OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The threat of carbon monoxide poisoning grows as the Nebraska weather turns colder.
The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha says the use of furnaces, fireplaces, car engines and generators in areas with poornventilation can lead to carbon monoxide exposure, so caution should be used.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, tasteless and odorless gas that can affect the flow of oxygen in the blood stream. Poisoning can take hours to days. Signs include headache, dizziness and flu-like symptoms. Those who are exposed may need oxygen treatments or time in a hyperbaric unit.

MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) – A judge has fined a McCook city councilman $150 for disturbing the peace.
Judge Anne Paine warned Councilman Aaron Kircher that repeat offenses could lead to higher fines and even jail.
The case against Kircher began around 1:30 a.m. on July 31 when a neighbor called police to complain about a noisy party.
Three McCook police officers who testified during Kircher’s trial last week said they’ve responded to similar complaints about noisy parties at Kircher’s home.
Kircher apologized during the trial, saying he was not trying to defy the law or disturb anyone’s peace.

 

As our first true taste of winter rolls through this week, it’s a perfect backdrop to Nebraska Winter Weather Awareness Day, November 3rd. The National Weather Service and the North Platte Post want to encourage you to focus your attention to winter weather and the dangers it can pose to life and property. Each year in the U.S., many deaths are attributed to hazardous winter storms and the dangers that accompany them. Now is the time to prepare for the winter season!

For more information on winter weather warnings, advisories and preparedness, check out www.weather.gov/lbf and be sure to check out northplattepost.com for the latest weather updates, closings and cancellations.

For road conditions and closures call 511 or log on to www.511.nebraska.gov/atis/html/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The Nebraska Supreme Court will decide whether so-called “alcopops” should be taxed as hard liquor. On Thursday, the state’s high court will hear the Nebraska Attorney General’s appeal of a Feb. 14 ruling by Lancaster County District Judge John Colborn. Colborn found that state law dictates drinks containing any distilled alcohol should be taxed as hard liquor.
The difference between beer and hard liquor tax rates is more than $3 a gallon, so the price of beverages such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Smirnoff Ice would likely increase if the ruling stands. Those brewed malt beverages – dubbed by some as “alcopops” because of the drinks’ sweet taste and pop-like packaging – are flavored with distilled spirits.
The drinks had been classified as beer by the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (North Platte Post)- A North Platte man has been charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography.

34 year old Jason Robert Bielicki was arrested Monday after officers used “forensically sound software” to preview the hard drives on two of Bielicki’s computers. The validated software ensures that the images were present on the hard drives before police confiscation.

According to Lt. Steve Reeves of the North Platte Police Department, officers obtained a search warrant for Bielicki’s residence at 2318 West 1st after receiving information that Bielicki was in possession of child pornography and conducting an investigation. Lt. Reeves told the North Platte Post that he expects more charges to be filed as the investigation continues.

Bielicki is being held without bail in the Lincoln County Jail.

 

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (North Platte Post)- A two vehicle accident at the corner of B and McDonald in North Platte on Friday afternoon sent two people to the hospital. Lt. Rich Hoaglund with the North Platte Police Department told the North Platte Post that a 2010 Chevy Equinox driven by Lisa Bassett was traveling west on B Street when it was struck by a 1992 Chevy 1500 pickup truck headed north on McDonald. Andrew Lucero, the driver of the pickup, was distracted and failed to yield at the stop sign on the corner. Bassett and another passenger in the Equinox were taken to GPRMC with non life-threatening injuries. No fatalities were reported.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A lawyer who is working with opponents of the Keystone XL oil pipeline says Nebraska lawmakers could move the proposed route away from the Sandhills.
Omaha attorney Brian Jorde suggested Thursday that lawmakers establish a 100-mile-wide corridor that pipeline builders would have to follow.
Lawmakers are set to meet in a special session related to the project starting Tuesday. The pipeline would pass through the Nebraska Sandhills and over the massive Ogallala Aquifer, a source of irrigation and drinking water.
TransCanada spokesman Shawn Howard concedes that state law would apply to projects that haven’t proceeded as far as the Keystone XL. But he says the company has worked on the Keystone XL project in good faith and followed the existing rules.

 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The Nebraska Supreme Court has ordered a new hearing for a man convicted of killing his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter.
Donald Lee was sentenced in 2009 to 70 years in prison after pleading no contest to second-degree murder in the 2008 death of 4-year-old Ashlynn Gamble, who was strangled and had her skull fractured.
Lee claimed in his appeal that he had been denied his right to a speedy trial, that the court had not properly advised him of his rights when he entered a no-contest plea and that he was denied effective legal representation.
On Friday, the state’s high court rejected Lee’s no-contest and ineffective counsel arguments, but said the Lincoln County District Court failed to produce documents showing Lee had asked for continuances, delaying his trial.

 

 

 

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – A preliminary hearing has been set for four North Platte residents charged with child abuse and false imprisonment after police found two young boys locked in a dog kennel in their home. 

Court records show that 22-year-old Ashly Clark, 25-year-old Bryson Eyten, 24-year-old Samantha Eyten and 20-year-old Lacy Beyer declined to waive their preliminary hearings during a Lincoln County Court appearance on Thursday. Contested preliminary hearings for the four have been set for Nov. 10. 

The four were arrested late Monday after police found the boys, ages 3 and 5, in a 30-by-42-inch wire kennel inside a filthy trailer home. Police say the boys’ mother, Clark, told officers she put the boys in the kennel at night to keep them from climbing out of a window.