Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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This story is made possible through a partnership between Flatwater Free Press and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Google's Nebraska data centers consumed about 732 million gallons of water in 2025, the tech giant recently self-reported. Viewed one way, that's a lot of water: More than Omaha Metropolitan Utilities District customers use in an average week, combined, according to data from MUD. Viewed another way: It's less than you think. Google data centers consumed about a... Full story
For many communities in western Nebraska, the Fourth of July was celebrated without fireworks. While much of the state marked America's 250th anniversary with colorful displays, many western communities went without the fanfare. Amid rising wildfire activity and worsening drought conditions, state and local officials chose caution over celebration. Communities that have recently been impacted by wildfires, including Alliance, Chadron and Crawford, voted to ban fireworks. Box Butte, Dawes and Kim...
Back in the day, reporters used to be able to hitch a ride with the governor or National Guard to the site of a disastrous tornado or flood. One of those trips involved a flight to Coleridge, in northeast Nebraska, after a tornado had destroyed two farm homes and damaged several residences on the north edge of the town. At one of the farms, the owner stood just outside the now-bare foundation where his house once stood. The house was gone. “It could have been worse,” he said. No one had bee...
It’s late Monday evening, and rain is spilling from the heavens, with a few pieces of hail thrown in for good measure. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning and, judging by the lake flowing down our sidewalk, it’s easy to see why. Last week’s drought monitor, released May 21 by the University of Nebraska, showed approximately two-thirds of the state in severe to extreme drought. Across eastern Nebraska, most counties ranged from abnormally dry to severe, with only the s...
Monday, May 25 was Memorial Day, a day we pay our respects to all those men and women who gave their lives for our country while serving in the armed forces. So many have given their lives in defense of our country so that we could grow up and live in the greatest nation in history. In addition to remembering those who lost their lives, we should also use the day to thank all those who served who came home from their service with a permanent disability, whether mental or physical. These...
Turkey hunters will take to the woods for Nebraska's spring shotgun season April 18. They can expect a season consistent with the past five years, according to Carlie Gizel, wild turkey program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Statewide spring population indices indicated an 18% increase from 2024 to 2025. Regionally, the average number of turkeys observed increased from 2024 in all regions except the Sandhills and Northeast. Gizel said that while overall turkey numbers are...
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...
Russ Befort now has completed the Nebraska Upland Slam four times in four seasons. The 43-year-old from Shawnee, Kansas, knows he couldn’t have done it alone. He credits his dog, Otis, for playing a “critical” role. While hunting the greater prairie-chicken and sharp-tailed grouse, after walking several miles, Befort was presented just one shot on each bird. Otis, a Kliene Munsterlander, was able to retrieve each downed bird. Befort was randomly drawn as the grand prize winner in the eighth year of the Upland Slam, winning a Winchester SX4 U...
Preliminary results from the 2025 Nebraska November firearm deer season show statewide harvest fell 7% from 2024, which was expected, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Harvest went from 28,056 last year to 26,029 this year. Given that populations are down after several years of drought, harsh winters, and disease outbreaks — and permit numbers have been reduced to aid in recovery — the lower harvest was no surprise. Whitetail harvest is down 10% from last year. Whitetail buck harvest is off 3% from 2024. Antlerless har...
Just disappointing. It’s really the only way to describe Friday’s game, or the past two games, or really the entire season. Sure, at times we were excited and hopeful of the direction throughout the season. Towards the beginning it certainly seemed like a reality that progress was being made. That this team could live up to the “Rhule Year 3” benchmark. But after the last two games against Penn State and Iowa, two blowout losses, you could say the season fizzled out. At least Emmett Johnson is exciting to watch. This is a troubling trend under...
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the scene in Yellowstone, when Beth calls the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas and discovers they sell their own beef. No middle man. When she tells her dad, John Dutton, what she’s learned he responds, “No one can figure out the packer.” Maybe now is the time for cattle producers to figure out the packer - or the problem - in this case and eliminate the middle man. My husband, after reading this, will more than likely tell me I shouldn’t talk about selling beef or rais...
The Upper Elkhorn NRD will be taking applications for the expansion of new groundwater irrigated acres during the month of October for the 2026 growing season. There will be up to 150 new groundwater irrigated acres allotted. The focus of the 2025 sign up will be to complete pivots with 15 acres or less but not excluding other potential forms of expansion using the same criteria as last year. The sign-up is not on a first-come first served basis; but, based on a ranking criteria sheet that...
As drought conditions continue to affect much of Nebraska, beef producers are being forced to make difficult herd and forage management decisions. To support producers navigating these challenges, Nebraska Extension will host a free webinar on Thursday, June 5, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., Central Time. The webinar, “Drought Management Tools, Expected Grass Production and Early Weaning,” will feature University of Nebraska–Lincoln specialists covering key management practices and decision-making strategies to help mitigate the effects of droug...
By: Rich Wehmeyer Old Wolf Oak at Ponca State Park, one of Nebraska’s oldest trees, has died. It was a bur oak living more than 380 years and had become an often-visited woodland destination for park visitors. But it’s not the only oak to die this year from stresses of natural causes. Large areas of dead or declining mature trees at state parks are evident along Nebraska’s eastern edge. While trees are resilient and rarely succumb to a single stressor, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and its partners identified multiple ones leading to m...
Even in the best of times, farming is a precarious enterprise. There's drought, floods, hail, wind storms and pests of all kinds to deal with. The cost of fertilizers and pesticides always seems to be on the rise, equipment always seems to break down at the worst moment, and now, prices paid for the crops are below the expected break-even point. And then, in Nebraska, there's property taxes. But now the state's farmers are being thrown a nasty curveball - again - as part of President Trump's...
A farmer’s work is never done. Even in winter, farmers are planning for the next planting season. For many operations, planning ahead includes signing up for federal crop insurance. The deadline to sign up for most types of coverage is March 15. As weather events become more unpredictable and severe and market fluctuations continue, federally-backed crop insurance is an essential risk management tool for many farmers. A wide range of coverage is available for agriculture operations. Newer p...
Beef producers in north-central Nebraska have an opportunity to get both their private pesticide certification and Beef Quality Assurance certification in January 2025. These are the only private pesticide trainings in the state that focuses on the information beef producers need. Anyone can attend the training, which can be strictly informational, or used for pesticide certification or recertification, or Beef Quality Assurance certification or continuing education hours. "In one day, beef...
Preliminary results from the 2024 Nebraska November firearm deer season show statewide harvest was down 2% from 2023 and down 24% from the 2019-2023 average. This was more successful than expected for the Nov. 16-24 season as November firearm permit quotas were reduced 13% from 2023 in response to declining deer populations. Mule deer buck harvest increased 9% from 2023, while whitetail buck harvest fell 2%. Antlerless mule deer harvest declined 10% from 2023, while antlerless whitetail increased 2%. All harvest levels are down significantly...
It’s time to go bowling ... and I’m not talking about rolling an eight-pound Columbia 300. I haven’t been to a bowl game since 1981. That’s a 43-year drought where I’ve had to watch bowl games from afar or, gasp, suffer without a post-season game for the ‘Skers. So stop complaining because it has been eight years since our boys of fall last competed in late December. Forty-three is almost half a century. That’s ... old. Saturday’s Husker win over the stinkin’ Wiscy Badgers secured a bowl bi...
As we move into fall harvest, a large percentage of Nebraska is in moderate to exceptional drought conditions. Fire is of high concern due to weather conditions conducive for fires to move quickly throughout the landscape. Beyond conducive weather conditions, equipment has changed dramatically over the last couple of decades. Compared to older machines, today’s equipment is bigger, more complex, and carries more oil and fuel. On combines, shields, panels and fuel tanks used to be made out of metal but are now mostly synthetic, which can easily...
The Upper Elkhorn NRD will be taking applications for the expansion of new groundwater irrigated acres during the month of October for the 2025 growing season. There will be up to 150 new groundwater irrigated acres allotted for the purpose of increasing irrigation efficiency. The focus of the 2024 sign up will be the same as last year, to finish off pivots with 15 acres or less that have to reverse due to an obstruction not allowing the pivot to complete the circle. The sign up is not on a...
Wildlife officials say conditions in certain areas of Nebraska are suitable for the spread of deadly viral diseases among big game populations. They are asking the public to report unexplained death or illnesses of deer, pronghorn, elk and bighorn sheep. Observations of unhealthy big game animals or unexplained deaths should be reported to the nearest Nebraska Game and Parks Commission office. Locations include Alliance, Bassett, Kearney, Gretna, North Platte, Lincoln, Omaha and Norfolk. In big...
Rural communities across Nebraska have struggled with population loss for decades. The last census indicated that of the state’s 93 counties, 69 had lost population between 2010 and 2020. A University of Nebraska at Omaha study in 2015 made a sobering projection that only 12 counties in the state would have more residents in 2050 than in 1990. That continues a slide in rural areas that’s been occurring since the settlement days. Near a family farm we have in northeast Nebraska, you can scan the...
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the deadline for commodity and specialty crop producers to apply for the Emergency Relief Program for 2022 natural disaster losses is Aug. 14. USDA's Farm Service Agency began accepting ERP 2022 applications in October 2023. "If natural disasters impacted your farm or ranch in 2022, there's still time to submit your application for Emergency Relief Program assistance," said Tim Divis, FSA acting state executive director for Nebraska. "Don't...
When it's hotter than blazes and mosquitoes are a biting, do you question just why you are gardening? I do. Then the next day, the morning is cool, a breeze comes up and as I look at my flowers out my kitchen window or prepare a pitcher of cucumber water, it's all worth the sweating and bites. Well, the bites are questionable. Looking at the flowers out the window and mornings on the patio are my favorite. The morning light just seems to make the flowers show off. We all enjoy our flowers and ve...
