(AP) — Three men have pleaded no contest in connection to a string of car robberies in the Nebraska Panhandle last year.
19-year-old Austin Clark, 18-year-old Zach Bibb and 18-year-old Mathieu Priells entered the pleas Thursday to misdemeanor theft charges in Scotts Bluff County Court.
The men are accused of stealing items from unlocked cars between the end of November and early December. Items included cash, a gaming console and other electronics.
The station reports Clark and Bibb are former players for the men’s basketball team at Western Nebraska Community College.
(AP) — A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the number of farms in Nebraska has increased, opposite the national trend which shows farm numbers declining more than 4 percent from 2007 to 2012.
Nebraska saw the number of farms increase 4.7 percent to 49,969 in that time period.
The Census of Agriculture, a report released every five years, updates a wide range of agricultural statistics as of 2012. It was released Thursday.
The report says the average size of a Nebraska farm fell to 907 acres from 953 acres.
Land farmed in Nebraska fell about 148,000 acres to 45.3 million.
The market value of agricultural products sold surged nearly 49 percent to just over $23 billion.
(AP) — An economist says a survey of bankers in 10 Midwest and Plains states suggests the regional economy is losing steam.
The Rural Mainstreet Index dropped below growth neutral in the February survey, hitting 48.4, compared with 50.8 in January and 56.1 in December.
The survey indexes range from 0 to 100, with 50 representing growth neutral. A score above 50 suggests growth in that factor in the months ahead.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the overall index’s decline shows that “areas of the nation highly dependent on agriculture and energy are losing economic steam.”
Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.
(AP) — As the flu season winds down, health officials say it wasn’t as bad as last year and the vaccine worked better. But younger adults were hit harder because of a surge of swine flu.
Overall, hospitalization rates for the flu are only about half what they were last winter. It has been a fairly mild season for the elderly — usually the most vulnerable group to flu and its complications.
But it’s been a different story for younger adults. The government said Thursday that nearly two-thirds of the hospital stays this winter were in adults ages 18-64. Most flu seasons, it’s only one-third.
Swine flu was the dominant strain this winter and it hits young adults harder.
The second suspect in a North Platte armed robbery is in police custody.
According to Officer Rodney Brown, North Platte Police responded to the report of an armed robbery in the 800 block of North Jackson at around 3:30 a.m. on November 13.
Two male victims told officers that sometime between 1:00 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., two male subjects forced their way into their residence and robbed them at gunpoint.
The victims said one subject was wearing a ski mask and was armed with a collapsible baton, the other, who was not wearing a mask, brandished a black semi-automatic hand gun.
The men allegedly demanded money and personal property before making off with around $500 cash, a 35mm camera and accessories valued at around $2,000, cigarettes, a cordless Black and Decker drill and a jig saw attachment.
Following further investigation, Brown said officers were able to identify 34-year-old Jim Bob Cassell and 21-year-old Cody Rogers as the suspects.
Officers met with Cassell on November 14, and arrested him on charges of robbery, use of a weapon to commit a felony, terroristic threats and burglary, all felonies.
A warrant was issued for Rogers’ arrest and, on February 19, Rogers was located during a traffic stop near D Street and Willow Avenue.
Rogers was arrested and jailed on the Lincoln County warrant. He’s also been charged with robbery, use of a weapon to commit a felony, terroristic threats and burglary. Additionally, Rogers was found to have active Keith County warrants for 3rd degree domestic assault, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Rogers and Cassell are both incarcerated at the Lincoln County Detention Center.
When the weather gets wild and crazy, most of us run for shelter. However, members of the media and storm spotters put their safety on the backburner to keep the rest of us safe.
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in North Platte, in coordination with county emergency managers, offer storm spotter classes at several locations to prepare for severe weather season.
If you would like to assist your local community by becoming a volunteer storm spotter and reporting severe weather to the National Weather Service, or if you simply want to learn more about severe weather, consider attending a SkyWarn storm spotter class.
Classes are normally held in the evening and last approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Attendees are taught the basics of thunderstorm development, storm structure, the features to look for, and where to find them. What, when and how to report information as well as basic severe weather safety are also covered.
If you have any questions about a class date or location, please call the contact the National Weather Service office in North Platte, or visit with your local county emergency manager for scheduling the training.
The training is free and may require pre-registration.
(AP) — The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $425 million in time for the latest drawing.
The winning numbers drawn Wednesday night were: 1, 17, 35, 49, 54 and a Powerball of 34. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone matched all the winning numbers.
Odds of winning it all are 1 in about 175 million.
The drawing followed several consecutive drawings that produced no top winner, boosting the jackpot to one of the largest in U.S. history. But it’s still far from the record.
The nation’s biggest lottery prize was a $656 million dollar Mega Millions jackpot won in March 2012. The biggest Powerball jackpot was a $590.5 million prize won last May.
Powerball is played in 43 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
(AP) — Another teenage inmate has been charged in the strangulation of a Scotts Bluff County jailer.
Scotts Bluff County Attorney Doug Warner said in a news release Wednesday that the 16-year-old is charged as an adult with aiding and abetting assault. Warner did not specify what actions by the teen prompted the charge.
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the slaying of 24-year-old Amanda Baker. She died Sunday after she’d been declared brain dead by doctors. The attack took place Friday.
The Associated Press typically doesn’t name juveniles accused of crimes. The boy charged with killing Baker is from Torrington, Wyo., and has been held at the jail since December, charged with robbing a convenience store in Mitchell, Neb. The other boy is from Lisco in Garden County.
(AP) — Counties may soon have a way to regulate door-to-door salesmen through a bill in the Nebraska Legislature.
Sen. John Murante of Gretna introduced the bill, which was heard by the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
The bill would allow counties to regulate the salesmen through charging a fee, issuing a permit or both.
Murante says his constituents have had a problem with aggressive door-to-door salesmen. Cities can regulate these solicitors but counties do not have the authority to do so. Most of the people Murante represents live outside of a municipality.
The Nebraska Association of County Officials and other county representatives testified in support of the bill. No one testified against the bill.
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Windy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to 29 to 34 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 48 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 17. Blustery, with a west wind 16 to 21 mph decreasing to 9 to 14 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 13 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 19. Northwest wind 9 to 14 mph becoming light north after midnight.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of snow after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 37. North wind 5 to 8 mph.
Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16.
(AP) — Three men have pleaded no contest in connection to a string of car robberies in the Nebraska Panhandle last year.
