

At a recent workshop, Red Cross disaster program manager Johnny Jones asked attendees whether their businesses were ready. Jones says up to 40 percent of businesses fail after a natural or man-made disaster.

He says the Ready Rating plan is available online and includes an assessment survey of 123 questions.