NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – A federal relief center has been opened to help residents affected by flooding in North Platte. An estimated 78 families have been affected by the swollen Platte River. The relief center open in the Westfield Shopping Center is operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA can help flood victims find temporary housing and make repairs to their homes.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Environmentalists hoping to block a proposed underground pipeline that would funnel oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico have pinned their hopes on an unlikely ally: the conservative state of Nebraska. Few states are as red as Nebraska, which hasn’t supported a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964. But opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline has risen steadily since the project was proposed three years ago. The reason is fear of contaminating the Ogallala Aquifer, a subterranean reservoir that spans a large swath of the Great Plains and provides water to much of Nebraska, as well as seven other states. Opponents have grown to include Nebraska’s conservative governor along with the state’s U.S. senators, a Republican and a conservative Democrat. Many in the public also are hostile to the idea.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (North Platte Post)- North Platte residents no longer have to leave town for heart catheterization or specialized cardiac care. Great Plains Regional Medical Center has opened their Heart & Vascular Services Center. Cardiologists Dr.’s Ali and Arteaga along with APRN Sydney Buckland and staff can now provide a wide range of treatments including cardiac stents which previously had to be handled elsewhere. The Great Plains Heart and Vascular Center is the only interventional cardiology and vascular facility in Nebraska west of Kearney.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – A North Platte woman has been sentenced to one to three years in prison for giving her daughter a prescription drug that was passed to another teen. The North Platte Telegraph reports that 36-year-old Amie Jackson was sentenced Tuesday. Jackson made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty in August to a reduced charge of attempting to commit a class three felony. Prosecutors say Jackson gave her teen daughter the anti-anxiety medication Xanax, and her daughter gave the pills to a friend. Jackson was arrested in June. Jackson received credit for the 71 days she has already spent in jail.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – New U.S. Census estimates show Nebraska’s median household income increased more than $300 per family between 2009 and 2010, the largest proportional gain of any state. The report released Thursday shows income grew to $48,408 last year, a nearly 1 percent gain. The only larger increase was the District of Columbia. David Drozd, a researcher for the Center for Public Affairs Research, attributes Nebraska’s growth to its low unemployment and higher commodity prices that helped farmers. Rural western Nebraska saw the largest income increase, while the Omaha area saw a decline. Nebraska was one of only five states that saw median income growth. The others were South Dakota, North Dakota, West Virginia and Virginia.

OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) – A 57-year-old Ogallala man has been indicted by a federal grand jury that alleges he lied to the Social Security Administration. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Hap Staman faces two charges: fraud and making false statements to a U.S. agency. A news release from the office says that in 2007, Staman didn’t provide information that would have disqualified him from continuing to receive disability payments. It also says that in December 2010, Staman lied on a Social Security form so he could continue to receive the payments. Staman faces five years on each charge. Staman did not immediately return a call Wednesday from The Associated Press. Online court records don’t list the name of his attorney.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman says he has urged a Canadian energy company to reroute a proposed oil pipeline that would that would cross the Ogallala Aquifer. Heineman told reporters Wednesday that he has had “very candid and very direct” conversations with TransCanada executives twice in the last 10 days. He says he warned company officials about growing in-state opposition to the proposed route. Heineman has urged federal officials to reject the pipeline unless another route is chosen. Pipeline opponents have urged Heineman to call a special legislative session so lawmakers can regulate where the line runs. Heineman said lawmakers missed their chance this year and don’t have the votes. The Republican governor also took aim Wednesday at the “deafening” silence on the issue from several Democratic state lawmakers.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A sentence of nearly 22 years has been given to a man who was arrested last year in western Nebraska after more than a kilogram of methamphetamine was found in his vehicle. A news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg says Pedro Camacho- Corona was sentenced on Monday to 21 years and 10 months in prison. Camacho-Corona was arrested Nov. 22, 2010, after a traffic stop along Interstate 80 in Keith County. Gilg’s office says Camacho-Corona also is known as Thomas Moreno-Martinez and Mario Ramos-Garcia. Camacho-Corona also was given 30 months for violating terms of his supervised release from a cocaine conviction under the name of Mario Ramos-Garcia in Florida. The sentence will be served at the same time as his meth sentence.

TRENTON, Neb. (AP) – A third person has died from injuries suffered when a controlled burn went awry at a southwestern Nebraska farm. The McCook Daily Gazette reports that 37-year-old Anthony Meguire died Sunday at a Lincoln hospital. The Nebraska Fire Marshal’s Office has said the April 28 fire eight miles northwest of Trenton began as a controlled burn to clear cattle-grazing land, but winds sent the fire out of control. Forty-six-year-old Theresa Schnoor was killed in the fire. Forty-year-old Robert Seybold died May 18. All three victims had lived in Trenton.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb.- (Eagle Radio) Lt. Jerry Wilson of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office will be retiring effective October 2nd, 2011. Jerry has been with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office since December 11th, 1980. Jerry was hired by Sheriff’ Gordon “Hop” Gilster as a Patrol Sergeant. Promoted by Sheriff Duane Deterding to Chief Deputy and he served in the same position for Sheriff Jim Carman’s. Jerry became the Operation Lieutenant for Sheriff Jerome Kramer and served in that capacity for the last 5 years. Jerry began his law enforcement in 1969 with the North Platte Police Department, receiving his law enforcement certification January 29th, 1971. Jerry does not want a going away party, but cards can be sent to him at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, 302 North Jeffers, North Platte, NE. 69101.

Note: The NP Post apologizes for the original run of this story, which featured a picture of Sheriff Gordon “Hop” Gilster, who hired Lt. Wilson at the Sheriff’s Office. We congratulate Lt. Wilson on his retirement and thank him for his photo.