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Bill introduced to allow lakeside cabins to remain at two southwest Nebraska reservoirs
LINCOLN — Nebraska’s congressional delegation is coming to the rescue of a group of cabin owners at two reservoirs near McCook. On Wednesday, U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts, along with U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, introduced legislation to allow the transfer of cabin areas at Swanson and Red Willow Reservoirs to Hitchcock County and Frontier County, respectively. […]
Rural county board acts to prevent duplicated broadband efforts
LINCOLN — A rural Nebraska county board has voted to do something a state commission had declined to do, which is to prevent a duplication of taxpayer funds to deploy broadband internet. The decision by the Gage County Board came after two state senators urged board members to avoid a waste of taxpayer funds by […]
Nebraskans search out rare northern light display
LINCOLN — Nebraskans took to the country roads and other dark places on Friday and Saturday nights in hopes of capturing a rare display of the northern lights visible much farther south than normal. The stream of traffic Saturday night from Lincoln northward to Branched Oak Lake reminded some of the final scene of “Field […]
Small-town publishers return to stave off demise of oldest weekly paper in Nebraska
PAWNEE CITY, Nebraska — The front page story in a recent edition of the Pawnee Republican solved a local mystery — what happened to the grass-fire rig stolen from the Burchard Fire Department? But the bigger mystery in this southeast Nebraska farm town of 855 people is who’s going to take over the newspaper, the […]
Contents of memorial to mountain man Hugh Glass revealed at Neihardt event
WAYNE— A “reveal” of what a Nebraska poet hid inside a lonely monument a century ago revealed more of what Mother Nature could wreck over the span of 100 years. On Saturday, descendants of John Neihardt revealed what they’d found inside an “altar to courage” that the poet and members of a fan club from […]
‘Reveal’ planned of contents found in monument at Neihardt spring conference
LINCOLN — We’ll soon know whether some documents buried inside a concrete monument erected by poet/author John Neihardt 100 years ago survived three floods and decades of harsh winters on the plains of northwest South Dakota. On April 27, the contents of a time capsule embedded inside the monument will be revealed as part of […]
‘Fungi fever’ erupts as tasty morel mushrooms emerge from the ground
LINCOLN — Mushroom picking season has begun, with morels now emerging in eastern Nebraska’s river bottoms. In a few weeks, they should be found in more hilly, woodland areas above rivers, according to Greg “Outdoor Guy” Wagner of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Wagner said it takes patience, a sharp eye and selection of […]
Lawyers argue over who gets life insurance proceeds of dead Lincoln businessman
LINCOLN — Who deserves $3.6 million in life insurance proceeds: the family of a Lincoln businessman implicated in a multimillion-dollar fraudulent loan scheme, or the financial institutions ripped off by Aaron Marshbanks? That question was argued Friday in court as the effort continues to resolve more than $34 million in claims against the Marshbanks estate […]
State lawmakers pass updated ‘Opportunity Scholarship’ bill
LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to an updated bill that will devote $10 million a year in state funds for scholarships to attend K-12 private or parochial schools. The 32-15 approval of Legislative Bill 1402 on the final day of the 2024 legislative session would end Nebraska’s distinction as one of only […]
Stunning last-minute defeat for Pillen tax shift bill likely ensures special session
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from Gov. Pillen during his session-ending speech. LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen’s much-amended plan to raise sales taxes to decrease local property taxes went down in flames Thursday, the final day of the 2024 state legislative session. It was a stunning defeat for the idea […]
Family-run locker plant in Holstein and 75 others share in grants to expand meat processing
LINCOLN — It was hard for Mark Gentert to admit, but the COVID-19 pandemic was probably good, in a “twisted way,” for sales at his small-town meat locker outside of Hastings. “The grocery stores were running out of meat,” Gentert said. “It started bringing people out of the cities and out in the country.” “It […]
Broadcasters mount last-minute blitz to delete tax on ‘digital ads’ from Pillen plan
LINCOLN — Nebraska’s broadcasters are mounting an 11th-hour advertising blitz in hopes of overturning a proposed new tax on “digital ads” by Gov. Jim Pillen to finance his property tax relief plan. The ads, which started running over the weekend on Nebraska radio and television stations, say the 7.5% excise tax on ads that run […]