Year in Review 2012

Year floodOFTHE

By HEATHER [email protected]

North Platte residents endured along, wet summer in 2011, withflood waters from the North PlatteRiver threatening many parts ofthe city. Heavy spring rains cou-pled with an abundance ofsnowmelt in Wyoming made fordisastrous conditions.

Concerns about the potential forflooding began the end of Febru-ary when the Central NebraskaPublic Power and Irrigation Dis-trict, which controls Lake Mc-Conaughy, began increasing out-flows of water from the dam. Pre-dictions were that the influx wouldbring the North Platte River toflood stage by the end of the week.

It was all part of a plan to lowerthe lake to make room for theabove-normal amounts of snowpack in the Wyoming mountains.At that time, the total storage inthe U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’ssystem of reservoirs was 141 per-cent above average, but officialswere unsure exactly how muchrunoff would flow in.

The river hit the 6-foot floodstage March 9 at North Platte. ByMarch 18, it made the 6.5-footmark, the highest it had been since2008 when it reached 6.3 feet.

Sandbag supplies ran low as res-idents scrambled to gather up allthey could to protect their homesand businesses. Some had neverhad to deal with severe floodingbefore, and therefore, didn’t haveflood insurance.

By the end of May, many werewading through knee-deep waterin their living rooms moving fur-niture out. They took refuge incampers or stayed with friendsand family, abandoning theirhomes. Law enforcement watchedclosely for vandalism of the vacat-ed properties.

In some cases, mold and waterdamage was so bad that houseswere put up for sale at reducedprices. Nearly a year later, theycontinue to sit empty.

Scouts Rest Ranch closed itsdoors June 3 and lost out on twomonths worth of income. Park of-ficials were worried enough mon-ey would be lost that the formerhome of Buffalo Bill might neveropen again. Dirt berms were con-structed around all of the build-ings, and artifacts were moved ei-ther to higher floors or to other lo-cations.

Organizers of NebraskalandDays, the state’s official celebra-tion, essentially planned for twotwo-week celebrations. Becausemost of the events were supposedto take place at the Wild West Are-na, which was at risk for flooding,they had to find back-up locationsfor everything. Coordinators ofthe Miss Rodeo Nebraska Pageantalso had to work around the water,and in the end, continued the con-test as planned.

The Lincoln County HistoricalMuseum was not closed, but thepresence of sandbags around it de-terred potential visitors whothought it was. The museum end-ed up postponing its Heritage Fes-tival until fall.

The North Platte Regional Air-port built a dike around its facilityamid concerns that the terminalbuilding would flood and opera-

tions would be shut down, andCity officials entered into a con-tract with the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers to construct a levee sys-tem around the northern edge oftown.

Roads closed on the east andwest sides of the community aswater ran over them. When abreeched dike threatened a UnionPacific Railroad bridge, the ArmyNational Guard sent in BlackHawk helicopters to assist repairefforts. Sandbags were droppedonto the break from the air.

On June 23, emergency manage-ment officials and the Office ofDrinking Water and Environmen-tal Health urged local residents totest their drinking wells for con-tamination. Septic companiescouldn’t keep up with calls for helpwith overflowing sewer systems.

Also in June, the West CentralDistrict Health Department re-ported that the number of mosqui-toes trapped in the communitywas double the usual amount. Offi-cials said standing water had cre-ated the perfect breeding groundfor the insects.

Nebraska Game and Parks Com-

mission representatives warnedpeople to be on the lookout for ani-mals moving into town after beingdisplaced from riverbanks. One ofthe concerns was that the animalscould carry rabies.

Residents were also warned towatch out for scam artists whowould promise to help with cleanup efforts, but would instead takethe money they were given andleave town.

The Small Business Associationand other organizations began of-fering financial assistance, and atthe end of September, the FederalEmergency Management Agencyopened a disaster recovery centerto help those affected by flooding.Damage within Lincoln Countywas estimated at $1.3 million.

Flooding didn’t officially enduntil October when the river re-ceded to 5.66 feet. Even though thewater has gone down, it still re-mains pooled in areas along thebanks. Because there doesn’t ap-pear to be a clear plan from theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers re-garding precautionary measuresfor this spring, residents are brac-ing for what may come.

City, state withstand anervous, andsoggy, springand summer

By PAUL HAMMELWorld-herald News Service

LINCOLN — Most law-makers, lobbyists and StateCapitol watchers didn’t justscoff, they outright laughedwhen it was suggested earli-er this year that state sena-tors should hold a specialsession to reroute the con-troversial $7 billion Key-stone XL pipeline.

Only a handful of sena-tors cared enough to sup-port the idea.

“I had people laughing,”said Ken Winston, the lob-byist for the Nebraska Sier-ra Club, who was in favor ofa special session. “Hardlyanyone thought a specialsession was going to hap-pen. And if it did, nothingof substance would be com-ing out.”

Gov. Dave Heineman saidover and over that such asession would be a $10,000-a-day waste of time and mon-ey.

And, hey, wasn’t thepipeline a federal issue,anyway?

Fast forward to this fall.Heineman, prompted by

an outcry over a potentialthreat to the OgallalaAquifer beneath the state’sunspoiled Sandhills, madean abrupt about-face andcalled lawmakers back toLincoln.

After a series of fortu-itous developments, includ-ing a federal delay in re-viewing the project, Ne-braska lawmakers passedtwo bills regulating crude-oil pipelines. The state alsogot what most people want-ed: an agreement to reroutethe 36-inch, 29 million-gal-lon-a-day crude-oil pipelinearound the Sandhills.

“It was a Nebraska mira-cle,” said State Sen. Ken

Haar of Malcolm, who firstproposed the idea of a spe-cial session.

The transition of thepipeline from a back-burn-er concern of a small bandof environmentalists to ared-hot controversy wasone of the major Nebraskastories of 2011.

The issue pitted big oilagainst a determined groupof ranchers and a well-or-ganized opposition, round-ed up by Bold Nebraska’sJane Kleeb and others.

It raised awareness aboutthe shallow groundwaterand fragile soils of thesparsely settled Sandhills,where cattle outnumberpeople by a long stretch.

It was a battle of engi-neering versus commonsense, construction jobsversus an expensive and en-vironmentally costly formof synthetic crude oil fromCanadian tar sands, and oilthat could be obtained froma North American ally in-stead of unstable dictatorsand Middle Eastern sheiks.

“You don’t mess withSandhills ranchers,” saidFullerton Sen. AnnetteDubas, who raised severalconcerns about thepipeline. “These are hard-scrabble people. They workhard, but they love theirranches, and they love theSandhills. ... I don’t thinkpeople understood howhard they would work toprotect their land.”

The ultimate deal, craftedby the speaker of the Legis-lature, Norfolk Sen. MikeFlood, was a testament tohow deeply Nebraskanscare about water. After all,it’s been said that Nebraskais the “groundwater capitalof the world.”

A pipeline’s unexpected

detourFew thought the state would

or could move to change the Keystone XL proposal

Above: This photo from late May 2011 shows a washed-out Long SchoolRoad, one of the areas hardest hit by the spring and summer flooding.Below: National Guard members attach massive sandbags to a waitinghelicopter east of North Platte on June 5, 2011.

Telegraph file photos

Pipeline opponents can be seen in this Sept. 27, 2011,photo at a rally outside Pershing Auditorium. Friends andfoes of the Keystone XL pipeline had their day in Lincoln, tes-tifying at State Department hearing at the auditorium.

World-Herald News Service

Please see DDEETTOOUURR, Page D2

YEAR IN REVIEWD2 SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2012 THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

Even folks from Omahaand Lincoln could relate tothe potential threat.

“Water is connected toour soul,” said Flood.

But no one could havepredicted that the Key-stone XL pipeline wouldhave whipped up afirestorm that eventuallybrought the NebraskaSandhills to the lips ofWashington politicians, in-cluding President BarackObama.

After all, a slightly small-er pipeline, the 30-inchKeystone, was built acrosseastern Nebraska in 2009by the same company,TransCanada, with barelya ripple of opposition.Most news stories ravedabout the financial wind-fall to main street motelsand cafes from hundreds ofpipeline constructionworkers.

But when the DeepwaterHorizon oil platform blewup off the Gulf Coast inApril 2010, suddenly thenation, including Ne-braskans, was focused onthe impact of oil spills onwater.

Then in July 2010, acrude-oil pipeline break inMichigan leaked 800,000gallons of oil that threat-ened to flow down the Kala-mazoo River into the GreatLakes.

That set off further ques-tions. Obviously pipelines,and not just oil wells deepin the Gulf, can spill.

Concerns again arose inMay 2011, when a NorthDakota farmer watched asa 60-foot geyser of oil shotfrom a nearby pumpingstation on the brand-newKeystone pipeline — one ofmore than a dozen leaks inthe pipeline’s first year ofoperation.

By then, TransCanadahad stirred up more badpublicity by sending letters

threatening rurallandowners with eminentdomain if they resisted al-lowing the company rightof way on property alongits chosen route.

Pipeline proposals dur-ing the Legislature’s regu-lar 2011 session mostlystalled under lingering un-certainty over whether thestate had any power to af-fect pipeline routes.

Veteran Lincoln lobbyistWalt Radcliffe, who waseventually hired by Tran-sCanada, said that politi-cally, “situation and cir-cumstance” ultimatelycame together.

“Things don’t happen ina vacuum,” Radcliffe said.

A persistent, populistpush from Bold Nebraska,the Sierra Club and Ne-braska Wildlife Federationkept the issue at the boil-ing point.

It’s estimated that Tran-sCanada spent millions ofdollars on a campaign oftelevision, newspaper andradio ads — even spots atNebraska football games —to assure the public thatpipelines are safe.

Opponents counteredwith yard signs, letters tothe editor and a series ofprotests, including onethat had grandmas deliver-ing homemade cookies andjelly to the Governor’sMansion.

“It was the first time in along time that Nebraskanswere asked to fight fortheir state,” said Kleeb, aHastings activist who usedblogs, tweets, websites andemails to rally the opposi-tion. “It wasn’t just onegroup. ... It was progres-sives, moderates and con-servatives working togeth-er.”

Kleeb estimated that hergroup, which is financedthrough donations and lib-eral Omaha businessmanDick Holland, spent$250,000 to counterTrans-Canada’s sometimesblanket advertising.

The rising opposition,Radcliffe and others said,helped persuade Heine-man to make a stunningchange of heart on Oct. 24and call a special session.

Radcliffe compared thepush against the pipelineto the citizen initiative thatled to the 1982 ballot pas-sage of Initiative 300, Ne-braska’s ban on corporatefarming.

The U.S. State Depart-ment, which will have thefinal word on the pipeline,also had a change of heart.During the special session,the department announcedit would delay its final deci-sion until 2013 to allowtime to study detoursaround the Sandhills.

The department also toldFlood it wouldn’t require acostly new environmentalimpact study of the entire1,700-mile-long pipeline,only a quicker study of the100-mile detour in Nebras-ka.

That led to the compro-mise crafted last month byFlood that the Legislaturequickly passed, 48-0.

Kleeb said TransCanada“won” in some respects be-cause state lawmakers did-n’t pass laws to protectlandowners from threats ofeminent domain or in-crease liability for pipelinespills.

But she also predictedthat the pipeline won’t bebuilt and that the recentpolitical maneuvering inWashington to force Oba-ma to make a final decisionon the proposal within 60days will backfire.

She said that under theNebraska compromise, theOgallala Aquifer is still atrisk because the as-yet-de-termined detour will avoidonly the Sandhills and ar-eas of extremely highgroundwater.

“The aquifer is still atrisk,” Kleeb said. “That’swhy I believe PresidentObama will reject thepipeline.”

DETOURfrom Page D1


Construction of the LincolnCounty Jail continued to be ahot topic throughout 2011.

It was a subject that hadrolled over from 2010. That’swhen problems first startedcropping up including cleanli-ness, moisture sealed into thewalls during painting,progress delays, cracks andtrowel marks on concretefloors, visible piping and im-perfections on detentionframes.

Kirk Nichols, the county’sjail inspector, had complainednumerous times that workersfailed to remove rainwaterfrom the roof and other areasof the building. He warnedthe commissioners, generalcontractor Roche Construc-tors and architect Treanor Ar-chitects that the water wouldcreate bigger problems downthe road if it was allowed topool.

In January 2011, his predic-tions came true. Test resultsconfirmed that six differenttypes of mold were growingon all three levels of the roof.A special session was calledamongst all of the entities in-volved with the project to dis-cuss remedial action, and thecounty brought Lincoln attor-ney Craig Dirrim on board toaddress legal aspects.

The building couldn’t be in-sured until the mold was re-moved, and it couldn’t be oc-cupied until it was insured. Asa result, Lincoln County’soverflow of prisoners wassent to Lexington.

It amounted to an average of18 prisoners a day at a rate of$45 per day per inmate, andjail officials worried theirmoney budgeted for housing

would run out before prison-ers could be transferred to thenew facility in North Platte.

County officials had anoth-er concern. They worried thatmoisture inside the roof couldseep down through the jailwalls and carry mold sporeswith it. If that happened, thespores could potentially beblown through the air ventsand cause health problems inthe detention center’s staffand inmates.

That would open up the po-tential for litigation. One ofthe mold types tested wasknown to cause breathing ail-ments, rashes and other skinirritations. Troubles were putto rest after tests determinedno abnormal amounts of moldwere present.

The next issue that had tobe addressed was removingthe roof without jeopardizingthe safety of the public. Work-ers were required to wearboots, gloves and safety glass-es. They also had the option ofwearing respirators.

A water and detergent solu-tion had to be misted onto theunderside of the roof mem-brane as it was rolled to keepmold spores from spreading.The roll was then be wrappedin plastic, and the plastic wastaped closed.

Contaminated materialsplaced in trucks had to be cov-ered with tarps while theywere hauled away. Small de-bris was removed from theroof deck with soft pushbrooms and High EfficiencyParticulate Air vacuums, af-ter which the deck wasmopped with the detergentmixture.

While the roof was being re-placed, another problem oc-curred. The high-priced furni-ture installed in the new jail

didn’t fit in the rooms. Accord-ing to commissioner WillisRoethemeyer, the budget forfurniture, fixtures and equip-ment was $411,000. The pre-liminary cost for furniturewas $190,000, however on Feb.18, the County was sent an in-voice for $240,065.

That included a $9,455 deskand conference table systemin former chief deputy DeanSparks’ office, as well as a$2,055 loveseat and $7,891 deskin sheriff Jerome Kramer’s of-fice.

Both men had $1,420 high-backed executive office chairsthat were too big to swivelaround their workstations.The chairs in the conferenceroom were too small fordeputies to squeeze into whilewearing gun belts. The newscaused a public outcry, andeveryone involved in the jailproject pointed fingers atthose they thought were toblame.

In the end, problem furni-ture was either adapted or re-placed with cheaper models.The county was allowed tokeep the conference roomchairs, which were moved tothe courthouse.

In May, workers tackled aleaky wall. Water had beenseeping in from the outside ofthe building where the brickand synthetic stucco joined to-gether. The moisture creptthrough eight-inch thick con-crete block drywall andstained a dayroom floor.

Inmates were ushered intothe new detention center inJuly, and shortly thereafter,one of them tampered with afire sprinkler and flooded adayroom. That brought atten-tion to the floor drains, whichwere either even with or high-er than the floors dependingon the room they were in. Theconcrete had to be torn up andthe drains reset.

In September, both LincolnCounty and Roche Construc-tors filed claims over the jailproject. They have yet to be re-solved.

Jail woes were big newsMoldy roof, other constructionproblems plagued county’s newdetention center throughout 2011

Jan. 1: The New Year dawnedwith more sun than clouds, butcold, with temperatures remain-ing in the mid-teens. Local newswas sparse, and the front pagefeatured an article on the new Ne-braska license plates featuringthe state flower and state bird.

Jan. 2: The inaugural “Run forthe Cure” event raised morethan $5,000 to battle breast cancer.North Platte’s Howard Mendoncaorganized the event after watch-ing his mother fight the disease.

Jan. 4: “Baby Girl” Boltz wasthe first baby born in 2011 atGreat Plains Regional MedicalCenter. Lincoln County Commis-sioners raised mileage reim-bursement for employees by onecent.

Jan. 5: Miss Rodeo NebraskaBecky Grimm officially beganher reign.

Jan. 6: Test confirm moldgrowing in new Lincoln CountyJail. North Platte Public Schooladministration announced theformation of a 25-member taskforce to prepare ideas to help re-solve a potential funding short-fall.

Jan. 7: A bronze bell was in-stalled at the Callahan CancerCenter. Patients who have com-pleted their treatment can ringthe bell to mark the end of theirtreatment journey. Retiring Lin-coln County District Judge JohnMurphy presided at a swearingin ceremony for county offi-cials.

Jan 8: A special traveling ex-hibit “Remembering the Fall-en” honoring Nebraskans andIowans killed during the War onTerror in Iraq and Afghanistanarrived in North Platte.

Jan. 9: Among those attendingopening ceremonies for the “Re-membering the Fallen” exhibit atthe Platte River Mall was JanCollins of McCook, mother ofRandy Matheny. Matheny waskilled by a roadside bomb in Iraqin 2007. “As a mom, I didn’twant him to be forgotten,”Collins said. “This exhibit is evi-dence that he lived.”

Jan. 11: Bitter cold tempera-tures, plunging to minus-20 de-

grees moved into the area. TheRev. James Golka, pastor at St.Patrick’s Catholic Church inNorth Platte was named recipi-ent of Creighton University’sArchbishop Daniel E. SheehanAward.

Jan. 12: Organizers an-nounced that there would be noHoggy Doggy Shadow Splashthis year. For the first time in 12years, the event where costumedparticipants went into the SouthPlatte River to raise money forthe local homeless shelter, wascancelled due to a time crunch.Organizers hope to bring theevent back in 2012.

Jan. 13: North PlatteCatholic Schools were winnersat the Great Plains Regional Med-ical Center walking challengefor taking the most steps during aone-month challenge. Team mem-bers averaged 226,373 steps perwalker.

Jan. 14: Governor DaveHeineman was in North Platte aspart of his annual state-wide touron the “state of the state.”North Platte Telegraph reporterMark Young and KNOP-TV re-porter Kendra Potter were hon-ored by the Substance AbusePrevention Council for theirwork in raising awareness of theimportance of prevention.

Jan. 15: Former North Platteattorney Mike Piccolo wassworn in as Lincoln County’snewest judge. Local taxpayerswatchdog group, the WesternNebraska Taxpayers Associa-tion, announced they were form-ing a task force to run in conjunc-tion with the school district ad-ministration’s task force.

Jan. 16: Teresa Scanlan,crowned Miss Nebraska in NorthPlatte in June 2010, was crownedMiss America in Las Vegas.Scanlan was the first Miss Ne-braska to win the crown and theyoungest (17) Miss America sincethe pageant instituted age re-quirements in the 1930s.

Jan. 18: Chief of Police MikeSwain and Deputy Chief DwightLivingston told members of the

WWW.NPTELEGRAPH.COM

A LOOK BACK AT 2011

JANUARY

Please see 22001111, Page D3

YEAR IN REVIEW SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2012 D3THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

Lincoln County Substance AbuseCouncil that local businesses were com-plying with a crackdown on copycatdrugs.

Jan.19: Dr. Jeff and Connie Brittonwere honored by North Platte CatholicSchools for their contributions. LincolnCounty Commissioners set salaries forthe year.

Jan. 20: North Platte Public SchoolDistrict para-professionals voted tounionize. The city began to dig out fromunder 6 inches of snow. The Pump forPennies fundraiser sponsored by Time-saver generated $2,455 for the CallahanCancer Center.

Jan. 21: Officials report the new Lin-coln County Jail is safe, despite tests re-vealing mold in the roof. Three houseswere donated to the Lincoln CountyCommunity Development Corporationfor their purchase, rehab and resell pro-gram.

Jan. 22: North Platte Public SchoolFoundation donated $4,700 to AdamsMiddle School for new exercise equip-ment. Attendance at the Golden SpikeTower and Visitor Center in NorthPlatte increased by 10 percent in 2010,according to the end of the year financialreport.

Jan. 23: North Platte Kiwanis Clubcelebrated its 90th birthday. No one wasinjured when a semi-truck lost controlat the icy intersection of Buffalo Bill Av-enue and Rodeo Road and slid into aditch.

Jan 25: The Miss Nebraska Scholar-ship Pageant board announced thatNicky Haverland of Omaha is thenewest Miss Nebraska, appointed afterMiss Nebraska Teresa Scanlan wasnamed Miss America. Maxwell School su-

perintendent Chuck Hervert announcedhe would be retiring at the end of theschool year.

Jan 26: St. Patrick’s Catholic Schoolteacher Martin Cordes remained in crit-ical condition after the bicycle he was rid-ing was struck by a car. More than 2,000people came to a candlelight vigil in Mc-Cook for 14-year old Kailee Clapp, whois missing and presumed dead. FormerKeith County attorney John Edwardsand his wife Shirley were arrested forfelony theft. About $18,000 was allegedlyembezzled from diversion funds managedby the Keith County Attorney’s Office.

Jan 27: North Platte will be the site ofa new wind tunnel testing facility, lo-cated at the University of Nebraska-Lin-coln West Central Research and Ex-tension Center. Big Cat Rescue, basedin Tampa, Florida, contacted the Tele-graph to emphasize that they are not affil-iated with Big Cat Rescue Entertain-ment, currently showing exotic animalsat the Platte River Mall.

Jan. 28: 18-year-old Stathis Kirk-patrick was charged with first-degreemurder and three other crimes in thedeath of 14-year old Kailee Clapp of Mc-Cook. Changes in state aid may meanless help in providing affordable hous-ing for low-income families in LincolnCounty.

Jan. 29: The demand for services fordomestic violence is up and funding isdown, according to Lynn Lange, execu-tive director of Nebraska Domestic Vio-lence Sexual Assault Coalition.

Jan 30: More than 100 area studentsgathered at North Platte High School forthe Singing Youth of Nebraska Festi-val Choir. “Big Cats do not belong inmalls,” read one sign among the protest-ers gathered at the Platte River Mall,protesting Big Cat Entertainment bring-ing exotic animals to display.

2011from Page D2

By ANDREW [email protected]

An 18-year-old Red Wil-low County man wascharged with first-degreemurder in January after thedeath of a 14-year-old girl.

Stathis Kirkpatrick, ateenage resident of Red Wil-low County, was chargedwith the death of KaileeClapp, after her burned re-mains were found in a Bart-ley cemetery on Jan. 21.

Clapp’s mother, NoraClapp, reported theteenager missing on themorning of Jan. 21. Evi-dence in the case pointedto several phone conversa-tions between Kirkpatrickand Kailee Clapp on thenight of Jan. 20, but whencontacted by investigators,Kirkpatrick told them hehad stayed the night withhis girlfriend in McCook.

However, investigatorsfound that Kirkpatrickhad spent the night withhis uncle in Bartley, whotold investigators he got tohis home at 4 a.m. Aftersearching the room Kirk-patrick stayed in at his un-cle’s home, investigatorsfound bloodstainedclothes.

After being presentedwith evidence found at hisuncle’s home in Bartley,Kirkpatrick told police hewitnessed a man attackClapp behind her home onJan. 20, and followed theman to Bartley cemetery,telling police that’s whereClapp’s remains could befound.

On March 8, Kirkpatrickpleaded not guilty in RedWillow County Court, andhis attorney sought a psy-chological evaluation.

In September, Red Wil-low District Court JudgeDavid Urbom ruled thatKirkpatrick wasn’t compe-tent to stand trial, and onSept. 24, committed Kirk-patrick to the Lincoln Re-gional Center for treat-ment.n On June 25, Rogelio

Diaz, 33, of North Platte,was charged withmanslaughter in the deathof his wife Michelle Diaz,

35. Three days later, thecounty attorney’s officeupgraded the charge tomurder in the second de-gree, a class one felonycarrying a maximum oflife in prison.

Police responded to thehome in the 1900 block ofWest Eighteenth Street at2 a.m. on Saturday, June25, and found MichelleDiaz unresponsive. Shewas transported to GreatPlains Regional MedicalCenter where she was pro-nounced dead. RogelioDiaz originally told inves-tigators that Michelle hadfallen down the stairs andhit her head, but laterchanged his story.

In the following months,at the request of Diaz’s at-torney Stephen Potter,Diaz underwent severalpsychological evaluations,and in September, Pottertold Lincoln County Dis-trict Judge Donald Row-lands that he would pur-sue an insanity plea in thecase.n On June 30, convicted

killer Michael Grandonwas killed at the NebraskaState Penitentiary. Anoth-er inmate, Mohamed Ab-dulkadir, was charged inAugust with Grandon’sdeath.

On June 30, Abdulkadirallegedly stabbedGrandon, who was trans-ported to BryanLGH Med-ical Center West whereprison officials say he diedat 4:20 p.m. Grandon wasconvicted of the killingLori and Tiara Solie intheir apartment on May17, 2007. He began servinga life sentence, without thepossibility of parole, onMarch 31, 2008.

Abdulkadir faces trialthis February.n On Saturday, Oct. 20,

Nathaniel Polanco, 24, wasarrested and charged withmanslaughter in connec-tion to the stabbing deathof Michael Fernau, 24. Hewas officially charged withmanslaughter, a class threefelony, and use of a deadlyweapon to commit a felony,a class two felony, andcould face up to 50 years in

prison, if convicted.Polanco pleaded not

guilty on Dec. 13, and facestrial in January of 2012.n Also in October, four

North Platte residentswere arrested after policefound two children shut ina dog kennel during a well-being check.

On Oct. 22, Bryson L.Eyten, 25, Samantha J.Eyten, 24, Ashly A. Clark,22, and Lacy J. Beyer, 20,were all arrested at ahome on East E Street, andcharged with two countsof felony child abuse, aclass 3A felony, two countsof false imprisonment, aclass 3A felony, and misde-meanor child abuse, basedon the living conditions inthe home. Judge MichaelPiccolo later dropped themisdemeanor child abusecounts in Lincoln CountyCourt.

When officers arrived atthe scene for a well-beingcheck, they found two chil-dren, ages 5 and 3, in awire animal kennel with amattress inside it, wherethey were sleeping. Clark,the mother of the twoboys, told officers that theboys were in the kennel sothat they would not crawlout of the home at night.Authorities said the wirekennel was 42 inches by 28inches by 30 inches.

Two other children, ages8 and 8 months, were alsofound in the home, in whatofficers considered unsafeconditions. The officers re-portedly found the resi-dence to be unsanitary, andunsafe for children. Bondfor all four was initially setat $50,000, but was loweredto $25,000 at a preliminaryhearing in November.

At a December hearing,all four pleaded not guiltyafter the case was bondedover to Lincoln CountyDistrict Court, with ascheduled trial set for Jan.31, 2012.

14-year-old’smurder rockscommunity of McCookSeveral tragic, sometimes bizarrecrimes grabbed headlines in 2011

Mourners for 14-year-old Kailee Clapp wear T-shirtsdedicated to her memory while waiting to enter her memo-rial ceremony in McCook in January 2011. The partially-burned remains of the McCook teen were found in a RedWillow County cemetery on Jan. 21, 2011, and aquaint-ence Stathis Kirkpatrick was charged with her murder.

Telegraph file photo


The possible reemer-gence of horse process-ing plants became a sub-ject of discussion during2011 Nebraska legisla-tive session.

On Jan. 12, 2011, Sen.Tyson Larson of O’Neill,introduced a bill to cre-ate a state meat inspec-tion program, whichSen. Tom Hansen ofNorth Platte co-signedon.

Larson said creating astate meat inspectionprogram would be goodfor economic develop-ment. He claimed itwould benefit people inniche markets, such asthose who raise elk, bi-son and ostriches bymaking it easier forthem to sell their prod-ucts. According to Lar-son, those businessmenand women would thenhave more money toreinvest into their localcommunities.

But, that wasn’t allLarson thought the billwould do.

He also hoped it wouldrevive an industrythought around theworld to be dead—that ofhorse processing. Thelast horse slaughter-house in the nation, Bel-gian-owned Cavel Inter-national, Inc. in DeKalb,Ill., closed in 2007.

In 2006, Congress pro-hibited the use of federalmoney to inspect horsemeat intended for hu-man consumption. Fed-eral inspection wasneeded to transport theproduct across state bor-ders.

Some facilities contin-ue to import the meatfrom Canada and Mexicoand prepare it for zoos,but because the majorityof the market had re-volved around shippinghorse meat to othercountries for people toeat, U.S. processingplants closed.

Larson thought the2008 Farm Bill had creat-ed a loophole. He be-lieved that if Nebraskacould inspect its ownhorse meat, it wouldn’thave to rely on federalinspections to send itacross state lines.

The idea caused con-troversy. Animal welfareactivists became out-raged at the thought ofbringing back a practicethey claimed was anti-quated, inhumane andheartless.

Not only were theyagainst the method usedto kill horses in process-ing plants, captive bolt,they also spoke outagainst the methodsused to transport horses,the potential for toxinsin the meat and blamedbreeders for creating anabundance of horses tobegin with. They saidowners either needed totake responsibility fortheir animals, find themnew homes or have them

2011 bill wasa matter ofhorse senseMeat inspectionproposal drewinternational attention to Neb.

Please see HHOORRSSEE, Page D4

Feb. 1: Superintendent ofSchools David Engle an-nounced he would be leaving atthe end of the school year totake a position in New Jersey.The Buffalo Bill Farm andRanch Expo begins this week.2011 is the 20th year for the pop-ular event.

Feb. 2: Don Kilgore is the2011 recipient of the Mid-Ne-braska Community Founda-tion “Above and BeyondAward.” Heather Halligan isthe new executive director ofthe North Platte Area Chil-dren’s Museum.

Feb. 3: Reporter SharronHollen retired, ending her 48-year career at the North PlatteTelegraph. The North PlattePublic Library announced aseries of classes on e-books.Mid-Plains Community Collegevice-president Marilyn McGa-han announced her retirementafter 40 years.

Feb. 4: Museum designerBarry Howard, Santa Monica,California, visited North Platteat the request of the OriginalTown Association. The grouphas proposed a Rail Town USAcomplex near the site where theUnion Pacific Railroad Depotonce stood. NebraskalandDays announced the theme forthe 2011 Buffalo Bill Birth-day Bash is “Paisley Beach Par-ty,” celebrating the upcomingconcert with Brad Paisley. Theannual event raises money forNebraskaland Days.

Feb. 5: Congressman Adri-an Smith was in Hershey, visit-ing with students about currentevents. A fire alarm at the Con-nection Homeless Shelterturned out to be a false alarm.The North Platte School Boardannounced the hiring of JimHuge and Associates to beginthe search for a new school su-perintendent.

Feb. 6: Lincoln County Com-munity Development Corpora-tion director Nancy Striebelwas inducted into the Nebraska

Investment Finance AuthorityHousing Hall of Fame. ElksLodge 985 sponsored a soupand sandwich fundraiser inhopes of boosting their scholar-ship program.

Feb. 8: The roof of the Lin-coln County Jail will be re-placed after six types of moldwas discovered. The Miss Ne-braska Scholarship Pageantboard announced that MissAmerica Teresa Scanlan willbe in North Platte for a home-coming event on Feb. 24.

Feb. 9: John Scharf was thefeatured speaker at the annualTeamMates Mentoring pro-gram recognition ceremony atAdams Middle School. Studentsat St. Patrick’s High Schoolshowed off their science skillsat a science fair.

Feb. 10: State lawmakers vot-ed to cut state aid to cities andNatural Resource Districts. Themove would cut less that 1 per-cent of North Platte revenues.Chief of Police Mike Swain an-nounced the city would nolonger use the Code Red systemto alert residents of snowemergencies.

Feb. 11: A North Platte mandied as the result of a car acci-dent. Chad Burk, 23, died afterthe car he was driving struck amailbox at Front Street andWagon Trail Road. Employeesof NebraskaLand NationalBank donated $7,000 from theMy Fair Share Program to theNorth Platte Rape and Domes-tic Violence Prevention pro-gram. Tickets went on sale forthe homecoming of MissAmerica Teresa Scanlan.

Feb. 12: Lincoln County nox-ious weeds superintendentMitch Huxoll announced hewould be retiring at the end ofthe month. Stathis Kirk-patrick, the 18-year old chargedwith the murder of Kailee Clappwaived his right to a prelimi-nary hearing.

Feb. 13. North Platte highschool students Jamie Panzer

and Ben Hill placed third atthe 32nd annual Blue and GoldDebate and Speech Invita-tional. Councilwoman JudyPederson announced that sheintended to bring a proposal fora splash park at MemorialPark to the city council.

Feb. 15: Temperaturesclimbed above normal, leavingmud and water behind. AgnesGosnell and Lavern Schneider

were named Queen and Kingof Valentine’s Day at PremierEstates. Lincoln County Com-missioners opted to sign amore expensive but shorter-term phone service contractfrom Qwest Communications.

Feb. 16. Dr. James E. Thay-er known as the composer andlyricist of music performed atthe Nebraskaland Days Fron-tier Revue, died at age 86.

Gayle Reed, evidence officerfor the North Platte police de-partment was named Employ-ee of the Year for 2010.

Feb. 17: Around 75 studentsfrom area high schools compet-ed at the technical skills com-petition hosted by North PlatteCommunity College.

Feb. 18: An arcing powerline was responsible for theburning of up to 5,500 acres ofland in Arthur County. The firstSandhill cranes of the seasonarrived.

Feb. 19: North Platte HighSchool wrestler Grant Holsch-er moved to the finals at thestate wrestling tournament inOmaha after defeating AntoineTureaud of Omaha Westside.

Feb. 20: A job fair hosted byNorth Platte Community Col-lege drew 150 participants. Ter-ry Dowling, North Platte, wasnamed the TeamMates Mentor-ing program “Mentor of theMonth.”

Feb. 22: Rape and DomesticViolence program directorJeanie Gilbert announced thatnearly 3,000 balloons were pur-chased this year for the organi-zations annual Valentines Dayfundraiser, bringing in morethan $6,000.

Feb. 23: Dan Twarling wasnamed superintendent ofMaxwell Public Schools. Lin-coln County launched a new,more user-friendly website atwww.co.lincoln.ne.us.

Feb. 24: Mid-Plains Commu-nity College board of directorsapproved a $4 per semester tu-ition increase and an increasein the cost of room and board.

Feb. 25: Miss America Tere-sa Scanlan arrived in NorthPlatte. Life since winning thenational crown has been “ab-solutely crazy,” she said at apress conference. KennethAten, known as the father of vo-cational training in the area,passed away at age 77.

Feb. 26: Curtis native GeorgeGarlick announced at $50,000donation to the Miss NebraskaScholarship program in honorof Teresa Scanlan.

Feb 27: The North PlatteArea Children’s Museumhosted a health fair. Al’sSmokehouse, 2205 East FourthStreet, opened for business.


euthanized.Breeders claimed the

end of slaughter had ledthe horse market to col-lapse. They said economicconditions made it hard forowners to afford to care fortheir animals or have themput down. As a result, theysaid horses were beingabandoned and neglectedand said horse rescueswere at their breakingpoint.

People on both sides hadan interest in where a pro-cessing plant would bebuilt. The issue gained at-tention as far away as Eu-rope and Asia, where po-tential investors watchedto see if they might have achance at reopening a

plant in the U.S. wherethey could better controlthe market.

Wayne Pacelle, presidentof the Humane Society ofthe United States, spokeout adamantly against theproposal. The issue alsosparked a weekly debate inThe North Platte Tele-graph between CharlesStenholm, senior policy ad-visor for Olsson FrankWeeda, P.C. in Washington,D.C., and John Holland ofVirginia, co-founder of theEquine Welfare Alliance.

The bill made it up allrungs of the legislative lad-der, and Gov. Dave Heine-man signed off on a feasi-bility study. The results ofthe study were unveiled inNovember, and they re-vealed bad news for horseprocessing proponents.

According to the report,

any program producinghorse meat for human con-sumption would have to beregulated by the USDAFood Safety and InspectionService. At the time the re-port was released, the serv-ice was still prohibited atthe federal level from con-ducting inspections.

Shortly thereafter, how-ever, the funding restric-tion was pulled. Horse pro-cessing plants can start upagain in the U.S., butwhether any will remainsto be seen.

They would have to crossa number of hurdles firstincluding finding moneyfor inspections and over-coming the possibility offuture federal regulations.Animal rights groups havepromised to fight any facil-ity that does attempt toopen.

HORSEfrom Page D3

A LOOK BACK AT 2011

FEBRUARY

Gering’s Teresa Scanlan held her homecoming ceremony in NorthPlatte on Feb. 24 after being named Nebraska’s first Miss America2011 in January. Scanlan, 17 at the time, was one of the youngestwomen to ever be named Miss America.


Mar. 1: Lincoln CountyCommissioners approvedthe formation of CourtAppointed Special Advo-cates for children (CASA).Central Nebraska PublicPower announced it wasincreasing the amountof water being releasedfrom Lake McConaughyinto the North Platte Riv-er.

Mar. 2: More than$14,000 was raised duringthe Buffalo Bill Birth-day Bash, benefiting Ne-braskaland Days.

Mar. 3: The Cat in theHat was a special guest atOsgood ElementarySchool, celebrating Dr.Suess’ birthday and Read-ing Partnerships.

Mar. 4: Money to payfor a new splash pad atMemorial Park will comefrom private donations,Councilwoman Judy Ped-erson said. Troop D ofthe Nebraska State Patrolreceived the PatriotAward for the support ofNational Guard and Re-

serve employees.Mar. 5: The annual

North Platte HomeBuilders Home SweetHome Show opened at theD&N Center.

Mar. 6: Twenty oneschools and 450 studentsparticipated in the Best ofthe West speech invita-tional at North PlatteHigh School. Around1,000 people attended theannual Kiwanis pancakefeed at United MethodistChurch.

Mar. 8: Parents were re-minded that all Nebraskaschool children need to re-ceive a second chickenpox vaccination beforestarting school next year.North Platte CommunityCollege choir and jazzband presented a freeconcert featuring musicfrom “Les Miserables.”

Mar. 9: State TreasurerDon Stenberg was inNorth Platte, talkingabout his plan to reducehis office’s budget by 13percent in the next two

years. Long-time schooladministrator Jim Whit-ney announced he wouldbe retiring at the end ofthe school year.

Mar. 10: St. Patrick’sHigh School cheerleadersand basketball playersvisited residents at Pre-mier Estates Senior Liv-ing Community. LincolnCounty District JudgeJohn Murphy dismissedtwo lawsuits filed byCentral Nebraska PublicPower and Irrigation dis-trict against Twin Platteand Tri-Basin NRDs.

Mar. 11: A total of 72railcars derailed 7 mileswest of Thedford. St.Patrick’s High FightingIrish basketball team de-feated the Arapahoe War-riors in overtime to makethe semi-finals at the statebasketball tournament inLincoln.

Mar. 12: The No. 1 seedArchbishop Bergan blast-ed the St. Pat’s Irish 46-36 in semi-final basketballaction. Wauneta-Pal-isade Broncos beat Ster-ling to advance to the fi-nals.

Mar. 13: Miss RodeoNebraska hopefulslearned about the art ofthe pageant during a

A LOOK BACK AT 2011

MARCH

Please see 22001111, Page D5

By ANDREW [email protected]

This past year brought a num-ber of new businesses, addi-tions and new facilities to com-munity stalwarts.n Construction on the Health

Complex at Mid Plains Commu-nity College South Campusalong State Farm Road in NorthPlatte began in 2011.

The new facility, which is ex-pected to be complete in 2012,will help expand the classroomspace at the college. The healthdepartment will move from theNorth Campus to the SouthCampus, and much of the math-ematics and science depart-ments will also move into the fa-cility.

The $9 million project hasbeen in the works, for nearly 20years, the college said.n In July, Great Plains Heart

Center’s cardiology clinicopened for business, with Dr.Arshad Ali leading the way.

The new facility offers 24-hour, seven days a week inter-ventional cardiology care,which provides both diagnosticand treatment services. Thenew clinic also gives the hospi-tal the ability to offer stents,something patients previouslyhad to travel to Lincoln or Den-ver to receive.

Great Plains Regional Med-ical Center hopes the new heartcenter will be a referral site forphysicians in an area thatstretches from west of Kearneyto Sidney and from McCook toValentine.

The clinic was temporarilyhoused in office space at 611West Francis, but in Augustmoved into the area south of thehospital’s emergency room, pre-viously occupied by the Nebras-ka Heart Institute.n Also in July, work began on

renovating and upgrading officespace at the east end of FrancisStreet, so that Allo Communica-tions could move in.

The communications basedcompany out of Imperial pro-vides television and Internetservices through fiber optics,something that wasn’t availablein North Platte to consumers.The fiber optics project is a $10million investment and localcontractors are being used to dothe work. The office space onFrancis will act as the retail cen-ter for North Platte.

Allo has similar consumer-based fiber optics networks inGering, Scottsbluff, Ogallalaand Alliance.n This past year, Westfield

Animal Clinic in the WestfieldShopping Center at 1821 West AStreet doubled the size of theirclinic and expanded services.

Previously, the clinic operateda small kennel near the highschool. In 2011, the clinic wasable to expand and move the

kennel service to the clinic inWestfield Shopping Center. Now,they can offer 50 spaces, andhave expanded their kennelservices to include daily careand walking.

The expansion also allowedthem to increase the size oftheir lab. Dr. Craig Kelly said 95percent of all lab work thatneeds to be done can be in-house, and results in mostlysame-day results.

The addition also allowed foran expansion of their x-ray serv-ices and their laser surgeryservices.. Westfield Small Ani-mal Clinic offers digital x-rays,which helps lower their costsand provides on-spot x-ray serv-ices for patients and clients.

Three veterinarians and threetechs are employed by Westfield,and their services also includeacupuncture and chiropracticcare.n In September, Phelps Fami-

ly Dentistry celebrated the open-

ing of their brand new buildingat 221 South Jeffers, at the cor-ner of C and Jeffers. In businesssince 2008, the family dentistryclinic expanded into a brandnew building in 2011.

The Phelps were able to pur-chase the building at 221 SouthJeffers and remodel the entirefacility, from the inside to thestore front and even the roof.

The remodel helped them ex-pand their business and work-flow, adding 3D imaging, whichhelps with their single visitcrown service. That service al-lows patients to receive crownsin one visit, rather than havingto come back twice to receivedental work.

They were also able to pavethe parking lot, which helpswith aesthetics, and add 1300square feet of leasing space nextdoor. Depot Drug will open inthat space in January of 2012.n The Asia Palace also opened

at their new location, 1318 South

Chestnut. This past year, withthe new location, the Asianrestaurant expanded its menuand offers both in-store diningand take out.

The restaurant features Chi-nese, Fondue, Taiwanese andThai food.n Vic’s Corn Popper in the

Westfield Shopping Center alsoexpanded in 2011, and is in theprocess of changing the name ofthe business in 2012.

In 2011, Vic’s added The WestWing, doubling the size of thebusiness for the second time,and allowing overflow space, aswell as a party room, that isavailable for rent.

It has also allowed Vic’s tobring in Shermie at the Piano toentertain customers on Wednes-days from 11:30 to 4 p.m. n Jazzercise also moved loca-

tions, moving into a bigger facil-ity at 1220 West A Street inNorth Platte, just a few doorsdown from their previous loca-tion.

The new facility allowed themto offer more classes and theability to expand their full daycare services.n In September, Pinpoint

Communications completed a1,700-square foot data center at1003 East State Farm Road. Thefacility is along Pinpoint’s Den-ver to Chicago fiber optics line,which will help strengthen thesignal, and help lead to more in-frastructure in North Platte. Atthe time, Pinpoint said the facil-ity will help North Platte be-come a hub for activity betweenthe eastern and western por-tions of the state.

Pinpoint works with majortelephone, Internet and telecomcompanies to send and receivesignal through fiber optics.

Pinpoint did not identify whothe anchor tenant for the facilitywas, but said it was an earthsta-tion uplink/downlink for a ma-jor wireless carrier.n In September, Nebraskland

National Bank celebrated theopening of their North Branchat 1002 North Jeffers. The bankofficially opened on Sept. 11with a celebration of veterans, aceremony and the unveiling ofan engraved stone.

Nebraskaland National Bankalso announced the purchase ofthe block between Dewey andJeffers, between Francis andWilliam streets. In August, thebank announced that it had pur-chased the Time Saver buildingand Rogers Fine Foods. In De-cember, bank President Mike Ja-cobson announced that they hadalso purchased A&W, and thenorth end of the block, as well.Nebraskaland Bank will beginconstruction on a new mainbranch sometime in 2012, whilecontinuing operation at theirdowntown location.

Gary Jones, who owns theModern Muffler shop on thatportion of the block subsequent-ly announced that he had pur-chased the Royal Colonial andwould be expanding his busi-ness on that plot, including theaddition of a full service carwash.

Purchases, construction anddemolition continued on theones in December, as CentrisFederal Credit Union an-nounced they will construct anew branch at the corner ofPhillip and Jeffers, where theKnights Inn Motel once stood.That building was torn down inDecember. Centris, currently lo-cated at 301 East Philip, saidthey will begin construction inthe spring of 2012.


three-day clinic in NorthPlatte. The 100th annualFirefighters Banquetand Award ceremonyhonored volunteer fire-fighters.

Mar. 15: Replacementof the roof at the new Lin-coln County Jail is sched-uled to begin this week.Lincoln County may havea drug court in place byfall, Eleventh Judicial Dis-trict Judge James Doyletold the Lincoln CountyCommissioners.

Mar. 16: The North Plat-te City Council approvedthe building of a splashpad in Memorial Park.North Platte High Schoolwas the scene of a jazz fes-tival featuring groupsfrom University of Nebras-ka-Omaha and ChadronState College.

Mar. 17: Jack O’Holler-an, son of Dr. Tim andMolly O’Holleran of NorthPlatte, spoke to the Tele-graph about his experi-ences in Tokyo during therecent earthquakes. TheSandhill Symphony cele-brates its 50 anniversary.

Mar. 18: Taste of HomeCooking Show culinaryspecialist Guy Klinzing en-tertained a large crowdduring the annual event.

Mar. 19: Buffalo Bill Ki-wanis Bringing upGrades program recog-nized students who workhard to bring up theirgrades at a ceremony atJefferson Elementary.

Mar. 20: Speech stu-dents at St. Patrick’s HighSchool and North Platte

High School earned theirway to a berth at the statecompetition.

Mar. 22: North PlatteCatholic Schools Endow-ment-Trust announced itwould host a retirementdinner for St. Patrick’sHigh School superinten-dent Bill McGahan forhis 45 years of service.

Mar. 23: AmericanCowboy Magazine namedNorth Platte as one of the20 best places to live inthe west. “Early-out”Wednesdays will continueinto next year for NorthPlatte Public Schools, afterapproval by the schoolboard. Police were investi-gating a possible shoot-ing on West 10th Street.

Mar. 24: Police say theshooting story was “fic-tion.” Shane Reed acciden-tally shot himself in theupper leg and family mem-bers told police he hadbeen shot by two men driv-ing by in a car. The But-terfly Pavilion travelingexhibit from Westminister,Colo., is coming to visit theNorth Platte Children’sMuseum.

Mar. 25: Area highschool students spent a dayat the 1074th Transporta-tion Company Armoryin North Platte, shootinglaser guns, painting cam-ouflauge on their faces andwearing night vision gog-gles as part of the annualLEAD Day. Nebraska Hu-manities Council speakerDarrel Draper portrayedTheodore Roosevelt aspart of a living historyprogram at the NorthPlatte Public Library.

Mar. 26: A North Platte

man was shot and killedinside the police buildingafter he attacked officerswith a knife. Local mediaidentified the man as Mari-on L, Johnson, 60. NPPSSuperintendent David En-gle announced that sevenschool principals will berelocated in the nextschool year.

Mar. 27: Child AbusePrevention Month Kick-Off Kids Carnival at thePlatte River Mall was apopular destination.

Mar. 29: Governor DaveHeineman attended a spe-cial rally in Hershey. Her-shey School had the high-est test scores for a ClassC2 school in the state. MissLincoln Jessica States andNebraska State Patrol in-vestigator Carlos Trevinotalked to Kids Klub aboutInternet safety.

Mar. 30: The North Plat-te River continued to re-main above flood stageand area irrigation dis-tricts and NRD’s agreed todivert some water into ir-rigation canals to ease therisk of further flooding.Lincoln County Commis-sioners approved the re-vival of the juvenile di-version program.

Mar. 31: North PlatteHigh School senior JamiePanzer earned the Nation-al Forensic League’s de-gree of Premier Distinc-tion for her successful de-bating season. “You gotPanzered,” became a rally-ing cry for debate teammembers. Irina Bassiswas named new vice pres-ident of marketing atGreat Plains RegionalMedical Center.

2011from Page D4

2011 was a bustling year for business in NP

Long-time North Platte restuarant Roger’s servedits last cup of coffee on Nov. 30. The businessclosed in late 2011, after Nebraskaland NationalBank bought the property, as well as adjoining prop-erties along the one-ways between Francis andWilliam streets. The bank later announced plans tobuild a new branch on the property.



April 1: A fundraising cam-paign began to start a splashpad in Memorial Park.

April 2: Demonstratorsmarched outside the LincolnCounty courthouse to protestthe actions of the Nebraska De-partment of Health and Hu-man Services’ Child ProtectiveServices division.

April 3: English exchangestudents visiting Mid-PlainsCommunity College weretreated to their first rodeo.

April 5: Steven Kramer wasoffered the job of Lincoln Coun-ty noxious weeds superinten-dent.

April 6: Comedian MackDryden spoke about stayingpositive during difficult situa-tions. Work began on a newcommunity garden.

April 7: Tempers flared ascity council members discussaccountability for the Iron Ea-gle Golf Course.

April 8: Dr. David Lindley,West Central District HealthDepartment medical director,outlined the department’s goalsfor public health services inNorth Platte, including a med-ical clinic for the uninsured.

April 9: The 20th CenturyVeterans Memorial board ofdirectors sought to change thename of the park the memorial

is in to Veterans Park.April 10: The Mid-Plains

United Way board of trusteesannounced plans to award$165,000 to local agencies. Amachinist fired from Union Pa-cific Railroad got his job backafter an investigation showedthe termination was the resultof him reporting an on-the-jobinjury.

April 12: Three candidateswere interviewed for the NorthPlatte Public Schools superin-tendent position.

April 13: The Western Ne-braska Taxpayers Associationand ESU 16 presented ideas fordealing with funding cuts with-in the North Platte PublicSchools system.

April 14: The Mid-PlainsCommunity College Board ofGovernors approved construc-tion of an event center in Mc-Cook and a health and sciencecomplex in North Platte.

April 15: Daniel Fischer, a

Sutherland youth minister fac-ing multiple counts of sexual as-sault on a child was considered afugitive from justice. NebraskaState Patrol trooper KevinHorst was honored for his hero-ism with the Military Order ofthe Purple Heart award.

April 16: North Platte hotelsfilled up as a spring blizzardforced the closure of Inter-state 80.

April 17: The Nebraska Soci-ety of New York announcedplans to connect Nebraskans liv-ing in the Big Apple through adinner party.

April 19: Daniel Fischer, aSutherland youth minister fac-ing multiple counts of sexual as-sault on a child, was found deadin a canal near Hershey. Rainslows roof replacement on thenew Lincoln County Jail.

April 20: Gov. Dave Heine-man announced he had faithcommunities like North Plat-te could compensate for a cut

in state aid.April 21: Deputy chief

Dwight Livingston announcedhis retirement after 39 yearswith the North Platte PoliceDepartment.

April 22: Planned Parent-hood of the Heartland listedNorth Platte as a considerationfor a new clinic location. GreatPlains Regional Medical Cen-ter implemented an automaticchest compression device tokeep emergency respondersfrom becoming fatigued.

April 23: Men walked a milein women’s shoes and raisedabout $4,500 for the Rape andDomestic Abuse Program. TheNorth Platte Public SchoolsBoard of Education suspendedthe search for a new superinten-dent.

April 24: The Lincoln Coun-ty Child Abuse PreventionCouncil announced plans to rec-ognize several people for theirdedication to the community’schildren. Those honored wereMonte McNeil, Larry Gipe,Jody Ryan, Carol Halley,Brenda Aufdenkamp, GeneNelson and Tina Maria Fer-nandez. North Platte Communi-ty College vice president Mari-lyn McGahan received the PhiTheta Kappa Michael BennettLifetime Achievement Award.

April 26: Expensive furni-ture ordered for the new Lin-coln County Jail didn’t fit.Original Town Associationchairman Dave Harrold re-ceived the Friends of Tourismaward from the North Platteand Lincoln County Conventionand Visitors Bureau.

April 27: The North PlattePublic Schools Board of Educa-tion approved the resignationof assistant superintendentDr. Kate Orozco.

April 28: North Platte artistSandy Meyer received the FirstLady’s Outstanding CommunityService Award for lifetimeachievement in volunteer serv-ice. Fifty people released pinkballoons in Centennial Park inhonor of 5-year-old HannahHuckfeldt who died from can-cer. Teachers attended safetypresentations at North PlatteHigh School following the deathof McCook student KaileeClapp.

April 29: Great Plains Re-gional Medical Center evictedThe Nebraska Heart Instituteso it could start its own cardio-vascular program.

April 30: Homeland Securi-ty investigated some alleged de-signer bags that were going tobe sold at the Bag Lady Teaand Purse Auction.

the North Platte River toprepare for flooding. Amajor roads funding billwas sent to Gov. DaveHeineman for his signa-ture.

May 14: Chelsea Feusneris named the Hall Elemen-tary School principal.

May 15: North Platteresidents planted a com-munity garden to benefitthe Backpack Program.Capt. John Joneson re-tired after 26 years of serv-ice with the North PlatteFire Department.

May 17: The ReadingPartnership granted $500scholarships to 10 NorthPlatte Public School class-rooms. The M.E. Groupwas hired to conduct anengineering study re-garding improvements tothe Lincoln County Court-house. Water was foundleaking through a day-room wall in the new Lin-coln County jail.

May 18: Lincoln CountySheriff ’s Office chiefdeputy Dean Sparks re-signed after he wascharged with violating aprotection order. Locallaw enforcement partici-pated in a torch run for theSpecial Olympics.

May 19: Water in theNorth Platte River ex-ceeded the six-foot floodstage, and emergencymanagement officials esti-mated levels could surpasseight feet before the endof summer. VickeyMcKinley, Donna’sRestaurant waitress, per-formed the Heimlich ma-neuver on a choking cus-tomer and saved his life.

May 20: Tami Eshle-man was appointed act-ing superintendent ofthe North Platte PublicSchools. A Chevy blazerflipped at Oak and EStreets. The top of the ve-hicle had to be removed tofree the driver.

May 21: Scouts RestRanch supervisor SteveKemper retired from theNebraska Game andParks Commission after43 years of service. TheComstock Music Festi-vals’ Country Fest waspushed back from June to

August because of finan-cial problems.

May 22: The NorthPlatte River surpassedthe seven-foot mark,breaking the previousrecord of 6.7 set in 1971.Great Plains RegionalMedical Center officialssaid 20 percent of thehospital’s doctors werefrom other countries.

May 24: The NorthPlatte River hit 7.2 feet aweek ahead of predic-tions. Work to replace amoldy roof on the Lin-coln County Jail ended.

May 25: The NorthPlatte Regional Airportrushed to finish a levee tohold back rising floodwa-ters, which pooled overseveral of Lincoln Coun-ty’s roads. Buffalo BillRodeo committee mem-bers implement precau-tions against the highlycontagious Equine Her-pes Virus-1.

May 26: City officialsuse pumps to removefloodwater from the Riv-er’s Edge Golf Coursebefore it has a chance toreach the animal shelterand Dowhower SoftballComplex. The Gift ofHope Cancer Founda-tion announced it’shalfway toward having

enough money to create ahospice in North Platte.Convicted killer CareyDean Moore had his exe-cution put on hold untilissues over the lethal in-jection drug could be re-solved.

May 27: Students from12 area high schoolswere honored at an Acad-emic All Stars event.Road officials predictedU.S. Highway 30 wouldreopen after White HorseCreek overflowed andflooded it.

May 28: Emergencymanagement officials saidresidents along the NorthPlatte River should be pre-pared to evacuate. GreatPlains Regional MedicalCenter representatives an-nounced plans to make thehospital a certifiedstroke center.

May 29: Floodwatersbrought an influx of mos-quitoes, prompting healthofficials to warn againstdiseases.

May 31: Sutherlandsoldier Justin Nelms re-covered from a traumaticbrain injury sustained inAfghanistan. Hundredsgathered at Fort McPher-son National Cemeteryto pay their respects toservicemen and women.

May 1: Turnout nearlydoubled for the Women’sResource Center’s Walkfor Life after PlannedParenthood had an-nounced it might be open-ing a clinic in North Plat-te.

May 3: North Platte res-idents responded with cau-tious optimism to the newsof Osama bin Laden’sdeath. A Denny’s restau-rant opened in North Plat-te. The Nebraska FarmBureau honored Cody Ele-mentary School teacherJill Walters with aTeacher of the Yearaward.

May 4: The North Plat-te Public Schools ap-proved the creation of analternative education pro-gram following the closureof the Boys and GirlsHome.

May 5: A 14-year-oldboy was arrested after tak-ing a pistol to school and

using it to threaten an-other student. North Plat-te cardiologist RickHeirigs gave lifesavingCPR to a fellow runnerparticipating in a half-marathon in Lincoln. TheNorth Platte Noon Ro-tary Club unveiled a deco-rative clock at the cornerof Sixth and JeffersStreets.

May 6: Ground offi-cially broke on a newhealth and science com-plex for North Platte Com-munity College. A bill tocreate a state meat in-spection program passedthe final reading in theLegislature.

May 7: Informationgathered from a raid onOsama bin Laden’s com-pound showed he wasplanning an attack onU.S. railways.

May 8: Gas prices werepredicted to drop 50 centsby June.

May 10: The counterswere upgraded in theCounty Court offices,making the area safer foremployees who have todeal with angry people. Amountain lion was shotin a Kearney neighbor-hood.

May 11: Great PlainsRegional Medical Centerofficials announce plans toexpand the hospital andmake it a regionalhealthcare destinationfor west central Nebraska.Marcus Garstecki washired as the new NorthPlatte Community Collegevice president.

May 12: The StapletonSchool District received a$1.1 million grant to im-prove test scores after itwas deemed as persistent-ly underachieving.

May 13: Lincoln Countyemergency managementdirector Jim Nitz encour-aged residents living along

A LOOK BACK AT 2011

APRIL

A LOOK BACK AT 2011

MAY

Barricades block off Highway 30 east of North Platte inlate May 2011. Rising flood waters forced the closure ofmany area roads, including the highway, as the swollenNorth Platte River began spilling over its banks.


June 1: The city joined withthe U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers to create a dike and lev-ee system for the community.Flooding closed North Air-port Road and East LongSchool Road. The LincolnCounty jail was declared readyfor occupation.

June 2: Officials said thespring’s cool, wet conditionswiped out the majority ofgrasshoppers.

June 3: Tyler Keup, the manconvicted of second-degreemurder in the shooting deathof Maricela Martinez, had hisconviction set aside. The an-nual Pony Express Re-ridewas pushed back because of anEquine Herpes Virus-1 out-break.

June 4: The Lincoln CountyHistorical Museum’s annualHeritage Festival was post-poned because of flood con-cerns. Scouts Rest Ranchclosed because of flooding. TheNebraska Supreme Courtruled that Lincoln County Dis-trict Judge John Murphyshould have disqualified him-self from a case between twolandowners and a land develop-er because of a possible per-sonal bias against one side’s at-torney.

June 5: Al-Qaida leaderIlyas Kashmiri was believed tohave been killed in a U.S. droneattack.

June 7: The U.S. Army Na-tional Guard began droppingsandbags on a breached leveeeast of town. Emergency offi-cials from across the state metat the North Platte RegionalAirport to discuss flood con-trol plans. The Miss NebraskaScholarship Pageant began.

June 8: Central NebraskaPublic Power and IrrigationDistrict engineers said theworst flooding had yet tocome. Nebraskaland Days of-ficials prepared to launch thestate’s official celebration asplanned, despite flooding con-cerns.

June 9: Just like during theCanteen, volunteers handedout food and water to the sol-diers building dikes and leveesaround North Platte. City offi-cials announced they wouldspend over $1 million to makeimprovements to storm sewersnorth of Rodeo Road.

June 10: Alliance nativeKayla Batt won the prelimi-nary swimwear and talent

contests during the Miss Ne-braska Scholarship Pageant.

June 11: Teresa Scanlan re-flected on her experience asMiss America. Miss RodeoNebraska officials said theirpageant would continue asplanned despite flooding.

June 12: Kayla Batt wascrowned Miss Nebraska 2011.Brooke Ludemann was namedthe 2011 Miss Nebraska Out-standing Teen. NebraskalandDays kicked off with openingceremonies.

June 14: Thirty artists fromacross the country displayedtheir work at the annualArtistry in Wood Show andSale. Hundreds flocked to theKids Costume Parade.

June 15: People began stak-ing out viewing spots half aweek ahead of the Nebraska-land Days parade. Hundredsturned out for the Miss RodeoNebraska style show.

June 16: Sierra Peterson isnamed Miss Rodeo Nebraska2012. Dakota Clough wascrowned Miss Teen Rodeo Ne-braska 2011. Floodwatersknocked out railroad crossingarms and lights throughoutthe region.

June 17: Eighty people wentthrough the new Lincoln Coun-ty Jail during the first hourthat tours were offered. Gay-land and Sandy Meyer re-ceived the Dale StudleyAward.

June 18: Levern Walterdied after being struck by a ve-hicle while riding his bike onState Farm Road. Lake Mc-Conaughy managers reducedwater releases by 500 cubic feetper second in an attempt to miti-gate downstream flooding.

June 19: Bullfighter GregRumohr received the TrailBoss Award during the BuffaloBill Rodeo. More than 150groups participated in the annu-al Nebraskaland Days parade.

June 21: Lincoln Countysheriff Jerome Kramerpitched a plan to the commis-sioners that would dramaticallylower medical costs at the jail.Sand supplies ran low afterNebraskans spent weeks bat-tling floodwaters.

June 22: CEO of DestinationDevelopment InternationalRoger Brooks told North Plattebusiness leaders that commu-nity branding depends on ex-periences. A summer stormknocked a tree into a home

along South Cottonwood Street.Tyler Keup, a man who had hismurder conviction set aside,had his re-sentencing contin-ued.

June 23: Flooding pushedwildlife into residential areas,causing health threats to peo-ple. U.S. Highway 30 re-opened to traffic after beingclosed for weeks because offlooding. Nebraskaland Daysofficials expected 10,000 peopleto attend the Brad Paisleycountry concert.

June 24: A federal reportindicated that closing horseprocessing plants had a nega-tive impact. Emergency man-agement officials encouraged

residents in the flood zone totest their water.

June 25: A Colorado coupledied after their vehicle wasstruck by a semi on Interstate80. The Women’s ResourceCenter paid off its mortgage,enabling it to turn its attentiontoward building renovations.Heavy rains caused flashflooding in Hershey.

June 26: Roger Diaz wascharged with manslaughter inthe death of his wife MichelleDiaz.

June 28: The Lincoln Countycommissioners rejected$150,000 in Quality GrowthFund money that had beenawarded to the North Platte and

Lincoln County Convention andVisitors Bureau. Land acquisi-tions for the BirdwoodViaduct project moved for-ward.

June 29: Roger Diaz had hismanslaughter charge up-graded to second-degree mur-der. The North Platte CityCouncil considered a new cellphone tax. The Golden SpikeTower and Visitor Centerwelcomed its 100,000th visitor.

June 30: Charges againsthim were dropped, but formerLincoln County Sheriff ’s Officechief deputy Dean Sparks didnot get his job back. The Lex-ington Police Department in-vestigated a playground fire.


A LOOK BACK AT 2011

JUNE

July 1: Lincoln CountyDistrict Judge John Mur-phy reduced Tyler Keup’ssentence to a maximum of20 years in prison, afteroverturning his murderconviction tomanslaughter in May.Keup was convicted in theshooting death of a NorthPlatte woman in 2000.

July 2: MichaelGrandon, who had beenconvicted in 2008 ofkilling two North Platteresidents, was stabbed todeath in the NebraskaState Penitentiary.

July 3: The GoldenSpike Tower and Visi-

tor’s Center hosted 300people for the third annualRed, White and BlueBarbecue.

July 5: County authori-ties continued their searchfor two time capsules,one from 1933 and anotherfrom 1971, before demoli-tion would begin on theold county jail.

July 6: A facility andenergy assessment ofthe Lincoln County Court-house revealed up to $1.9million in upgrades andremodeling that mayneed to be done.

A LOOK BACK AT 2011

JULY

North Platte High School senior Brooke Ludemann waves from a parade float during North Platte’s2011 Nebraskaland Days Parade on June 18, 2011, just six days after she was crowned the 2011 Miss Ne-braska Outstanding Teen. Joining Ludemann in 2011’s winners circle was Alliance native Kayla Batt,named Miss Nebraska 2011 during the June pageant.


Please see 22001111, Page A2

The Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center welcomedits 100,000th visitor in June, and in July hosted 300 peoplefor the third annual Red, White and Blue Barbecue.


Aug. 1: The owners ofRoger’s Fine Foods,founded in the 1970s, an-nounced that they wouldbe closing later in theyear.

Aug. 3: Crews began fix-ing the drainage prob-lems at the new LincolnCounty Detention Cen-ter.

Aug. 4: The girl scoutsannounced the demoli-tion of the Girls ScoutsSpirit of Nebraska Lake-view Cabin at Lake Mal-oney.

Aug. 5: Two North Plat-te residents, ElizabethCrawford and Jeffery Ma-nary, were charged withmanslaughter in whatauthorities called thedrug-related death of Es-ther Smith.

Aug. 6: City of NorthPlatte officials talkedabout how they were ableto lower the propertytax levy for the 2011-12budget.

Aug. 6: North Platte resi-dent Patricia Romerotalked about beating can-cer after a three-year bat-tle with the disease.

Aug. 7: Relay for Life ofLincoln County raisedmore than their goal,$75,000, for the AmericanCancer Society at the an-nual event.

Aug. 9: North PlatteCouncilman Jerry Stollintroduces a proposal toextend the telecommuni-cations tax to cell phonesin the city.

Aug. 10: Maxwellmourned the death of 14-year-old Lindsay Morris,after a four-year battlewith bone cancer.

Aug. 11: Visitors to theGolden Spike Tower andVisitor’s Center were upfrom 2010, for the sum-mer months.

Aug. 11: Local authori-ties were searching fortwo fugitives from Ore-gon who stole a vehicle inCozad, and eluded authori-ties.

Aug. 12: RolandKramer was named thenew Chief Deputy forthe Lincoln County Sher-iff ’s Department.

Aug. 12: Inmates at thenew Lincoln County De-tention Center were intro-duced to a pair of catsthat quickly became fa-vorites at the facility.

Aug. 13: Justin Brodie,also known as “Big Red”entertained and educatedchildren at the North Plat-te Children’s Museum.

Aug. 13: Three menwere arrested in theNorth Platte area andcharged with car theftsfrom a rental facility inLincoln.

Aug. 14: Area residentsparticipated in the sum-mertime tradition ofgarage sales on NationalGarage Sale Day.

Aug. 16: Constructionon improvements to FifthStreet between Deweyand Bailey by Steele’s Con-struction began.

Aug. 17: School resourceofficer Rod Brown urgeddrivers to use caution onthe verge of the 2011-12school year.

Aug. 18: North PlatteHigh School welcomedthe Class of 2015 on thefirst day of school.

Aug. 19: The city ofNorth Platte celebratedthe completion of thesouth Buffalo Bill Roadextension with an officialribbon cutting.

Aug. 20: The annualPony Express re-ridetraveled through NorthPlatte.

Aug. 20: Mohamed Ab-


July 7: BenFranklin’s, open since1974 in Westfield Shop-ping Center, announcedthat it was closing.

July 7: Officials withCentral Nebraska PublicPower and Irrigation an-nounced that water lev-els in the North PlatteRiver began to recede,though experts expectedwater to remain aboveflood stage through thefall.

July 8: Tom Gormanreflected on his 41 yearsof service to Mid-PlainsCommunity College andhis retirement.

July 9: Kyle and GinaCantrell, and their chil-dren, of Merna, talkedabout being the face ofthe Nebraska CornBoard’s “Sustaining In-novation” campaign.

July 10: As tick num-bers swelled because ofthe wet spring, Ento-mologist Dave Boxleroffered up tips for keep-ing the bloodsuckers atbay.

July 12: Scouts RestRanch, closed because offlooding in May, an-nounced it would re-open in August.

July 13: Women ofthe Union Pacific Rail-road gathered at CodyPark to honor the womenwho have worked for therailroad, as the OldTown Association pre-pared a book commemo-rating their experiences.

July 14: Mail carrierTandi Ashburn talkedabout being attacked byan American bulldogwhile on her route onJuly 11, and the threesurgeries she faces fromthe attack.

July 15: Relay for Lifeof Lincoln Countyasked North Platte andLincoln County to Paintthe Town Purple to rec-ognize the fight againstcancer.

July 16: North PlatteLibrary researcherKaycee Anderson talkedabout the history ofjails in the North Plattearea, as the demolitionof the old jail neared.

July 17: An inmate atthe new Lincoln CountyDetention Center set offa fire sprinkler, flood-ing a dayroom.

July 19: Lincoln Coun-

ty Emergency Manage-ment Director Jim Nitzsaid that flood damageis estimated to be $1.3million.

July 20: The LincolnCounty Fair introducedthe stock dog competi-tion at this year’s fair.Out Back Dog Stock As-sociation members Den-ny McDaniel and Ed-die Merritt talked aboutthe competition.

July 21: Entry Dayopened up the week-longLincoln County Fair atthe fairgrounds on theeast edge of North Plat-te.

July 22: Maywood saysgoodbye to Sgt. OmarJones, who died July 18while deployed inAfghanistan.

July 23: Nearly 50youth from around thearea participated inNorth Platte CommunityPlayhouse’s productionof “Alice in Wonder-land.”

July 24: The LincolnCounty Historical Muse-um hosted a Civil Warre-enactment of theFirst Battle of BullRun.

July 26: County asses-sor Julie Stenger toldthe Lincoln County Com-missioners that her of-fice would be conductinga three-year re-assess-ment of property val-ues throughout thecounty.

July 27: Sgt. OmarJones was laid to rest atFt. McPherson Nation-al Cemetery. Jones diedJuly 18 in Afghanistan.

July 28: Paws-itivePartners began amonth-long campaigncalled Responsi-Bull,urging people to be re-sponsible with breadingpit bulls, the most eutha-nized animal in the cityof North Platte.

July 29: NebraskaGame and Parks con-firmed the sighting of amountain lion nearSutherland.

July 30: Pro Printingpainted their lawnpurple as part of Relayfor Life’s Paint theTown Purple week.

July 31: Best friendsSierra Winder, 8, andMia Hilber-Hansmeier, 9,talked about their bakesale where all the pro-ceeds went to the Lin-coln Connection.

2011from Page A1

YOUR SOURCE since 1881w w w . n p t e l e g r a p h . c o m

Buy it in the Classifieds 532-6000

By DIANE [email protected]

Only about half of students atNorth Platte public school met or ex-ceeded state standards for math, ac-cording to figures released in Au-gust 2011.

2011 was the first year for Nebras-ka State Accountability testing inmathematics and the second year forreading under the NeSA system ad-ministered by the Nebraska Depart-ment of Education. NeSA tests are aone-time snapshot of student skills,given each spring to grades threethrough eight and high school jun-iors.

During a press conference in Lin-coln, state education commissionerRoger Breen said that statewidenearly 72 percent of Nebraska stu-dents met or exceeded state readinggoals and about 63 percent met or ex-ceeded mathematic standards.

“One of the strengths and weak-nesses of NeSA is that it is a one-time thing, a snapshot,” Breen said.“The 249 school districts in the stateneed to have a plan in place for kidswho don’t do as well as we hoped.”

School curriculums need to bealigned with common core stan-dards, Breen said. Schools havework to do to improve math scores,adding that the first year scores onthe state reading test improved from69 percent in 2010 to 72 percent in2011.

NPPS district students at the sev-en tested class levels tested at 71 per-cent in reading and 51 percent inmathematics.

Lower test scores does not meanthe students aren’t learning, saidNPPS curriculum director GayleSharkey.

“It is not a reflection in the qualityof education our students are get-ting,” she said. “There is a lot ofgreat instruction going on. We needto make sure it is happening at theright grade level at the right time.”

It’s not about teaching to the test,Sharkey said, but a matter of teach-ing to the rigor of the expectations.

“Math testing is a baseline this

year,” she added, “and the basic mes-sage is that as a district, it identifiesopportunities for growth. We havespent a lot of focus on good instruc-tion. Now it’s time to take that focusand make sure that the basic expec-tations of the state are being met.”

State expectations are more rigor-ous than in the past, she said.

“Every single student, no matterwhat their career path, is expectedto take Algebra II,” Sharkey said.“In order to have them ready forthat, we have to ramp up algebrafrom kindergarten on up.”

Sharkey was hired as director ofcurriculum, instruction and assess-ment in July 2011.

The complete NeSA test score re-sults are available online at www.ed-ucation.ne.gov.

More than 50 teachers in the dis-trict have volunteered to serve on acommittee to help align the curricu-lum to state standards, Sharkeysaid.

“The teachers are all about want-ing to make sure our kids reachtheir fullest potential,” she said.“The curriculum committees willbe an ongoing process so we cancontinue to get better and better.”

Test scores prove troublingNPPS officials saylow scores aren’t areflection of schools

North Platte got international media coverage after theTelegraph published its story about the Lincoln CountyDetention Center’s “jail cat” program in August.


The Telegraph is committed to providing you with the most up-to-the-minute

coverage of North Platte’s area news. For updates throughout the day:

Like us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/nptelegraph

On Twitter: twitter.com/nptelegraphVisit our website: www.nptelegraph.com

FOLLOW US ONLINE

dulkadir, an inmate atthe Nebraska State Peni-tentiary is charged in thestabbing death of con-victed killer MichaelGrandon.

Aug. 21: Old-fashionedcraftsmen from aroundLincoln County put theirwork on display at the an-nual Heritage Days Festi-val at the Lincoln CountyHistorical Museum.

Aug. 23: The LincolnCounty Commissionersallocated $20,000 to theNorth Platte Area Cham-ber of Commerce, cut inhalf from previous years’allocations.

Aug. 23: A crew of work-ers for Utility ServicesCorporation, out ofTexas, began re-paintingthe North Platte watertower.

Aug. 24: Several weeksafter the 2011 Relay ForLife event, the LincolnCounty chapter an-nounced proceeds ofover $90,000, shatteringtheir old record.

Aug. 25: Representativeswith the Federal Emer-

gency ManagementAgency assessed flooddamage in and aroundNorth Platte, from thefloods earlier in the year.

Aug. 26: The LincolnCounty Historical Muse-um asked for volunteersto help remove sandbags,which had been placedaround the building whenflooding from the NorthPlatte river threatened thebuilding beginning inMay.

Aug. 27: An eastboundAmtrak train collideswith a crane west ofBenkelman. No one is se-riously injured, but Am-trak is forced to charterbuses to get passengers totheir destinations.

Aug. 28: The U.S. StateDepartment released a re-port stating that the routefor the Keystone XLPipeline is as good asany other route, ignitingcalls for a special leg-islative session of theUnicameral.

Aug. 30: The 2011 cast ofUp With People arrivedin North Platte for theirthree-night run at theNorth Platte CommunityPlayhouse.

Aug. 31: Former Hyan-nis resident Dana Bren-nen, now a resident ofNassau, Bahamas, talksabout enduring Hurri-cane Irene.

A LOOK BACK AT 2011

AUGUST


A LOOK BACK AT 2011

SEPTEMBER By ANDREW [email protected]

Completing a decades-long process,the city of North Platte celebrated theopening of the Buffalo Bill Avenue ex-tension on Thursday, Aug. 18.

The new road opens up the west sideof North Platte, allowing traffic tocross over I-70, and goes all the way toLake Maloney.

“Discussions started in the late ’60s,”said former mayor G. Keith Richard-son at a ceremony celebrating theopening of the road in August.“There’s some disagreement about ex-actly when. Some people say ’67, somesay it was ’68 and some say ’69.”

The final leg of the construction wasthe South Platte river bridge to Leota,with the portion of the road fromSouth Platte River Road to State FarmRoad opening up in December 2010.

Leaders from around the communitygathered on Aug. 18 to talk about theimportance of completing the project.Dan Mauk, Chamber and DevelopmentCorporation president, said it wouldtake some of the traffic load off ofHighway 83.

“I think traffic patterns willchange,” Mauk said at the ceremony.“It’s also going to open up the potentialfor economic development somewherebetween here and the other side of theriver.”

The extension also gave the city achance to reassess emergency routesout of the city in case of extreme emer-gencies, lessening the burden on High-way 83 in those situations, as well.

In August, the city estimated that thetotal cost of the project was $15.1 mil-lion, with the city on the hook for 20percent of those funds. The city part-nered with both the Department ofRoads and the Federal Highway Com-mission for funding.

By DIANE [email protected]

Today the Golden SpikeTower and Visitor Centeris part of the North Plattelandscape. The tourist at-traction overlooking theUnion Pacific Railroad’sBailey Yard had a longand sometimes con-tentious journey to com-pletion before opening itsdoors in 2008. There werebattles over the location,the design, the directorand the funding.

On Sept. 23, 2011, thebattle on how the GoldenSpike is funded endedwith a decision by the Ne-braska Supreme Court.

The city of North Plat-te charges a 2 percent oc-cupation tax on hotel andmotel occupancy, with therevenues going to fundthe Golden Spike. Thefunds are used to repay aU.S. Department of Agri-culture loan that paid tobuild the attraction. Anyexcess revenues go to payoperating costs.

Opponents of the use of

taxes to subsidize theGolden Spike circulated apetition calling for a vote,asking that occupationtax funds be used only torepay the USDA loan andthat any excess revenuesto the city’s general fundfor property tax relief.

“The court said the pe-tition was invalid be-cause it would have re-quired voters to vote ontwo separate issues,” at-torney Steve Grasz ofHusch Blackwell in Oma-ha said at the time. Graszworked with city attor-ney Doug Stack on thecity’s arguments beforethe state’s highest court.

In a long and complexdecision, the court over-turned Lincoln CountyDistrict Judge John P.Murphy’s decision toblock a count of the votescast on the petition dur-ing the May 2010 primaryelection and his decisionthat the proposed referen-dum violated state statuteby interfering with a con-tractual obligation.

“We are pleased thatthe court recognized thatthe referendum could notbe rejected under thecity’s rational that any-time they enacted an oc-cupation tax for a future

contract, the tax itselfwould not be subject toreferendum,” said V.Gene Summerlin of Og-born, Summerlin and Og-born, who argued thecase for appellants BillTilgner, Dallas Dye andEd Reiker.

However, Murphy’s de-cision that the proposedreferendum violated acommon-law single sub-ject rule was upheld.

Voters were asked todecide on two separate is-sues with one vote, Graszsaid, whether or not hoteltax revenues could belimited to replaying theUSDA loan and whetherhotel taxes have to beused by the city for prop-erty tax relief.

The city’s original ordi-nance required the city touse hotel tax revenues fortwo purposes, to assistwith the constructionand operation of a visi-tor’s center until Febru-ary 2029 and, after thatdate, to increase the gen-eral fund.

The changes proposedby the petition wouldhave changed the originalordinance to impose twoseparate requirements onthe city. The first wouldrequire using hotel occu-

pation taxes to retire theUSDA debt until Febru-ary 2029 and prohibit us-ing any of the revenuesfor operation costs. Thesecond required the cityto use additional hotel taxrevenues to provide prop-erty tax relief.

“Under the second pro-posed amendment, thecity could not use the ad-ditional revenues to in-crease its general fund,”the court ruled. Using ad-ditional revenues forproperty tax relief didnot have a natural con-nection to limiting use ofrevenues to reduce theGolden Spike’s debt, thecourt ruled, and voterscould not express a pref-erence without approvingor rejecting both, whichis a violation of the singlesubject rule.

“The Golden Spike’sfunding has been securedbecause the petition thatwould have changed ithas been declared in-valid,” Grasz said.

The state supremecourt is the final word onthe matter because it is astate constitutional issue.

The controversy couldcome back to North Plattevoters again if the peti-tion people would like tofile two separate peti-tions.

“It would require a ref-erendum to change thecity’s ordinance and aninitiative that says oncethe USDA loan is paid off,occupation taxes will gofor property tax relief,”Summerlin said.

Judge rules on GoldenSpike petition lawsuit

Buffalo Bill extension opens

North Platte Mayor Marc Kaschke gestures for traffic to begin cross-ing the newly-opened Buffalo Bill Avenue overpass on Aug. 18, 2011.The opening of the road extension marked the completion of a projectthat had its roots in the 1960s.


Original Town Association Chairman Dave Harrold speaks during opening cere-monies for Rail Fest 2011 on Sept. 16. Rail Fest again welcomed thousands of visitorsfrom all over the world to North Platte, in a two-day celebration of Union Pacific Railroad’srelationship with the community.


Sept. 1: High schoolaged youth with the Pro-ject Search and Jobsiteprograms helped giveback to the communityby removing sand bagsfrom the Lincoln Coun-ty Historical Museum.

Sept. 2: The OriginalTown Association talkedabout honoring thewomen of the Union Pa-cific Railroad at the 2011Rail Fest.

Sept. 3: Citizens and of-ficials voiced opposingviews on the amount ofmoney the city of NorthPlatte and the LincolnCounty Commissionersplanned to allocate for theNorth Platte AreaChamber of Commercein 2011-12 budgets.

Sept. 4: A bomb scareat the U.S. Post Officebrought the bomb disposalrobot from Grand Island totown. The mysterious un-marked package containedseveral household itemsincluding a lava lamp.

Sept. 6: The second an-nual Running to CureBreast Cancer road racedrew contestants to NorthPlatte from seven differ-ent states.

Sept. 7: Dog ownersfrom around the area cele-brated the Dog Days ofSummer with the PuppyOlympics at Cody Park.

Sept. 8: Union Pacifictalked about bringing thehistoric steam locomo-tive No. 844 to helpNorth Platte celebrateRail Fest.

Sept. 9: When approv-ing the proposed citybudget, the North PlatteCity Council decides notto lower the tax levy andvotes to place those extrafunds garnered into a con-tingency fund.

Sept. 10: The communi-ty celebrated A Day ofHope with a luncheonfundraiser at the Salva-tion Army building at1020 N. Adams. Hundredsof cars and even more carenthusiasts descendedon downtown North Plattefor the 17th annualColonel Cody CruiseShow and Shine, Sept. 9-10.

Sept. 11: People acrossthe country, includingthose in North Platte, re-flected on the 10-year an-niversary of the terroristattacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Sept. 13: AronRalston, whose experi-ences were the inspirationfor the movie “127Days,” spoke at theNeville Center as part ofthe Town Hall LectureSeries.

Sept. 14: The 2011-12Mid-Plains United Waycampaign kicked offwith the “Business Blitz.”

Sept. 15: The CreativityUnlimited Arts Councilreceived a $300,000 Com-munity DevelopmentBlock Grant to remodelthe historic 1913 Post Of-fice building into the

Prairie Arts Center.Sept. 16: The United

States Postal Service an-nounced a feasibilitystudy on the North PlatteMail Distribution Cen-ter, and the city could losethe facility in 2012.

Sept. 17: Rail Festkicks off in Cody Park,while actors honor thevolunteers of the Can-teen with the North PlatteCemetery Tour.

Sept. 18: Area residentsflocked to the north side toexperience Rail Fest,while Union Pacific hon-ored workers and familieswith their annual CodyPark picnic.

Sept. 20: FEMA extend-ed those eligible for low-interest loans to helpwith flood clean up to in-dividuals and private non-profits, after only original-ly allowing small busi-nesses to apply for the as-sistance.

Sept. 21: Students fromNorth Platte High Schoolreceived a glimpse intothe world of agricultureduring the annual YouthScience Field Day spon-sored by the West CentralResearch and ExtensionCenter.

Sept. 22: After the com-pletion of the LincolnCounty Detention Cen-ter, Sheriff JeromeKramer said the countyreceived an influx ofprisoners, peaking outwith more than 120.

Sept. 23: Great PlainsRegional Medical Cen-ter celebrated the com-pletion of the GreatPlains Heart and Vascu-lar Center.

Sept. 24: The NebraskaSupreme Court ruledthat a petition circulatedby the Western NebraskaTaxpayers Associationwas invalid.

Sept. 25: A crew withDostals Construction be-gan the final installationof water features at theNorth Platte Splash Padat Memorial Park.

Sept. 27: A 64-year-oldNorth Platte man, StevenClark Van Horn, wascharged with attemptedhomicide after attackingan employee at the BuffaloBill Manor.

Sept. 28: St. ElizabethAnn Seton Churchopened the doors to a9,000-square-foot addi-tion and planned a dedica-tion ceremony.

Sept. 29: Madison Mid-dle School studentshelped the city and KeepLincoln County Beautifulplant trees at 3700 WestSecond Street as part of acelebration of ReTree Ne-braska.

Sept. 30: The NorthPlatte Public Library an-nounced the expansion oftheir electronic mediacollection with the addi-tion of compatibilitywith Kindle and Nook, aswell as a number of othermobile devices.

THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPHD10 SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2012 YEAR IN REVIEW

Oct. 1: Steppin’ Out for Edu-cation raised more than $15,000to benefit North Platte PublicSchools.

Oct. 2: The Rev. Samuel Bo-man returned to the EpiscopalChurch of Our Savior to recallhow he helped rebuild thechurch after a fire.

Oct. 4: A car fire stopped traf-fic on Leota, is extinguished,then starts again on the trailertaking it across town.

Oct. 5: A wildfire in LoganCounty set off a stressful stringof days for Stapleton and thesurrounding area.

Oct. 6: Governor Heinemandeclared a disaster in LoganCounty as the fire damagesreach an estimated $4 million.

Oct. 7: 60-mph gusts helpedfuel another blaze seven milesfrom the first in Logan County.

Oct. 8: Three fires in a weekfatigued firefighters, includingStapleton fire chief FrankKramer, whose own corn andsoybeans were damaged.

Oct. 9: Thankfully, rain helpeddouse the flames, but St. Eliza-beth Ann Seton CatholicChurch appreciated an openingin the clouds for its annualpumpkin festival.

Oct. 11: Greenbrier grantsparked debate at the countycommissioners’ meeting be-tween Western Nebraska Tax-payers Association’s MikeGroene and Joe Hewgley, com-missioner.

Oct. 12: Fifth Street’s com-pletion was predicted for No-vember after weather and unex-pected findings beneath thestreet set the project back.

Oct. 13: North Platte HighSchool begun offering an ACTprep course to battle falling lo-cal test-score averages.

Oct. 14: NPHS studentsraised school spirit, breast can-cer awareness and about $5,000with a Pink Out.

Oct. 15: Lincoln County wasslated to adopt a drug court af-ter Dawson County’s success inhelping those with drug-relatedoffenses get back on track.

Oct. 16: Kids Discover played

host to many a family-friendlyevent as Miss Nebraska KaylaBatt added to the festivities.

Oct. 18: Ron Snell announcedhis retirement as director ofThe Connection, planning toquit on July 1, 2012.

Oct. 19: A Malayan FlyingFox, the largest species of bat inthe world, visited the NorthPlatte Children’s Museum.

Oct. 20: North Platte’s super-intendent search continuedwith input from seven interestedtaxpayers.

Oct. 21: The 8th U.S. CircuitCourt of Appeals reversed aruling that kept protesters sev-eral hundred feet from funer-als or memorial services.

Oct. 22: Union Pacific Rail-road announced plans to invest$17 million in its tracks be-tween Hershey and Wyoming.

Oct. 23: 24-year-old MichaelS. Fernau was stabbed to

death, and Nathaniel R. Polan-co was arrested on charges ofsecond-degree murder.

Oct. 25: Governor Heinemancalls for a special session to de-cide how to handle the proposedKeystone XL pipeline.

Oct. 26: Two children werefound confined in an animalkennel, and four North Platteresidents were charged withchild abuse.

Oct. 27: Michelle Bucholzprepared to return to work atAdams Bank & Trust after about with stage 4 cervical can-cer.

Oct. 28: State Senator KenSchilz of Ogallala pitched anidea for an all-terrain vehiclepark at Lake McConaughy tothe Game and Parks Commis-sion.

Oct. 29: Tami Eshleman,Wilma Hackney, Nancy Faul-haber, Dawn Miller, Cheri Erick-son, Jan Wright and Vikki Carl-son were named as 2011’sWomen of Achievement.

Oct. 30: Skate shop ownerBrandon Raby reflected uponhis efforts to build a newskatepark and cultivate abusiness in the Telegraph’s first“35 under 35” story.

Nov. 1: Haunted Dri-veway raised more than$500 for the AmericanCancer Society.

Nov. 2: Lawmakers inLincoln began a specialsession for pipeline, andState Sen. Annette Dubaspresented her proposal.

Nov. 3: A federal re-port found Nebraska tohave the lowest numberof prescription drugdeaths.

Nov. 4: Jimmy Knut-son led the formation ofa non-traditional studentorganization at NPCC.Area unemploymentfigures show numbers tobe less than state average.

Nov. 5: The CreativityUnlimited Arts Councilannounced the PrairieArts Center — to behoused in the former postoffice building at Fifthand Jeffers streets —could be open by 2013.

Nov. 6: Firefighterand paramedic KrisRosenthal was featuredin the Telegraph’s “35 un-der 35” series for his ef-forts in saving lives anddefusing a potentiallydeadly hostage situation.

Nov. 8: Sen. Dubas’pipeline proposal facedscrutiny from a publichearing held by The Com-

mittee on Natural Re-sources.

Nov. 9: The NorthPlatte Elks Club donat-ed dictionaries to third-grade students, as it hasfor the past eight years.

Nov. 10: Six U.S.Army Apache helicop-ters made a pit stop atthe North Platte RegionalAirport. Skaters cele-brated the $30,000 grantand $10,000 raised bythemselves in hopes ofbuilding a $400,000 SkatePlaza.

Nov. 11: The State De-partment halted theKeystone XL pipelineproject citing environ-mental concerns over theecologically sensitiveSandhills. The Ne-braskaland Days boardnamed David Fudge asits new director.

Nov. 12: Hundredsgathered downtown andat various events to hon-or veterans as part ofVeteran’s Day.

Nov. 13: The Out of

the Darkness walkdrew 234 people to sharestories and raise aware-ness about suicide pre-vention.

Nov. 15: Nebraska-land Days announced itsheadliner for the 2012 fes-tival as Toby Keith.TransCanada agreed totake whatever steps nec-essary to reroute theKeystone XL pipelinepath.

Nov. 16: NPHS sen-iors Brooke Ludemann,Natalie Poppe and BenMontgomery are pickedfor the Nebraska MusicAssociation’s All-StateChorus. North Plattelegends William Jeffers,Edd Bailey, Joe Roddy,George Vroman, WilliamRiley Sr. and William F.“Buffalo Bill” Cody arehonored as part of theHall of Fame at the Gold-en Spike.

Nov. 17: The new Lin-coln County Sheriff ’sOffice and Detention

Center was dedicated ata ceremony.

Nov. 18: The organiz-ers of Beardfest setplans for charity along-side the event, raisingfunds for Salvation Army.Adams Bank & Trustwelcomes back MichelleBucholz after her recov-ery from cervical cancer.

Nov. 19: The Salva-tion Army started itsRed Kettle drive, thistime with online and by-phone options for dona-tion.

Nov. 20: Families gath-ered to celebrate Adop-tion Day at BeautifulSavior Lutheran Church.

Nov. 22: The Festivalof Trees hosted its manydecorated trees followingthe theme “Have Yourselfa Blingy Little Christ-mas.”

Nov. 23: GovernorHeineman signed intolaw two pipeline bills togovern routing of theKeystone XL and future

pipelines. North Plattefirefighters battled ablaze at a house on NorthJessie Street.

Nov. 24: Miss RodeoNebraska 2011 BeckyGrimm prepared for theMiss Rodeo AmericaPageant (Miss RodeoOregon Mackenzie Carrwould go on to win thepageant).

Nov. 25: The RedCross began selling poin-settias as part of itsfundraiser to benefit dis-aster recovery efforts.

Nov. 26: Four bales ofhay, weighing about 900lbs. each, fell out of asemi and blocked the in-tersection at Poplar andSixth streets.

Nov. 27: Downtownhosted a craft show for allsorts of artisans. Asquirrel knocked out theelectricity for some ofNorth Platte after it gotcaught in a transformer.

Nov. 29: St. Pat’s andNPHS drama clubs pre-pared their one-acts —“The Haunted Carousel”and “The Birds,” respec-tively — for competition.

Nov. 30: After readingBob Greene’s book,“Once Upon a Town,” aschool in Oklahomawrote 100,000 cards forsoldiers serving overseas.

Dec. 1: Roger’s Fine Foodsclosed shop after more than 35years of coffee and conversation.Nebraska Public Power Dis-trict announced a proposal for anew $380 million electrical trans-mission project.

Dec. 2: The National Rail-way Labor Conference said ithad helped the freight railroadindustry avert a potentially cost-ly strike. Richard Birch wassworn in as the 20th DistrictJudge. Fifth Street opened offi-cially after construction.

Dec. 3: The Jingle Bell Rundrew another record crowd de-spite blowing snow and icy road-ways.

Dec. 4: Hall ElementarySchool principal ChelseaFeusner talked about how sheteaches music while being an ad-ministrator as part of the Tele-graph’s “35 under 35” series.

Dec. 6: The USPS began toconsider closing the processingcenters in North Platte, GrandIsland, Norfolk and Alliance aspart of widespread cuts.

Dec. 7: Veterans and otherslooked back upon the attack atPearl Harbor on its 70th anniver-sary.

Dec. 8: The city of NorthPlatte and the CommunityFoundation announced theNorth Platte Recreation Fund,a vehicle for private donations togo toward improvements andprojects at the Recreation Center.

Dec. 9: The Downtown Asso-ciation kicked off Christmascelebrations early by hosting thethird annual Christmas LightsParade.

Dec. 10: NPHS seniors beatout the rest of the high school inthe student council’s annual fooddrive competition.

Dec. 11: A Wreaths AcrossAmerica Day ceremony at FortMcPherson takes place as part ofmore than 500 across the countryto honor veterans.

Dec. 13: Memorabilia fromRoger’s Fine Foods was sold,marking the very end of a long-time North Platte restaurant.

Dec. 14: The city of NorthPlatte announced the CanteenSpirit Award to honor today’svolunteers.

Dec. 15: Cozad hosted BalletNebraska for a production of“The Nutcracker,” in whichmembers of the community ofCozad played parts and helpedbackstage.

Dec. 16: Jail inspector KirkNichols said sod laid at the Lin-coln County Sheriff ’s Officeand Detention Center didn’tmeet specifications and would

have to be rejected.Dec. 17: The Canteen cele-

brated its 70th anniversary. TheWestern Nebraska TaxpayersAssociation cried foul after itstask force’s recommendationsfor the school board, they said,were disregarded.

Dec. 18: Miss Nebraska Kay-la Batt said farewell to NorthPlatte at a send-off event as sheprepared to leave for the MissAmerica Pageant in Las Vegas.

Dec. 20: Union Pacific wasfound to be not responsible for

nearly $38 million in fines aspart of drug trafficking thatused trains as transportation.

Dec. 21: Quality GrowthFund financing was granted toPremier Toyota to aid in itsmove across town.

Dec. 22: Police said shoplift-ing is on the rise in North Platte,common during the holiday sea-son, but more so during a strug-gling economy.

Dec. 23: The SalvationArmy completed its distributiondays after having provided giftsand food for 492 families forChristmas.

Dec. 24: Mike and MindeeMohr carried on the tradition ofthe Angel House in honor oftheir parents.

Dec. 25: Speed-up legisla-tion for the Keystone XLpipeline, inserted into the pay-roll tax cut extension by Re-publicans, appeared to backfirein part as the State Departmentannounced it likely wouldn’t beable to wrap up its reviewprocess in 60 days.

Dec. 27: As lawmakers pre-pared to return to the Capitol fora 60-day session, they expectedto face potentially expensive de-cisions concerning child wel-fare services.

Dec. 28: Senator Ben Nelsonannounced his retirement fromlife in public office after eightyears as governor in the ’90s andmore than 10 years in the Senate.

Dec. 29: The South LoupRiver Blues Festival called itquits after hosting the musicevent for 18 years in Arnold. TheSalvation Army topped its 2011fundraising goal of $180,000 forits Red Kettle Campaign.

Dec. 30: The A&W restau-rant marked its last day of busi-ness in North Platte.

Dec. 31: Avian biologists inNebraska and Iowa reportedrecord numbers of snowy owlsightings. The Nebraska Pub-lic Power District announced itwill seek public comment oncoal-fired power plants such asthe Gerald Gentleman Stationnear Sutherland.

OMAHA (AP) — Thetop 10 Nebraska storiesof 2011, as voted uponby Associated Pressnewspaper and broad-cast members:

Summer offloods

Extended floodingover the summer dis-placed thousands formonths, damaged anddestroyed homes andthreatened Omaha’sairport, wastewatertreatment plants and anuclear power station.

Oil pipelineAfter heavy political

pressure in Washing-ton, D.C., and Lincoln,Canadian companyTransCanada pledgedto reroute its secondproposed Keystone oilpipeline through Ne-braska.

State budgetNebraska’s nearly $1

billion budget deficitdominated the 2011 reg-ular legislative session.

Big TenNebraska went 9-3

during the regular sea-son, its first in the BigTen, and prepared toface the University ofSouth Carolina in theCapitol One Bowl inOrlando, Fla., on Jan. 2.

Omaha schoolshooting

Suspended 17-year-old Robert Butler Jr. fa-tally shot an assistantprincipal at MillardSouth High School andwounded the principalbefore fleeing the cam-pus and taking his ownlife.

Miss AmericaSeventeen-year-old

Teresa Scanlan, MissNebraska, won the 2011Miss America pageant.She’s the first Miss Ne-braska to win the MissAmerica pageant.

Child servicesA legislative commit-

tee and the state audi-tor’s office harshlycriticized the state’s ef-forts to privatize Ne-braska’s child services.

UNO athleticsFootball and

wrestling programs atthe University of Ne-braska at Omaha weredropped as the schoolmoved to Division I.

Growing stateCensus estimates

showed that Nebras-ka’s population grew ata faster rate than thetotal U.S. populationfor two years in a rowbetween 2008 and 2010because of the relativestrength of the state’seconomy.

Executions delayed

Nebraska tried to setits first execution inmore than 13 years, butquestions about thestate’s supply of thethree drugs needed tocarry out lethal injec-tions forced more de-lays.

NEBRASKA’S

TOP

10STATEWIDESTORIESOF 2011

A LOOK BACK AT 2011

OCTOBER

A LOOK BACK AT 2011

NOVEMBER

A LOOK BACK AT 2011

DECEMBER

In December 2011, North Platte residents Mike and Mindee Mohr car-ried on the tradition of the Angel House in honor of their parents. TheTelegraph featured a story on the couple on Dec. 24.


Year in Review 2012

Documents

Transcript of Year in Review 2012