Time to dig into reading, and get beneath the surface.

    Those are the themes for this summer's reading program at the North Platte Library.

    For the sixth year in a row, students have painted a mural to get kids in the reading spirit.

    They say art is not what you see, but what you make others see.

    And these artists are bringing the creativity out in this mural for others to get excited for summer reading.

    The theme for kindergarteners through fifth grade is time to dig into reading.

    “We're going to do a lot of things that go on underground like dinosaurs and gardening and things that burl under the ground. We have different speakers that come in, activities, and crafts that we will be doing. We're going to have something about diggers,” says Lois Rowe, Library Assistant / Children's Room.

    As for Middle and high school students, the theme is beneath the surface.

    "We will talk about some gardening and some warm farms. The second session is a closer look, it's an art project. The third is about time capsules. Anything that would be beneath the surface, and then they'll decorate their own time capsule and put their own memorabilia, and they can bury their time capsule," says Carol Eshleman, Young Adult Services.

    The summer program begins June 3rd.

    Eshleman says it's very important for students to continue reading throughout the summer.

    "Read in through the summer because their knowledge based grows, and of course lifelong learning is what we need to be thinking about all of the time. We'll be learning and learning by doing," says Eshleman.

Kindergarteners: June 3^rd @ 1:30

1^st-2^nd: June 5^th @ 1:30

3^rd-5^th: June 5^th @ 3

Middle & High School students will begin the first week of July.

    600 million dollars.

    That's how much the jackpot has soared.

    It's the largest prize in the Powerball game's history, and the world's second largest lottery prize.

    The drawing is Saturday, and many are scrambling to get that ticket.

    The prize is growing quickly because so many people have been purchasing the $2 tickets.

    Do you buy tickets? "Oh yes. Every week," says Rose Marie Arnold , Ticket Buyer / North Platte.

    "We bought one in Grand Island and then one in here, so hopefully we will be lucky," says Patty Lerud, Ticket Buyer / South Dakota.

    "I just bought a ticket, I would just like a small chunk of that change," says Mychelle Triplett, Ticket Buyer.

    "Just two right now, it only takes one to win," says Cassie Condon, Ticket Buyer.

    Some are more optimistic than others

    "Yeah, that's a lot of money, and I am excited because when I win I will buy an animal shelter," says Sharee Gentleman , Ticket Buyer.

    "We're buying lottery tickets as we go along with hopes that will be one of the lucky Nebraska winners because Nebraskans win more than South Dakota does," says Lerud.

    And others, not as much.

    "They say you were more apt to be president than you were to get the winning ticket, so I am not a lucky person," says Arnold.

    But the real question is what would you do with all that money?

    "ohhh. I would give a lot of money to family and friends, really, really would," says Arnold.

    "Help my kids first, and donate a lot, and I have a couple of people that I work with," says Lerud.

    "I would love to stay here in the community and spend it here, and spend it with people that shop local," says Condon.

    "My kids' college tuition would pay in advance, I don't know what else, that's a lot of money, a lot of money," says Triplett.

    It has been a slow start for severe weather and tornadoes this year

    But that doesn't mean we're off the hook.

    The beginning of last year was very active with severe storm outbreaks.

    However, experts this year are predicting a violent second half.

    Tornado season might be delayed, but it's not cancelled.

    "Just because we've been kind of quiet here lately; certainly we are going to see things pick up as we go into the warmer months into the last part of May and June," says John Steppkotte, Meteorologist / National Weather Service.

    That quietness has been rather unusual. Last year at this time, Lincoln County already experienced two twisters.

    But it all makes sense because the setup then was completely different from this year.

    Last year, cold air was moving from the north, and meeting warm air from the south right over Greater Nebraska.

    The warm air was forced to rise and that created severe weather.

    As for this year, cold air was reaching further down, and warm air was meeting a whole state below.

    "A lot of it has to deal with the drought last year and the lack of moisture that we need for the thunderstorms to develop first of all. We really need a certain amount of ingredients to come together. Then as we go into the winter months and the first part of spring; we've just seen must cooler than average temperatures. We really need the warm weather and the contrast of cold and warm weather to get good strong storms to develop that may produce tornadoes," says Steppkotte.

    And Stoppkotte says things are going to start picking up.

    "Not only our areas but the southern and central plains area. It's a time for people who have really forgot about the aspect of severe weather to kind of revisit some of those emergency plans," says Steppkotte.

    A local train's exhaust that serves in the industry on the west side of Sutherland started a blaze Tuesday afternoon, which then turned into several more fires on Highway 30 along the Railroad tracks a little after 1.

    At least six different fires flared up within an area of 2 ½ miles.

    Union Pacific shut the trains down for about an hour until the fires were contained.

    Sutherland and Hershey personnel responded.

    Five department trucks, along with two tankers helped extinguish the blazes

    Officials say the sparks from the trains exhaust started the fire.

    "A hot bearings on a train.   It's hard to put these fires up because there's ties along here that keep flaring up," says Paul Jochum, Lieutenant / Sutherland.

    There have been no injuries reported.

    About five acres were burnt.

Students are saying no to drugs and alcohol.

    Fifth graders at Washington Elementary graduated from their DARE Program Monday.

    Students completed the ten week program; Keeping it real, with Officer Rodney Brown.

    Students say they don't want drugs and alcohol to be a part of their lives

    "I don't want to do alcohol or drugs because they mess with your brain and you can go to jail for some of the things you do," says Kelsey Thomas, 5th Grader

    "Because they harm your health; you can't go anywhere in life with them," says Abigail Franzen, 5th Grader.

    “I can say no, I can walk away; I can come up with an excuse and blame my parents. Come up with some kind of excuse. All different strategies that I think that these guys will keep with them during most of their academic careers," says Officer Rodney Brown, D.A.R.E. Coordinator.

    It's Grand Opening day.

    Sylvan Learning is now at its new location on Cottonwood.

    The new building will provide opportunities for students to do new things, and one of those is the sylvan sync program.

    It's a brand new way of delivering information.

    "The technology part really keeps students engaged and really excited. Parents can track how their students are doing," says Debra Smith, Center Director / Sylvan Learning.

    Smith says the iPads are interactive and extremely fun.

    "Everything starts with an objective and introduction, and then the students get to practice through doing different exercises. They will have the opportunity to write their answer on the iPad," Smith says.

    Smith says one of the great things about Sylvan is that it's 100% personalized and individualized

    "I love being at Sylvan because it's all about me, because the program is just personalized for their needs and set of goals so they can move forward and gain the skills they need to be successful," says Smith.

    About 86 years ago a tornado ripped through the area just west of North Platte.

    It destroyed several homes.

    One family lived through it thanks to the Father who rushed his wife down into the cellar.

    When the tornado had passed, they noticed a 2x4 went through the home and rocking chair the wife was sitting in.

    At the time she was pregnant with Cleda Dowhower-McCammon who was born 111 days later.

Thursday, Cleda takes us back to that day to not only tell how grateful she is to be here, but the importance of taking tornadoes seriously.

    "So I just about wasn't here," says Cleda Dowhower- McCammon, Survived Tornado.

    But Cleda is here.

    “I was born 111 days later this was on May 8th of 1927,” says Dowhower-McCammon.

    Thanks to her father who quickly responded and got her mother down into the cellar.

    "And when they went back out later and surveyed the damage they found out that where she had been sitting in the bunk house a 2*4 had gone through the rocking chair she was sitting in," says Dowhower-McCammon.

    And now, she continues to operate a 3-generation family business

    "My husband I started the business 54 years ago," says Dowhower-McCammon.

    She is grateful to be here

    "I've enjoyed my life tremendously and I guess I wouldn't have known what I missed if I haven't been here, I am grateful my dad got mom down that cellar," says Dowhower-McCammon.

    And she wants to remind people to take tornadoes seriously.

“That tornado came and wiped out like eight homes,” says Dowhower-McCammon.

    That quick response changed the lives of many.

    And just like her construction business, she will continue to build memories.

    "The bible is a square of life, it puts all things in place, one who builds without a square builds nothing but disgrace," says Dowhower-McCammon.

    If you have a hankering for late night snack.

    Brace yourself.

This next story will make you wish you were at Madison Middle School.

    It's the 5th Annual Sodexo North Platte Public Schools Kids Culinary Competition.

    The theme - healthy snacks.

    Students in grades kindergarten through fifth spent their afternoon in the kitchen making healthy and tasty snacks.

    The kitchen was full of ambitious chefs preparing their favorite healthy snacks.

    "These are my granola bars I made. The reason I made granola bars is because I love them and I know how to make them," says Megan GuTemple, Chef Participant.

    "These are pizza rolls, there's pizza sauce in them and cheese in them.  Their pizza but they're not, but they're not like flat, they are just little, and you just put them in your mouth," says Malory Heiden, Chef Participant.

    "I'm making cranberry orange muffins. We have eggs, oil, vegetable oil, flour, salt cranberries, orange juice and sugar," says Kaden Fiscus, Chef Participant.

    Let's just say there is some serious competition..

    "Good looking recipes. Yeah. Like I said I am going to run off with some of these recipes, these presentation plates and go have lunch," says Larry Young, Sodexo General Manager.

    Even Chef Lalanne approves.

    The Chefs are confident.

    "I've been working really hard, and I've done this like 20 times," says GuTemple.

    But Most importantly, they're having fun.

    "This is an opportunity for them to showcase something that's healthy, easy to prepare, and what some of the kids want to eat for a snack," says Young.

Overall Champion - Ryleigh Lampe "Strawberry Bruschetta - 3rd Grade Osgood

Kids Champion - Kaden Fiscus "Fruity Orange Cranberry Muffins" - 4th Grade Eisenhower

Presentation       Gold - Keagan Sutton "Cucumber Feta Rolls" - 5th Grade Washington

                              Silver - Tom Moss "Tom's Terrific Tortillas" - 4th Grade Lake Maloney

                              Bronze - Adalee Kackmeister "Fruit Cup Waffle Cone" - 3rd Grade Buffalo

Preparation         Gold - Adalee Kackmeister "Fruit Cup Waffle Cone" - 3rd Grade Buffalo

                              Silver - Tom Moss "Tom's Terrific Tortillas" - 4th Grade Lake Maloney

                              Bronze - Megan DuTemple "Easy Granola Bar" - 3rd Grade Eisenhower

Nutrition              Gold - Keagan Sutton "Cucumber Feta Rolls" - 5th Grade Washington

                              Silver - Kaden Fiscus "Fruity Orange Cranberry Muffins" - 4th Grade Eisenhower

                              Bronze - Kaitlyn Welch "Fruit Salad"  - 5th Grade Lincoln

    Speed, efficiency, volume is the name of the game - That's what CPI is striving for.

    A New Grain Facility in Arnold is in the making, and new efficient equipment was just added to the Stapleton location.

    And it's all to help the producer.

    There was no place for producers in Arnold to dump their grain

CPI saw the need for a grain location in Arnold.

    "Last year we put up a 500,000 bushel bunker. This year we are putting up a 500,000 bushel grain bin plus leg and support system. It's about 2.5 million to start this facility," says Kenny Wallace, NW Operations Manager.

    The new grain facility is three miles south of Arnold.

    Wallace says the facility will put more money back in producers’ pockets.

    "It cuts about 35 miles one way and it equates back in 15-16cents per bushel that they are putting back into their pocket," says Wallace.

    As for Stapleton, about $100,000 was spent on new equipment

    "A computerized load system in for liquid. Last year it was taking about 40 minutes to load. It will do 350 gallon a minute, so that takes them to 15-20 minute load time," says Wallace.

    "With the updates we've been able to when they order their fertilizer we can get the trucks in here use our automotive computer system and get them loaded in about half the time that it used to take us and then get it out to the field where they needed. It's increased our efficiency a lot," says Herb Greenlee, Location Manager / Stapleton.

    "If you can get it to them when they need it, that's the name of the game," says Wallace.

    The grain location in Arnold will be completed by September 1st of this year