Start the morning off with breakfast, shop for treasurers and then enjoy a nice lunch!

Peggy’s Kitchen Menu (Multipurpose Hall)
BREAKFAST BURRITOS * CHERRY TURNOVERS * NACHOS * FRENCH DHIP SANDWICHES * CHIPS * CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES * COFFEE * JUICES * WATER * POP

Here is a taste of treasurers at the Junk Jaunt/Flea Market outside and inside the Multipurpose Hall:

Starting with Matha Hollinrake’s estate sale; household goods, furniture, dishes, glassware, vintage clothing, vintage hats, jewelery and much more…

Holiday decorations to include wood projects by Julie; an unbelievable amount of new and hardly worn clothes, over 60 pairs shoes (new and worn once)–you can start a new wardrobe. Toys, books, dolls, picture frames…

Antiques; a dresser cabinet 78 record player, room divider, refashioned dresser, deco mirror, storage chest, wheel hub lamp, dressing table with mirror, bench, repurposed door bench, and a treasure of garage stuff.

More…antique rocking chairs, enamel table, trunks, kerosene jar for old stove, 2 drop leaf tables, dressers, one good, one project-enamel top cupboard on wheels.

This is just a taste with lots more to see at the Junk Jaunt.

Panhandle Kettle Korn will be there….follow the smell to the Fairgrounds.

RED CLOUD, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man died when the tractor he was driving plummeted off a bridge and landed upside down in south-central Nebraska.

The accident occurred around 7:15 p.m. Friday near Red Cloud. Webster County Sheriff Troy Schmitz says the man was driving north on U.S. Highway 281 when the planter he was pulling ran up a guardrail and got hooked. That caused the tractor to spin into the side and flip over the rail onto dry ground below, landing on its cab.

Schmitz identified the tractor driver as 61-year-old David Mohlman, who lived in Red Cloud.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett is preparing to auction off another private lunch to raise money for a homeless charity in San Francisco.

Over the past 18 years, Berkshire Hathaway’s chairman and CEO has raised more than $26 million for the Glide Foundation through the annual auctions.

Last year’s winner got a relative bargain by paying $2,679,001for the lunch. The record price for the auction is $3,456,789 that winners paid in 2016 and 2012.

This year’s eBay auction starts on May 27 and runs through 9:30 p.m. Central on June 1.

Buffett became involved with the Glide Foundation after his first wife, Susie, volunteered at the charity. She died in 2004, but the connection between Buffett and the group endured.

The winner can invite up to seven friends to join the lunch.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a driver was fired after an 11-year-old Grand Island student was found on a school bus at the bus yard.

The girl’s mother, Jennifer Lonowski, said she called the bus service company last week when her daughter Jada hadn’t arrived home and the bus was already 25 minutes late. Lonowski says she went to the bus yard and found her daughter in the bus, still buckled up in her seat. The driver told her the girl had fallen asleep, but Lonowski says she doesn’t believe that.

Lonowski says Jada has Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder. Her mom says Jada is completely nonverbal but understand everything.

A co-owner of the Holiday Express bus company, Mick Brown, confirmed Monday that the driver had been fired.

The Board of Directors of Gordon Memorial Health Services has appointed Allen Gamble as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Gamble assumed administrative responsibilities for the hospital and rural outreach clinics on May 10.
Gamble, who is from Georgia, is an experienced health care administrator. He completed his undergraduate
education at Georgia State University, Atlanta, and earned a master’s degree in business administration from
Georgia College, Milledgeville.

“We welcome Allen back to Gordon Memorial Health Services and our community,” said Jay Voss, board
chair. “His health care expertise and experience will be very helpful to us.”

Gamble previously worked as Interim Chief Executive Officer at Gordon Memorial Health Services last year.
He also served as Interim Chief Executive Officer at Regional West Garden County Hospital in Oshkosh, Neb.,
Chief Executive Officer at Pioneer Community Hospital of Early, Blakely, Georgia, and other like organizations
in his career. His experience includes critical access hospitals and has a working knowledge and accomplishments with critical access hospital systems as well as health care information technology systems.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff is in partnership with Gordon Memorial Health Services with the
operations of the GMHS health care organization and Interim Chief Executive Officer.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a
188-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the region’s only
tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties
provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 providers, and over 2,000 employees, Regional West
provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the
neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

According to Chadron Schools Superintendent Dr. Caroline Winchester, “Please join us in celebrating this past year’s numerous accomplishments and recognitions on Friday, May 18 @ 11:30 AM at the west side of the high school for our Annual School Community Picnic.  A free will donation is appreciated.”  This past week was Teacher Appreciation Week. The following list of achievements would not be possible without quality, caring instructors. These are just a few of this year’s achievements:

• ACT Scores exceeding state and national averages
• Chadron High School named 3rd best High School in Nebraska by US News and World Reports
• 22 Presidential Award Winners or 48% of the Senior Class had a GPA of 3.5 or better and scored at the 90th percentile or above on a national standardized test in reading or math
• Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association (NRCSA) Closing the Gap Award
• NRCSA Board Member of the Year
• Nebraska FBLA Advisor of the Year
• Education Support Person of the Year

Friday, May 18 is the culmination of another successful school year so come join us for hamburgers at 11:30 AM.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Sen. Deb Fischer notched an easy Republican primary victory on Tuesday despite challenges from four GOP candidates who sought to take her seat in deep-red Nebraska.

Fischer faced a primary challenge from four fellow Republicans but coasted to the party’s nomination for a second term. She will enter the general election as a heavy favorite.

Fischer has focused on her first-term accomplishments, including her work to pass highway funding legislation. She also stressed her Senate experience, such as her position on an Armed Services subcommittee.

The others seeking the GOP nomination were retired Omaha math professor Jack Heidel; writer and retired air conditioning technician Dennis Frank Macek; former finance manager Jeffrey Lynn Stein; and Lincoln businessman Todd Watson.

Some of Fischer’s primary opponents argued she hasn’t been conservative enough, but Fischer received endorsements from a majority of the state’s elected Republican officials as well as major farm and business groups. Before being elected to the Senate, she was a rancher and state legislator.

Her Democratic challengers, meanwhile, are vying for the chance to mount an uphill battle against Fischer, who has outraised every candidate from both parties.

Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould is the best-known Democrat in the field, partly because of her unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor in 2014 with running mate Chuck Hassebrook. Raybould has served on the City Council since 2015 and helps run her family’s grocery store chain.

The other Democratic hopefuls are retired farmer, attorney and judge Frank Svoboda of Lincoln; retired Fremont real estate broker Larry Marvin; and Chris Janicek, the owner of an Omaha specialty cake business.

Fischer was elected to the Senate in 2012 after defeating two higher-profile Republicans — Attorney General Jon Bruning and State Treasurer Don Stenberg — in the primary. She went on to defeat Democrat Bob Kerrey, a former governor who was running for his old Senate seat, by nearly 16 percentage points.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state Sen. Bob Krist wins Democratic nomination to try and unseat Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts.

9 p.m.

Nebraska state Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha has won the Democratic nomination to run for the seat held by incumbent Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Krist defeated two other Democratic candidates in Tuesday’s primary election. The veteran state lawmaker campaigned on promises that he would take a less partisan approach to state government than Ricketts.

Krist had been a Republican but switched his affiliation to nonpartisan in September when announcing his bid for governor. He reregistered as a Democrat in February due to legal barriers in his bid to qualify for the ballot as an independent.

The two other Democrats who ran were Vanessa Ward, a pastor and community activist from Omaha, and Tyler Davis, a University of Nebraska at Omaha instructor.

___

8:50 p.m.

Lincoln city councilwoman and grocery store executive Jane Raybould has won the Democratic nomination for Senate in Nebraska.

Raybould defeated three Democratic challengers in Tuesday’s primary race for the seat held by Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, who is running for re-election. Raybould faces an uphill general election battle in GOP-dominated Nebraska.

Fischer won election in 2012 by nearly 16 percentage points.

Raybould has served on the Lincoln City Council since 2015 and helps run her family’s grocery store chain. She ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2014 as part of Democrat Chuck Hassebrook’s gubernatorial campaign.

The other Democratic hopefuls who ran were retired farmer, attorney and judge Frank Svoboda of Lincoln; retired Fremont real estate broker Larry Marvin; and Chris Janicek, the owner of an Omaha specialty cake business.

____

8:40 p.m.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has easily won the Republican nomination to seek a second term in November.

Ricketts enters the general election with more than $1.3 million in campaign cash at his disposal for the general election, far outpacing all other gubernatorial candidates. His only GOP challenger in Tuesday’s primary didn’t raise or spend enough to trigger a reporting requirement.

Ricketts defeated Krystal Gabel of Omaha, a technical writer who advocates for medical marijuana and industrial hemp. Gabel previously volunteered for the Nebraska Green Party and the Legal Cannabis Now Party.

Ricketts has already started airing television ads to tout his previous efforts to lower property taxes.

___

8:30 p.m.

Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska has won the Republican nomination in her bid for a second term in office.

Fischer defeated four GOP challengers in Tuesday’s primary election and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska.

Some of Fischer’s primary opponents had argued she wasn’t conservative enough, but Fischer received endorsements from a majority of the state’s elected Republican officials, as well as major farm and business groups. Before being elected to the Senate, she was a rancher and state legislator.

In the GOP primary, Fischer defeated retired Omaha math professor Jack Heidel; writer and retired air conditioning technician Dennis Frank Macek; former finance manager Jeffrey Lynn Stein; and Lincoln businessman Todd Watson.

___

8:05 p.m.

The polls have closed in a Nebraska primary election that will set up races for U.S. Senate, governor and the U.S. House.

Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, ending a day of voting that election officials say was fairly light.

There were plenty of contests, topped by contested nomination races in both parties as Gov. Pete Ricketts and U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer sought second terms.

In congressional elections, attention was focused on the Omaha-based 2nd District, where Democrats Brad Ashford and Kara Eastman were competing for a chance to face Republican incumbent Rep. Don Bacon.

Other statewide races included state treasurer and legislative seats.

___

4 p.m.

He hasn’t won the primary yet, but Nebraska Democrat Bob Krist is already preparing a general election campaign for governor against Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts.

Krist announced Tuesday that he will embark on a 10-city, three-day tour across Nebraska with his running mate and fellow state senator, Lynne Walz.

Krist, a pilot and Air Force veteran, will fly himself and his campaign from Omaha to Scottsbluff, with stops in Sioux City and Grand Island. He also will stop in Bridgeport, a western Nebraska town where property taxes have skyrocketed by an average of 140 percent since 2007.

Krist, of Omaha, is seeking the Democratic nomination against University of Nebraska at Omaha instructor Tyler Davis and Omaha community activist Vanessa Ward.

Ricketts faces one challenger for the Republican nomination.

___

3:35 p.m.

Bill Kohler is a Democrat, but don’t look for him to support candidates from his party.

Kohler, of Lincoln, says his top concern for the election is to elect Nebraskans who will cooperate with President Donald Trump.

The 65-year-old retired cable technician said Tuesday after voting in the primary election that he supports incumbent Gov. Pete Ricketts and U.S. Rep. Deb Fischer. Kohler says he likes that Ricketts want to lower taxes and supports the National Rifle Association. He says he strongly supports Trump and appreciates that both candidates work well with the administration.

Kohler is registered as a Democrat but says he has become more conservative in recent years and plans to change his voter registration before the next election. He only voted for nonpartisan or independent candidates during the primary because he does not support the Democratic candidates

___

3:20 p.m.

Voter turnout appears to be light so far in two Omaha-area counties that will decide the winner of a competitive Democratic primary in the 2nd Congressional District.

The Douglas and Sarpy County election commissioners say turnout is on pace to meet their predictions that roughly 20 percent of registered voters will cast a ballot. They say neither county has experienced any major problems so far.

Douglas County Election Commissioner Brian Kruse says early voting continues to play a major role. He says he hopes to have final, unofficial results by 11 p.m.

Sarpy County Election Commissioner Michelle Andahl says turnout could pick up after voters get off work this evening.

Democrats Brad Ashford and Kara Eastman are vying for the chance to face incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican.

___

1 p.m.

Jason Brown rode his bike to vote in central Omaha at Lifegate Church’s midtown campus.

Brown said he voted for Kara Eastman in the Democratic primary for a congressional seat that is expected to be competitive in November, because he likes her more liberal views.

The 47-year-old Brown said: “I believe her more progressive views align with my beliefs better.”

Eastman is running the 2nd Congressional District, where Democrats believe they have a shot at unseating incumbent Republican Rep. Don Bacon. But most establishment Democrats have lined up behind Brad Ashford — who held the seat for one term until he was defeated by Bacon in 2016.

Brown said he respects Ashford and wouldn’t be disappointed if he wins the primary but he prefers Eastman’s liberal approach to Ashford’s centrist views.

___

12:50 p.m.

President Donald Trump is tweeting his support of Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer as primary voters head to the polls.

Trump on Tuesday afternoon tweeted, “Nebraska – make sure you get out to the polls and VOTE for Deb Fischer today!”

Fischer is seeking a second term but first must overcome a challenge from four fellow Republicans for the GOP nomination.

Four Democrats also are seeking their party’s nomination to run for Senate.

___

8:15 a.m.

The polls have opened in Nebraska for the 2018 primary.

Secretary of State John Gale has predicted a statewide turnout of 28 percent, or about 336,000 of the nearly 1.2 million registered voters.

About 28 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the 2014 statewide primary.

___

12:20 a.m.

Omaha-area voters are set to pick a Democratic nominee who will challenge U.S. Rep. Don Bacon after the Republican claimed the seat from Democrats two years ago.

The 2nd Congressional District race is the most high-profile contest among the Tuesday primaries in Nebraska and a potential bright spot for Democrats who are heavily outnumbered throughout the state.

Former U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford hopes to win back his seat after Bacon defeated him in 2016, but political newcomer Kara Eastman has presented herself as a progressive alternative to the centrist Ashford.

Voters will also consider candidates in primary races for U.S. Senate, governor, state treasurer and legislative and congressional races.

From Monday May 21, 2018 to Sunday June 3, 2018 the Chadron Police Department is participating in the Nebraska Officer of Highway Safety (NOHS) Click it or Ticket (CIOT) mobilization. The Chadron Police Department recently received a grant from the NOHS for the mobilization. The $1,400.00 grant will provide nine officers and three dispatchers 48 Hours in the 14 day enforcement period.

STATISTICS: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly half (48%) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2016 were unrestrained. At night from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., that number soared to 56 percent of those killed. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.

Purpose: Law enforcement agencies will join forces to provide increased seat belt enforcement at State borders, sending a zero-tolerance message to the public: Driving or riding unbuckled will result in a ticket, no matter what State. Seat belt use is the single most effective way to survive a crash. The goal of this campaign is to reduce traffic fatalities and save lives.

The Border to Border (B2B) program will kick off the annual 2-week CIOT national seat belt campaign, which runs through the Memorial Day holiday. B2B aims to increase both public awareness, and law enforcement participation by coordinating a synchronized, national highly visible seat belt enforcement operation and by providing seat belt fact sheets for drivers at heavily traveled highly visible State border checkpoints. It is the cross-jurisdictional collaboration by law enforcement between States that is the pillar of success of the B2B program.

NHTSA will use B2B to kick off the May 2018 Seat Belt Mobilization, which will include a 4-hour enforcement crackdown between 4 and 8 p.m. on May 21. The operation will include both interstates and local roadways, and NHTSA is asking all of the States to participate this year.

Past Success: Border to Border (B2B) does work.

The B2B program has yielded results that speak to the collaboration of the local law enforcement offices: During the 2017 B2B program, participating law enforcement offices issued citations for 5,695 seat belt and child safety seat violations, as well as 14,619 citations for other traffic infractions. The B2B program was covered by 59 television news stories, 68 radio spots, and 197 newspaper stories, underscoring the importance of seat belt safety awareness.

The Chadron Police Department believes that the use of safety belts promotes safety and responsibility in the community. Not using a safety belt can be the last mistake that you ever make. Buckling up can not only save your life, but also save yourself from fines or injury.

The Chadron Police Department will step up enforcement by conduction as many traffic stops and making as many contact as possible during all hours of the day and night during the grant period in the City of Chadron. The Chadron Police Department firmly believes that if you wear your safety belt and insure that everyone in your vehicle is buckled up, there is a much greater chance that they will be safe, should a collision occur.

If the public has any questions regarding the use of seat belts or the child restraint systems they can stop by the Chadron Police Department located at 125 Main St. Chadron or call (308) 432-0510

You can follow the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chadronpolice or on Twitter @chadronpolice

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Latest on the Nebraska primary (all times local):
9:55 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith has won the Republican nomination to seek a seventh term in Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District, an overwhelmingly rural area that covers most of the state.
Smith fended off three GOP challengers on Tuesday to claim the nomination. He now will face Democrat Paul Theobald, a hog farmer, historian and former administrator at Wayne State College who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination. The district is heavily Republican.
Smith defeated Republican candidates Kirk Penner, an Aurora small business executive; Larry Lee Scott Bolinger, a property manager and author from Alliance; and Grand Island farmer Arron Kowalski.
Smith has pledged to focus on economic growth if re-elected and touted his support for the recent tax law passed by the GOP-controlled Congress.
___
9 p.m.
Nebraska state Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha has won the Democratic nomination to run for the seat held by incumbent Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts.
Krist defeated two other Democratic candidates in Tuesday’s primary election. The veteran state lawmaker campaigned on promises that he would take a less partisan approach to state government than Ricketts.
Krist had been a Republican but switched his affiliation to nonpartisan in September when announcing his bid for governor. He reregistered as a Democrat in February due to legal barriers in his bid to qualify for the ballot as an independent.
The two other Democrats who ran were Vanessa Ward, a pastor and community activist from Omaha, and Tyler Davis, a University of Nebraska at Omaha instructor.
___
8:50 p.m.
Lincoln city councilwoman and grocery store executive Jane Raybould has won the Democratic nomination for Senate in Nebraska.
Raybould defeated three Democratic challengers in Tuesday’s primary race for the seat held by Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, who is running for re-election. Raybould faces an uphill general election battle in GOP-dominated Nebraska.
Fischer won election in 2012 by nearly 16 percentage points.
Raybould has served on the Lincoln City Council since 2015 and helps run her family’s grocery store chain. She ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2014 as part of Democrat Chuck Hassebrook’s gubernatorial campaign.
The other Democratic hopefuls who ran were retired farmer, attorney and judge Frank Svoboda of Lincoln; retired Fremont real estate broker Larry Marvin; and Chris Janicek, the owner of an Omaha specialty cake business.
____
8:40 p.m.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has easily won the Republican nomination to seek a second term in November.
Ricketts enters the general election with more than $1.3 million in campaign cash at his disposal for the general election, far outpacing all other gubernatorial candidates. His only GOP challenger in Tuesday’s primary didn’t raise or spend enough to trigger a reporting requirement.
Ricketts defeated Krystal Gabel of Omaha, a technical writer who advocates for medical marijuana and industrial hemp. Gabel previously volunteered for the Nebraska Green Party and the Legal Cannabis Now Party.
Ricketts has already started airing television ads to tout his previous efforts to lower property taxes.
___
8:30 p.m.
Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska has won the Republican nomination in her bid for a second term in office.
Fischer defeated four GOP challengers in Tuesday’s primary election and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska.
Some of Fischer’s primary opponents had argued she wasn’t conservative enough, but Fischer received endorsements from a majority of the state’s elected Republican officials, as well as major farm and business groups. Before being elected to the Senate, she was a rancher and state legislator.
In the GOP primary, Fischer defeated retired Omaha math professor Jack Heidel; writer and retired air conditioning technician Dennis Frank Macek; former finance manager Jeffrey Lynn Stein; and Lincoln businessman Todd Watson.
___
8:05 p.m.
The polls have closed in a Nebraska primary election that will set up races for U.S. Senate, governor and the U.S. House.
Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, ending a day of voting that election officials say was fairly light.
There were plenty of contests, topped by contested nomination races in both parties as Gov. Pete Ricketts and U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer sought second terms.
In congressional elections, attention was focused on the Omaha-based 2nd District, where Democrats Brad Ashford and Kara Eastman were competing for a chance to face Republican incumbent Rep. Don Bacon.
Other statewide races included state treasurer and legislative seats.
___
4 p.m.
He hasn’t won the primary yet, but Nebraska Democrat Bob Krist is already preparing a general election campaign for governor against Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts.
Krist announced Tuesday that he will embark on a 10-city, three-day tour across Nebraska with his running mate and fellow state senator, Lynne Walz.
Krist, a pilot and Air Force veteran, will fly himself and his campaign from Omaha to Scottsbluff, with stops in Sioux City and Grand Island. He also will stop in Bridgeport, a western Nebraska town where property taxes have skyrocketed by an average of 140 percent since 2007.
Krist, of Omaha, is seeking the Democratic nomination against University of Nebraska at Omaha instructor Tyler Davis and Omaha community activist Vanessa Ward.
Ricketts faces one challenger for the Republican nomination.
___
3:35 p.m.
Bill Kohler is a Democrat, but don’t look for him to support candidates from his party.
Kohler, of Lincoln, says his top concern for the election is to elect Nebraskans who will cooperate with President Donald Trump.
The 65-year-old retired cable technician said Tuesday after voting in the primary election that he supports incumbent Gov. Pete Ricketts and U.S. Rep. Deb Fischer. Kohler says he likes that Ricketts want to lower taxes and supports the National Rifle Association. He says he strongly supports Trump and appreciates that both candidates work well with the administration.
Kohler is registered as a Democrat but says he has become more conservative in recent years and plans to change his voter registration before the next election. He only voted for nonpartisan or independent candidates during the primary because he does not support the Democratic candidates
___
3:20 p.m.
Voter turnout appears to be light so far in two Omaha-area counties that will decide the winner of a competitive Democratic primary in the 2nd Congressional District.
The Douglas and Sarpy County election commissioners say turnout is on pace to meet their predictions that roughly 20 percent of registered voters will cast a ballot. They say neither county has experienced any major problems so far.
Douglas County Election Commissioner Brian Kruse says early voting continues to play a major role. He says he hopes to have final, unofficial results by 11 p.m.
Sarpy County Election Commissioner Michelle Andahl says turnout could pick up after voters get off work this evening.
Democrats Brad Ashford and Kara Eastman are vying for the chance to face incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican.
___
1 p.m.
Jason Brown rode his bike to vote in central Omaha at Lifegate Church’s midtown campus.
Brown said he voted for Kara Eastman in the Democratic primary for a congressional seat that is expected to be competitive in November, because he likes her more liberal views.
The 47-year-old Brown said: “I believe her more progressive views align with my beliefs better.”
Eastman is running the 2nd Congressional District, where Democrats believe they have a shot at unseating incumbent Republican Rep. Don Bacon. But most establishment Democrats have lined up behind Brad Ashford — who held the seat for one term until he was defeated by Bacon in 2016.
Brown said he respects Ashford and wouldn’t be disappointed if he wins the primary but he prefers Eastman’s liberal approach to Ashford’s centrist views.
___
12:50 p.m.
President Donald Trump is tweeting his support of Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer as primary voters head to the polls.
Trump on Tuesday afternoon tweeted, “Nebraska – make sure you get out to the polls and VOTE for Deb Fischer today!”
Fischer is seeking a second term but first must overcome a challenge from four fellow Republicans for the GOP nomination.
Four Democrats also are seeking their party’s nomination to run for Senate.
___
8:15 a.m.
The polls have opened in Nebraska for the 2018 primary.
Secretary of State John Gale has predicted a statewide turnout of 28 percent, or about 336,000 of the nearly 1.2 million registered voters.
About 28 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the 2014 statewide primary.
___
12:20 a.m.
Omaha-area voters are set to pick a Democratic nominee who will challenge U.S. Rep. Don Bacon after the Republican claimed the seat from Democrats two years ago.
The 2nd Congressional District race is the most high-profile contest among the Tuesday primaries in Nebraska and a potential bright spot for Democrats who are heavily outnumbered throughout the state.
Former U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford hopes to win back his seat after Bacon defeated him in 2016, but political newcomer Kara Eastman has presented herself as a progressive alternative to the centrist Ashford.
Voters will also consider candidates in primary races for U.S. Senate, governor, state treasurer and legislative and congressional races.

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — A Georgia company has moved its production of frozen beef patties to south-central Nebraska.

Flanders Provision Co. began operating Monday in the plant that’s been idle since Bubba Burger stopped operating there in 2013.

The City Council will be voting on Flanders’ request for $125,000 from Hastings Utilities’ economic development funds. Maggie Vaughan is interim director of the Hastings Economic Development Corp., and she says the company has committed in return to create at least 50 jobs and spend $3.75 million on plant upgrades. So far 32 people are employed.

Vaughan says Flanders is leaving its Waycross, Georgia, plant because it wanted to grow.

One officer is killed somewhere in the U.S. every 58 hours. It is important that all citizens know and understand the duties, responsibilities, hazards and scarifies that the men and women of law enforcement face every day.  These duties, hazards and scarifies also take a huge toll on the peace officer’s family members. The safety of our communities and the individual freedoms we enjoy have come at a high price.

National Police Week is a time for all Americans to pause and reflect on the incredible sacrifices law enforcement heroes make for us every day. Without their dedication and public service we would not be able to enjoy the daily freedoms, safety and the peacefulness of our nation.

National Police Week, which occurs each year during the week in which May 15th falls, recognizes the service and sacrifice of U.S. law enforcement. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

This year, the names of 360 officers killed in the line of duty are being added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC. These 360 officers include 129 officers who were killed during 2017, plus 231 officers who died in previous years but whose stories of sacrifice had been lost to history until now.

Please take time out of your day to express your thanks to our men and women of law enforcement during National Police Week, May 13th through the 19th.

I have included some facts related to the law enforcement profession;

• There are more than 900,000 sworn law enforcement officers now serving in the United States, which is the highest figure ever. About 12 percent of those are female.
• Crime fighting has taken its toll. Since the first recorded police death in 1791, there have been over 21,000 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Currently, there are 21,541 names engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
• There have been 58,627 assaults against law enforcement in 2016, resulting in 16,667 injuries.
• The deadliest day in law enforcement history was September 11, 2001, when 72 officers were killed while responding to the terrorist attacks on America.
• There are 328 female officers listed on the Memorial; 9 female officers were killed in 2017.
• During the past ten years, more incidents that resulted in felonious fatalities occurred on Friday than any other day of the week. The fewest number of felonious incidents occurred on Tuesday.

After securing the nominations for Nebraska Governor and Lt. Governor, Sen. Bob Krist and Sen. Lynne Walz told a crowd in an airport hanger near Omaha that the debate of the future of of the state begins today in a small town in Western Nebraska.

2:30 – 4:00 p.m. (MDT)
Bridgeport Town Hall – Property Tax Reform
Prairie Winds Community Center
428 North Main Street, Bridgeport, NE 69336

5:00 – 6:30 p.m. (MDT)
Scottsbluff Meet & Greet
Godfather’s Pizza
2207 Broadway, Scottsbluff, NE 69361

“Today begins a debate about the future of Nebraska. And in my opinion there can be no better place to begin this discussion than in Morrill County, Nebraska. That is where we are headed today, and where we will begin our campaign to restore the future of Nebraska,” Krist said.

“Morrill County has experienced a 147 percent increase in property taxes during the past ten years, as compared to only a 20 percent increase in household income. It is emblematic of the difficulties Nebraskans face and the ‘tin ear’ that this administration has adopted toward this crisis,” he said.

Sen. Lynne Walz said the current administration claims they have cut property taxes “but I have yet to discover one farmer, one rancher or one homeowner who says their property tax bill has gone down,” she said.

“The governor will try, but the voters of Nebraska know the truth. Our property tax system is broken and Governor Ricketts has failed to fix the problem,” she said.

Krist noted that property taxes statewide have increased an average of 57 percent while household income by 20 percent. For many counties, and individual homeowners, the rise in property taxes is over 100 percent.

“Pete Ricketts simply doesn’t care. His focus is on tax cuts for corporations and people like himself. Pete’s latest proposal would have given $13 million to T.D Ameritrade, the company his family founded, and 25 bucks to homeowners. $25 bucks,” Krist said.

“But don’t take my word for it. The Governor’s own Republican State Senators said his plan was a joke,” he said.

Republican State Sen. Mike Groene, North Platte

“They claim it’s about property tax but it’s a corporate income tax cut. He (Ricketts) wants corporate income tax cuts, (he) doesn’t understand how bad the property tax problem is.”

Republican State Sen. Steve Erdman, Bayard led opposition to the governor’s tax bill, describing it as “a joke (and) an illusion, a proposal that would take a decade to fully implement. This is too little and too late. This governor never has been and never will be for property tax relief,” Erdman said.

“The governor’s claim that he has provided $800 million in property tax relief is laughable. Most of this so called relief was in place before he took office, and I don’t know of a single soul who says their property taxes have gone down,” Krist said.

“Our farmers and ranchers and homeowners across Nebraska are hurting. Fixing the property tax crisis and properly funding education will be central components of our campaign,” Krist said.

The Patriot Guard Riders have been invited to escort a group of WWII and Korean War Veterans from Chadron via Alliance to Scottsbluff, south through Kimball to Fort Morgan, and then on to Days Inn located at 7030 Tower Road in Denver.

The four vans are leaving Chadron at 10 am on Thursday May 17th and are scheduled to arrive in Alliance around 11 am and Scottsbluff at 12 pm. They are asking citizens in Alliance to meet at WESTCO’s Terry’s Corner  on 3rd Street and Highway 385 at 10:20am. You may bring your own flags to wave, but if not they will be provided.

President Donald Trump backed two successful U.S. Senate nominees in Pennsylvania and Nebraska, which were among four states holding primaries Tuesday.

The primaries began to settle swing state Pennsylvania’s chaotic congressional landscape after a court fight ended with redrawn districts just three months ago. Amid the redistricting, Republican Rick Saccone recorded his second loss in two months in two U.S. House districts.

Among the more unusual results of Tuesday’s primaries was the loss by Pennsylvania’s Democratic lieutenant governor, Mike Stack, who was ousted by mayor John Fetterman.

Oregon and Idaho also held primary elections.

Here’s a look at some of the other interesting races:
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TRUMP’S PICKS PREVAIL
Two of the president’s favored candidates, Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania and Deb Fischer in Nebraska, won their U.S. Senate primaries.

Trump congratulated his picks in a pair of tweets Wednesday morning.

Barletta, currently a congressman, was heavily favored over state Rep. Jim Christiana to become the Republican challenger for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is seeking a third term in November.

Barletta was a Trump supporter before the 2016 presidential nomination was settled. Trump asked Barletta to run for Senate, and the president is expected to visit Pennsylvania to campaign for him. The president also recorded telephone calls last weekend backing Barletta “fully, strongly and proudly.”

Fischer, the incumbent, defeated four GOP challengers and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska. Her Democratic opponent is Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould.

Last week, Trump urged GOP Senate primary voters to support Rep. Jim Renacci in the Ohio Senate and oppose former coal company executive Don Blankenship in West Virginia. Renacci won and Blankenship lost.
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WOMEN RULE IN REDRAWN DISTRICTS
Pennsylvania could send at least three women Congress next year, breaking the all-male hold on the state’s 18-member U.S. House delegation.

Mary Gay Scanlon won a 10-way Democratic primary and Madeleine Dean won a three-way Democratic primary on Tuesday night for two suburban Philadelphia seats that are likely to flip to Democrats following a court-ordered redrawing of the state’s congressional district boundaries.

Meanwhile, Chrissy Houlahan is the uncontested Democratic nominee for another suburban Philadelphia seat where she’s heavily favored in November.

Women won contested Democratic primaries in three other seats in Pennsylvania, although two of those seats are in solidly Republican districts and another is considered a toss-up in November.
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INCUMBENT LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR FALLS
Mike Stack became the first holder of the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor’s office to lose in a primary election.
John Fetterman, the Braddock mayor, won the five-way Democratic Party primary race for lieutenant governor Tuesday, meaning he will run on a ticket with Gov. Tom Wolf in the fall. Pennsylvania first started allowing lieutenant governors to serve a second term in the 1970s.

Fetterman had made a failed bid in 2016 for the U.S. Senate.

Stack, a former Philadelphia state senator, has had a chilly relationship with Wolf in their first term together.
Wolf last year ordered an investigation into the treatment of state employees by Stack and his wife and stripped Stack of state police protection.
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SECOND LOSS IN TWO MONTHS FOR SACCONE
Pennsylvania state Rep. Rick Saccone, who lost a special election two months ago to Democrat Conor Lamb for a congressional seat, has now lost a two-way Republican primary for a different U.S. House seat.

Saccone lost Tuesday’s 14th Congressional District primary election to state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler for the open seat in a heavily Republican, newly drawn district.

In March, Lamb narrowly beat Saccone in a district that President Donald Trump won in 2016 by about 20 percentage points. The president campaigned in the district twice and sent several tweets on Saccone’s behalf. The White House later contended that it was Lamb who had had embraced the president’s policies and vision.
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POLITICAL NEWCOMER WINS IN NEBRASKA
Social worker and political newcomer Kara Eastman has won the Democratic nomination for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District.

Eastman defeated former Rep. Brad Ashford in Tuesday’s primary election with a campaign that cast her as a champion of liberal ideals, including supporting a single-payer health care system.

Eastman contrasted herself against Ashford, a centrist and former Republican who focused on his legislative experience and willingness to work with conservatives.

She will now face Rep. Don Bacon, a first-term Republican who defeated Ashford in the 2016 election.

Ashford had been the first Democrat in two decades to win the district, which encompasses much of the Omaha metro area. Although Omaha’s strong Democratic core is balanced out by more conservative suburbs, the district gives Democrats a fighting chance of capturing a congressional seat in a state that is otherwise overwhelmingly Republican.
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OREGON CHOOSES GOP CANDIDATE AMONG 10 GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFULS
State Rep. Knute Buehler has emerged from a crowded primary to capture the Republican nomination for Oregon governor.

Buehler, who ran for secretary of state in 2012, was the most centrist of the Republican front-runners. He was among 10 GOP candidates in the primary.

However, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown remains the favorite to win in November. Brown became governor in 2015 upon the resignation of Gov. John Kitzhaber following an ethics scandal, and she won a special election in 2016.
Oregon is among eight states where Democrats control the governorship and both houses of the state legislature. Voters who identify as Democrats also outnumber their Republican counterparts by more than 9 percentage points.
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IN IDAHO GOVERNOR’S RACE, A DEMOCRATIC FIRST
When former state Rep. Paulette Jordan, 38, won her primary, she became the first woman to be the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Idaho. If she wins the general election, Jordan, a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, would not only be the first woman to serve as Idaho governor but also the first Native American woman to serve in that position in any state.

But she faces a difficult race: Idaho hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since 1990, and the Republican Party now controls a supermajority on all federal, state and legislative seats.

Lt. Gov. Brad Little, 64, a rancher who has spent the past 16 years in elected office, secured the GOP nomination. He’s the pick of Republican Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, who decided not to seek a fourth term.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A driver and passengers were hurt when their bus slammed into a train trestle in Council Bluffs, ripping off the back of the vehicle.

Police say the crash happened just before noon Wednesday when the driver of a small transit bus tried to pass beneath the trestle, which is only 8 feet 8 inches above the roadway. The impact tore off the back of the bus.

The bus is owned by Notre Dame Housing, an assisted living center in Omaha, Nebraska. The driver and five passengers received non-life threatening injuries. Three of the passengers were treated at hospitals.
The driver, whose name wasn’t released, was cited.

The Canadian National railroad stopped train traffic for about an hour after the crash but later resumed normal activity.

SANTEE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say they’ve recovered the body of a man missing since he and his girlfriend accidentally drove off a cliff into the water near where the Missouri River flows into Lewis and Clark Lake in northeast Nebraska.

Boaters spotted the body of 39-year-old Arturo Rouillard on Wednesday, about 4 miles (7 kilometers) east of the Santee boat dock. The body was taken to shore by noon.

Authorities say Rouillard and 41-year-old Adrienne Denney had been night fishing when they were last seen early on May 5. It’s thought they were on an all-terrain vehicle when it plunged off the cliff. Denney’s body was recovered later that day.

The two lived in Santee.

MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) — A southwest Nebraska county commissioner who is also a road crew member has apologized for tossing a sharp rake in front of a school bus carrying nearly a dozen children.

Red Willow County Commissioner Earl McNutt says he and two county workers had been patching an asphalt road in McCook last week when he grew frustrated by speeding vehicles. McNutt says he made a bad decision.

McCook Public Schools Superintendent Grant Norgaard says no one was injured in the May 10 incident and there’s no damage to the bus.

Norgaard says there’s also no evidence that the bus driver was speeding. She has reported the incident to the county sheriff’s department.

County Sheriff Alan Kotschwar says he plans to talk Friday with County Attorney Paul Wood about potential charges.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an 18-year-old died after his sport utility vehicle collided with a pickup truck just south of Beatrice in southeast Nebraska.

The Gage County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that Shawn Vraspir, of Beatrice, was driving west on a county road when he didn’t halt at a stop sign and collided with the northbound pickup on U.S. Highway 77. He was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday afternoon.

The office says the pickup driver was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries thought to be non-life-threatening. She was identified as 47-year-old Sadie Saunders, of Topeka, Kansas.

Most people who take a week off from work will spend it traveling, seeing friends and family, or just relaxing. That’s what vacations are for, right? Two members of the Box Butte General Hospital Surgery Department did use their vacation to travel to Honduras. But in their case it was to volunteer as part of a surgical group sponsored by the Solanus Medical Mission (SMM), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing medical care to those who cannot afford it in Comayagua, Honduras.

Nurse Anesthetist Chuck Frisch, CRNA, DNP and Surgical Nurse Sarah Troester, RN, BSN were part of a 24 member team of volunteers who spent the week of April 21-28 performing 72 surgical procedures on Hondurans who met the SMM income guidelines to qualify for free surgeries (less than $100 a month in income). “It was an amazing experience,” said Sarah, first-time volunteer for the mission. “I didn’t know what to expect, but it was fantastic.” Her compatriot on the other hand is a veteran: “This is the third trip I’ve volunteered for, and I plan to do it again next year,” Chuck said. “It’s something that I enjoy doing.”

The team was comprised of three surgeons (one orthopedic surgeon, one GYN surgeon, and one general surgeon), with the rest the support staff they needed to do the procedures. “Each surgical team averaged five to six surgeries a day,” Sarah said. “They ranged from doing knee scopes, hysterectomies, manipulation of frozen joints, hernia repairs… just about anything that could be done with the surgeons we had on hand.”

The surgeries were conducted at St. Joseph Benedict Medical Center in Comayagua. “It is a very nice facility,” Sarah said. “To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect, but it was very clean and the local staff there was fantastic. They worked with us very well. There were some communication issues, but nothing that hindered us too much. I do know some Spanish, but my accent must have been terrible because patients would look at me and tilt their heads, like… What?  The interpreters would help me out with communicating with the patients. ”

When the team left for Honduras, they had well over 20 duffel bags crammed with medical supplies and equipment. “We took as much as we could with us, since we knew medical facilities in Central America are limited in what they can supply for such missions,” Chuck said. “I took a bunch of expired anesthesia supplies donated by BBGH, for example.” Using expired medical supplies is common in Honduras. “Expired supplies are still safely useable if unopened or still sealed,” Chuck said. “They just don’t meet our medical standards here in the U.S.”

As a matter of fact, a lot of best practices used in the United States go out the window in poorer countries. “They have a limited number of supplies,” Sarah said, “which means certain supplies we are required to use once and throw away here in the U.S. gets sterilized and used again down in Honduras. We sterilized the heck out of items the hospital didn’t have enough of to do all the procedures, such as pieces of mesh we use for hernias.  We would cut the mesh into smaller pieces in a sterile fashion and then re-sterilize the rest for a future case. They would re-sterilize laryngeal masks (LMAs) which is a device used to secure an airway for general anesthesia that we consider one time use here in the United States.  Other items that we’d discard if contaminated here in the United States by dropping on the floor (such as a sterile drape or sterile gown), we would re-sterilize and use for a later case in Honduras. “

The people receiving the help and their families were very thankful. “It was amazing,” Sarah said. “These are people who have waited a long time to get help in alleviating a medical condition, often ones that cause pain.” She added that she was also struck by the differences in health care. “It’s so different down there than what we’re used to here in the States,” she continued. “While the hospital there does have four operating rooms, they don’t have any surgeons to use them. The hospital has primary care physicians who more or less triage which patients need to be on the list to be treated when missions such as ours arrive. Also I found that many government hospitals require the patient to purchase the medical supplies they need for treatment before they are admitted into the hospital to receive the care or procedure required. It’s just strange.”

Both said St. Joseph’s was a well-run hospital. “While most of the equipment was at least a generation old or more compared to what we use here at BBGH (e.g. his anesthesia machine was at least 20-30 years old, and suction equipment Sarah used at least 30 years old), the hospital was very clean, as were the operating rooms,” Chuck said. But still there were some jarring moments. “At one point, a surgeon said to turn up the air conditioner because it was too hot,” Sarah recalled. “I’m thinking … An air conditioner in an operating room blowing onto the sterile field!? But that’s just the way it is in a poorer country.”

When asked what they took away from the experience, Sarah commented, “For one thing, I realized how very, very lucky we are to live in the United States. We’re truly blessed here. Another thing was how truly thankful the patients and the families were for being treated. I mean really thankful. They never complained about how long they suffered before the procedure, the long waits waiting to have surgery, or anything like that. They were just so thankful.” Chuck concurred. “People who very much need help appreciate the care these missions provide. That’s why it’s so satisfying for all of us who go on these missions.”

Both said they plan to volunteer again in the future.

Box Butte General Hospital is an equal opportunity provider and employer.