Author Archives: Brian Neben
Extreme drought conditions expand across broad parts of Nebraska
KEARNEY - After a record dry first three months of 2026, extreme drought conditions expanded across Nebraska as the calendar turned over to April. Much needed rainfall occurred April 1 and was still f...
Apr 02, 2026 Drought conditions present across Nebraska as of March 31, (U.S. Drought Monitor, Courtesy)
Joctan Romero of Gibbon awarded $2,000 Dawson PPD STEM Scholarship
GIBBON - Joctan Romero of Gibbon was named the recipient of Dawson PPD's $2,000 Pathways to Power Scholarship. He plans to study civil engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this fall. Rome...
Apr 02, 2026 Joctan Antonio Romero Sanchez, (Courtesy)
Case of Kearney man charged with distributing a controlled substance in a school zone headed to district court
KEARNEY - A Kearney man charged with distributing a controlled substance within a school zone following a narcotics investigation has had his case bound over to Buffalo County District Court. Austin D...
Apr 02, 2026 Local Court News, (Central Nebraska Today)
FBI assisting York County Sheriff after robbery at Cornerstone Bank
BRADSHAW - The York County Sheriff's Department along with the assistance of the Nebraska State Patrol, York Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to a robbery in progre...
Apr 02, 2026 (Central Nebraska Today)
Miss USA 2025 Audrey Eckert to be Keynote Youth Leadership Summit Speaker
GRAND ISLAND - Leadership Unlimited's Youth Leadership Tomorrow program will host its annual Youth Leadership Summit on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Grand Island, Nebraska, featuring Miss USA 2025 Audre...
Apr 02, 2026 Hall County Leadership Unlimited, (Courtesy)
City of Kearney announces Cottonwood Fire fence drive to support affected families
KEARNEY - The City of Kearney, in partnership with the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department (KVFD), and Brady FFA chapter, is organizing the Cottonwood Fire Fence Drive to assist families and ranches imp...
Apr 02, 2026 The burn scar of the Cottonwood Fire near Road 754 north of Farnam in southwest Dawson County, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
Hastings Police Department's activity from April 1
HASTINGS - The Hastings Police Department released their daily activity from Wednesday, April 1. Reported Offenses: On April 1, 2026, a 71-year-old Hastings resident reported fraud in the 2400 block o...
Apr 02, 2026 Hastings Police Department, Courtesy
Game and Parks offering pastures, hay tracts to those affected by wildfires
NEBRASKA - The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is offering pastures and hay tracts on some of its properties to landowners affected by the recent wildfires. Game and Parks manages land for wildlife...
Apr 01, 2026 Cattle in central Nebraska (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
NDOT: Work will begin on I-80 near Sutherland
SUTHERLAND - Weather permitting, work will begin April 6 on Interstate 80 (I-80), from reference post 150.96 to reference post 161.00, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation. Werner Co...
Apr 01, 2026 Interstate 80, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
Lexington sees driest January-March in 78 years, lack of precipitation breaks records in region
LEXINGTON - Lexington recorded its driest start to a year in 78 years, while the severe lack of precipitation set records across central Nebraska. According to the National Weather Service - Hastings,...
Apr 01, 2026 Percent of normal precipitation from Jan. 1 through March 31, (NWS Hastings, Courtesy)