• Today: Patchy blowing dust after 9am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. Very windy, with a northwest wind 28 to 33 mph increasing to 38 to 43 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 14. Windy, with a north northwest wind 22 to 32 mph decreasing to 11 to 21 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 43 mph.
• Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 49. West wind 7 to 10 mph.
• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. West northwest wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

...STRONG WINDS EXPECTED TODAY ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

.INTENSE LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK FROM SOUTH CENTRAL CANADA INTO
THE GREAT LAKES TODAY. VERY STRONG NORTHWESTERLY WINDS OF 35 TO 45
MPH...WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH ARE LIKELY TODAY THROUGH EARLY THIS
EVENING. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO RELAX SOME BY MID EVENING.

SHERIDAN-EASTERN CHERRY-KEYA PAHA-BOYD-BROWN-ROCK-HOLT-GARDEN-
GRANT-HOOKER-THOMAS-BLAINE-LOUP-GARFIELD-WHEELER-ARTHUR-MCPHERSON-
LOGAN-CUSTER-DEUEL-KEITH-PERKINS-LINCOLN-CHASE-HAYES-FRONTIER-
WESTERN CHERRY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...GORDON...RUSHVILLE...VALENTINE...
SPRINGVIEW...SPENCER...AINSWORTH...BASSETT...ONEILL...OSHKOSH...
HYANNIS...MULLEN...THEDFORD...DUNNING...TAYLOR...BURWELL...
BARTLETT...ARTHUR...TRYON...STAPLETON...BROKEN BOW...CHAPPELL...
BIG SPRINGS...OGALLALA...GRANT...NORTH PLATTE...IMPERIAL...
HAYES CENTER...CURTIS...EUSTIS...CODY...MERRIMAN...KILGORE
313 AM CST THU JAN 16 2014 /213 AM MST THU JAN 16 2014/

...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CST /7 PM MST/
THIS EVENING...

A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CST /7 PM MST/
THIS EVENING.

* TIMING: STRONG NORTHWESTERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TODAY. THE WINDS
  WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH THIS EVENING.

* WINDS: VERY STRONG WINDS ARE FORECAST LATE TONIGHT AND
  THURSDAY...WITH SUSTAINED NORTHWEST WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH AND
  GUSTS TO 60 MPH.

* IMPACTS: STRONG CROSS WINDS WILL MAKE TRAVEL HAZARDOUS...
  ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE OPERATING LIGHTWEIGHT OR HIGH PROFILE
  VEHICLES. OBJECTS OUTDOORS WILL BLOW AROUND UNLESS THEY ARE
  FASTENED DOWN. LOCALIZED AREAS OF BLOWING DUST AND REDUCED
  VISIBILITIES ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTHWESTERN AND
  WESTERN NEBRASKA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED
OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS
OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE.

(AP) — Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman is calling for a long-term study of Nebraska’s prison system and promising short-term fixes to address the immediate overcrowding problem.

The Republican governor called on lawmakers Wednesday during his final State of the State address to reform Nebraska’s “good time” law for violent inmates. Lawmakers have promised major reforms this year to address overcrowding and to reform the system that allowed the release of Nikko Jenkins, who is accused of four Omaha-area slayings.

Heineman also renewed his push for property and income tax cuts and held firm in his opposition to expanding Medicaid in Nebraska as part of the federal health care law.

COURTESY OF THE NORTH PLATTE POLICE DEPARTMENT 

Madison “Maddy” Pacheco was found alive and well Tuesday.

Police released few details about the case, saying only that Maddy had been living in Lincoln with two women on her own free will.

Maddy had been missing since December 7th when she suddenly disappeared in Omaha after accompanying a friend to work.

Maddy’s family reached out to media and citizens across the nation to help find the 16-year-old and bring her home safe.

The family’s Facebook page says they know little about the details and asked for privacy while they spend time together and try to sort through everything that has happened.

Maddy’s father and grandparents live in the North Platte area.

The Post will release more details as they become available.

(AP) — More than three dozen fires are being set in northwest Nebraska to reduce the risk of wildfires in the Pine Ridge area.

The officials who oversee the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands are planning to burn the piles of wood and brush to eliminate fuel for wildfires.

Fires in the Nebraska Panhandle burned about 258 square miles in three counties during 2012. Much of the land that burned was part of the forested Pine Ridge.

Acting Pine Ridge District Ranger Carla Loop says burning the slash piles is an important way to reduce fire risk.

The fires will only be set when weather conditions meet certain conditions, and the fires will be monitored until they are out.

(AP) — A 41-year-old man has been scheduled for sentencing March 11 after changing his plea in a western Nebraska arson case.

Isaac Gonzalez originally pleaded not guilty to a felony arson charge for a fire Dec. 13, 2012, in the basement of a house he’d been renting in Alliance. Online court records show a Loveland, Colo., address for Gonzalez.

The records show Gonzalez changed his plea to no contest on Friday after prosecutors lowered the charge to attempted second-degree arson.

Authorities say Alliance officers broke out a window and pulled Gonzalez to safety after he set the fire in the house basement. He was hospitalized in Scottsbluff.

(AP) — A new study has ranked Nebraska No. 1 nationally in its ability to cover its long-term financial obligations, and fourth in its overall fiscal health.

The report released Tuesday by George Mason University looked at each state’s preparedness to face budget problems.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has suggested that states will face a negative long-term outlook, despite recent gains in tax revenues and pension assets. The predictions are based on an expected rise in the cost of health care and funding for state and local pensions.

The study ranks Nebraska No. 1 for its long-term solvency, followed by Alaska, Indiana, Tennessee and Alabama. Nebraska ranked fourth for overall fiscal health, behind Alaska, South Dakota and North Dakota. Wyoming ranked fifth.

(AP) — High winds roared through much of Nebraska and Iowa, with gusts of more than 50 mph at the Omaha airport.

The wind was blamed for overturning a truck and trailer on Interstate 80 in Council Bluffs about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, blocking the westbound lanes near the Missouri River Bridge. The trailer was removed and freeway lanes reopened within about an hour.

Earlier Tuesday, a wind gust of 55 mph was recorded at Eppley Airfield in Omaha. Council Bluffs also recorded a gust of 48 mph, and Des Moines had a 45 mph gust.

The National Weather Service says Wednesday should be calm but more windy weather is expected Thursday.