Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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A new Flatwater analysis shows the state has fallen behind its neighbors. Business leaders are diagnosing why - and hoping new efforts will reverse the troubling trend. Not long ago, Nebraska's growth was quite literally a national cover story. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts soared through the air wearing skis and goggles on the Olympic-themed March 2018 cover of Site Selection, an economic development industry magazine. The cartoon image illustrated Nebraska's high-flying, three-year run as...
This story is made possible through a partnership between Flatwater Free Press and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Mike Wintz was nearly four miles away and in the thick of fighting the Morrill Fire when he heard over the radio that the flames were headed for his home. "A couple of the other outfits were headed to the house to kind of head it off ... I just put my trust in the neighbors and the other firefighters," he said. The group stopped the fire near Wintz's front...
Gene Leahy didn't like what he saw. Rushville's baseball field was one of the finest in Nebraska, thanks to the generosity of two bachelor brother ranchers. But the diamond saw little action. So, Leahy - big brother to Frank, Notre Dame's legendary football coach - convinced the Milwaukee Braves in the mid-1950s to host an annual summer baseball school in this Sandhills town of only 1,200 residents. Teens and young men traveled hundreds of miles to attend. "It was the thrill of my lifetime to...
Maria Velasquez, a Summerland Public Schools junior, has been selected to attend American Legion Auxiliary Cornhusker Girls State, May 31 to June 6, on the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Velasquez will study local, county and state government processes in this nonpartisan political learning experience. Every spring, the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Program provides approximately 25,000 young women with a hands-on educational opportunity designed to instruct tomorrow's...
If you're like me, you were sickened to read about the wildfires running amok across sections of Nebraska in mid March. Thousands and thousands of acres, as far as the eye could see in areas of the Sandhills, in bluffs and hills southeast of North Platte and south of Kilgore, and (once again) in areas near the Nebraska National Forest in Halsey. As I write this, more than 800,000 acres have burned, according to the Nebraska Public Media. That's pasture that could feed hundreds of thousands of...
PROCEEDINGS HOLT COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS March 16, 2026 The Holt County Board of Supervisors met as a Board of Equalization with all members present except Tielke. County Assessor Tim Wallinger, County Treasurer Shelly Ross and County Clerk Cathy Pavel were also in attendance. This meeting publicized pursuant to Section 84-1411 R.R.S. 1943. Notice of meeting given in advance thereof by publication in paper as shown by Affidavit of Publication on March 5, 2026, in the Atkinson Graphic. Chairman Breiner convened the...
Lincoln has lost 11 providers and a net 505 spots since 2023, by a local nonprofit's tally. For the second time in three months, Kirsten Mahrt let the news sink in: Her 2-year-old's child care provider was closing her doors. Mahrt, a part-time speech-language pathologist, had used her background in child development to find the Lincoln provider who closed last month. Just as she had painstakingly chosen the first provider, who closed in November. It's incredibly stressful, she said, but at this...
Fouad Mhadji Issa looks to his adopted home of Nebraska when searching for a comparison to describe the role of vanilla in his home country of Comoros. "Vanilla is farmed widely in Comoros," he says, "like corn is in Nebraska." The marriage of those two disparate places lies at the heart of Issa's business, Koponi Vanilla. The company launched in Grand Island four years ago selling vanilla extract and has since expanded to sell coffee, syrups and body oils - all of it infused with vanilla...
As communities across the state continue to face health care provider shortages, the University of Nebraska at Kearney is investing in students committed to changing that reality. More than 60 high school seniors have been selected to join the Kearney Health Opportunities Program this fall, beginning their academic journeys at UNK with the goal of serving rural Nebraska as future health care professionals. Leah Wiese of O'Neill, a Summerland Public School senior, has been selected. Representing...
One of my favorite political slogans of all time is “a solution in search of a problem.” It’s used frequently in debates at the Nebraska Legislature to describe a proposal or idea that imposes new rules and restrictions to address a problem that doesn’t exist. You might call it “government overreach,” too. Anyway, the “solution in search of a problem” line is being used often today to describe President Trump’s efforts to change election laws via the dramatically labeled “SAVE America Act...
Regenerative agriculture is gaining real momentum in Nebraska as producers search for ways to stay profitable in a very tough economic environment. Farmers are facing a significant financial squeeze in 2025–2026, driven by high production costs, low commodity prices, and rising debt. At the same time, a growing number of ag producers and rural communities are recognizing another urgent priority: protecting the soil and water beneath our feet. Across the state, what was once considered a niche i...
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture is accepting applications from high school juniors and seniors for the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute. NAYI is one of Nebraska's largest agricultural youth outreach events. This five-day program brings students together, offering networking, opportunities with ag leaders, and a chance to learn more about the industry, discover careers and make new friends NDA helps sponsor and coordinate NAYI every year. This year's theme is "Passion Meets Purpose."...
State officials said Nebraska-specific plans to mark the nation's semiquincentennial will highlight history and contributions from many, including Indigenous people. The Spanish soldiers did not stand a chance. As they hastily broke camp to continue their southward retreat, arrows began raining down from the sky. When it was done, 45 Spaniards and allied Native Americans lay dead in the grass near present-day Columbus. The slaughter, carried out by Pawnee and Otoe warriors, became known as the...
A Ewing football standout will join Nebraska's Eight-Man Hall of Fame this June. Brett Kaczor, who led the Ewing Tigers to the 2008 Class D-2 Championship, will join two coaches and 12 players at an induction ceremony on Saturday, June 20 at The Osborne Family Sports Complex in Hastings. Kaczor, a 2009 Ewing Public Schools graduate, went on to play football at Nebraska Wesleyan University. The hall of fame is presented by the Nebraska Eight-Man Football Coaches Association and sponsored by...
More than 7,000 University of Nebraska–Lincoln students have been named to the deans' list for the fall semester of the 2025-26 academic year. Qualification for the deans' list varies among the eight undergraduate colleges and the Explore Center. Area students named to the list include: Jacob Behnk, College of Arts and Sciences, Spanish and global studies, Clearwater; Raina Krebs, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, animal science and pre-veterinary medicine, Clearwater; Y...
Tom Osborne for the Nebraska Hall of Fame? Sign me up. But maybe it's worth spending a bit of time considering the rules for induction into the state's most prestigious honor. They aren't very good. First off, a person must have been dead for 35 years before they can be considered. That always made me wonder, will people remember how big a deal night-show host Johnny Carson, of Norfolk, was? He was the undisputed "King of Late Night" who regularly reminded us that he was from Nebraska. Heck,...
County Court Judge Donna F. Taylor of the 7th Judicial District has announced her retirement, effective Feb. 11. Judge Taylor served the 7th District, comprised of Antelope, Cuming, Madison, Knox, Pierce, Stanton, and Wayne counties, since her appointment in 2001. In her announcement letter to the governor, Judge Taylor commended "the professional and loyal service of our Clerk Magistrates and court staff, both past and present," as well as noting "the professionalism and expertise of our...
As nurses rushed Rachel Woollen to an Omaha operating room, all she could do was pray for the four tiny babies she was about to deliver. "All I could say was, 'Please, God, help them.' I repeated it over and over. One nurse heard me, grabbed my hand, and told me she and everyone else on the medical team were praying the same thing." Brett entered the world at 2:04 p.m. Brother Kaden, sister Parker and brother Cooper followed within the next two minutes. None weighed more than 1.8 pounds. The...
Nebraska State Treasurer Joey Spellerberg reminds Nebraska families that there is still time to enter their “future Husker” in the Husker Athletics Baby Race, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21. The event will take place during halftime of the University of Nebraska men’s basketball game against Penn State at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. “The Husker baby races are soaring in popularity – just like University of Nebraska basketball,” treasurer Spellerberg said. “This contest is a fantastic way to spotlight Nebraska’s educational savings program...
SILICON PRAIRIE NEWS Stone Pillar International is a software and intelligence company that uses drone-acquired data for actionable decision making. The company's official launch comes as Nebraskans face the threat of invasive eastern redcedar and the opportunities of new drone rules and advancements. Nebraska is on the front lines of both tech innovation and woody encroachment. As pilots and entrepreneurs look to the skies with new uses of drone technology, researchers and ranchers are looking...
The University of Nebraska at Kearney announced students who earned a place on the dean’s list for the fall 2025 semester. Students who are on the dean’s list must have completed 12 credit hours or more of classes with a 3.5 grade-point average or better on a 4.0 scale. Courses taken on a credit/no credit basis – such as internships and student teaching – aren’t included among the necessary 12 credits. Adrienne Parker and Jaycee Reynolds, of Ewing, have been named to the list....
The first time I walked into the State Capitol, I wondered "what is making all these people walk like Olympic racers down these halls?" I almost got run over by some walkers; the new guy needed to get out of the way. To be sure, the Capitol hallways extend in a square, making them ideal for a quick walk around the square for exercise or just to clear the brain. And if you hang around the Capitol long enough, you realize that people who work there – either as staffers or elected officials – nee...
A number of scholarships are available to high school seniors with Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company services at home thanks to the Foundation for Rural Service. The FRS is the non-profit arm of the National Rural Broadband Association. The NTCA is a national membership association with the goal of improving communication services, like broadband, in rural America by advocating for rural providers in Washington, D.C. Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company is a proud supporting member of both organizations. NNTC supports the FRS mission by...
Dr. Ali Khan knelt down outside a Karachi doorway and extended his hand. The young girl who, moments earlier, had just received the polio vaccine extended her hand and a skeptical look toward the smiling doctor in a red hat emblazoned with a white N. "On the front lines in Karachi, meeting a superstar who just got her polio protection. Every drop counts!" Khan wrote in an October social media post accompanying the photo. The dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska...
Regina Sullivan’s phone kept ringing as she worked from home on June 23, 2020, but she didn’t look, because she was on the clock. Then the knocking on her door started. She walked up the stairs just before 11 a.m. and looked outside to see officers from the Lincoln Police Department. Immediately, she had a sick feeling that she knew what they would say: Marvin Lee Sullivan, her son, had died. “I was no good,” Regina said. She broke down in the doorway. Her daughter, who was sleeping upstair...
