• Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. South wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming west northwest after midnight.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. West northwest wind 5 to 9 mph.
• Wednesday Night: A chance of snow and freezing drizzle. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Blustery, with a light north northeast wind becoming north 15 to 20 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

(AP) — A 30-year-old Sidney woman has been accused of embezzling from a youth wrestling club.

Online court records say Amanda Sykora is charged with felony theft and forgery. Authorities say Sykora wrote and cashed or deposited 13 unauthorized checks totaling more than $4,500 when she was treasurer of the Sidney Wrestling Club.

Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3.

A phone listed for Sykora is no longer in service. Her attorney didn’t immediately return a call Monday from The Associated Press.

After another year of blood, sweat and tears, the results of Pound Plunge 2013 are in.

The annual event hosted by Eagle Radio has served as motivation for hundreds of people to not only lose weight, but also to make health a lifestyle.

From all of us at Eagle Radio and the North Platte Post, we say thank you and congratulations!

PRIZE WINNERS

SEE ALL POUND PLUNGE 2013 RESULTS HERE

Two California men were arrested for possession of marijuana after the car they were driving hit a deer on Interstate 80 near Sutherland.

Just before 8:30 p.m., on Saturday, November 16, a trooper responded to a report of a crash involving a 2013 Silver Chevy Impala and a deer on eastbound I-80 near the Sutherland exit.

While investigating the crash, the trooper smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.  The trooper was given consent to search. While no marijuana was found in the vehicle, two duffle bags containing 20 lbs. of marijuana were located approximately 10 feet from the vehicle in the grass near a tree.  The marijuana was contained in 20 individual packages.

The driver of the vehicle, Justin D. Bigon, 33, Santa Rosa, Calif., and a passenger in the vehicle, James E. Brisco, 32, Santa Rosa, Calif., were both lodged in the Lincoln County Jail, each on a charge of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver.

A North Platte man has been charged after he allegedly drove drunk and rammed a state vehicle.

According to a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office news release, deputies were called to assist conservation officers with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission at around 8:00 p.m., Sunday, after they reported an accident involving one of their vehicles that ended with a short pursuit.

According to the release, the conservation officers were standing outside of their vehicles, which were parked in a driveway at 11013 East State Farm Road, when a vehicle traveling at an estimated 40 mph missed a turn and entered the driveway, nearly striking the officers.  After the near-miss, the vehicle struck the rear of one of their patrol trucks.

When the officers ordered the driver, 53-year-old Jimmy Williams, out of the vehicle, he sped off.  The officers chased Williams a short distance before forcibly detaining him.

Shortly thereafter, deputies arrived and found probable cause to believe Williams had been drinking.  They administered a series of field sobriety tests which confirmed their suspicions.

Deputies placed Williams under arrest and charged him with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under suspension and leaving the scene of an accident.

Williams was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center, where he provided a breath sample that tested more than twice the legal limit.

Today: Sunny. Highs in the upper 50s. Southwest winds up to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 20s. South winds around 10 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 50s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 30s. Southwest winds around 10 mph.

(AP) — Holiday gatherings often revolve around big meals, so experts say it’s important to remember food safety.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln food specialist Julie Albrecht says too many people make the mistake of leaving food out of the refrigerator too long at parties.

Perishable food shouldn’t be out of the refrigerator for more than two hours, and refrigerators should be 40 degrees or cooler.

Albrecht says party hosts can help keep food safe by setting serving containers on top of ice.

Leftovers should generally be eaten within three to four days. Albrecht says solid leftovers should be reheated to 165 degrees and liquids should be brought to a boil.

(AP) — The Republican gubernatorial hopefuls in Nebraska are latching onto federal issues as they campaign for state office.

Governors have no direct control over federal policy, but the hot-button issues of federal gun control, U.S. environmental policy and federal health insurance expansion are getting plenty of attention.

The candidates are locked in a competitive five-way primary to replace Republican Gov. Dave Heineman, who can’t run again because of term limits. The field includes state Sens. Charlie Janssen, Tom Carlson and Beau McCoy, State Auditor Mike Foley and Omaha businessman Pete Ricketts.

Kevin Smith, a University of Nebraska political science professor, says the state and federal issues are often intertwined, but raising them in a primary could help stir the Republican base, even if a governor’s influence on federal policy is limited.

(AP) — Nebraska will see some lasting benefits from the Colorado floodwaters that flowed into the state this fall in the South Platte and Platte rivers.

The floodwaters that were diverted into irrigation canals along the river will help boost groundwater levels in the area and help the Platte and Republican rivers.

The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources worked with six irrigation districts along the South Platte, North Platte and Platte rivers to divert water once it became clear flooding was imminent because of the massive amount of rain that fell in Colorado in September.

John Thorburn with the Tri-Basin Natural Resources District says capturing some of the floodwaters in the midst of a drought was a great opportunity.