(North Platte) (NPD) On 06/11/12 Donald L. Warfield, 69, was arrested for 1^st Degree Sexual Assault of a child, (1B Fel) as a result of a lengthy investigation by the North Platte Police Department.  At the time of disclosure the female victim was 15 years old.  The juvenile victim alleged that inappropriate touching by Warfield began when she was as young as 7 years of age and progressed over the next 3-4 years. Warfield, who is a registered sex offender as a result of a 2002 conviction of 3^rd Degree Sexual Assault on an 11 YOF, was living in a camper near the victim’s residence at the time of the reported sexual assault.  Warfield is currently incarcerated at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Warfield was also arrested earlier this year for a Failing to Register as a Sex Offender (4 Fel) but later plead guilty to an Attempt of a class 3A or class 4 felony (1 Mis).

As a reminder to the public that under Nebraska state law there is no statute of limitations on child sexual.   Often we rely on our school counselors or staff to have conversations with children about inappropriate touching but in reality parents or guardians should be encouraging their children to speak about this matter on a regular basis.  In this case the crime occurred several years earlier and it was only when the victim matured and grew confident that she was able to disclose to authorities.

ALLIANCE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an officer has been shot and a man is holding police at bay inside a store in the Nebraska Panhandle city of Alliance.

Local Media reports the standoff at Thiele Pharmacy & Gifts began around 8:50 a.m. Tuesday.

The officer was shot in an arm and was taken to Box Butte General Hospital. No other shots have been reported, but the downtown business district has been blocked off.

The name of the officer and other details about the shooting and standoff haven’t been released. A police dispatcher told The Associated Press that more information isn’t available yet.

(Lincoln, Neb.)- NSP- Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Shanon Koubek took first place honors in the Nebraska Inspector Championships held June 8-9 in Grand Island.

A nine-year veteran of the Nebraska State Patrol, Trooper Koubek is stationed in North Platte and assigned to the Carrier Enforcement Division.  The competition consists of a personal interview, hazardous materials table top exercise, a level one inspection, motor coach inspection and a cargo tank inspection. The Nebraska Inspector Championships is held each June in Grand Island as a part of the 2012 Nebraska Truck Driving Championships.

Trooper Koubek now will represent the State of Nebraska in the North American Inspector Championships (NAIC), in Minneapolis, Minn., August 5-11, 2012. During the NAIC, inspectors from across North America are tested in a series of timed events, in which they will demonstrate their knowledge of the North American Standard Inspection Program.  In addition to the competition, each inspector receives training on the latest safety information, technology, standards and inspection procedures.

The NAIC is held in conjunction with the American Trucking Association (ATA) National Truck Driving Championships.

North Platte, Neb. – The Buffalo Bill Rodeo attracts the cream of the crop to North Platte this weekend.

 Four-hundred thirty-six contestants will be in town for the rodeo, including eight world champions: bull rider Dustin Elliott, North Platte; steer wrestler Dean Gorsuch and tie-down roper Troy Pruitt, both of Gering; bareback rider Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas; tie-down roper and all around Fred Whitfield, Hockley, Texas, team ropers Nick Sartain, Dover, Okla., and Kollin VonAhn, Durant, Okla., and saddle bronc rider Jesse Kruse, Great Falls, Montana.

 Along with those world champions are plenty of home-state cowboys who have just as much a chance as the “big boys” at earning the gold buckle. Seventy-three Huskers are among the 400 plus contestants.

 And for those Nebraska cowboys, the trip to North Platte is among the shortest trips they’ll take as they hit the rodeo circuit. For Gering cowboy Riley Pruitt, who is a three hour drive away, the trip is “absolutely nothing at all.” Pruitt, who graduated from Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington this spring, will rope against his dad, Troy Pruitt, who won the world tie-down roping championship in 1990.

 Local cowboy Dustin Elliott will ride bulls in North Platte on Saturday night. He’s won the Buffalo Bill Rodeo twice, and for him, the rodeo is extra special. “It’s always good to sleep in my own bed, and then go win some money,” he said. Elliott, who has lived in North Platte since 2004, gave his first North Platte buckle to his father-in-law to wear. He  is the 2004 Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association Bull Riding Champion.

 Another home-state cowboy has had good luck in North Platte. Garrett Nokes, who lives in McCook, won the steer wrestling title in 1999 and the tie-down roping title the year prior. He will compete in those events, plus the team roping, and with his brother-in-law and friends living in town, will have his own cheering section. “I’ve always enjoyed that rodeo, and seemed to do well there.”

 For Bump Kraeger, competing in North Platte fulfills a lifelong dream. When the Weeping Water man was growing up, his family took summer vacations to NebraskaLand Days to watch the rodeo. As a child, his heroes were the cowboys in the arena and he thought, “I have just as good a chance at walking on the moon as I do at competing in North Platte.” He has steer wrestled at the rodeo for ten years, and his son, Hoyt, a college sophomore at UN-L, will also compete there.

 

Whether they’re home-state cowboys or out-of-towners, fans will still get treated to the excitement, pageantry, and unpredictability of rodeo.

The rodeo kicks off at 8 pm each night, June 13-16. Timed event slack is June 13 and 14 at 8 am and is free to the public. For more information, visitwww.NebraskaLandDays.com

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The recent warm, dry weather is putting stress on Nebraska’s crops.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it lowered crop condition ratings statewide because of the lack of moisture. Farmers are responding by turning on irrigation systems where they’re available.

Temperatures across Nebraska were about 4 degrees above normal on average last week.

About 70 percent of Nebraska’s corn crop is in good or excellent shape. That’s below the average of 78 percent good or excellent.

But the heat has helped the soybean crop develop quickly. About 97 percent of the soybeans have emerged, up from the average of 79 percent. About 64 percent of the soybean crop is in good or excellent shape.

The wheat harvest has begun in southeast Nebraska and should quickly move west across the state.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new report says Nebraska’s net tax receipts in May were higher than expected.

The Nebraska Department of Revenue reported Monday that net receipts for the month totaled $338 million, which is 1 percent higher than the certified forecast of $334 million.

The report says net receipts from individual and corporate income taxes were greater than expected, while net sales and use and miscellaneous taxes came in below projections.

The comparisons are based on the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board’s forecast in April 2011. The board met again in February and decided to keep its projections the same.