Author Archives: Brian Neben
Work will begin on US-30, Kearney East
KEARNEY - Weather permitting, work will begin March 23 on U.S. Highway 30 (US-30), from reference post 274+92 to reference post 276+83 in Buffalo County, according to the Nebraska Department of Transp...
Mar 18, 2026 Semi-truck traffic on Highway 30, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
Kearney, Hastings, Grand Island Creative Districts receive $100,000 grants from Nebraska Arts Council
LINCOLN - The Nebraska Arts Council recently awarded Development Grants for FY25 to Nebraska Creative Districts. The grants are available to all certified Creative Districts and are made possible thro...
Mar 18, 2026 Nebraska Arts Council Creative Development Grant, (Nebraska Arts Council, Courtesy)
UNK student joins Rowe Sanctuary research protecting sandhill cranes
GIBBON - Each spring, the distinctive calls of sandhill cranes echo across the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska. More than a million of these majestic birds converge on a 70-mile stretch of the...
Mar 18, 2026 Amanda Hegg, left, and Katie Arens observe sandhill cranes and their reactions to power lines from blinds located along the Platte River. They’re part of a research team studying the use of an ultraviolet light system to reduce the number of nighttime collisions. (Photo by Erika Pritchard, UNK Communications)
Lexington man charged with child enticement after Hastings Police sting pleads no contest
LEXINGTON - A Lexington man who was charged after a child enticement sting operation involving the Hastings Police Department has pleaded no contest to amended charges. Jesus Octavio Sanchez-Ramirez, ...
Mar 18, 2026 Local Court News, (Central Nebraska Today)
Late week heat could set temperature records across central Nebraska
HASTINGS - A surge of late week heat could set new daily temperature records across central Nebraska on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21. According to the National Weather Service - Hastings, a...
Mar 18, 2026 Mid-March sunset across central Nebraska, (Brian Neben, Courtesy)
Game and Parks urges caution when recreating outdoors due to wildfires
NEBRASKA - Outdoor enthusiasts are advised to use extreme caution across the state due to dry conditions and wildfire risk. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission urges hunters and other recreationist...
Mar 18, 2026 Flames from a grass fire in progress, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
City of Kearney announces start of 2026 yard waste collection season
KEARNEY - The City of Kearney announces that the 2026 Yard Waste Collection season will begin on Tuesday, March 31. Yard waste collection will run through the first week of December, with no collectio...
Mar 18, 2026 Katkov / Depositphotos.com
Hastings Police Department's activity from March 17
HASTINGS - The Hastings Police Department released their daily activity from Tuesday, March 17. Reported Offenses: On March 17, 2026, a 75-year-old Hastings resident reported a theft in the 700 block ...
Mar 18, 2026 Hastings Police Department, Courtesy
Cottonwood Fire now 40 percent contained, has burned 131,559 acres
NEBRASKA - The Cottonwood Fire is now considered 40 percent contained and has burned 131,559 acres since it began on Thursday, March 12. Special Notes: Fire managers subdivide the fire perimeter on la...
Mar 17, 2026 Map of the Cottonwood Fire, (Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1, Courtesy)
ALLO Fiber completes state-funded broadband projects expanding high-speed internet across Nebraska
NEBRASKA - ALLO Fiber announced the successful completion of multiple fiber-to-the-premise broadband projects, expanding high-speed internet access to thousands of homes and businesses in rural and un...
Mar 17, 2026 Allo Fiber, Courtesy