2012 INLAND PRESS ASSOCIATION ~ PRESS PHOTOGRAPHIC QUALITY WINNER

By DIANE WETZELdwetzel@nptelegraph.com

The first week of the New Yearbrought news of more water re-strictions on the Republican Riv-er by the state Department ofNatural Resources, confirmingthat drought was one of the topstories for 2012.

According to the AssociatedPress, the DNR has ordered moreconservation measures in the riv-er basin in order to comply with along-standing agreement withKansas and Colorado.

The 2012 drought came after afive-year period of more than ad-equate moisture for the state’swater systems. Lower than aver-age rainfall and extremely hottemperatures threw the majorityof the lower 48 states in Americainto a drought.

On July 2, Nebraska GovernorDave Heineman issued an emer-gency declaration because ofdrought conditions, and author-ized the advance of a startingdate for roadside haying in manyof the state’s counties.

By the end of July, the entirestate was designated as being in asevere to exceptional drought.

In August, U.S. Senator BenNelson was in North Platte, meet-ing with area farmers and ranch-ers to talk about the impact of thedrought.

Weather forecasters noted thatwinter would not bring any sig-nificant increase in precipitationto reverse the drought. Decemberthrough February is typicallydry, so those affected by thedrought are crossing their fingersthat March and April will bringmore than mere showers. Offi-cials at the University of Nebras-ka-Lincoln’s National DroughtMitigation Center report that ef-fects of the drought will morethan likely worsen in 2013, be-cause the state’s lakes and riversare shrinking.

By Dec. 10, the federal govern-ment had paid $8 billion in cropinsurance claims, with $483 mil-lion paid in Nebraska.

By ANDREW BOTTRELLabottrell@nptelegraph.com

With dry conditions across thewestern half of Nebraska, firessprung up on a nearly weekly ba-sis in 2012.

Rangeland fires began early inthe season, with 6,700 acres burn-ing in McPherson and Hookercounties, approximately 50 milesnorthwest of North Platte onMarch 22. Fire crews battled firesthroughout the summer and intothe fall, with the latest rangelandfires on Nov. 24.

The worst day of the year forfires in west-central Nebraskamay have been Oct. 18. Windsgusting as high as 70 miles perhour, combined with less thanone inch of rain in the precedingmonths, led to a combustible situ-ation from Chapel to Sutherland.

The largest of the three mainfires reported on Oct. 18 was onthe Keith and Perkins countiesline, destroying several homesand burning about 10,000 acres ofgrassland. The fire started aboutnoon on Oct. 18, jumped I-80, clos-ing I-80 for several hours, andburned through the eveninghours of Oct. 19.

A large fire also claimed sever-al hundred acres of grasslandeight miles north of Chapel in ru-ral Deuel County on Oct. 18. Athird fire was reported southwestof Sutherland, which threatenedseveral rural homes. CherryCounty also reported a fire onOct. 18 near the unincorporatedtown of Ely.

The largest western Nebraskafires during the summer were thethree fires that became known as

the Region 24 Complex, in KeyaPaha, Cherry, Brown and Rockcounties.

Ranchers and farmers in theremote Niobrara river valleyfought alongside federal firefight-ers called in from other fires inColorado and Wyoming for fivedays.

More than 100,000 acres eventu-ally burned across the four coun-ties, with the fire sparking fromdry lightning on July 21. The un-incorporated town of Nordenwas the first community affected,as the fire destroyed much of theKeya Paha County community.

Fires also threatened Nebras-ka’s National Forests in 2012.

A several-thousand acre fire,known as the Camp 5 Fire,burned portions of the NebraskaNational Forest near Halsey be-ginning on July 1. The fire shutdown Natick Campground andthe horse corrals there for severaldays, and kept ATV trails in thearea closed for about a week. Thecause of the fire, officials said,was likely dry lightning fromstorms.

Fire also burned in the Nebras-ka National Forest near Chadron,as well as rangeland north ofChadron in both Dawes andSheridan counties.

On June 29 North Platte firecrews battled a blaze near LakeMaloney that threatened severalhomes. North Platte fire crewswere also called to Lake Maloneyon June 30 and July 4 for smallerblazes.

Firefighters from North Platte,Wallace and Wellfleet wereagainst called to near Lake Mal-oney on Sept. 27 for several grassfires along Highway 83.

Firefighters in Logan Countybattled a large blaze north of Sta-pleton on Aug. 30, which closedHighway 83 for a time.

And again, on Oct. 3, nearly 800acres burned in a fire south ofStapleton in Logan County.

In Neb., seriousdrought was oneof the definingelements of 2012

Dry as theDust Bowl

Flames shoot up as a wildfire burns trees and pasture near Lake Mal-oney on Sept. 27, 2012. Nebraska’s emergency crews and firefightershad a busy summer and fall in 2012, battling many wildfires.

Telegraph file photo

Fires blackenparched landDry conditionsspark dozens ofdestructive fires

NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH YEAR IN REVIEW 2012

YEAR IN REVIEWD2 SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013 THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

By ANDREW BOTTRELL andHEATHER JOHNSONabottrell@nptelegraph.comhjohnson@nptelegraph.com

In 2012, four natural resourcesdistricts in west-central Nebras-ka are teamed together to buyLincoln Farms in southern Lin-coln County.

In October, the Twin Platte,Upper Republican, Middle Re-publican and Lower RepublicanNatural Resources Districtsformed the Nebraska Coopera-tive Republican Platte Enhance-ment Project in order to pur-chase 19,500 acres of land in thearea. Twin Platte General Man-ager Kent Miller has said theproperty, the bulk of which iscurrently irrigated crop land,will be reseeded to native vege-tation for livestock grazing, andthe groundwater will be pumpedto both the Republican and Plat-te Rivers to replenish waterflows back to 1997 levels, be-cause of state regulations.

At an Oct. 18 special meeting,the TPNRD announced their in-tent to participate in the landpurchase, which will cost $83million. At the meeting, TPNRDagreed to an interlocal agree-

ment with the three other natu-ral resources districts in the Re-publican River valley to pur-chase the property, with 25 per-cent of the funds coming fromTPNRD. The board approved theagreement 8-2.

“This project will get us agood way back to 1997 appropria-tions, possibly completely,”Board Chairman Dennis Schilzsaid, calling the project a step-ping stone for the TPNRD.

The project could add a totalof 45,000 acre feet of water toboth rivers in years when thedistricts need to maintain com-pliance with state regulations.

The goal, according to TPNRDGeneral Manager Kent Miller, isto help Nebraska stay in compli-ance with state regulations re-garding the use of irrigation wa-ter.

“For the Twin Platte NRD,that means we have to find 7,700acre-feet of new water annuallyto get the Platte River back to1997 levels,” he said. “At a mini-mum, you’ll get the consumptiveuse that was occurring on thoselands.”

To pay for the rest of the TPN-RD’s 25 percent allotment, thedistrict will levy an occupationtax to people who farm irrigated

property within the district. Apress release from the TPNRDsaid the district expects an ap-proximate tax of $4-$6 per irri-gated acre. Under state regula-tions, natural resource districtscan levy up to $10 per irrigatedacre.

Officials question involvement

Soon after the organizationvoted to enter into the interlocalagreement, citizens and officialsbegan to question the move.

“When they were having dis-cussions about this situation,they said they would make surethis wouldn’t impact the schoolto a great degree,” WallaceSchool Superintendent ToddPorter said.

Most of the 19,500 acres fallswithin his district.

“But they didn’t have any an-swers as to how they would en-sure that,” Porter said. “There’sa lot of uncertainty as far ashow are they going to be able tohelp us.”

If the NRD is required to payno property taxes, Porter said itcould impact Wallace’s schooldistrict from $200,000-$400,000annually. Currently, the Wallaceschool budget is $7 million.

“That’s a big chunk of changeto have come off the tax roles, letalone the economic affect onjobs and all of those trickle

down things that come fromthat,” Lincoln County Commis-sioner Joe Hewgley said.

According to Julie Stenger,Lincoln County assessor, if theland use was deemed as a “pub-lic purpose” then the land couldbe tax exempt. However, if theland were leased out in any fash-ion, the district may be requiredto continue to pay property tax-es.

Irrigation districts sueOn Dec. 28, two south-central

Nebraska irrigation districtsfiled a federal lawsuit seeking aninjunction against N-CORPE.

The Frenchman CambridgeIrrigation District and the Bost-wick Irrigation District, bothsituated along the RepublicanRiver near Harlan County Lake,filed the lawsuit Friday in theUnited States Eighth DistrictCourt.

David Domina, of DominaLaw Offices, who represents thetwo irrigation districts saidWednesday that the districts areafraid that the water could by-pass the irrigation districts,who have dealt with dwindlingwater flows for many years.

“They want a determinationby the court to who is entitled tothe water and under what cir-cumstances,” Domina said.“Both districts have been par-tially dry for several years.”

“It is a very self-serving pieceof litigation. There are only somany ways to manage Nebras-ka’s allocation under the Repub-lican River compact,” Blanke-nau said on Jan. 7. “What thislitigation seeks to do is to shiftthe burden of compact alloca-tion to everybody else. It’s onething for the district to tell itsown members that they should-n’t use groundwater. It’s anotherthing to tell the state and sur-rounding districts that theycan’t use groundwater.”

Domina also said the irriga-tion districts are afraid that N-CORPE’s water project in south-ern Lincoln County, and anothersmaller project in Dundy Coun-ty, could mean even less waterfor the downstream districts.

Blankenau disagreed, sayingif the lawsuit were successful, itwouldn’t guarantee the two irri-gation districts any extra water,and it could cause irrigatorsthroughout the Republican Riv-er valley to shut off their wells.

“If N-CORPE is not allowed todevelop this project, what itcould necessarily mean is thatother water users would have toshut down their wells or havethem significantly curtailed,along with their neighbors,”Blankenau said. “It doesn’tmean Nebraska could consumeany more water. Even if thesedistricts are successful, theywon’t get any water as a result.”

Land purchase means big things for NRDsNatural resources districts make planto divert groundwater; lawsuits result

By ANDREW BOTTRELLabottrell@nptelegraph.com

In 2012, the North PlatteCity Council chose to takea different direction withIron Eagle Golf Course.

However, it wasn’t with-out debate, and narrowvote margins. Mayor MarcKaschke ultimately castthe deciding vote to allowthe city to begin negotiat-ing with Landscapes GolfGroup of Lincoln for man-agement of the course.

Debate began at the sec-ond January meeting in2012, where the councilgave approval to the mayorto seek bids from manage-ment companies, whichprompted a backlash fromseveral residents at themeeting.

North Platte residentJim Backenstose said thecity was beating a deadhorse, and asked why themayor was revisiting aproposal turned down lastMarch. The mayor said hedecided to pursue the pro-posal again after seeingthis past year’s budgetnumbers.

“It’s important to look atany and all options on howto best run that entity,”Kaschke said.

Backenstose said hewould be disappointed ifthe city brought in an out-side management compa-ny, and believed the cityneeded to solve the finan-cial problem in-house.

“I see [an outside man-agement company] raisingrates,” Backenstose said.“I see them raising prod-uct inventory prices. I seethem hiring their ownstaff and letting this placefall apart.”

The council then heardfrom three prospectivemanagement companies ata special meeting onMarch 13, Navpoint GolfGroup of Castle Rock,Colo., Landscapes GolfGroup and TrademarkGolf Management, of Al-pharetta, Ga.

Ultimately, on April 10,the council decided tomove forward with Land-scapes, asking City Ad-ministrator Jim Hawks tonegotiate a contract withthe company.

The council voted in a 4-4 tie, broken by Mayor

Marc Kaschke, who votedto move forward withLandscapes.

The initial contract wasbrought back to the coun-cil for discussion on June.

After a lengthy closedsession the council hadsome concerns over partic-ular parts of the contract,and the council voted tocontinue further negotia-tions with the golf man-agement firm, based inLincoln.

“I don’t anticipate thatthere are any issues herethat we can’t work togeth-er to resolve,” said ScottTricker, representative ofLandscapes at the June 5meeting.

Stack told Tricker thatthe council had concernsabout the status of currentstaff at the course movingforward with a privatecompany, as well as somedefinitions and terms.

“Moving forward, it’sour intention to interviewall existing staff at theclub,” Tricker said.

The contract was then fi-nalized on June 21, andLandscapes took overmanagement control onJuly 1.

On July 1, three city em-ployees were placed on ad-ministrative leave, withpay, including course di-rector Brad Kai. Ultimate-ly, the city settled with allthree individuals.

A flag waves on one of theholes at Iron Eagle GolfCourse in January 2012. In2012, the North Platte CityCouncil decided to allowthe city to begin negotiatingwith Landscapes GolfGroup of Lincoln for man-agement of the course.

Telegraph file photo

2012bringschangeat IronEagle

By HEATHER JOHNSONhjohnson@nptelegraph.com

Last year was a busyone for Great Plains Re-gional Medical Center.

In April, administra-tors announced plans tobuild onto the hospital,which was originally con-structed in 1975. Plans forthe $100 million expan-sion project include theconstruction of a five-sto-ry, 217,000 square foottower at the current loca-tion of the atrium. Thehigh rise will bring thetotal number of single-patient rooms in thebuilding to 116. Each willhave a restroom, home-like atmosphere, area forvisitors to spend thenight and state-of-the-arttechnology.

Other features will in-clude a new lobby,kitchen, cafeteria, rest-rooms, conference roomsand parking spaces. Thechapel and gift shop willbe expanded.

Libby Lashley, GreatPlains Healthcare Foun-dation director, said a10,000 square-foot healinggarden would be built inthe center of the build-ing, between the new tow-er and the Callahan Can-cer Center. The goal of itis to offer a meditationarea to patients, visitorsand staff.

She said the gardenwould not be domed, butwould be protected fromweather’s elements byshort walls and a pergolaover a paved patio. Thearea will contain a water-fall and native trees,grasses, flowers andshrubs. Benches, tablesand chairs will provide aplace to sit.

HDR of Omaha was se-

lected as the project ar-chitect, and SampsonConstruction of Lincolnwas named the generalcontractor.

Construction on a newinformation technologywing began in July be-tween the emergencyroom entrance and thecardiology department.In November, someGPRMC employees began

the move to office spacein downtown North Plat-te. Marcia Baumann, vicepresident of growth anddevelopment, said a totalof 65 employees would berelocated while renova-tions were under way.They included those inthe accounting, businessdevelopment, patient fi-nancial services, humanresources and education,marketing, foundationand outreach depart-ments.

Those in charge ofbilling and administra-tion for the North PlatteNebraska PhysicianGroup were also relocat-ed, as was GPRMC’s com-pliance officer. Baumannsaid the employees wouldbe moved back to the hos-pital as new offices forthem were completed.

Bonds for the projectalso went on sale in No-vember, and were offeredto local residents first.Piper Jaffray, a Min-neapolis-based invest-ment banking firm, waschosen as the under-writer for the bonds,which were sold in mini-mum denominations of$5,000.

Baumann said demoli-tion on parts of the hospi-tal would start in March.The goal is to finish reno-vations by the spring of2015.

GPRMC begins expansion

By DIANE WETZEL dwetzel@nptelegraph.com

Presiding Bishop of the Episco-pal Church Katharine JeffertsSchori traveled to North Platte inJuly to lead a service celebratingthe life and ministry of Fr. HiramHisanori Kano. Jefferts Schori wasjoined by Kano’s children Cyrusand Adeline, as well as EpiscopalChurch officials and first-genera-tion Japanese settlers to the area,their children and grandchildren.

Kano, who came to Americafrom Japan to study agriculture,received a master’s degree in agri-cultural economics from the Uni-versity of Nebraska in 1918.

“He is a remarkable example ofwhat it means to be a faithful fol-lower of Jesus,” Jefferts Schorisaid. “He is someone who can in-spire people who encounter diffi-culties in their lives, who want tobefriend their neighbors, who theymay not perceive to be like them.He was a quiet, faithful witnesswho did immense good. He is re-membered for his remarkable abil-ity to build bridges between com-munities and his advocacy forJapanese-Americans and for his re-markable witness as a Christian.”

Kano is representative of thechurches role in ministering to theJapanese immigrants, not onlyleading them to God but also to be-coming citizens, she said.

There is a long tradition ofJapanese Episcopal presence inwestern Nebraska, said Fr. Jeffrey

Hanson, rector of Church of OurSavior in North Platte

“The ministry of the EpiscopalChurch enriched the lives of manyJapanese immigrants,” he said.“The church has a long history ofreally ministering to people on themargins. Early on, it was theJapanese, and then later it was theHispanic immigrants. On a nation-al level, we speak on behalf of oth-er groups that have been marginal-ized. We are stepping up to truly beinclusive, as all are welcome here.”

Kano came to America aftermeeting Nebraska politicianWilliam Jennings Bryan in Tokyo.Bryan urged the young Kano tostudy in Nebraska. After purchas-ing a 300-acre farm near Litchfield,Kano became active in the Japan-ese Americanization Society, teach-ing English and working as an in-termediary or translator for immi-grants. In 1921, Kano and Rev.George Beecher, the Episcopalbishop for western Nebraska,helped to defeat a bill introduced inthe legislature that would have pre-vented Japanese residents fromowning property and serving asguardians for their own children.

“Bishop Beecher was a largeman and Fr. Kano was not,” Han-son said. “When they arrived inLincoln, Fr. Kano suggested theyget a taxicab so people wouldn’t seethem together. Beecher said ab-solutely not and they walked to thecapital together. People who sawthem together said they looked likean elephant and a mouse.”

A lay missionary first, Kano be-came a deacon in 1928 and was or-dained as Father Kano in 1936.Through his efforts at the St.George Mission in North Platteand St. Mary’s Mission in Scotts-bluff, by the spring of 1934 therewere 250 people baptized and 50confirmed.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Kano was arrest-ed on the steps of the North PlatteEpiscopal Church after celebratingthe Eucharist. He was the onlyJapanese from Nebraska who wasinterned during World War II.

Taken to Omaha, Kano didn’tlearn about the bombing of PearlHarbor until he heard it on the po-lice radio. He was imprisoned formore than two years.

Nearly 300 people attended a spe-cial service celebrating the richJapanese heritage in western Ne-braska. Prejudice and discrimina-tion faced by Japanese immigrantsduring the last century still existtoday, Jefferts Schori told the con-gregation.

“Immigration has been both anenormous blessing to the creativespirit of this nation and one of ourgreater sources of nationalshame,” she said. “Over and overagain, American descendants ofimmigrants have found more re-cent immigrant groups to demo-nize, to blame for current socialills. One of the greatest gifts ofKano’s witness was his ability tocross the boundaries that humanbeings use to create in groups andout groups.”

Bishop speaks in North Platte

Construction continues on an expansion at GreatPlains Regional Medical Center, which began in 2012.

Telegraph file photo

JanuaryJan. 1: Lutheran Fami-

ly Services celebrated120 years of service in2012.

Jan. 3: Cody JosephMraz was the 2012’s firstbaby at Great Plains Re-gional Medical Center.Cody was born at 7:59 a.m.on Monday, Jan. 2, toSomer and Barry Mraz,of Curtis.

Jan. 4: The Court Ap-pointed Special Advo-cates for Children ofLincoln County programgot off the ground andwas the 21st program ofits kind in the state. JulieNielsen and KevinKennedy spearheadedthe initial effort.

Jan. 6: North Platte, Im-perial and Valentine sawrecord temperatures inthe upper 60s and 70s.

Jan. 7: An Omaha firmhired to seek out candi-dates for the North PlattePublic Schools superin-tendent position nar-rowed down the candidatelist to four — Marty Bas-sett, from Wray, Colo.; Dr.Randy Gross, from Rock-ton, Ill.; Dr. John Hakon-son, from Sidney, andJamie Isom, from Valen-tine.

Jan. 8: Local officialsshowed concern over aCenters for Disease Con-trol survey that showedNebraska with four ofthe country’s drunkestcities, including Grand Is-land, Omaha, Norfolk andLincoln.

Jan. 10: Daniel Guen-thner, a North Platte na-tive who previouslyworked for the UnitedStates Homeland Securityand the U.S. Coast Guard,was named the county’semergency manage-ment director.

Jan. 12: CeciliaLawrence, director of theNorth Platte Public Li-brary, announced a seriesof events throughout theyear to celebrate the li-brary’s 100th year.

Jan. 13: In his State ofthe State address, Gov.Dave Heinemen pro-posed a new tax plan,which would cut taxes formost. He also proposedeliminating the so-called“death tax.”

Jan. 14: North Platteprepared to watch one ofits favorite sons, DannyWoodhead, face offagainst the closest profes-sional team, the DenverBroncos, in the NationalFootball League play-offs. Paul Wiezorek, aBroncos fan, said it wastough rooting against ei-ther.

Jan. 18: The North Plat-te City Council voted 5-3 toallow Mayor MarcKaschke to seek bidsfrom outside managementcompanies for control ofIron Eagle Golf Course.

Jan. 20: The GoldenSpike Hall of Fame an-nounced its inauguralclass, Edd Bailey,William F. “BuffaloBill” Cody, William Jef-fers, William Riley, Sr.,Joe Roddy and GeorgeVroman.

Jan. 21: The North Plat-te Public School Board an-nounced the hiring ofMarty Bassett as the newschool superintendent.An Ogallala native, Bas-sett was formerly the su-perintendent of the Wray,Colo., school district.

Jan. 26: A staple ofspring in North Platte, theSandhill cranes, showedup a month earlier thannormal, as temperatureswere higher than average.

Jan. 28: Local officialsreacted to Union PacificRailroad’s announcementthat it would spend $1 bil-lion in Nebraska, includ-ing $70 million at BaileyYard in North Platte.

FebruaryFeb. 5: North Platte was

spared from extremesnowfall amounts, but7.8 inches fell in NorthPlatte. Areas north ofNorth Platte saw asmuch as 20 inches ofsnow.

Feb. 7: The SouthwestPower Pool, a regulatorycommission, approved it’s10-year Integrated Trans-mission Plan, giving Ne-braska Public Power thego ahead to construct twotransmission linesacross Nebraska by 2019.

Feb. 8: North Plattewon its bid to host theConnecting Young Ne-braskans conference. Theannual summit is de-signed to link young busi-ness people in order to

make the state a betterplace to live and work.

Feb. 10: North PlatteHigh School was the re-cipient of the inauguralCanteen Spirit Award,handed out by the city ofNorth Platte, for theschool’s volunteer effortsin the annual Decemberfood drive.

Feb. 15: The NorthPlatte Public SchoolBoard approved the$180,000 contract withnew superintendent Mar-ty Bassett.

Feb. 16: Officials withCentral Public Powerand Irrigation and thePlatte River Recovery Im-plementation Programprepared to release wa-ter from Lake Mc-Conaughey for environ-mental impact purposes.

Feb. 17: Two-term NorthPlatte City Council mem-ber Judy Pederson an-nounced that she wouldnot seek a third term inher Ward 2 seat.

Feb. 21: On President’sDay, students at LincolnElementary in NorthPlatte began collectingpennies in hopes of rais-ing $150, the cost of send-ing one child to school inKenya for a year.

Feb. 22: Jerry Hitch-cock, Lincoln Countyroads superintendent, toldthe Lincoln County Com-missioners that the long-awaited BirdwoodViaduct project wouldgo to bid in May.

Feb. 23: Sen. TomHansen, of North Platte,talked about the bill he in-troduced requiring mo-torists to leave at leastthree feet of space be-tween them and bicy-clists on roadways in thestate.

Feb. 24: The UnitedStates Post Office an-nounced that North Plattewould retain its mail dis-tribution center. TheUSPS said it would be clos-ing the operations in Al-liance and Colby, Kan.,and incorporating theservices with the NorthPlatte center.

Feb. 25: Longtime Her-shey farmer Tom Brownreceived the SeventhGeneration Award fromthe Center for Rural Af-fairs, for his efforts to helppromote family farmingin Nebraska.

MarchMarch 1: Former U.S.

Senator and NebraskaGovernor Bob Kerrey of-ficially announced hisplans to run for the De-mocratic nod for theU.S. Senate race. Sen.Ben Nelson announcedhe was retiring andwould not seek re-election.A Hershey man died as theresult of an accidentsouth of Hershey.

March 4: The three areaNorth Platte Kiwanisclubs flipped hundredsof pancakes to raisemoney that would go to-wards their charitableevents in 2012. It’s thelargest Kiwanis fundrais-er of the year. TheColonel Cody Cruiserscar club hosted its annu-al spring show at thePlatte River Mall.

March 10: Nebraska-Land Days organizershit the halfway markfor fundraising for a newentrance to Buffalo BillArena. North Platte Com-munity College hostedtheir annual “SouperBowl” event raising mon-ey for the Nebraska Make-A-Wish program.

March 11: More than100 Girl Scouts from theGuiding Star ServiceUnit went to HarvestChristian Fellowship tocelebrate the GirlScout’s 100th anniver-sary.

March 13: North Plattenative Reid Rogers ap-peared on Jeopardy andfell just one answer shortof winning the episode inFinal Jeopardy.

March 14: The NorthPlatte City Councilheard proposals fromfour different manage-ment firms for manage-ment of Iron Eagle GolfCourse.

March 15: StephanieMiller was named thedirector of the LincolnCounty Court Appointed

Special Advocates pro-gram.

March 17: Area firecrews battled several firesafter the National Weath-er Service issued a RedFlag Warning because ofhigh winds and dry condi-tions.

March 18: North Plattecelebrated the inauguralSt. Patrick’s Day paradethat culminated with mu-sic at the Espresso Shoppe.It was also a week for therecord books as four daysreached record highs,with temperatures in the60s and 70s throughout theweek.

March 20: Residentscoped with the aftermathof four area tornadoes.One tornado tore downpower lines and whipped asemi off of I-80, injuringthe driver, southwest ofNorth Platte. Another tor-nado to the west ofNorth Platte destroyedtwo homes and turnedover a railcar west of Bai-ley Yard.

March 21: The mansionat Buffalo Bill RanchState Park opened forbusiness for 2012, after aflood-riddled 2011.

March 27: After settingout to raise $150 in pen-nies, Lincoln Elemen-tary School raised$1,050, which the schoolplanned to adopt JacklineMwendwa Mukuba, a pri-mary school student inKenya, as part of theMWAKI program. LincolnCounty Commissionerssigned a disaster decla-ration after tornadoesstruck the area on March19. The commissionershoped that declaring it adanger would garnerFEMA funds for the coun-ty.

March 28: North Plattenative Danny Woodheadtalked about his involve-ment with the Team-mates Program duringhis visit to North Platte.

March 31: Marge Beat-ty, Tom Hansen and Ed-ward Raines, all NorthPlatte High School alum-ni, spoke with studentsabout their memories andexperiences at the school.Danny Woodhead re-turned to speak at theEducation After Hoursevent.

AprilApril 1: The Spirit of

Nebraska Girl Scoutsbroke ground on a newcabin at Lake Maloney.U.S. Senate hopeful BobKerrey spoke to support-ers and media in NorthPlatte. Danny Woodheadsigned autographs andspoke about the impor-tance of the TeammatesProgram at Nebraska-Land National Bank.

April 5: North PlatteHigh School ActivitiesDirector Rich Reinertannounced his plans toretire after 39 years withschool district. NorthPlatte saw its firstspring rain, though offi-cials with the West Cen-tral Extension and Re-search Center said thearea would need a lot moremoisture.

April 11: A split vote ofthe North Platte CityCouncil, decided by MayorMarc Kaschke’s decidingvote, authorized a con-tract with LandscapesGolf for management ofIron Eagle Golf Course.Road crews began resur-facing Highway 83.

April 14: Area men,dressed in drag, took partin the “Walk a Mile inHer Shoes” event, as partof a awareness andfundraising campaign forthe Rape and DomesticAbuse Program in NorthPlatte. Hundreds of peoplepitched in to help vic-tims of the March tor-nadoes at Harvest Christ-ian Fellowship.

April 15: A storm sys-tem that rolled throughNorth Platte spawnedseveral confirmed tor-nadoes along with heavyrain and wind. MiniatureTrain enthusiastsflocked to the D&N Cen-ter for the 18th annualMiniature Train Show.

April 18: A Delta flightwas forced to land earlyat the North Platte Munic-ipal Airport for a passen-ger who had gone into

labor. Defense attorneysfor Stathis Kirkpatrick,who was charged withkilling 14-year-old KaileeClapp, of McCook, in 2011,filed motions to suppressconversations that Kirk-patrick had with inves-tigators and jail person-nel.

April 19: Drew Wade,one of four fugitiveswho escaped from acounty jail in Ottawa,Kan., turned himself into police at Walmart inNorth Platte.

April 20: Local peoplehosted a raffle for 7-year-old MaKenna Walterswho recently had under-went several heart surger-ies.

April 21: The city ofNorth Platte brokeground on its new BusBarn facility on thesouthwest corner of 16thStreet and Jeffers Street.

April 25: Jeanie Gilbertannounced her retire-ment as director of theRape and Domestic AbuseProgram in North Platteafter 16 years in the posi-tion.

April 26: Great PlainsRegional Medical Cen-ter announced theirplans to construct a newtower and expand at theircurrent location in NorthPlatte. The construction isexpected to be fully com-pleted in 1914.

April 27: The CountyBluegrass Festival inNorth Platte kicked offat the Lincoln CountyFairgrounds with Gold-wing Express, of Gothen-burg taking the stage. TheWest Central Researchand Extension Centerintroduced their one-of-a-kind wind tunnel, usedto study the displacementsof chemicals on crops.

MayMay 1: A major resur-

facing project on U.SHighway 83 began on thenorth side of town, creat-ing some construction de-lays from the JeffersStreet viaduct to RodeoRoad.

May 3: California con-sultants Barry Howardand Jill Bensley outlinedthe concept for Rail TownUSA at a public meeting.Kim Flanders was namedprincipal at Cody Elemen-tary School and DeniseDiGiovanni was tappedfor the principal positionat Hall Elementary.

May 4: About 70 peoplegathered at the LincolnCounty Courthouse forthe National Day ofPrayer Event.

May 10: McDonald Ele-mentary fifth grader MaxHayes was named NorthPlatte Mayor for a Dayafter winning a essay con-test.

May 11: The North Plat-te Animal Shelter official-ly opened its new quaran-tine area.

May 12: Mid-PlainsCommunity College hadgraduation at its NorthPlatte and McCook cam-puses.

May 15: Union PacificRailroad locomotive No.844 stopped in North Plat-te on its way home toCheyenne after three daysin Council Bluffs.

May 16: Dwight Liv-ingston and incumbentMarc Kaschke were thetop vote earners in the pri-mary election. The twomen will face off in thegeneral election. JoeHewgley earned anotherterm on the Lincoln Coun-ty Board of Commission-ers, and the two races forNorth Platte City Councilwere narrowed down forthe general election. InWard 1, Josh Weldon andBrook Baker were the topvote winners. In Ward 2,Glenn Petersen and BarbKeller moved forward.State senator Deb Fisherdefied the odds and wonthe Republican primaryfor the U.S. Senate race.The North Platte CityCouncil voted to reject arequest to build a cell tow-er at the corner of Fourthand Willow Streets, sayingthe tower would not be inharmony with the sur-rounding property.

May 17: Rape and Do-mestic Abuse programcompeted renovations toit’s emergency shelter, the

first major upgrades sincethe facility opened eightyears ago.

May 18: The first 137days of 2012 were thewarmest for any year onrecord, according to theNational Weather Service.

May 22: Scouts RestRanch was preparing toopen for the season, afterfloods in 2011 caused dam-age forcing the area toclose.

May 23: The North Plat-te Telegraph AcademicAll-Stars were honored ata luncheon at North PlatteCommunity College’sSouth Campus.

May 24: Former chief fi-nancial officer Ryan Pur-dy was named president ofMid-Plains CommunityCollege president. Purdyhad been acting as interimafter the resignation ofMichael Chipps, who tookthe top job at NortheastCommunity College.Grand opening cere-monies celebrated thenew clubhouse at LakeMaloney Golf Course.

May 25: A project torepave part of 18thStreet from Sheridan toHays Street is completed.

May 26: Lincoln Countyhighway superintendentJerry Hitchcock said thecost of the BirdwoodViaduct project is ex-pected to be $10 million,up from the $8.5 millionoriginally estimated.

May 29: Area cemeterieshonored the fallen at cere-monies recognizingMemorial Day.

May 31: The BettyKeenan MemorialSplash Pad officiallyopened in Memorial Park.

JuneJune 1: Roy Lawton is

the new executive directorof The Connection Home-less Shelter. Lawton washired after the resignationof former director RonSnell.

June 4: A fire destroyeda home occupied for for-mer councilman LarryLee Britton. Opening cer-emonies at the Platte Riv-er Mall kicked off a weekof competition for theMiss Nebraska Scholar-ship Pageant.

June 6: A ribbon cuttingceremony officiallyopened the new and im-proved entrance to theWild West Arena, just intime for the annual Ne-braskaland Days cele-bration.

June 7: Miss America2011 Teresa Scanlan andNASA astronaut ClaytonAnderson were specialguests at the Miss Nebras-ka Scholarship Programspecial concert celebrat-ing the programs 75thbirthday. The North PlatteGenealogy Associationreceived a $2,500 grantfrom the Mid-NebraskaCommunity Foundationtoward the purchase of anelectronic grave directoryfor the North Platte Ceme-tery.

June 8: MaKenna Wal-ters, 7, is recovering froma heart transplant atArkansas Children’s Hos-pital in Little Rock.

June 9: Opening cere-monies for NebraskalandDays 2012 took place at thesame time temperatureshit triple digits in NorthPlatte.

June 10: Mariah Cook,

Miss Nebraska State Fair,was crowned Miss Nebras-ka 2012 at the conclusionof this year’s pageant.

June 13: A gunman shotand wounded two city po-lice officers and a state pa-trol office during a stand-off in Alliance.

June 14: Former gang-ster and North Platte resi-dent Henry Hill died at69. Samantha Chytka, 23,of Broken Bow was namedMiss Rodeo Nebraska2013. Karlie Osborne, 15,earned the Miss TeenRodeo Nebraska crown.The Alliance shooter whostormed into a pharmacydemanding drugs and tookthe owner hostage wasidentified as Andres Gon-zalez, 27. He died inshootout with police.

June 15: University ofNebraska Athletic Direc-tor and former Huskerhead coach Tom Osbornewas the featured speakerat the annual Mayor’sPrayer Breakfast. Steveand Sharon Hambekwere the recipients of the2012 Dale Studley Award.The couple received thehonor during the annualBuffalo Bill Rodeo.

June 17: Justin Robertsreceived the 2012 Ne-braskaland Days TrailBoss Award. Thousands ofpeople crowded the streetsfor the annual Nebraska-land Days parade. RetiredNorth Platte CommunityCollege educator MarilynMcGahan received theElaine Stuhr Leadershipand Advocacy LifetimeAchievement Award.

June 19: The tempera-ture hit a record break-ing 106 degrees.

June 20: The North Plat-te City Council’s sched-uled vote on outsourcingmanagement of Iron Ea-gle Golf Course was post-poned, after a mix up onprocedure. Notice of themeeting was not posted inthree public places withina 24-hour period before themeeting, a violation of thestate’s Open Meeting Act.

June 22: Mayor MarcKaschke cast the tie-breaking vote to approvethe contracting of IronEagle Golf Course man-agement to LandscapesGolf Group. Dead carpwere washing up on theshores of two LincolnCounty lakes, a stinky sit-uation that had officialsfrom Nebraska Game andParks Commissionstumped.

June 23: Country starToby Keith’s concert atthe Wild West Area wasdelayed by nearly twohours due to a severethunderstorm. Lightningwas blamed for five firesin the area. Union PacificRailroad announced itwas adding $22 million intrack improvements to therail line west of NorthPlatte.

June 24: Former Ameri-can Idol star ChrisDaughtry had the crowdjumping on the final day ofthe Nebraskaland Dayscelebration.

June 27: Temperatureshit 107 degrees in NorthPlatte with no reprievefrom the heat in sight. Ne-braska Jobs Daughtersgathered in North Plattefor their state convention.Nebraska Governor DaveHeineman was a specialguest at groundbreakingceremonies for the newNebraskaLand NationalBank building.

June 28: The first classof Lincoln County CourtAppointed Special Advo-cates (CASA) were swornin at a ceremony in frontof Lincoln County JudgeKent Florom.

YEAR IN REVIEW SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013 D3THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

2012 in review

JulyJuly 1: King’s Court

trailer park was evacuat-ed when a fire sparked byfireworks threatened thearea.

July 3: A drowning vic-tim discovered at Suther-land Reservoir was identi-fied as James DeCent, 50,of Paxton. Wildfires con-tinued to burn nearHalsey in the BesseyRanger District of Nebras-ka National Forests andGrasslands.

July 6: Nebraska PublicPower District was urgingconservation after beat-ing its previous energyrecords twice in a week.Public service personnelwere still cleaning up af-ter a chaotic Fourth ofJuly. The fire departmentresponded to 15 fire calls,most fireworks related.

July 10: Temperatureswere above 90 degreesfor 16 days in a row, oneof the longest heat wavesin North Platte’s history.

July 12: North PlattePublic Library will get asprucing up. Plans wereannounced to renovate thefacility’s entryway wereannounced. Volunteers atLincoln County HistoricalMuseum began trainingfor the upcoming Smith-sonian Institution’s“Journey Stories” ex-hibit.

July 13: Lincoln Countywas among 16 counties inthe state designated as anatural disaster area be-cause of ongoingdrought.

July 18: The Platte RiverMall announced that a na-tional clothing retailer,rue21, would soon beopening a story in NorthPlatte.

July 19: Catholic radiostation Spirit 90.1 hit theairwaves a month ahead ofschedule.

July 20: Hotel Pawneehas been cited for 35 stateassisted living violationsfollowing an inspection byNebraska Department ofHealth and Human Ser-vices. Violations includedfailure to properly cleanand maintain the build-ing, to pay staff and billsand comply with licensingrequirement. Administra-tor Sandra Schade saidthey intended to appeal.

July 21: The cause of ahouse fire at 109 NorthHayes Avenue was still un-der investigation. Resi-dents Staci Houpt and sonTate were not at homewhen the fire started. Thebody of Mattie, the familycat, was discovered on theutility room floor.

July 22: Music fans ar-rived in North Platte forthe Bluesfest celebration,hosted by Unreel Events.

July 25: Bridge of HopeChild Advocacy Center di-rector LeeAnn Nielsenannounced she was leav-ing after seven years inthe job.

July 26: The HotelPawnee remained underscrutiny after a non-profitgroup for mentally andphysically disabled trav-eled from Lincoln to inves-tigate the vulnerability ofthe patients. North Plattenative Isaiah Casillas, 6,has been diagnosed withterminal brain cancer.Family and friends are or-ganizing benefits to helpthe family pay expenses. Itwas entry day at the Lin-coln County Fair.

July 28: Lake MaloneyProperty Owners Associa-tion are working to build asidewalk around thesouth and west sides ofthe lake for walkers,rollerbladers, cyclists andskateboarders.

July 31: Presiding Bish-op Katharine JeffertsSchori and the children ofRev. Hiram Kano joinedEpiscopal Church officialsand Church of Our Saviormembers in celebratingthe rich Japanese heritagein western Nebraska andin the Episcopal Church.A hawk flying into a pow-er line sparked two grassfires south of North Plat-te.

AugustAug. 1: The internation-

al convention of theUnion Pacific HistoricalSociety opened in NorthPlatte. William Dover,64, died in a motorcycle ac-cident 20 miles south ofNorth Platte.

Aug. 2: The ASA North-ern National Girls 16- UFastpitch softball tour-nament began in NorthPlatte with 26 teams.

Aug. 4. Nebraska At-torney General Jon

Bruning announced hewas planning to shutdown the Hotel Pawneeand fine the assisted livingfacility more than $600,000for operating withoutworkman’s comp insur-ance.

Aug. 5: Hundreds ofarea residents attendedthe annual Relay for Lifefundraiser at Adams Mid-dle School.

Aug. 8: City councilmanJim Carman proposed arepeal of the city’s gunordinance and any actionon allowing guns in parkswas tabled.

Aug. 14: A masked gun-man attempted to robFarmers State Bank inWallace.

Aug. 15: Five peoplewere injured in a crashon I-80 near North Platteafter the driver of a vanfell asleep at the wheel. Nonames were released, butauthorities did confirmthat the driver was fromLincoln. Drew Alexan-der Steler, 20, and TracyNeal Black, 52, both ofEvanston, Wyo., were ar-rested in Chase County,suspected of being in-volved of an attemptedrobbery of Farmers StateBank in Wallace.

Aug. 16: Three NorthPlatte physicians hadtheir medical licensessuspended for 60 days af-ter pleading guilty to taxevasion charges. Dr. Wal-ter Weaver, Dr. DeborahWeaver and Dr. MichaelTrierweller also agreed topay a $10,000 fine. The Vil-lage of Brady received a$1.5 million loan from theU.S Department of Agri-culture Rural Develop-ment to upgrade sewerand water systems.

Aug. 17: The NebraskaDepartment of Health andHuman Services an-nounced that LincolnCounty had seen its firstcase of West Nile virussince 2010.

Aug. 21: MaKenna Wal-ters died 17 days after hereighth birthday from astroke. The youngster hada full heart transplant onJune 3 at Arkansas Chil-dren’s Hospital in LittleRock. She would be re-membered as “an inde-pendent, feisty and stronglittle girl,” her mother Jilltold The Telegraph. The2012 American SoftballClass A 16U NorthernNational Softball Tour-nament brought in morethan $1 million to NorthPlatte’s economy.

Aug. 22: WashingtonElementary School madebig strides with testscores, coming one stepcloser to being off the per-sistently low achieving listin the state. All schools inthe district showed im-provement when the an-nual Nebraska State Ac-countability test scoreswere released. The citycouncil voted 6-2 to repealthe ban on guns in cityparks.

Aug. 24: A second case ofWest Nile virus was re-ported in Lincoln County.

Aug. 25: An abandonedwarehouse at Seventhand Poplar Streetsburned.

Aug. 28: Rogello Diazwas sentenced to 18-36years in prison for the at-tempted murder of hiswife Michelle.

Aug. 29: Josh Stans-bery, North Platte, spenthis 21st birthday inBrooke Army MedicalCenter is San Antonio,Texas, recovering from in-juries he sustained from aroadside bomb explodedwhile he was serving inAfghanistan.

Aug: 31: Multiple fire de-partments fought a fire inLogan County, northeastof Stapleton.

SeptemberSept. 5: A Colorado

man was killed and an-other was charged withmanslaughter followinga boat accident at LakeMcConaughy. A searchwas underway for LarrySack, a North Platte manreported missing after hefailed to show up for afamily gathering. The citywas a step away from re-pealing a 1975 ordinancebanning firearms in cityparks.

Sept. 7: Dive teamssearched the SutherlandCanal for Larry Sack.The superintendent, prin-cipal and coach of theMaxwell Public Schoolsfaced charges for allegedlyfailing to report childabuse.

Sept. 13: Karen Cole-

man-Buresh announcedshe was starting a rollerderby team, the Heart-land Hellcats. MonteHueftle of Brady died af-ter he crashed and waspartially ejected fromhis pickup.

Sept. 15: A human leg,believed to have been Lar-ry Sack’s, was discoveredin the Sutherland Reser-voir. Rail Fest officiallybegan.

Sept. 16: About 9,000people turned out for theannual Union PacificRailroad employee pic-nic at Cody Park. RailFest visitors had thechance to learn aboutUnion Pacific Railroadhistory with an interac-tive touchscreen exhibit atBailey Yard.

Sept. 19: Anne Powerwas named the new execu-tive director of the Bridgeof Hope Child AdvocacyCenter.

Sept. 22: A body, be-lieved to be that of LarrySack, was pulled from theSutherland Reservoir.

Sept. 26: Early votingbegan. The Nebraska De-partment of Roads saidconstruction on High-way 83 would be finishedby Nov. 1. More than$50,000 was raised duringthe Students Steppin’Out for Education event.

OctoberOct. 3: Great Plains Re-

gional Medical Centerofficials announced thatsome staff would be dis-placed to North Platte’sdowntown area while aremodel was done on thehospital. The North Plat-te Genealogical Societyraised $10, 140 toward the$25,000 needed to purchasean electronic directoryfor the North PlatteCemetery. The CentralNebraska Public Powerand Irrigation Districtvoted to implement waterrestrictions during the2013 growing season.

Oct. 4: The Union Pacif-ic Railroad embarked ona $12 million project thatincluded undercutting bal-last and replacing tiesalong one of its three linesthrough Bailey Yard.

Oct. 5: A fire blew thetop off a 6,000-gallonlube oil tank at BaileyYard.

Oct. 14: More than 225people rook part in theChris Jarvis MemorialAutumn Run at CodyPark. Thousands of chil-dren learned about every-thing from science to den-tal hygiene during theKids Discover festival atthe North Platte Com-munity College.

Oct. 17: JoshStansbery, a soldierfrom North Platte, was onthe road to recovery afterbeing injured by a road-side bomb inAfghanistan.

Oct. 19: The HotelPawnee was put on pro-bationary status by theNebraska Departmentof Health and HumanServices. West central Ne-braska battled earth,wind and fire as highwinds whipped across theregion. The highest gustwas reported at 73 milesper hour. Roads wereclosed because of poorvisibility and wildfiresburned out of control.

Oct. 20: Crews assesseddamage and quelled hotspots following a 10,000-acre fire in Keith andPerkins counties. Seven lo-cal leaders were honoredat the annual Women ofAchievement luncheon.More than $3,000 wasraised during a chili andsoup cook-off at the Plat-te River Mall to benefitUnited Way.

Oct. 24: A man drove aminivan through the Chi-ropractic Care Center inthe Westfield ShoppingCenter. Third-graders atMcDaid Elementarywere given dictionariesby the Elks Lodge. ANorth Platte bus driverwas lauded for saving ateam of volleyball play-ers from what could havebeen a tragic accident.Law enforcement, schoolofficials and parents cred-ited Alan Little’s quickthinking for avoiding acollision that totaled apickup and jackknifed asemi between Sidney andBridgeport.

Oct. 25: A two-vehicleaccident took the lives of

three people and criti-cally injured another justwest of Maxwell. ConnerGentry, 14, his brother,Colten Gentry, 10, andElaine Grasz, 45, died.Miss Rodeo Nebraska2012 Sierra Peterson re-flected on her yearlongreign and shared herpreparations for the MissRodeo America Pageantin Las Vegas, Nev.

Oct. 28: More than 1,000children turned out for theDowntown Halloweenwalk. Firefighters spent10 hours trying to containa blaze in a storage build-ing at the corner of 4th St.and Miles Ave. in NorthPlatte.

Oct. 30: Dan Manookinwas hired as the newbuilding and groundsdirector for LincolnCounty. People beganquestioning a decision bythe Twin Platte NaturalResources District andthree other NRDs to pur-chase 19,500 acres insouthern Lincoln Countyfor $83 million.

NovemberNov. 1: The Girl Scouts

had a ribbon cutting fortheir new cabin at LakeMaloney.

Nov. 3: U.S. Senate candi-dates Bob Kerrey andDeb Fischer made theirfinal campaign stops inNorth Platte. Area resi-dents rallied around Ter-ry Grasz of Brady, thesole survivor of a fierycrash that claimed thelives of three other people.

Nov. 6: The players inthe Birdwood Viaductproject were introducedto the public during a Lin-coln County Board ofCommissioners meeting.Also at the meeting, localresidents listened to thereasoning behind a con-troversial land purchaseby the Twin Platte, UpperRepublican, Middle Re-publican and Lower Re-publican natural re-sources districts.

Nov. 7: PresidentBarack Obama was re-elected during the gener-al election. Dwight Liv-ingston defeated incum-bent Marc Kaschke inthe race for North Plattemayor. Deb Fisher beatout Bob Kerrey in theU.S. Senate race. JackPrice and Mike Morrellwere elected to terms onthe North Platte PublicSchools Board of Educa-tion. Challenger AndrewLee topped longtimeNorth Platte City Coun-cil representative DanMcGuire in the election.Brook Baker, Glenn Pe-tersen and Larry Camp-bell were also elected toserve on the City Council.Lincoln County saw arecord turnout at thepolls.

Nov. 8: The race for theCity Council Ward Oneseat between JoshuaWelden and winnerBrook Baker was 21 votesapart — just outside themark for an automatic re-count. Roy Lawton, execu-tive director of the NorthPlatte homeless shelter, re-signed.

Nov. 17: Three monthsafter her death, MaKennaWalters continued tomake an impact on thoseshe left behind. LincolnCounty participated in astatewide food drivechallenge. The U.S.Drought Monitor showedlittle improvement inNebraska’s drought con-ditions, with more than 95percent of the state still inextreme to exceptionaldrought. The drought,coupled with continuedwarm temperatures, hadan adverse affect onlawns.

Nov. 18: Army Pfc. JoshStansbery arrived homeafter being wounded inAfghanistan.

Nov. 21: Stathis Kirk-patrick was sentenced tolife in prison for themurder of Kailee Clapp,14, of McCook.

DecemberDec. 1: Lehya Bartels,

6, died after a courageousfight against cancer. Offi-cials with four natural

resources districts field-ed questions from the pub-lic in Wallace about theimpact that a large pur-chase of land in south-ern Lincoln County wouldhave on tax rolls andNRD water obligations.

Dec. 2: About 700 cos-tume-clad contestantstook part in the annualJingle Bell Run. TheChristmas season offi-cially kicked off in CodyPark with the opening ofSanta’s Workshop.

Dec. 4: Isaiah Casillas,6, died after strugglingwith a rare form of braincancer.

Dec. 5: Dwight Liv-ingston, Brook Baker,Glenn Petersen and An-drew Lee were sworninto office during a NorthPlatte City Council meet-ing.

Dec. 6: MichaelMalmkar, pleaded nocontest to vehicularhomicide in connection toan accident that killed bi-cyclist Levern Walter in2011. Lincoln County At-torney Rebecca Harlingchose not to file chargesagainst Maxwell schoolofficials accused of fail-ing to report child abuse.

Dec. 8: Jenny Sale-strom was named the newexecutive director ofthe Mid-Plains UnitedWay. Paul Pedersen,North Platte fire chief,announced plans to retireafter 40 years of service.

Dec. 11: Lady Antebel-lum backed out of the Ne-braskaland Days coun-try concert after the leadsinger became pregnant.

Dec. 15: Local residentsreacted to a tragic schoolshooting in Newtown,Conn. Officials said apipeline project in south-ern Lincoln County couldeventually lead to a stor-age site for water in yearswhen flooding occurs onthe Platte River.

Dec. 27: A Bradywoman drove her GMCYukon through a metalguardrail and a fence andlanded on the railroadtracks at Bailey Yard.

Dec. 30: Dwight Liv-ingston opened up abouthis first month as mayor.

THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPHD4 SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013 YEAR IN REVIEW

2012 in review