McCOOK, Neb. (AP) – A court hearing has been scheduled to consider the competency of the suspect in the slaying of a 14-year-old McCook girl. The attorney for 19-year-old Stathis Kirkpatrick filed a motion earlier this month requesting a hearing to determine whether he’s mentally competent to stand trial. Records filed in Red Willow County District Court show a hearing on the request is set for Sept. 8. The Bartley man has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and three lesser felonies in the death of Kailee Clapp. The teen’s burned body was found the evening of Jan. 21 in a Bartley cemetery. She had been reported missing that morning from her McCook home.

Mix 97.1, Q Country 107.3, ESPN Radio 1410 and the North Platte Post gave away a brand new Chrysler 200 this weekend. Out of thousands of entries, 100 became finalists and one local man, Jason Sullivan won the car. “Everybody loves a car, everybody wants a car and needs a car and it was the most exciting promotion idea we came up with,” said Jerome Gilg, General Manager, Eagle Radio. The contest was made possible in part by Janssen motors, First National Bank and Gary’s Super Foods.

North Platte Post Video

Video courtesy Jacquline Skarda – KNOP TV

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The Nebraska Supreme Court has vacated a manslaughter conviction and sentence in the case of a man who argued he was essentially convicted twice for his role in the 2007 drunken driving death of a rural Nebraska high school volleyball coach.  Authorities say Herchel Huff was drunk and speeding when he hit and killed Kacey Jo Warner of Arapahoe as she was jogging with her 3-year-old daughter. Huff pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years.  But a Furnas County jury later convicted him of motor vehicle homicide in Warner’s death, and he was sentenced to another 45 years. Huff appealed, saying the two convictions for the same death amounted to double jeopardy. The state’s high court agreed, but
upheld his motor vehicle homicide conviction and sentence.

BENKELMAN, Neb. (AP) – Amtrak says a small number of passengers have been taken to hospitals after a train carrying about 175 people derailed in Nebraska. Amtrak says the California Zephyr train ran into some equipment on the tracks and derailed around 8 a.m. near Benkelman, not far from the state’s borders with Kansas and Colorado. Two locomotives and the first three of 10 passenger cars left the tracks. Some of the cars tipped onto their sides but there was no fire. Amtrak spokesman Mark Magliari says he can’t confirm the exact number of injuries but says none are believed to be life-threatening. Dundy County Hospital spokeswoman Sandy Noffsinger says seven patients are being treated there. She confirms none of those injuries are considered to be life-threatening.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska vineyards are rushing to harvest the grapes before high temperatures make them too ripe. KNOP-TV in North Platte says vineyards across the state are bringing in the grapes, which must be picked by hand. And, the heat isn’t making it easy. Connie Brittan is the winemaker at Feather River Vineyards near North Platte. She says the heat is good for later grapes, but it’s really stressing the early grapes, and they’re rushing to get finished. Brittan told KNOP on Tuesday that they hoped finish 8 rows, but it will take four workers per row about six hours to get it done. Their season is over at the end of September.