**UPDATE** The alert has been cancelled due to Benton being found safe in Texas.
An Endangered Missing Advisory has been activated to determine the whereabouts of Harold Benton. The Harlan County Sheriffs office is asking for assistance locating Harold "Gene" Benton, a 79 year old, 5'10" 225lb white male with brown hair and brown eyes missing from the Alma, NE area. Mr. Benton reportedly suffers from dementia and has medical conditions for which he does not have his medication. He was last seen Monday 9-24 at 0900. He may be driving a red 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, NE BE 4 Conservation plates. If you see Gene Benton please call 911 or the Harlan County Sheriff's office at 308-928-2147. Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) will once again provide safety information and giveaways during the 149th Nebraska State Fair, August 24-September 3, at Fonner Park in Grand Island.
Located in the Southeast corner of Expo Building near the center of the State Fairgrounds, NSP’s booth will be staffed by both sworn and civilian members of the agency. NSP will provide information on roadway safety, career opportunities, history of the Patrol, and have giveaways. “The Nebraska State Fair is a great opportunity to showcase the safety messages that our troopers deliver throughout the state all year,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Over the 11 days of the fair, dozens of troopers will be working in several capacities to support the safety of the public. From the NSP booth, to game inspections, to bike patrols, and more, troopers are proud to be a part of the Nebraska State Fair.” In addition, NSP plays a critical role in security for the State Fair. The Patrol will provide on-site law enforcement security around the clock for the duration of the fair. Troopers will patrol the fairgrounds in a variety of ways, including bicycles and all-terrain vehicles. The NSP Security Office is located in the Fonner Park Racing Office for any fair-goers in need of law enforcement assistance. Patrons are also encouraged to view a former NSP patrol Mustang on display at the NSP booth. The newest vehicle, a Dodge Charger, and a seat belt survivor crash car are located outside the north side of the Expo Building. Investigators with NSP Troop C – Grand Island inspected each of the games at the State Fair Friday morning to ensure that all comply with Nebraska law and are winnable for patrons. UPDATED - The Endangered Missing Advisory activated to determine the whereabouts of Charles Folsom, has been cancelled.
The alert has been cancelled due to Folsom being located deceased. An Endangered Missing Advisory has been issued for Eastern Nebraska. The Fremont Police Department is attempting to locate Charles Folsom, who is a 90 year old, white male, approximately 5’09" tall, approximately 145 pounds, with hazel eyes and who is bald. Folsom was last seen wearing a black and white checkered shirt and black pants. Folsom currently has a sling on his right arm and Folsom's vehicle was recovered in rural Dodge County. Folsom was last seen in the Fremont, Nebraska, at approximately 11:00 a.m. on August 21, 2018. If you have any information, please call 911, or contact the Fremont Police Department at 402-727-2677, immediately. An Endangered Missing Advisory has been activated to determine the whereabouts of Charles Folsom. An Endangered Missing Advisory has been issued for Eastern Nebraska. The Fremont Police Department is attempting to locate Charles Folsom, who is a 90 year old, white male, approximately 5’09" tall, approximately 145 pounds, with hazel eyes and who is bald. Folsom was last seen wearing a black and white checkered shirt and black pants. Folsom currently has a sling on his right arm and drives a 2006 Gray Chevrolet Equinox bearing Nebraska license plate number 5-B2344. Folsom was last seen in the Fremont, Nebraska, at approximately 11:00 a.m. on August 21, 2018. If you have any information, please call 911, or contact the Fremont Police Department at 402-727-2677, immediately. In an announcement last Tuesday, Great Plains Communications reported that it has entered into an agreement to be purchased by Grain Management, LLC.
Great Plains Communications is the largest privately-owned telecommunications provider in Nebraska. Great Plains CEO Todd Foje said a combination of many factors went into the decision to sell the company. “First, there’s been a lot of merger and acquisition activity in our industry, and we knew there’d be good interest in possibly having a new shareholder and investor in our company,” said Foje. “Our business has performed really well. We have a great team of people, a supportive customer base, and we’ve been able to grow the business, so we felt like we were in a position of strength from a company standpoint.” Grain Management, LLC (Grain) is a leading private equity firm focused on investments in the communications sector. Foje said they chose Grain for the purchase for multiple reasons, the first of which was that the firm focuses exclusively on investing in communications-related businesses. “A second factor was the fact that they were willing to contribute additional financial resources and capital to the company to support some additional growth,” Foje said. Amid concerns from current employers, Foje explained that another reason the company chose Grain was that the current workforce was going to stay in place and the business had more possibilities for growth. “It’s business as usual for our current employees,” Foje reassured. “We expect stable employment for now, and over time, hope to grow employment as the business grows.” Foje also explained that the current management team is staying in place as well. “Grain doesn’t have executives or management to put into a business. They partner with management to grow businesses is what their approach is, and so we’re partners in that respect.” As far as Great Plains’ current customers, Foje does not anticipate any changes to prices or services offered. “Over time, any impacts will only be positive because Grain is actually taking an approach with us where we’ll actually have more money to invest in the business and in our network, benefitting customers.” “We expect to continue to grow in our current markets,” Foje said about the company’s future plans. “One of our objectives is always keeping the rural parts of the state connected to the metro parts and the metro parts of the state to the rural parts. We’ll continue to invest in both of those and create growth. In addition to that, we’ll continue to acquire other communications businesses that we can combine with ours to become even bigger and better over time.” Foje expects the transaction to be finalized in the fall, after being granted the proper regulatory approvals. Once the transaction is complete, the company’s headquarters will remain in Blair and the company will remain Great Plains Communications. Grain Management, LLC (Grain), a leading private equity firm focused on investments in the communications sector, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Great Plains Communications - the largest privately-owned telecommunications provider in Nebraska.
"We are enthusiastic about the outstanding performance Great Plains Communications has delivered for its customers, and we are thrilled to partner with the current management team to continue pursuing their vision of being the region's leading provider of high-quality, fiber-based telecommunications services," said David Grain, Founder & CEO of Grain Management. Grain will acquire Great Plains Communications from its current owners, whose families have led the company's growth since 1910, when it began as a local telephone company. Throughout its long history, Great Plains Communications has strategically transitioned itself into a leading regional provider of fiber-based services through significant investment in its state-of-the-art network and facilities. The company offers residential services, such as digital phone, high-definition cable television, and broadband Internet through DSL, cable modem, satellite or fiber to more than 90 communities across the state. It also provides business services ranging from traditional voice and data products to installation and support of large business networks with scalable Ethernet solutions. "We were committed to choosing a buyer that would support the family's dedication to delivering high-quality services to our customers," said current owners, the Garrigan and Jensen families, who are third and fourth generation descendants of Founder E.C. Hunt. "Great Plains Communications' capable employees, led by CEO Todd Foje and the management team, will continue to carry on the mission of the family and Grain Management." "This acquisition is a positive step forward in our vision of providing the best telecommunications services to sustain and advance Nebraska," said Great Plains Communications CEO, Todd Foje. "Together with Grain Management, we will be able to expand our network and enhance our offerings to benefit our customers, employees and the local communities we serve. Our team looks forward to partnering with Grain Management and utilizing their deep experience in regional fiber investment." Upon completion of the acquisition, Great Plains Communications will operate over 9,500 route miles of high-quality network architecture. With additional resources from Grain Management, the company intends to enhance its presence throughout the Midwest, extending and improving its network for both customers and their communities. TD Bank served as financial advisor to Grain Management. Alston & Bird LLP served as legal counsel to Grain Management. UBS Investment Bank served as exclusive financial advisor to Great Plains Communications in the transaction. Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP served as legal counsel to Great Plains Communications with assistance from Kutak Rock LLP and Woods & Aitken LLP. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2018, following the satisfaction of customary regulatory approvals. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. About Grain Management Grain Management, LLC is a leading private equity firm focused on investments in the communications sector. The firm was founded in 2007 with the objective of bringing a differentiated approach to the industry characterized by expansive sector knowledge, rigorous analytics, and dedicated, in-house operating and financial professionals. Grain is directed by a team of highly experienced investment professionals with deep industry knowledge and a specialized skillset, marked by extensive operating history, deep quantitative and analytical proficiency, and regulatory expertise. For more information visit www.graingp.com. About Great Plains Communications Great Plains Communications is the largest privately-owned telecommunications provider in Nebraska, delivering high speed Internet, cable television, and voice services to over 90 communities across the state. The company also prides itself on their progressive approach to accommodating the unique needs of all regional and national telecommunications carriers, LECs, ISPs, wireless carriers and other service providers utilizing superior engineering and custom build strategies. At the core of its service offering is an extensive 9,500-mile regional fiber network including over 300 fiber miles in the Omaha Metro area. The network extends beyond Nebraska into Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wyomingoffering community access rings, last-mile, and middle-mile solutions, all fully supported by their 24x7x365 Network Operations Center. For more information visit www.gpcom.com. Contact: Lina Francis, PR@graingp.com Press Release from: Grain Management, LLC The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) is seeking the public’s help in locating a person wanted on multiple charges.
An arrest warrant has been issued in Chase County for Kody G. Huff, 30, for the following offenses: first degree assault, kidnapping, terroristic threats, use of a weapon to commit a felony, possession of a weapon by a prohibited person. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Kody Huff, please call the NSP tip line at (308) 535-8137. The family of 38 year old Santee resident Artuoro Rouillard is asking for assistance in locating him. Rouillard has been missing since Saturday.
According to family members, Rouillard was last seen 2:30 a.m. Saturday while fishing at Crazy Peak. He was heading to his home in the village of Santee. Rouillard is approximately 5'5" and weighs 249 pounds. Any information can be directed to the Santee Tribal Police Department at 402-857-2527. The Nebraska State Patrol has activated an Endangered Missing Advisory to determine the whereabouts of Darrell Gowery.
An Endangered Missing Advisory has been issued for Northeast Nebraska. The Cedar County Sheriff’s Department is attempting to locate, Darrell Gowery, who is a 90 years old, white male, approximately 5’ 10”" tall, approximately 200 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. Gowery was last seen wearing a navy blue long sleeved turtle neck with a gray vest and blue jeans. Gowery is known to drive a black 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 pick-up bearing Nebraska plate 13-427U and last known whereabouts was in the vicinity of Wynot, Nebraska, at approximately 12:00 p.m. on April 13, 2018. If you have any information, please call 911, or contact the Cedar County Sheriff’s Department at 402-254-6884, immediately. A child flu-related death in central Nebraska has been reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. State health officials say Nebraska along with the rest of the nation is experiencing a severe flu season.
“We started seeing increased flu activity earlier than usual this year and flu continues to circulate at very high levels,” says Dr. Tom Safranek, State Epidemiologist for DHHS. “During a severe flu season, we see more illness, hospitalizations and sadly more deaths.” Nationally, 30 children have died from flu this season according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While most children recover from the flu, some can have severe and sometimes fatal infections, but that has been rare in Nebraska. So far, there have been a total of 22 flu-related deaths statewide - 21 adults and one child. Antiviral drugs like Tamiflu, prescribed by a health care provider, should be used as early as possible in people who have flu-like illness. For those who aren’t sick, preventive measures along with flu vaccine can help prevent flu and other winter illnesses. Protect yourself from the flu by:
The CDC recommends flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older. While flu can make anyone sick, certain people are at greater risk for serious complications, and it's extremely important they receive vaccine and it's not too late to be vaccinated.
For more flu information, visit the DHHS website at www.dhhs.ne.gov/flu or the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/flu. If you are a fan of Hiland Dairy's orange juice or citrus punch, take a second to check the codes on the jug.
In a press release, Hiland Dairy announced a voluntary recall of two products produced at the Omaha facility over concerns the products may contain milk protein that could affect those individuals that have sensitivity to milk allergens. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume these products. No illnesses or reactions have been reported at this time. The affected products are one gallon Hiland Dairy Orange Juice, dated February 5, 2018 with product plant code 3108, and one gallon Tampico Citrus Punch, dated March 9, 2018 with plant code 3108. Hiland Dairy initially learned of a potential issue during internal quality control testing at the Omaha facility. The company promptly contacted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to initiate the recall. They are working with the FDA to investigate the matter. Customers who have purchased these products are encouraged to discard them or return to their local retailers to exchange the product for a like item. Consumers with questions can contact Hiland Dairy seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 402-740-2254. |
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