Newsflash [email protected] 308-345-5400 www.highplainsradio.net SWNPHD INVOLVED IN AN INVESTIGATION Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Nebraska Depart- ment of Health and Human Services (NDHHS) are involved in an investigation of gastrointestinal illnesses, specifically Campylobac- ter, among residents in and around the Beaver City community. “We were impressed with the willingness of medical facilities, Bea- ver City and Furnas County employees to work with all these entities during this investigation,” explains Myra Stoney, SWNPHD Director. “We are very appreciative of people who have completed surveys and would still encourage others to complete the survey found at Facebook.com/swnphd. If you work, shop or eat in Beaver City, we are asking each person in your household to complete the survey, even if you were not ill.” According to CDC, Campylobacter is one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness in the United States. HAND COUNT REVEALED FEW PROBLEMS A hand count of ballots in 38 randomly selected precincts across Nebraska revealed few problems. Secretary of State John Gale says results point to the reliability and accuracy of optical scanners used to read those ballots in the 2016 general election. A total of 860,573 ballots were cast and counted in that election. Following each statewide general election, a manual audit is conducted. Thirty -eight precincts were randomly selected for audit in 31 counties, which is about two and a half percent of all precincts. Gale said having a process that checks the accuracy of the equipment is essen- tial to fostering confidence among voters that ballots counted in all 93 are handled the same way with similar results. Votes cast in the following races were hand counted from ballots in the selected pre- cincts: president, one state race and one local race. Results from the hand count were then compared to machine tabulations obtained for those races. Any discrepancies were noted by the county elec- tion official. Gale said minor discrepancies were reflected on 12 votes in five precincts from four counties. A total of 15,107 ballots were hand counted as part of the audit. In another county, two light marks were not read by the machine, but were included in the hand count. SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK We’re a week into spring now and with the change of seasons, Ne- braskans know it also means changing weather and sometimes, se- vere weather. Meteorologist Mindy Beerends, at the National Weather Service, says this is Severe Weather Awareness Week. There’s a different theme each day and today’s focus is on severe thunderstorms. “Tuesday, it’s how to receive warning information,” Beerends says. “Wednesday, information about tornadoes. Thurs- day, it’s preparedness and families, what they can do to prepare for severe weather, and Friday, we’ll be looking at flooding.” Ne- braska averages about 50 tornadoes a year and the peak months for twisters are May and June. The most the state’s ever had in one year was 110 tornadoes in 2004. Beerends says there will be a statewide tornado drill on Wednesday. HOME OF BISON SPORTS FOR 38 YEARS! McCook Humane Society 100 South Street 345-2372 Hours: M-F: 2-5 Sat: 12-4 WEDNESDAYS 10 AM-11 AM ON KBRL-AM AND KFNF-FM www.highplainsradio MONDAY MARCH 27, 2017 STOCKS DOW 59.86 TO 20,596.86 NASDAQ 11.06 TO 5,828.74 Want to Live Free for a Month? REGISTER AT PARTICIPATING SPONSORS. MUST BE 18 TO WIN! ONE WINNER WILL BE DRAWN APRIL 3RD. FOR MORE INFORMATION CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT www.highplainsradio.net WEATHER Today Sunny High 65 Wed Showers High 48 Tue Showers High 51 WALK-IN HOURS 7 AM - 5 PM MONDAY - FRIDAY 8 AM-10 AM SATURDAY NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY 1401 EAST H STREET 344-4110